UEFA Champions League and Europa League

[Farahim]

Mircha Rednik is backkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk to khazar Lankaran. John Toshack out)

 

[Milos-BC]

OMG, I can't believe that Shakter Karagandy wrecked Celtic with 2:0


Well just another showing that nobody can be underestimated nowadays and that there is no rival that is a walk in the park.

 

[ParadiseES]

^
Shocked too! Now all the teams must be praying for Celtic, cause Kazakhstan is so f***ing far away

And x12s to Real Sociedad for winning 0-2 in Lyon!

 

[Milos-BC]

I heard that they sacrificed a sheep before the match too (the players of Shakter)

And the God was merciful......


Before the 2nd round draw I remember that I said I want to avoid Shakter Karagandy, because from what I saw, they look like a great team, and they are the potential mines for everyone. And they have proven that. Though I really didn't expect that they will trash Celtic like this, but it shows that they have quality.

 

[QwaarJet]

I heard that they sacrificed a sheep before the match too (the players of Shakter)

And the God was merciful......


Before the 2nd round draw I remember that I said I want to avoid Shakter Karagandy, because from what I saw, they look like a great team, and they are the potential mines for everyone. And they have proven that. Though I really didn't expect that they will trash Celtic like this, but it shows that they have quality.

I watched the entire match and they have zero quality. They are a long ball team who scored because :

A. Celtic had a brand new Centre Back pairing
B. Celtic vastly underestimated them. They expected to turn up and win without trying. Once they went a goal down, they forgot how to step up a gear.

Credit where It's due, they worked much harder than Celtic and their fitness levels were excellent. They played like their lives depended on it.

Celtic need 2 to draw at Celtic park and 3 to win. I have no doubt Celtic can put 3 past this lot, but I have a feeling they will concede an away goal.

So I predict Celtic 3-1 Karagandy and they go through on away goals. I'm so ashamed of Celtic's performance. After last year, this is what we get? They are really missing Wanyama, Wilson and Hooper.

 

[Milos-BC]

I watched the entire match and they have zero quality. They are a long ball team who scored because :

A. Celtic had a brand new Centre Back pairing
B. Celtic vastly underestimated them. They expected to turn up and win without trying. Once they went a goal down, they forgot how to step up a gear.

Credit where It's due, they worked much harder than Celtic and their fitness levels were excellent. They played like their lives depended on it.

Celtic need 2 to draw at Celtic park and 3 to win. I have no doubt Celtic can put 3 past this lot, but I have a feeling they will concede an away goal.

So I predict Celtic 3-1 Karagandy and they go through on away goals. I'm so ashamed of Celtic's performance. After last year, this is what we get? They are really missing Wanyama, Wilson and Hooper.

Sorry, but this is also an underestimation and, after the match from yesterday, there is no place for claimings that they have 0 quality because that is not true. A team that has 0 quality doesn't play in the play-off for Champions League, and doesn't eliminate one BATE Borisov. BATE is quite a serious team. They beated Bayern last year, and we know where Bayern ended......yeah, it was the beginning of the season, and the form is tempted for the later stages, but not everyone beats Bayern...........What Shakter did so far deserves respect.

Shakter is physically indeed a very well prepared team, and they are very good in defense too, just like almost all ex-Soviet teams. They certainly won't risk anything in the second leg and it will be hard for you to score 2 goals and at least equalize for the beginning. If you get the goal in the second leg as well I think that will be the end. 2-0 is a good capital, but it is a dangerous result as it is still active for both teams, and every relaxing can cost a lot.

Brand new pair of defenders before matches like this reminds me of our management as well. That is the most critical part of the team and cannot be changed like that. It takes a lot for them to adapt to each other and in the team as well, sometimes even a month or more (depends on the characteristics of the defenders). We also changed both defenders two years ago and we were eliminated by Shamrock Rovers, and symptomatically, by the mistakes of our defenders.........


Of course, all this doesn't mean that Celtic is not a favorite, it still is, even with this result, and with the changed approach I am sure you can manage to pass, but it will be a hard rematch, just like the first match was and a lot of sweat will need to be released in order to pass.

 

[vatroslav_cro]

GNK Dinamo Zagreb 0 - Vienna Austria 2

It could easily happen that there will be no CL for Dinamo this year, after two consequence years... of course, there is still a hope, but with such a "game" like today in Maksimir, it is not very likely to expect "a miracle" in Vienna.....so the most probably it will be Euroleague in 2013/2014.....

 

[aletem]

Well done to Shakther!! They proved that they can handle big teams. All Kazakh teams have a home advantage, because players are tired to fly long distances. But hey, they have to travel away too... all the time and so far they have done a great job. If they pass, I hope they will get Manchester United in the group and get a point or maybe even a surprising win over them in Karagandy. That would be epic!!

The other matches aren't too surprising, except maybe Dinamo Zagreb losing 0-2 to Austria home (both goals scored by ex-yu players).

 

[DanielLuis]

@aletem
I think Real Sociedad winning against Lyon 2-0 away was quite surprising!

 

[wayneofway]

CL:
Legia Warszawa SA 0-0 Molde FK (1-1 agg)

Close, but not close enough. Legia wins on away goals, and Molde will not qualify for Champions League. They will however get a chance in the playoffs for the Europa League.

EL:
FC Differdange 1-0 Tromsø IL (3-4 on penalties, 4-5 agg)
Strømsgodset IF 1-3 FK Baumit Jablonec (2-5 agg)

I actually saw the penalty shootout on RTL.lu's livestream. Could have gone both ways, but I'm happy Tromsø won in the end. Also heard some Tromsø fans on the livestreams.
Strømsgodset also had their chances, especially in the first half, and could have scored enough goals to qualify, but the Czechs turned out to be too strong in the end.

Next round:
Tromsø IL - Beşiktaş JK
Molde FK - FC Rubin Kazan

2 tricky opponents, and I think especially Tromsø will have a really hard task in the away match against Beşiktaş. Rubin Kazan might be about the same level as Legia Warszawa, so I think Molde might actually have a chance.

I'll never forget Tromso as they eliminated Galatasaray 7 years ago. I also remember it was a mud game in Norway:

 

[Milos-BC]

Partizan - Thun today


Don't know what to expect now but generally I don't expect anything. We play terrible for more than a month now, and while before I used to see some match where we are getting out of the crisis (when it is present) and when the team was showing some positive improvements, I see none of that now. We are maybe, on the paper, a better team, but with this play, the chances to enter Europa League are very slim.

As for Thun, it is a very compact team, and, in the Swiss league, based on their matches that I watched, they always play offensively and with the task to score more goals than their opponent. In Europe though, they play on the result. As the attack is the strongest weapon of this team, just like the counter-attacks, I expect a defensive formation and waiting for our mistakes, so that they can score at least one goal and bring the active result to Switzerland.

The most dangerous players of their team are: Cassio, Sanogo and the attacker Sadik, IMO.


We'll see what happens...........we must attack from the first minute and try to secure at least a minimal victory. I hope for that, but honestly....I don't expect it.

 

[lucian-crusher]

UEFA Champions League, Play-Off:

Steaua Bucharest - Legia Warsaw 1 - 1
We missed a lot of chances and Dusan Kuciak, Legia's goalkeeper played excellent. Legia is one of the strongest team we met this year. From what I saw, I would say they are better than Ajax. Now, we must score in Warsaw in order to qualify and I think we can do it. Also, I would like to thank Legia's fans for supporting our owner whois in prison

 

[PeterLPZ]

Partizan - Thun today


Don't know what to expect now but generally I don't expect anything. We play terrible for more than a month now, and while before I used to see some match where we are getting out of the crisis (when it is present) and when the team was showing some positive improvements, I see none of that now. We are maybe, on the paper, a better team, but with this play, the chances to enter Europa League are very slim.

As for Thun, it is a very compact team, and, in the Swiss league, based on their matches that I watched, they always play offensively and with the task to score more goals than their opponent. In Europe though, they play on the result. As the attack is the strongest weapon of this team, just like the counter-attacks, I expect a defensive formation and waiting for our mistakes, so that they can score at least one goal and bring the active result to Switzerland.

The most dangerous players of their team are: Cassio, Sanogo and the attacker Sadik, IMO.


We'll see what happens...........we must attack from the first minute and try to secure at least a minimal victory. I hope for that, but honestly....I don't expect it.

Good luck for tonight

 

[Milos-BC]

^^ Thanks.....we'll need it

 

[Little]

Psv Eindhoven-Milan 1-1

Will we see Milan in EL or in CL? Who knows!

This evening, go Udinese and Fiorentina!

 

[DanielLuis]

Supporting the teams today!

Pandurii Târga Jiu vs SC Braga

Estoril Praia vs Pasching

Both have the obligation to win, specially Estoril, which is playing against a third-tier side!

 

[CPV4931]

2-0 victory @Qarabaq Agdam tonight :-)

But again we really didn´t show our best game...

 

[wayneofway]

Psv Eindhoven-Milan 1-1

Will we see Milan in EL or in CL? Who knows!

This evening, go Udinese and Fiorentina!

Milan will be in CL, for sure.

 

[PeterLPZ]

Congrats to Partizan for victory against Thun.

 

[lucian-crusher]

UEFA Europa League, Play-Off:

Pandurii Targu Jiu - SC Braga 0 - 1
Pandurii didn't deserve to lose but Braga is a more experienced team and that was shown. It's hard now, but I still think that Pandurii have a chance in .

Swansea City - Petrolul Ploiesti 5 - 1
That was a shame! I don't know what the hell Petrolul was playing. They are out of Europe for sure now!

Maccabi Haifa - Astra Giurgiu 2 - 0
Astra played very bad and I hope they can change something for the 2nd leg. Maccabi Haifa even missed a penalty. Astra is the only team that I put my hopes can turn the result in the 2nd leg and qualify. has some records. Steaua Bucharest was the first team in the UEFA Europa Legue history to qualify after losing the first leg with 2 - 0. Also, Dinamo Bucharest is the only team to ever qualify in the next phase ofa European competition after losing 0 - 3 on home ground in the first leg. Astra can do it, if they play better!