Champions League upcoming fixtures [R]

[AreliusII]

Jose looks to avoid Italians

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/football/articles/17315461?source=Evening%20Standard

[AreliusII]

Champions League quarterfinals draw

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/soccer/wires/03/18/2080.ap.eu.spt.soc.champions.draw.list/index.html

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=327237&cc=5901

[Rover]

Originally Posted by AreliusII

Champions League quarterfinals draw

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/soccer/wires/03/18/2080.ap.eu.spt.soc.champions.draw.list/index.html

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=327237&cc=5901

Bad luck for Inter to draw Milan (again), and good luck for PSV to draw Lyon (not that any quarterfinalist will be easy). And Mourinho got his wish--Chelsea plays Bayern and not one of the Italian teams.

But the jolt came from Juve-Liverpool. You'd think it wouldn't still have so much impact 20 years on, but I instantly thought of Heysel and I know everyone who has followed the game for awhile did too.

For anyone who doesn'l know what Heysel was, this is a good synopsis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heysel_Stadium_disaster

I firmly believe soccer has progressed a long way from Heysel (and Hillsborough too), but I know I'll never forget when I first heard what had happened. Soccer is the best sport in the world, but Heysel was a low point in it's history. Sobering to remember.

[bordelais7]

and good luck for PSV to draw Lyon

Not sure that I understand why it would be "good luck" to draw the eventual champion...


:D

[Rover]

Originally Posted by bordelais7

Not sure that I understand why it would be "good luck" to draw the eventual champion...


:D

Not sure what you mean. They drew Lyon, not Milan.

Actually, I put that in there just to see if you'd notice. Aux armes citoyens!
Formez vos bataillons, Marchons, marchons!

[bordelais7]

Aux armes citoyens! Formez vos bataillons, Marchons, marchons!

That's more like it.

According to the bookies, Lyon is the most favored team to go through to the semis out of all the remaining teams. Although I wouldn't mind seeing Beasley go through, either.

[Rover]

Originally Posted by bordelais7

That's more like it.

According to the bookies, Lyon is the most favored team to go through to the semis out of all the remaining teams.

This year's Porto.

[Czar Jake]

I'll post it for easy figuring:

MATCH A:
Liverpool vs. Juventus

MATCH B:
Lyon vs. PSV

MATCH C:
Milan vs. Inter

MATCH D:
Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Semifinal 1:
Winner of D vs. Winner of A

Semifinal 2:
Winner of C vs. Winner of B

Final: Obviously Winner of 1 vs. Winner of 2.



I predict:

Juve over Liverpool
PSV over Lyon
Milan over Inter
Chelsea over Bayern

then

Chelsea over Juve ( 🙁 no all-Italian final)
Milan over PSV

and finally

Milan over Chelsea, solidifying AC Milan as the #1 team in the world.

[AreliusII]

Originally Posted by Rover

Bad luck for Inter to draw Milan (again), and good luck for PSV to draw Lyon (not that any quarterfinalist will be easy). And Mourinho got his wish--Chelsea plays Bayern and not one of the Italian teams.

But the jolt came from Juve-Liverpool. You'd think it wouldn't still have so much impact 20 years on, but I instantly thought of Heysel and I know everyone who has followed the game for awhile did too.

For anyone who doesn'l know what Heysel was, this is a good synopsis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heysel_Stadium_disaster

I firmly believe soccer has progressed a long way from Heysel (and Hillsborough too), but I know I'll never forget when I first heard what had happened. Soccer is the best sport in the world, but Heysel was a low point in it's history. Sobering to remember.

Fri 18 Mar 2005

5:19pm (UK)
Juventus Soccer Fans Warn of Heysel Disaster 'Revenge' on Liverpool

By Nick Allen, PA Chief Reporter


Juventus fans warned today that small groups of hardcore hooligans will seek revenge for the Heysel Stadium disaster when their team meets Liverpool 20 years on.

Today’s Champions League draw pitted the two clubs against each other two decades after fans of the Italian club were crushed to death under a collapsing wall before the European Cup final.

A total of 39 people died and English clubs were subsequently thrown out of European competition for five years.

Since then, the two clubs have maintained close contact and built bridges and the vast majority of Juventus fans are hoping for a peaceful game.

But within hours of the draw being announced there were warnings that some so-called “ultras” – hardline followers of Juventus – had made clear they have not forgotten Heysel and are not prepared to forgive.

Menacing postings on Italian football websites included one which read: “Now it is Liverpool’s turn to be shot.”

Another said it would be “sick” to lose to the English club.

One Juventus supporter posted a picture of masked Italian hooligans, including a young man wielding a metal pipe, and wrote: “The boy with the pipe is one of the leading supporters (of Juventus) nowadays.

“Don’t expect him to shake hands with ’Pool fans. Violence will occur, I’m sure of it.”

Referring to the picture another Juventus supporter said: “I’m proud of him.”

Another said: “Yes, the clubs have a reasonable relationship now, but the fact is that many fans in Italy do blame Liverpool still and if you go stand in the Curva Sud at the Delle Alpi and ask for thoughts on Liverpool you will be greeted with disgust.

“The feelings are still strong, rightly or wrongly, that’s the way it is.”

Another Juventus fan wrote: “There will be thousands of them (Liverpool fans) in Turin. I’m really scared. If something bad happens we can easily be banned from Europe.”

Liverpool officials said the meeting would be emotional but stressed the hard work that had been done to mend fences with Juventus fans.

Former assistant coach Phil Thompson said: “Both clubs are very, very close and have worked exceptionally hard to help each other overcome what happened.”

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said: “There is quite a deep friendship between the clubs and, I think, between the two sets of fans.

“It’s of course 20 years since Heysel so we’ve already mentioned that and it’s something we have given thought to. I’m confident we’ll get it right. It’s something we’ll think about carefully.”

[bordelais7]

now that Czar has given us a good laugh, here are the ACTUAL results:

Juventus over Liverpool
Lyon over PSV Eindhoven
AC Milan over Inter Milan
Chelsea over Bayern Munich

semis:
AC Milan over Lyon
Juventus over Chelsea

final:
AC Milan over Juventus

Hmm. I guess it wasn't all that much different.