Pot 3 of Champions League beckons!

immortal7 said:
without wishing to rain on parades, Malmo then Ludgorets was the 'easiest' route to the UCL in living memory and we fucked that, so let's just see what happens!
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It being the easiest route didn't lead us to %^*& it though. If we'd performed the same way against a stronger side than Malmö the tie would have been dead before the return leg.

Alashkert was also the easiest draw we could have got, thank goodness we did cause any other side would have papped us out the way we played.
 
Really don't want to be getting PSV after a squad rebuild.

You could argue that we out-performed them last year and could do so again but I think they underperformed last season on the basis of who they have had available in their squad.

Not saying we couldn't beat them but it would be nervy.
 
Govan_Guy said:
Assuming the seeded clubs win in the 3rd qualifying round then the play-off will be 2 matches with us playing either Dynamo Kiev or PSV and Benfica playing the other one.

If we win and Benfica lose then we are in Pot 3 of the CL.

That means drawing a club like Red Star, Olympiakos or Copenhagen instead of Dortmund, Inter or Leverkeusen. Makes a huge difference to our chances of progressing (I know we beat Dortmund but they would still be favourites).
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Just getting is what I want
 
We'll have a harder time qualifying than last year so take nothing for granted. Might need to beat Monaco and PSV to get there. Thankfully a long run in the EL can earn similar money to the CL group stage.
 
immortal7 said:
without wishing to rain on parades, Malmo then Ludgorets was the 'easiest' route to the UCL in living memory and we fucked that, so let's just see what happens!
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Totally agree here, but we looked so fucking stale in that tie. All the bite had gone after 55 (could say the same for the Slavia tie albeit they were still half cut).

You have to believe we won't be caught napping like that again anytime soon.
 
Jeb said:
Totally agree here, but we looked so fucking stale in that tie. All the bite had gone after 55 (could say the same for the Slavia tie albeit they were still half cut).

You have to believe we won't be caught napping like that again anytime soon.
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Worth noting we'll have a proper pre season as well with our entire squad. This season was so disjointed with some players away at the Euros and Morelos sauntering back whenever it suited him.
 
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We’ve lost far too many European ties that looked straight forward to take anything for granted.

Anyone we play en route to the CL will be very capable and it’ll take a massive effort for us to get through.

We’re now without Goldson, don’t have a recognised number 1 keeper and 3 of our best attackers are entering the last year of their contracts.

These issues will need resolved positively to give us a chance of getting through.
 
Also worth nothing that Roger Schmidt has just left PSV for Benfica. They’ve appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy into his first senior job.
 
Govan_Guy said:
Assuming the seeded clubs win in the 3rd qualifying round then the play-off will be 2 matches with us playing either Dynamo Kiev or PSV and Benfica playing the other one.

If we win and Benfica lose then we are in Pot 3 of the CL.

That means drawing a club like Red Star, Olympiakos or Copenhagen instead of Dortmund, Inter or Leverkeusen. Makes a huge difference to our chances of progressing (I know we beat Dortmund but they would still be favourites).
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This amounts to 'if-cubed', if I'm honest. Well meaning, but had my fill of this before the final, in that we'd be playing Liverpool in the super cup and what we'd do in the champions League.

Let's keep feet on the ground and take each game as it comes.
 
WilkinsBullet said:
QUOTE="Bumplittledipper, post: 11684452, member: 15203"]
Ah but there are new rools that if you don’t play all the best teams then the tournament is shite.
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And if you don't beat giants like Finn Harps, Keflavik and Dukla Prague then your achievements are completely unworthy and second rate at most.
[/QUOTE]

Come on WB ?

Surely you’re not saying Dukla Prague, Vojvodina, Nantes & Zurich aren’t great teams mate ?

Ra Sellick beat all of them on the way to the greatest ever achievement by a British team surely ?
 
Might as well take pot luck for next season and book for Istanbul 2023 Champs league final and Budapest for Europa league final.

Never say Never.
 
Sir Walter’s Warriors said:
What would we prefer? Finishing second in a champions league group then realistically getting knocked out in the next round or finishing 3rd, going into Europa League and having another crack at a run to the final?
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Definitely 3rd if we get in , Europa League is our level just unfortunately we need the cash the Champions League brings in .
 
Going to be very tough to qualify.

We really could be doing with adding quality to our existing squad as opposed to wholesale changes.
 
stewie_griffin said:
If Kiev make it to the 4th round you’d be desperate to draw them.

They cant play at home, wont have played a competitive games for Months and even in the neutral venue really how many fans can they expect to travel, theyd maybe get a few in a place like Poland with lots of refugees but even at that these folk have more to worry about than football.
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Polish would turn out to support them I would imagine but aye it won't be a tense away atmosphere.
 
How are Kiev and Shakhtar going to compete in the CL. Is the Ukrainian league restarting?

Is must be likely they drop out? We move to pot 3 if they do and we make it
 
Neversawgazza said:
True
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Still think the biggest problem with Malmö was them being half decent but more so that they were half way in to their season. Up to speed I'm sure we'd have beaten them. Let's hope they or any other Swedes aren't in the draw. Three times I recall Swedes dumping us at that stage.
 
Strange thread title, made it sound like something had changed. We still need a big upset to get into pot 3.

And by the way, people who want us to finish 3rd in a Champions league group instead of 2nd are bananas.
 
Qualify for the group stages, take half of the CL money off the bheasts.

Parachute into EL, get to another final and win it please, thank you very much Rangers.

WATP :))
 
Bring it on, let's see how much we have progressed from the hedge in Luxembourg. Do we think it was lucky to make the Europa final? If not I think we can hope for further progress.

It's been progress almost season upon season since the day Gerrard walked in the door. And immediately delivered a group stage place in the Europa that let's face it absolutely no one expected.

If we weren't lucky getting to that final then we can at least hope that's a sign second place in a group from pot 3 is a possibility. It's the greatest season upon season Euro run in the clubs history. And still playing out.
 
cambridgeblue said:

When are the 2022-23 Champions League draws?​

The draw schedule for next season's competition begins in June, just 10 days after the 2021-22 final is held in Saint-Denis, France.

Champions League 2022-23 draws​

  • Preliminary round: June 7, 2022
  • First qualifying round: June 14, 2022
  • Second qualifying round: June 15, 2022
  • Third qualifying round: July 18, 2022
  • Playoff round: Aug. 2, 2022
  • Group stage: Aug. 25, 2022
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Sorry, but just looking at these, are these games all one legged affairs?
 
brain said:
Strange thread title, made it sound like something had changed. We still need a big upset to get into pot 3.

And by the way, people who want us to finish 3rd in a Champions league group instead of 2nd are bananas.
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If we finish second, we are 99.99% out the second the draw is made as we will likely get Madrid or PSG etc in last 16.

3rd and into the Europa league, a tournament we can win.

Would you rather have finished 2nd in our 07/08 group and not have had the Manchester run?
 
brain said:
Strange thread title, made it sound like something had changed. We still need a big upset to get into pot 3.

And by the way, people who want us to finish 3rd in a Champions league group instead of 2nd are bananas.
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I agree. It appears the majority of posters in this thread doesn't realise the vast financial difference between 2nd in CL Groups & Last 16 CL, and a Europa run
 
VGM said:
If we finish second, we are 99.99% out the second the draw is made as we will likely get Madrid or PSG etc in last 16.

3rd and into the Europa league, a tournament we can win.

Would you rather have finished 2nd in our 07/08 group and not have had the Manchester run?
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I can't get on board with a mentality that wants us to lose games in the Champions league at all. We should be aspiring to go as far as possible in the premier competition in Europe.
 
brain said:
I can't get on board with a mentality that wants us to lose games in the Champions league at all. We should be aspiring to go as far as possible in the premier competition in Europe.
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We should be looking to do our best in every competition we enter. Whether it be the CL or the ECL. I would be utterly embarrassed to be a Spurs fan when they chucked the ECL.
 
Coza said:
Like the pot 4 Europa days 3-4 years ago we would be the fourth seed that no one wanted. I’m cool with that as gives you a shot to nothing in many ways.

That said it’s a tightrope for me as I don’t want to finish 1-2-4 in the group. 3rd place would be the goal. Drop into the europa and 4 ties from another final. Give me that every year please and it won’t be too long until we are getting another Leipzig monster semi final or even another Seville.
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I genuinely think we should see ourselves as a EL side. Yeah, we need the finances that getting to CL group stage provide and that should be our goal every season. However as you say finishing 3rd in a CL group gives entry to knock out stages in EL and that suits me fine.

CL group stage qualification with a couple of wins before dropping into EL and dreams of another run like this season, would be a financial godsend to the club.
 
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