Champions League - Real chief wants Reds scalp

last SG · 2008-12-20T00:28:11+00:00

CONFIDENT ... Real Madrid's Predrag Mijatovic (left) tips Juande Ramos to lead the team to Champions League glory The Yugoslav acts as Sporting Director for...

morr SG

GROUP WINNERS

Roma (Italy)

Possible Opponents: Sporting Lisbon, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Lyon, Arsenal, Real Madrid.

Panathinaikos (Greece)

Possible Opponents: Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Lyon, Arsenal, Real Madrid.

Barcelona (Spain)

Possible Opponents: Chelsea, Inter Milan, Lyon, Arsenal.

Liverpool (England)

Possible Opponents: Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon, Lyon, Villarreal, Real Madrid.

Manchester United (England)

Possible Opponents: Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon, Atlético Madrid, Lyon, Real Madrid.

Bayern Munich (Germany)

Possible Opponents: Chelsea, Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Arsenal, Real Madrid.

Porto (Portugal)

Possible Opponents: Chelsea, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Lyon, Real Madrid.

Juventus (Italy)

Possible Opponents: Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon, Atlético Madrid, Lyon, Villarreal, Arsenal.

RUNNERS-UP

Chelsea (England)

Possible Opponents: Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Porto, Juventus.

Inter Milan (Italy)

Possible Opponents: Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Porto.

Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)

Possible Opponents: Roma, Panathinaikos, Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Juventus.

Atlético Madrid (Spain)

Possible Opponents: Roma, Panathinaikos, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Porto, Juventus.

Villarreal (Spain)

Possible Opponents: Roma, Panathinaikos, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Porto, Juventus.

Lyon (France)

Possible Opponents: Roma, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, Porto, Juventus.

Arsenal (England)

Possible Opponents: Roma, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus.

Real Madrid (Spain)

Possible Opponents: Roma, Panathinaikos, Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Porto.

sand king SG

What time is the draw?

zocoss SG

The sides that the English big 4 could meet...

For Pool... Internazionale, Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid, FC Porto, Villarreal, Lyon...

For United... Internazionale, Sporting Lisbon, Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, FC Porto, Lyon...

For Arsenal... AS Roma, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich.

For Chelsea... FC Porto, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich.

Group Winners:

AS Roma

Panathinaikos

Barcelona

Liverpool

Juventus

FC Porto

Manchester United

Bayern Munich

Group Runners-up:

Chelsea

Internazionale

Sporting Lisbon

Atlético Madrid

Real Madrid

Arsenal

Villarreal

Lyon

zocoss SG

The draw starts at 7pm on Channel 23. But I believe it actual draw starts at 7:30 pm.

Scania N113CRB l0v3r SG

I hope Arsenal draw Juventus!!!

Y_Shun SG

chelsea lose to get into runners up to avoid liverpool????

zocoss SG

mourinho

Same old Jose: Mourinho becomes involved in a red-card dispute with a referee.

Five possibilities await Manchester United and Liverpool when the orbs of destiny are sent swirling around inside a UEFA goldfish bowl today, but only one of the little blue capsules contains the Special One.

Jose Mourinho will be 150 miles away, across the Bergamo Alps, on the outskirts of the Lombardy village of Appiano Gentile, enjoying the tranquility of Inter Milan’s training camp as he prepares for Saturday's Serie A game away to Siena.

He can be relied upon to play it cool as the alpine air but his image looms large over Friday's Champions League draw in Switzerland.

Love him or hate him, Mourinho remains the biggest personality in European football, guaranteed to provoke an avalanche of opinion, whether in his native Portugal or anywhere he has worked, be it England, Italy or Spain.

When Steve Clarke, his former assistant at Chelsea, was asked if he thought the Inter boss might relish United or Liverpool in the Champions League, he cracked a huge grin. ‘What do you think?’ said Clarke. ‘He won’t run, put it that way.’

It might just be the cue for another episode of verbal jousting from a manager who once gave the impression he devoted all his spare time to thinking up new ways to annoy Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.

mourinho

Mischief-making Jose: once gave the impression he devoted all his spare time to thinking up new ways to annoy Rafa Benitez.

Mischief-making still figures prominently in Jose’s world. Last week he was embroiled in a public row with Bologna boss Sinisa Mihajlovic, who had been Roberto Mancini’s assistant at Inter until the pair were removed to make way for Mourinho and his Portuguese entourage.

Mihajlovic claimed Inter’s new regime were incapable of handling awkward Brazilian striker Adriano, so Mourinho had a pop back, saying he could not believe the Serb had ever been given a coaching role under Mancini when he had spat at an opponent during his playing days.

This prompted Mihajlovic to lunge for Mourinho’s raw nerve, remarking that he was not qualified to discuss football because he never played the game professionally.

The Italian season was barely two games old when Catania director Pietro lo Monaco threatened to give Mourinho a ‘smack in the mouth’ for his ‘arrogance’ and ‘disrespect’.

‘I don’t know who he is,’ shrugged Mourinho, before accusing Lo Monaco of using his name for free publicity. Lo Monaco launched another attack on Mourinho’s ‘disgusting air of superiority and disdain’ and added: ‘Inter have the strongest squad in Europe but sadly they have the biggest blabbermouth of a coach.’

Simmering behind these explosions was the ongoing feud with Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri, who some believe remains bitter about the way he was elbowed aside to make way for Mourinho at Chelsea. Ranieri started this one with a quip that he didn’t need to win every game to feel secure, like you-know-who.

Mourinho hit back: ‘He’s right, I’m very demanding of myself, maybe this is why I’ve won a lot. Ranieri doesn’t need success to feel secure. Maybe that’s why, at 70, he has won a Super Cup and another small cup. He probably needs to change his mentality but he’s too old to do so.’

The fact that Ranieri is only 57 will have tickled Mourinho. Juventus are shaping up to be his closest rivals in the title race and, having charmed Inter fans by dropping Milanese dialect into his early press conferences, he has tangled with Ranieri as he did Benitez and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

There are those at Inter who would rather avoid Liverpool, having taken a hiding from them last season, but the idea of revenge on a club who beat him twice in the semi-final (once with a ‘ghost goal’),when he was at Chelsea is sure to appeal.

Although other factors played their part, it was his inability to conquer Europe which hastened Mourinho’s exit from Stamford Bridge and the demands are similar at the San Siro. Mancini won three Scudettos in a row and was sacked for failing to bring Inter their first European Cup since 1965.

FirePig SG

chelsea lose to get into runners up to avoid liverpool????

mai noob okay?

You wont get two teams from the same league in the first round of knock out stages.

zocoss SG

With Chelsea's luck on draws... I think they will get Panathinaikos... While Arsenal gets Juve or Bayern...

For United and Liverpool, anyone other than Sporting Lisbon would be a very tough draw... so no difference who they get if its not Sporting...

Y_Shun SG

mai noob okay?

You wont get two teams from the same league in the first round of knock out stages.

i am a noob anyway

i dun watch soccer for years lol.

its my first year watching if you don't know =)

reyes SG

Arsenal will have a better chance against roma and Juventus.

Arsenal will find it tough to beat barcelona or bayern munich.

Pana is a boggy team, i would like to avoid them at all cost!!

morr SG

hope chelsea draw barcelona. Smile

zocoss SG

hope chelsea draw barcelona. Smile

One word... Cool.

morr SG

ya, of the big four they’ve been getting the easy draws. not everyday sunday.. hope they draw barcelona.

zocoss SG

December 19, 2008

Champions League

Arsenal vs AS Roma

Villarreal vs Panathinaikos

Lyon vs Barcelona

Real Madrid vs Liverpool

Chelsea vs Juventus

Atlético Madrid vs FC Porto

Internazionale vs Manchester United

Sporting Lisbon vs Bayern Munich

First legs will be played on February 24/25 and the second legs on March 10/11

morr SG

lol. i think the draw is rigged. the epl teams had to get the harder draws.

dragg SG

liverpool have the most difficult draw.

redDUST SG

could this be the season none of the english team get pass the first knock-out stage?

all potentially difficult ties.

i think chelsea probably has the `easiest' of the lot.

man u got the most difficult.

liverpool faces a tricky one at real becos real does real well when it mattered although they are struggling of late. they are a pedigree champions league team.

arsenal have a 50/50 chance as roma blows hot and cold.

all interesting!

Scania N113CRB l0v3r SG

walao Arsenal tio Roma ok ba but Liverpool,Man Utd and Chelsea tio hardest match le

morr SG

for me i think man.utd got the tricky draw. i can see mourinho playing mind games with AF way before the match. would be interesting to hear what he has to say. real is good but inconsistent lately. can see pool nicking this game and especially the 2nd leg is at Anfield. Never underestimate the European nights at Anfield.