Champions League

[itbrvilla]

I can only think of Trabzonspor where we copped for it.

I just liked the whole safely through one second, whoops no sorry bye-bye the next aspect of it which is lost.

The last round of games in the Champions League could be a bit like that. Lots of ina and outs of the top 8 and bottom 12 as the scores change. Top 8 especially, seeing as there's 1 point currently between 3rd and 12th. Are all final games on the same day?

All Wednesday at 2000GMT.

You can use this to simulate results to see how it can change around.

I had us 9th losing out on GD. But Arsenal were 12th and went to 3rd on my second to last guess.

https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/simulator/

Done a few and think 17 will do it for certain.

[cdbearsfan]

Thanks for that, was fun. Well, better than working. I have us getting four points. That's good enough for seventh place and a tie against Brugge, Bayern Munich, Leverkusen or PSV in the last sixteen.

I don't think three points will be enough.

[Somniloquism]

My 9th was on 17 points and mostly putting 2-1 for wins with the higher placed team usually getting the nod.

[Accent Guy]

Thanks for that, was fun. Well, better than working. I have us getting four points. That's good enough for seventh place and a tie against Brugge, Bayern Munich, Leverkusen or PSV in the last sixteen.

I don't think three points will be enough.

Anyone but Bayern That would be an awful draw for us. I really don't see us are beating them again. Not over 2 legs.

I'd fancy playing almost anyone but them.

[cdbearsfan]

I'd give us a chance against anyone, second leg at Villa Park. You'd probably want one "easier" draw in the last sixteen if we were to have a good chance of going far, though, as I could see us knocking out one top club, but beating two or three would be asking a lot.

I'll be disappointed if we go out to some Feyenoord or Sporting type team. But teams like that would much rather play us than the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona who will probably be in the top eight.

[Demitri_C]

Away goals is totally out of date, glad it's gone. Not because of the impact on us but because it encourages teams to play defensively on front of their own fans, which is fucking boring.

I think opposite- it encourages teams to score  goals away from home not sit back for the draw and then try beat them 2nd leg at home. It made the 2nd leg more interesting

[Accent Guy]

I'd give us a chance against anyone, second leg at Villa Park. You'd probably want one "easier" draw in the last sixteen if we were to have a good chance of going far, though, as I could see us knocking out one top club, but beating two or three would be asking a lot.

I'll be disappointed if we go out to some Feyenoord or Sporting type team. But teams like that would much rather play us than the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona who will probably be in the top eight.

Oh I'd certainly give us a chance, I'd just prefer anyone else personally. I think Bayern would get revenge. Especially now its revenge x2.

Feyenoord in the last 16 would beautiful. Another bit of nostalgia after playing Bayern and Juventus, with a trip to De Kuip, and a huge chance of a place in the QF.

[Accent Guy]

The last CL game I watched was the extra time and pens of Liverpool v Milan in 2005. Before that I think it was the 1999 final. That's literally it, ever.

I despise the scummy clubs that are in it and haven't watched a single non Villa game this season either. Nor will I. Same goes for the CL highlights. Haven't watched a second of any of it.

I agree with the sentiment to the genuinely scummy clubs but struggle to see any reason to hate, say, Brest, Bologna or Stuttgart. I've paid more attention this year than at any other time since it was a knockout competition and televised football was a novelty.

As a "neutral", I still like the Conference League best, though. Getting to see genuinely Diddy League clubs like TNS and Shamrock Rovers have their moment in the sun is good fun. I thought it was a ridiculous idea for a tournament when they first announced it, but I like it now.

I've probably watched less than 10 non Villa games on TV in the last 15 years. Including Prem games. Althogh I do watch MOTD if Villa win.

I've certainly never watched FA Cup finals (Last one I saw was 2006 or so), or Europa games. I have to physically go to a lot of non Villa games, but that's different. I have long since stopped being a football fan and now only care about watching Villa. The first team, not the kids and definitely not the women's game which bores me to tears on the odd occasion I have had to watch it.

Each to their own, but Bologna v Girona doesn't interest me in the slightest. Nor does Bayern v Milan tbf.

[85kota]

Away goals is totally out of date, glad it's gone. Not because of the impact on us but because it encourages teams to play defensively on front of their own fans, which is fucking boring.

I think opposite- it encourages teams to score  goals away from home not sit back for the draw and then try beat them 2nd leg at home. It made the 2nd leg more interesting

Yes, this is spot on.

[paul_e]

Away goals is totally out of date, glad it's gone. Not because of the impact on us but because it encourages teams to play defensively on front of their own fans, which is fucking boring.

I think opposite- it encourages teams to score  goals away from home not sit back for the draw and then try beat them 2nd leg at home. It made the 2nd leg more interesting

Yes, this is spot on.

I'm not sure it's backed by any real evidence though. What happened far more regularly was the away team in the first leg would push to take a sore draw or a lead and then they'd defend that in the 2nd leg. There were stats done a few years ago (I can't find it now but I remember reading it at the time) which showed a significant drop in the number of goals in the 2nd leg of games compared to the first, something around 1.4 fewer goals from what I remember.

[Tuscans]

UEFA Champions League (unofficial) prize money rankings after MD6

🔹 Liverpool 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 the first one over €80m❗️
🔹 Bayern 🇩🇪 climbed over €70m
🔹 Juventus 🇮🇹, Atletico 🇪🇸 climbed over €60m
🔹 Benfica 🇵🇹, Milan 🇮🇹, A. Villa 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 climbed over €50m

Performance points getting more and more important:
🔸 each win is worth €2.1m, each draw €0.7m
🔸 KO bonus (€1m for KO playoff, €11m for R16)
🔸 Placement  bonus (currently €0.29m for last place, +€0.29m for each place higher) ➡️ with each draw this prize grows.

[Demitri_C]

Away goals is totally out of date, glad it's gone. Not because of the impact on us but because it encourages teams to play defensively on front of their own fans, which is fucking boring.

I think opposite- it encourages teams to score  goals away from home not sit back for the draw and then try beat them 2nd leg at home. It made the 2nd leg more interesting

Yes, this is spot on.

I'm not sure it's backed by any real evidence though. What happened far more regularly was the away team in the first leg would push to take a sore draw or a lead and then they'd defend that in the 2nd leg. There were stats done a few years ago (I can't find it now but I remember reading it at the time) which showed a significant drop in the number of goals in the 2nd leg of games compared to the first, something around 1.4 fewer goals from what I remember.

All you need to look at the amount of upsets when there was away goals. You rarely see upsets when they scrapped the away goal rule

All you need to look at is our game last season in conference  league against ajax. We went there played for the draw and finished them easily at home. If the away goals were in place we would have tried to score a goal. In second leg it encourages more attacking play. If you lost 1st let at home 2-1 lets say you have to attack and try score two. Games were better

[lovejoy]

The last CL game I watched was the extra time and pens of Liverpool v Milan in 2005. Before that I think it was the 1999 final. That's literally it, ever.

I despise the scummy clubs that are in it and haven't watched a single non Villa game this season either. Nor will I. Same goes for the CL highlights. Haven't watched a second of any of it.

I agree with the sentiment to the genuinely scummy clubs but struggle to see any reason to hate, say, Brest, Bologna or Stuttgart. I've paid more attention this year than at any other time since it was a knockout competition and televised football was a novelty.

As a "neutral", I still like the Conference League best, though. Getting to see genuinely Diddy League clubs like TNS and Shamrock Rovers have their moment in the sun is good fun. I thought it was a ridiculous idea for a tournament when they first announced it, but I like it now.

So you watched Chelsea the full 90 mins beating Noahj 8-0? How was the pace second half?

[paul_e]

Away goals is totally out of date, glad it's gone. Not because of the impact on us but because it encourages teams to play defensively on front of their own fans, which is fucking boring.

I think opposite- it encourages teams to score  goals away from home not sit back for the draw and then try beat them 2nd leg at home. It made the 2nd leg more interesting

Yes, this is spot on.

I'm not sure it's backed by any real evidence though. What happened far more regularly was the away team in the first leg would push to take a sore draw or a lead and then they'd defend that in the 2nd leg. There were stats done a few years ago (I can't find it now but I remember reading it at the time) which showed a significant drop in the number of goals in the 2nd leg of games compared to the first, something around 1.4 fewer goals from what I remember.

All you need to look at the amount of upsets when there was away goals. You rarely see upsets when they scrapped the away goal rule

All you need to look at is our game last season in conference  league against ajax. We went there played for the draw and finished them easily at home. If the away goals were in place we would have tried to score a goal. In second leg it encourages more attacking play. If you lost 1st let at home 2-1 lets say you have to attack and try score two. Games were better

Again, that's just in your head, there were, over many years, far fewer goals in the 2nd leg of ties. Are there fewer upsets, do you have any evidence for that beyond making an assumption and stating it as a fact?

[cdbearsfan]

Away goals is totally out of date, glad it's gone. Not because of the impact on us but because it encourages teams to play defensively on front of their own fans, which is fucking boring.

I think opposite- it encourages teams to score  goals away from home not sit back for the draw and then try beat them 2nd leg at home. It made the 2nd leg more interesting

That was the theory, but it rarely worked out like that. It always seemed arbitrary nonsense to me. Why not left footed goals? Goals by players with facial hair? Load of nonsense. Just give us penalties.