Match Day 8 in the CL sees Liverpool travel to Eindhoven to play PSV at 8pm on Wednesday 29 January. Match available on TNT sports 3. Slot has already intimated that topping the league is no guarantee of a favourable fixture in the next round with our next opponent still to be determined so it remains to be seen how strong he will go in his team selection. Predicted lineup: Alisson, Bradley, Quansah, Virgil, Tsimikas, Elliott, Endo, Macallister, Salah, Gakpo, Nunez
I think you might be close there. Any old draw will do to win the title. I just think he is very reluctant to rest players or change it when it matters so away from home I think thr midfield is the area to watch. That defence and attack is highly likely.
I think the just need to add more games and call it what it is. Super league top division I don't particularly like the random home and away games but it is what it is. How.many more games would be needed to make this a super league in people's minds? 8 to 10, 12 or 16?
I like the new format. play 8 different teams makes it more exciting rather than playing 3. going into final game, still lots to play for for the majority of the teams. The lower ranked teams are winning games. Teams in pot 4 would usually lose all their games or sneak a draw or 1 win, now they play 2 games against similar teams and 2 against teams in pot 3 who they stand a chance of beating so gives them a better chance of progressing at least to the play off stage
Thankfully Spurs playing in the europa helps us out, as they have to play sunday meaning the league cup 2nd leg is sensibly next Thursday. That eases things a bit if Slot still wants to go somewhat strong here before two big games in Bournemouth and.Spurs
The fact that Man City still have a chance and a very good one at that of going through is a ****ing joke. It's designed to keep big clothes in the competition. Utter **** imo.
Its designed to be an alternative to ESL . Basically all the various format of CL are designed to ensure the "big" clubs go as far as possible it is just a harsh reality
you are right. if city had the run they have had in a 6 game group they would most likely have ended up 3rd at best and in the europa. however if you ignore city for a moment and look at the sides who now have a player off then it does give them a cup tie to try get to last 16 whereas they were clocked out. Feynooord, LOSC, Brest, Celtic, Brugge, stuttgart, villa all either have thier slot of have a shot at a slot. You've a lot of clubs you'd expect in the top 8 but then you've a cohort of clubs that have just been poor like dortmund, bayern, real, juve, PSG and city who likely will all survive. we just have a last 32 round inserted into the competition to give a few more games and its very likely these big clubs will get their game face on and trash the smaller clubs in that round.
We must have Bournemouth in mind. Bournemouth have no mid week game and they're going to be ready for us on Saturday.
I'd be all for a proper knockout competition. Make it an FA cup of Europe. Anyone in any top division side in Europe can play... League coefficient and club coefficient combine so smaller teams play in earlier rounds. Maybe the big clubs not joining in until round 4 or 5... Complete opposite of what we have now... You have to be good to keep playing in later rounds.
Ok.. so 55 members of UEFA. Smallest top flight has 8 teams. So, let's say each member gets to send 8 top teams. That's 440 teams in my fictional CL. Each team gets a coefficient that is based 50% off it's parents league coefficient and 50% off it's own European performances. This will put nothing-league teams like San Marino and Faroe islands near the bottom. (This is so, if say a team in England made it to Europe for first time they would be placed in the last 128 above a nobody team from San Marino who made it every year on account of San Marino being a crap league) The bottom 112 teams play in Round 1 in Early August. Random draw but can make it regional to lower travel costs for small teams. Round 2 is in late August and will put the next lowest 200 teams against the 56 that progressed... Random draw. Round 3 in Mid September the 128 from Round 2 play the top 128 teams in Europe. Random draw but team from Round 2 will play top 128 in each fixture at home. This ensures all the small clubs still in it will potentially get one big payday. All random here on out... But if one of the teams has played fewer home games than the other they will be home team. Round 4. Last 128 October. Round 5. Last 64 Nov. .... Winter break as observed by some countries Dec.... Round 6. Last 32 Jan Round 7. Last 16 Frb Round 8. QF. Mar Round 9. SF Apr Round 10. Final May No one is likely to play more than 8 games so relieves fixture congestion compared to current CL. Will be much more exciting (IMO) because it's knockouts and you really will get different teams rather than the same ones each year... And just like when a league two team I'm England makes it way past where you would expect... It will be fun on the rare occasions a club from, say Iceland makes it far. Of course not going to happen because big clubs want more games so the get more money... ... But this would be better IMO.
