Match Day Thread Sparta Prague v Southampton Thurs 24th Nov 6pm

Just realised I'm in Edinburgh for this. I may miss the first half

 

Someone will ask between now and Thursday evening, so:

On Thursday 24th November, the Sparta Prague v Southampton match is being shown on BTSport 3, the programme starts at 17:30.

This doesn't preclude other ways of watching the match (eg being in Prague ), but the match is on TV, if you can find a TV with BT Sport.

This is going to sound like an advert for BT, but they have a 'pub finder' app on their website. Put in your post code and the nearest pubs with BT Sport are displayed, in distance order.

So, yes, the match is on TV, and there is way of finding somewhere that might show the match.

 

Soooo... does this mean, as I now have BT Sport on my TV at home, I can watch this match on my TV at home, on BT Sport 3?

 

I wasn't aware he had any muscles...

 

Yes, but only if you invite any Saints-supporting neighbours round on Thursday, to make a bit of a party of it

 

As long as they bugger off sharpish afterwards, that's fine. I have band practice at 8!

 

Well, you could start early with a rendition of OWTS

 

You would know it was being shown as BTs advert on talkSport mentions every European game that they are showing except for one....go on guess who?
Appauling and will remember this when they ring me up trying to sell me something

 

Record it and keep your ears shut!

 

I'm at a small industry show/exhibition for the spirits industry because we supply material to the packaging companies that support it. The show finishes at 5pm with a drinks reception until 7pm, when I have to break the stand down. Can't break it done til 7pm... may sneak out and back in at half time!!

 

Time for Qwerty's permutations corner. Just had a look at the seeding for the first knockout round. I thought it would be something to do with UEFA coefficients, but it's not.

To be seeded we have to win the group with one of the top 4 records (out of 12). That's possible but not very likely. Assume we win both games - we would have 13 points (+quite a lot of goals). Zenit, Shakhtar and Schalke already have 12 (+loads of goals). So we need no one else to get 14 or more. That means...

APOEL not winning v Olympiacos and Astana (decent chance)
Neither Anderlecht and St Etienne winning both their last games (a draw in their game would do it)
Roma not winning v Plzen and Astra (50/50)
Ajax getting 4 or less points v Panathanaikos and Standard (quite unlikely)
Fiorentina getting 3 or less points v PAOK and Qarabag (also unlikely), or 4 and us scoring loads of goals (still no)

So I think there are at least 6 teams ahead of us in the queue for those 4 spots. That means we will be unseeded and play one from those 4 + the 8 3rd place teams.

 

I'm driving from Cornwall to Newcastle I could probably get to Prague for not much more effort.

 

My understanding is that winning the group will result in us being seeded for the first knockout stage; only the four of the CL third-placed teams by points total will be seeded, with all twelve of the EL group winners getting a seed. So if we win Thursday, the odds are very good that we will be seeded, as we'd then finish against an already-eliminated Hapoel at home.

 

That makes more sense. There needs to be 16 seeds surely.

 

The difference between finishing top in our group or second place could be massively important to our chances of progression beyond the first knock out stage. Also what an achievement it would be to boast - winning our group at the first attempt. Win on Thursday and we should win the group.

 

Is it cause it's uphill all da way?

 

Indeed. It's rare that I ever disagree with Qwerty on these things, but in this instance he appears to be wrong. Regulation 17.02: http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles.../Regulations/02/35/92/45/2359245_DOWNLOAD.pdf

Three of the 16 seeded sides have already been confirmed: Zenith, Schalke and Shakhtar.

 

That's the last time I trust Wikipedia.

 

Group K, 24 November 2016, 19:00 CET
Generali Arena, Prague (CZE)
AC Sparta Praha - Southampton FC
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Ángel Nevado Rodríguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Fourth Official: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
UEFA Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)
UEFA Delegate: Claude Runavot (FRA)

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/sa...uge_test_at_Sparta_s_fortress/?action=success