Your group was easy, too. So you’re telling me you’d rather play Olympiacos than Dinamo Zagreb? When the former has more European pedigree? I’m not disputing we’ve had fortunate draws in the past, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m on about this season. Across all competitions, you’ve unquestionably had easier draws than we have.
Our group was mediocre. Yours had two part-timers. How do Olympiakos have more European pedigree than Dinamo? The Croatians aren't far behind your lot. They've won that knock-off that you like to count and reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners'. The Greeks have never made it past the quarter-finals of anything.
How many years back are you going, though? If this all happened 30-40+ years ago, it's not as relevant. Olympiacos have been playing Champions League football frequently, and have regularly faced difficult opponents in Europe over the last decade. I might be wrong on this, as I honestly can't be bothered to check, but I don't believe Dinamo Zagreb have in comparison. Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb are both champions of their national leagues. Yet Olympiacos only had to play in the play-off round to get into the CL group stages. Dinamo Zagreb had to enter from the second-qualifying round and then got knocked out in the third-qualifying round ( the stage before the play-off round). I don't know how or why you think Zagreb is harder.
Because they are. You only think that Olympiakos are harder because they knocked you out last season. We beat them and I'd rather face them again. UEFA ranks them higher, too. It's not just my opinion. Dinamo have played 5 of the last 10 seasons in the Champions League groups, going out in the qualifiers in the others.
No, I think Olympiacos are harder because I recognise them more as they've played more top European teams and because we've also had to play them regularly. We've won 5 and lost 5 against them, so they're hardly a walk in the park. Off the top of my head, I can recall them beating Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Juventus and Marseille in recent years. They drew 2-2 with you, but you beat them 4-2 at your ground, having been 2-0 down. You've only played Dinamo Zagreb once, which was about 13 years ago, and you won 4-0. You've not faced them since. They're more of an unknown quantity than the Greeks, which is why you're saying you wouldn't want to play them, but that doesn't mean they're a better side.
There is something weirdly poetic about Spurs and Arsenal fans arguing over which ****e team isn't quite ****e enough to not be an obstacle for our two ****e teams.
Olympiakos have beaten precisely two sides post-group in the last decade, prior to last night: Osmalispor and Arsenal. They'll nick the odd win just because they're consistently in the competition. Dinamo beat Atalanta 4-0 last season, for example. They also beat you a few years back: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/34203643
It only started because somebody believes the special one will "fluke" both getting Spurs to the EL final, and then winning it.
Yeah, you didn't need to link the article from when they beat us. Don't worry, I still remember it In any case, I think we can agree we've both been granted favourable draws compared to the teams we potentially could have had. And to be fair, had Olympiakos not bantered us out the competition last year, in the circumstances that it happened, we probably wouldn't have minded drawing them again this time around. I'd still have preferred someone else, though. We've drawn them (be it in group stages or KO rounds) 6 times in the last 12 European campaigns. Boring.
I'll have a word and you can swap with Man Utd, ok? I'm just happy to have avoided any of the British or Italian sides.
Some bloody hopes! Aren't we playing the mighty Man C......and now a trip into sshhh! yu know where!!!!!
Favourable draws Chelsea and City (currently on a 19 game winning streak)...you must have been embarrassed to won the FA Cup last season BTW ... feck right off with the reverse jinx thing too
Olympiakos? We gave them a 2 goal lead and still battered them. Arteta needs shooting if you lose to dross like that