Champions League 2011/12 Draw - Your thoughts!

[Escorpiius]

Here are the results of the UEFA Champions League 2011/12 Draw!

GROUP A

Bayern Munich
Villarreal
Manchester City
Napoli

GROUP B

Inter
CSKA Moscow
Lille
Trabzonspor

GROUP C

Manchester United
Benfica
Basel
Otelul Galati

GROUP D

Real Madrid
Olympique Lyonnais
Ajax
Dinamo Zagreb

GROUP E

Chelsea
Valencia
Bayer Leverkusen
Genk

GROUP F

Arsenal
Olympique Marseille
Olympiakos
Borussia Dortmund

GROUP G

Porto
Shakhtar Donetsk
Zenit St Petersburg
APOEL Nicosia

GROUP H

Barcelona
AC Milan
Bate Borisov
Viktoria Plzen

Thoughts: The champion of last edition inherited a heavy hitter Milan AC in his group but their group are pretty unbalanced, thus playing favorable for both of these teams.
The 2 hardest groups are in my view the groups A, D and F, where the teams have interesting power to display.
Finalist Manchester United gained good teams to play and happily for me, will surely make it though the group stages. Luckily, there's no trip to Ukraine, Russia, Israel or Turkey this year which is good travel-wise especially in the winter season.

Other notes: Messi was crowned Best UEFA Player of 2010/11 Edition to almost no one's surprise. It was something very obvious. Ronaldo and Xavi were the one who made it to the Top3.

[Jigson]

Really easy for Inter, MC.
Ajax (a dutch club) must go against real madrid again

[Migualon J.J.]

i don´t really see F as so strong and i see E as quite strong + you shouldn´t underestimate Viktoria Plzeň, i mean yeah Barca will beat them, but AC Milan isn´t so strong as they used to be

[McRazor]

I'm a Dinamo Zagreb supporter and I find our group very hard. If lucky we could at least continue playing in Cup UEFA winning 3rd place. To be honest I wanted them to place Dinamo in group together with Barcelona so I could 2 of my favorite teams play against each other

Anyway, there is no easy match and a weak opponent. All matches will be very interesting and exciting, I'm sure.

[Erzo]

Arsenal fan, group F doesnt look so bad

but Arsenal are going to have to have UP their game.

[Escorpiius]

Really easy for Inter, MC.
Ajax (a dutch club) must go against real madrid again

Well, I don't see Inter group as very easy but it should fine for them.
Well, Ajax made the Real Madrid's group a bit tougher and that's nice.

i don´t really see F as so strong and i see E as quite strong + you shouldn´t underestimate Viktoria Plzeň, i mean yeah Barca will beat them, but AC Milan isn´t so strong as they used to be

Well, Bayer Leverkusen and Valencia are no more of what they used to be and Genk is a newcomer, so group E seems pretty easy for Chelsea.
Group F is quite tough. Arsenal lost many players, making them a bit vulnerable. Marseille is a good team. Olympiakos are tricky opponents and Dortmund, unlike Leverkusen, are champion of Germany right now and barely lost a match last season, including heavy beating to the likes of Bayern Munich. So while A is the "Group of Death" for containing clubs from the 4 elite leagues (England, Spain, Italia and Germany), Gp F is very tough in my eyes. Arsenal, without Nasri and Fabregas, is no more what they used to be.

Also, unlike Inter, who's in a crisis financially and just lost Eto'o, Milan Ac is at the top of their game in Italy. They are Serie A's champs and in much better than the last 3 years. In fact, MilanAC deserved to be more than the likes of Porto, Inter and Arsenal to be in Pot 1 than in Pot 2. but well, this shows an interesting clash between Milan and Barcelona. It will be determinant.

I'm a Dinamo Zagreb supporter and I find our group very hard. If lucky we could at least continue playing in Cup UEFA winning 3rd place. To be honest I wanted them to place Dinamo in group together with Barcelona so I could 2 of my favorite teams play against each other

Anyway, there is no easy match and a weak opponent. All matches will be very interesting and exciting, I'm sure.

Yeah, Zagreb didn't got much chance indeed. A 3d place is plausible nevertheless.

Arsenal fan, group F doesnt look so bad

but Arsenal are going to have to have UP their game.

I don't Arsenal's chances right now. They could have got a much luckier draw than this one. They barely beat Udinese and with Nasri also gone as well as Fabregas and Clichy, it's gonna be quite tough for them. Anyways, as always each year, I always support all 4 EPL Teams in all groups.

[ReLax -]

Well I think Group A will be explosive having Bayern, Man C, Napoli, and Villarreal, all which are great teams in that group and it can go either way but favs. will be Bayern and Man C.

Inter won't have a big issue in there group.

Man U will get thru with ease, only little problem they may have is against Benfica who have been playing good football.

Real Madrid have a decent group but won't have a problem with the team they have now.

Chelsea will have to deal with Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen, which shouldn't be that hard for them.

Arsenal will have a lot on there plate with Marseille and Borussia Dortmund.

Porto will get thru with ease also.

Barcelona and AC Milan kind of reminds me of last year Madrid and AC Milan pairing. Ibra will finally get to face off against his former club and they will put up quite a show but they both shouldn't have problem with there group as one will finish 1st and other 2nd.

Group stages won't be all that entertaining except for,

Barcelona VS AC Milan
The whole Bayern, Man C, Napoli, and Villarreal group games
Chelsea VS Valencia

IMO, maybe missed a few.

did Messi win Ballon D'Or (Best player in the world) or Uefa best player?

[Escorpiius]

Well I think Group A will be explosive having Bayern, Man C, Napoli, and Villarreal, all which are great teams in that group and it can go either way but favs. will be Bayern and Man C.

Inter won't have a big issue in there group.

Man U will get thru with ease, only little problem they may have is against Benfica who have been playing good football.

Real Madrid have a decent group but won't have a problem with the team they have now.

Chelsea will have to deal with Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen, which shouldn't be that hard for them.

Arsenal will have a lot on there plate with Marseille and Borussia Dortmund.

Porto will get thru with ease also.

Barcelona and AC Milan kind of reminds me of last year Madrid and AC Milan pairing. Ibra will finally get to face off against his former club and they will put up quite a show but they both shouldn't have problem with there group as one will finish 1st and other 2nd.

Group stages won't be all that entertaining except for,

Barcelona VS AC Milan
The whole Bayern, Man C, Napoli, and Villarreal group games
Chelsea VS Valencia

IMO, maybe missed a few.

did Messi win Ballon D'Or (Best player in the world) or Uefa best player?

I agree. It's really the Group of Death. Man.City could have been more lucky and gained perhaps the Porto group.

Madrid won't fail but his group contain tricky teams, so first place isn't really guaranteed.

I agree with everything else you said. I pity Arsenal kinda After losing Nasri, they could have been a bit more lucky.

I forgot about Ibra. Milan is the best team in Italy right now, so should be an explosive match.

For explosive matches, I agree for Group A's matches and for Barca/Milan. I don't really find Valencia as much as a problem for Chelsea but I think Lyon could give Madrid a run for their money. Anyways, I'll mostly follow United's matches only completely and perhaps the Barca/Milan match.

As for Messi, I didn't really cared. Well, for your pleasure, it's only UEFA CL Best Player. The Ballon D'Or will come up soon, don't worry. It's no surprise frankly. Ronaldo was in Top 3 only because of his 52+ goals last season. The likes of Rooney, Pique, Vidic, Neuer were somewhere in the Top 10 along with some more that I forgot.

They usually give Best GK, Best MidF, Best Def and best Striker trophy also along with Best Player but this time, they made it short or rather they lost a long time, interviewing Messi, Xavi and CR7 for their accomplishments ect....even if it was freaking obvious Messi was gonna win it.

[ReLax -]

Well we will see what Man City is made of from this group

Yes, it is tricky but Ajax without Suarez aren't as deadly right now and Madrid was able to hold em off last year and this year they are much more explosive.

Yeah, I actually thought Nasri would stay but it's funny how he (Nasri) stated, "Arsenal not as passionate as City." He hasn't even started playing or seen how there season will be. I can see Augero, Dzeko, Nasri, Silva combo and of course others. I was pleased to see Augero debut game with City.

Yes, best of Spain VS best of Italy will be a good game. Yes, will see how Ibra will play against his former side.

Well Valencia are still a tricky and quick team they can be a threat not a big one but will be. Also will be an emotionally match for Valencia fan, also Juan Mata who just joined Chelsea. I also forgot that Valencia did lose some key players.

lol you say it like Messi didn't deserve to win He's been quite explosive in the past 3 season. He'll beat Ronaldo only due to both have same amount goals but Messi setting up plays along with a decent number of assist and his clubs success winning almost every trophy.

They should keep GK, Defense, and Midfielder as a different category and have Wingers/Strikers in one.

[Escorpiius]

Well we will see what Man City is made of from this group

Yes, it is tricky but Ajax without Suarez aren't as deadly right now and Madrid was able to hold em off last year and this year they are much more explosive.

Yeah, I actually thought Nasri would stay but it's funny how he (Nasri) stated, "Arsenal not as passionate as City." He hasn't even started playing or seen how there season will be. I can see Augero, Dzeko, Nasri, Silva combo and of course others. I was pleased to see Augero debut game with City.

Yes, best of Spain VS best of Italy will be a good game. Yes, will see how Ibra will play against his former side.

Well Valencia are still a tricky and quick team they can be a threat not a big one but will be. Also will be an emotionally match for Valencia fan, also Juan Mata who just joined Chelsea. I also forgot that Valencia did lose some key players.

lol you say it like Messi didn't deserve to win He's been quite explosive in the past 3 season. He'll beat Ronaldo only due to both have same amount goals but Messi setting up plays along with a decent number of assist and his clubs success winning almost every trophy.

They should keep GK, Defense, and Midfielder as a different category and have Wingers/Strikers in one.

Indeed but whatsoever, they'll become more and more of a threat as each season pass I think.

Yeah, but last Madrid was pressured to win it because any missed step against Ajax could have been fatal as Milan was in the same group. This time, since the group is a bit more "peaceful" for them, they might get trapped. But it's sure that they are more explosive this season.

I knew for sure Nasri will stay. In fact, it will have been stupid stay at Arsenal without extending contract. In case, he stayed, his contract will have end at January 2011 and there, he'll be free and able to go to whichever club he wishes. His salary value will have decreased then and Arsenal will not have get a penny. It's more reasonable to gain that sum than to keep him for half-a-season, where there's no guarantee he'll be as good as last season. As per reports, Arsenal now got a cute sum of 90 Millions Pounds to cash in on players. Hope Wenger will make 3-4 nice buys. They badly need it anyways. Also, Arshavin who still is clueless about his fate.

Aguero was in a blessed day in his 1st match. 1 assist and 2 goals in 25 minutes. He played well as starter in his second match also but got tired quickly with the rough pace of EPL, it seemed. Thus, he was substituted. It's complementary on one side since Adam Johnson really finishes up his match. The return of Tevez is making the bench crowdy though.

I'd like to see Ibra in a good shape. Also, La Liga strike has been cancelled, it seems. So matches shall resumes or rather start.

Well, Valencia without Villa and now Juan Mata, it kinda lost its shining.

As for Messi, it's not that I think he didn't deserve it but I was pissed that they didn't put as usual the other awards for the respective positions. I was interested to see who between Van Der Sar/Neuer/Valdes will clinch it or between Vidic/Pique and they kinda boycotted it. Plus, there were no suspense about who was gonna win it. They lost freaking time in those silly interviews and just made Xavi and CR7 get into suits and boots for pleasure and glamor. The flirty lines of the woman animator towards Ronaldo was the silly icing on the cake as both Messi and I was surely thinking the same thing at that time - "Cut your crap somewhere else and give the f***in' trophy now lol". In short, the lack of suspense for the prize made the trophy lost all interest. Everyone knew he was gonna win, I wonder why so much time lost.

[Michael92]

Good drawing, looking forward to the Group Matches:D Yet again Man U gets an easy group... What is it? Like the 5th year in row or something
Anyways, prediction time!

Round of 16 Predictions;

Milan - Real
Man City - Inter ?
Lyon/Bayern/Milan - Man U ?
Barca - Bayern/Man City
Porto - Dortmund ?
Chelsea - Milan/Bayern ?
Arsenal - (Hard to say, but I'll go for Bayern or Milan) ?

Other teams; Benfica, Moscow, Shakhtar and Valencia/Leverkusen (Really hard to say imo).

* The bold match is the only one I'm certain of (Or that I at least hope for).
** Those with underlines are the group winners (Not sure about the City/Bayern group though).


Edit:

Groups predictions;

A:
1; Bayern/City
3; Villareal
4; Napoli

B:
1; Inter
2; CSKA Moscow
3; Lille
4; Trabzonspor

C:
1; Manchester United
2; Benfica
3; Basel
4; Otelul Galati

D:
1; Real Madrid
2; Olympique Lyonnais
3; Ajax
4; Dinamo Zagreb

E:
1; Chelsea
2; Valencia/Leverkusen
4; Genk

F:
1; Arsenal
2; Borussia Dortmund
3; Olympique Marseille
4; Olympiakos

G:
1; Porto
2; Shakhtar Donetsk
3; Zenit St Petersburg
4; APOEL Nicosia

H:
1; Barcelona
2; AC Milan
3; Viktoria Plzen
4; Bate Borisov

[Escorpiius]

Good drawing, looking forward to the Group Matches:D Yet again Man U gets an easy group... What is it? Like the 5th year in row or something
Anyways, prediction time!

Round of 16 Predictions;

Milan - Real
Man City - Inter ?
Lyon/Bayern/Milan - Man U ?
Barca - Bayern/Man City
Porto - Dortmund ?
Chelsea - Milan/Bayern ?
Arsenal - (Hard to say, but I'll go for Bayern or Milan) ?

Other teams; Benfica, Moscow, Shakhtar and Valencia/Leverkusen (Really hard to say imo).

* The bold match is the only one I'm certain of (Or that I at least hope for).
** Those with underlines are the group winners (Not sure about the City/Bayern group though).


Edit:

Groups predictions;

A:
1; Bayern/City
3; Villareal
4; Napoli

B:
1; Inter
2; CSKA Moscow
3; Lille
4; Trabzonspor

C:
1; Manchester United
2; Benfica
3; Basel
4; Otelul Galati

D:
1; Real Madrid
2; Olympique Lyonnais
3; Ajax
4; Dinamo Zagreb

E:
1; Chelsea
2; Valencia/Leverkusen
4; Genk

F:
1; Arsenal
2; Borussia Dortmund
3; Olympique Marseille
4; Olympiakos

G:
1; Porto
2; Shakhtar Donetsk
3; Zenit St Petersburg
4; APOEL Nicosia

H:
1; Barcelona
2; AC Milan
3; Viktoria Plzen
4; Bate Borisov

On Manchester, you don't understand our pain.
Click Here to experience the Pain (Beware, it's a bit exaggerated but far far from wrong) *sniff*

About the Round 16, how can you be sure when it's a Draw again, anything can happen.

About the rankings, well, most logically this will be it. Lille and Zenit can fight and gain a 2nd place hopefully against CSKA Moskow and Donestk.