The final qualification round for the 2011-12 Champions League ended today and now we know a little more about what to expect from tomorrow’s draw. The draw will occur at 11:30 EST and be shown on Fox Soccer for those of us in America. So let us break this down a little.
As you may know, all the teams left in the final 32 are placed into 4 pots based on their UEFA coefficients, drawn into 8 groups of 4 teams, and then scheduled to play home and away games against the other 3 teams in their groups. Barcelona currently sits 2nd in the UEFA coeffecient (not that it matters), mostly due to being the only La Liga team past the final 16 until last year. However, being the title holders, Barcelona are the number 1 team in pot 1. Other sides placed into pot 1 include Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich (qualified yesterday), Arsenal (qualified today), Real Madrid, Porto, and Inter. Barcelona cannot be drawn into a group with any of these sides.
The second group includes Milan, Lyon, Shakhtar, Valencia, Benfica, Villareal, CSKA Moscow, and Marseille. Barcelona cannot be drawn with Valencia or Villareal because teams cannot be drawn against domestic league foes in the rounds of 32 or 16. Group 3 is the shocker here because of its strength: Zenit St. Petersburg, Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Manchester City, Lille, Basel, BATE and Borisov. Barcelona can be drawn against any of these teams. Finally, group 4 contains Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Dinamo Zagreb, APOEL, Trabzonspor (taking over for Fenerbache who are involved in a match-fixing investigation), Genk, Viktoria Plzen, and Otelul Galati. Barcelona can draw any of these sides.
In my opinion, the best case scenario for Barça involves drawing Marseille or Benfica (because I want nothing to do with Eastern European nations or Milan) from Group 2. Drawing Lille, BATE, or Basel (no to City, Ajax, any Greek team, or Zenit). And then drawing any of the Group D teams that is not Dortmund (they are better than a lot of people know).
A worst case scenario involves drawing Milan or Shaktar, Manchester City, and Dortmund. Though I still believe Barcelona would finish up top there, it would be much more difficult and risk the players a lot more.
So sit back, relax, and we will find out very soon where Barcelona lines up for the Round of 32.
EE paid for this draw 🙂
As usual, we have a group with domestic champions only: Serie A champs Milan, Belarus champs BATE, and Czech champs Plzen.
Champions League, baby.
Yup, already predicting punny headlines.
“Czech mate! Barca defeats Plzen to win its Champions League group”
“Milan bounces Czechs”
“Messi scores brace as Barca master BATE”
Jose, it’s ok, the Belarus and Czech leagues are really not all that…
I know, Mila, I meant it as saying I’m happy that we got a team of solely champions in the Champions League again. It’s like a throwback to the time when the European Cup used to just be Champions.
Viktoria Plzen
Where is this?
Whew, no Dortmund.
Ok good. No dortmund. This group should be ok.
YAY!!!!! WE GOT THE CHEKS!!
Cancelled Czechs? Alright!
Who the hell’s that? Victoria Pilsner? Where’s that?
Czech Republic.
Czech Republic
Oh, Snapple Cap Fact:
Pilsner lagers got their name from the town Plzn.
YES
THANK GOD NOT DORTMUND.
Not too hard a group. I don’t rate Milan much, and the other two teams shouldn’t cause much problems.
Dortmund goes to Group F with Arsenal, Marseille and Olympiakos.
Ooh, Dortmund vs. Arsenal.
United and Real have groups without ANY great teams!
I’m happy with this draw. We kick Milanese ass but also look set to qualify without much trouble.
Please not CR!
United and Madrid are the big winners of the draw. United especially.
This will be a slight advantage for Madrid in the Liga title race. But that’s the way it goes.
Great group. 🙂
I’ll eat my hat and post a picture on FB if Messi doesn’t win this. I don’t own a hat so I’ll buy one.
seeing some of these small teams in the champs league
makes me hope to be able to see samuel eto’o again in this
tournament!
live voting, wow
Why the hell wasn’t Iniesta nominated?
OK, well. We shouldn’t have to worry much about making it out of the group stage, but we will need to fight a little to top Milan and win the group. Which will be very important, as the difference in quality between the number one team in some of those groups and the rest is pretty substantial.
Can’t get over group A. Bayern, City, Villarreal, Napoli. All four teams better than the second-best team in United’s and Madrid’s groups. I’ll be rooting for Rossi and The Yaya…
Are they really having all 3 come on stage? That’s just unnecessary. The two who don’t win just have to stand there.
MYYYYYYYYY XAVI!!!
Sorry, fangirl moment here :)))
Go on wit ya bad self.
I’ll boycott any European based sportspaper if CR wins this 😀
lol, the awkwardness between CRonaldo, Messi and Xavi is hilarious.
CRonaldo ends with yes it was an honor to win the European Golden Boot last season.
Announcer: Thank you, Cristiano. *turns to Messi* Messi, how is it to score such crucial goals in important matches?
Very awkward. This was not well planned.
Damn Ronaldo didn’t look happy when Freddy Pinto said that he would have to be “these guys” (points to Messi and Xavi)
heh Uefa good at these uncomfortable moments.
Cristiano has an epic lean away.
This is the inaugural award. To have the opportunity to give the first one to Messi and not do so would be an embarrassment to UEFA and delegitimize the award.
^this
LOL, this shot of Xavi and CR7 leaning away from each other as they stand there, like there’s some kind of repulsive force field in between them… 🙂
CR and Leo hate each other, it is so obvious. Xavi is kind of there to stand in between them.
Leo is so selfless and CR is sooooo egocentric – and it is all there for all to see.
@barcastuff: Places 4 to 10 of the UEFA Best Player Award: 4 Iniesta, 5 Falcao, 6 Rooney, 7 Vidic, 8 Ibrahimovic, 9 Pique, 10 Neuer
This live voting is just silly.
I don’t agree. The player’s fashion sense should be taken into account, aswell.
When is the swimsuit part of the competition?
I hope Messi doesn’t have to answer geography questions or anything like that.
Xavi has said he likes to read maps in his spare time… His chance to shine!
Messi knows where the ball is, where the goal is, and that the first one is going into the second one. For geography, that’ll do.
How come they mentioned Cr’s stats alone, its not like Leo didnt score 52 or whatever himself
Because that’s the only thing he won last year….unlike Leo.
Ah, that goal against Arsenal never gets old
I feel bad for Napoli, but then again being in the fourth pool their group was bound to be tough.
I would have preferred not to play in Eastern Europe but our group is not that tough. The games against Milan should be exciting! Hopefully Ibra and Gatuso won’t try to injure us, but oh well…
DYING from suspence- just pick someone darnit.
Messi better win this, or things will get messy!
that’s one fugly trophy
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow that is a really ugly trophy
“I don’t know.”
Messi wins. SHOCKER!! 😛
Ridiculous looking trophy…
duh
Our boy wins!!!
Porqueeeee?
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Messi won, CR choking on hate 🙂
Its a shirt…
Is that award meant to look like a shirt?
Yes lol
CR looks ticked…again.
C.Ronaldo looks like he’s in so much pain. They can’t even move Messi closest to the questioner. He’s talking right past C.Ronaldo and Xavi. I’m sure Xavi doesn’t care but for C.Ronaldo…
Tbh I feel kinda sorry for C.Ronaldo since it is obvious Messi would win why invite him to stand there like an idiot. Everybody knows about the morbo, this is just embarassing for him…
mmm…
hehehehehe!
Agree – horribly planned event by UEFA. To have the players who lost just stand there is just terrible optics and unfair to them.
Even the whole issue of talking past them to ask Messi questions is just rude on their part.
Very amateurish.
It’s good the invited CR, so we get to him choke on hate and stand there all in pain and envy 🙂
Honestly though, in any other moment in time, CR would’ve been the absolute best, but he had to be a footballer now, sharing the stage with one man who is better than him… Tough luck!