Champions League Predictions

[KeongJai]

arsenal over villareal
manU over porto
Liverpool over Chelsea
barcelona over bayern (I think this one is the closest. Ribery is playing well. It depends if barcelona scores in their first match at munich. If they do, they'll go through, but if they don't, I think bayern will pull through).

EPL, ManU lost 2 in a row. Liverpool are only 4 pts behind now. The race is back on.

[Wanlie Tong]

arsenal over villareal
manU over porto
Liverpool over Chelsea
barcelona over bayern (I think this one is the closest. Ribery is playing well. It depends if barcelona scores in their first match at munich. If they do, they'll go through, but if they don't, I think bayern will pull through).

EPL, ManU lost 2 in a row. Liverpool are only 4 pts behind now. The race is back on.

Man U has slipped up but Liverpool has to beat Villa today. Even with that Man U still has to drop points in at least two more games for Liverpool to be able to catch them. Chelsea's failure to take adavantage of the opportunity to gain ground on Man U yesterday may have finished off their title hopes once and for all.

[Guo Xiang]

I'm shocked at Man Utd's second loss, 'cos this is a crucial time to burst forward. What happened to Chelsea, I wonder?

Man Utd over Porto
Arsenal over Villarreal
Liverpool over Chelsea
Barcelona over Bayern

[Wanlie Tong]

I'm shocked at Man Utd's second loss, 'cos this is a crucial time to burst forward. What happened to Chelsea, I wonder?

Man Utd over Porto
Arsenal over Villarreal
Liverpool over Chelsea
Barcelona over Bayern

Yes, this is the time of year whan Man U usually elevates their play and stake their claim on the title. Rooney's reaction to the second yellow may cause him to miss more than he would have if he had left the pitch quietly.

I saw most of the second half of the Chelsea game. At least in the part ofthe game that I saw Chelsea has the better of the play, and probably deserved at least a draw. The much maligned Gomes played vey well in goal for the Spurs and Chelsea didn't take advantage of the opportunities they had. One of the few times Gomes when was clearly beaten, the shot from Alex the ball hit the crossbar.

[Guo Xiang]

Yes, this is the time of year whan Man U usually elevates their play and stake their claim on the title. Rooney's reaction to the second yellow may cause him to miss more than he would have if he had left the pitch quietly.

I saw most of the second half of the Chelsea game. At least in the part ofthe game that I saw Chelsea has the better of the play, and probably deserved at least a draw. The much maligned Gomes played vey well in goal for the Spurs and Chelsea didn't take advantage of the opportunities they had. One of the few times Gomes when was clearly beaten, the shot from Alex the ball hit the crossbar.

I'm sick of Rooney's behaviour, really. He's an excellent footballer but his temper is often making things worse than it should, both for him and Man Utd.

And I mean Chelsea on the whole. They seemed to have lost the lustre they had a couple of seasons ago. They may be sitting high on the table but it's obvious they are no longer the same as before. Of course that's a good thing for Man Utd, but I still feel a tinge of pity... even if I dislike Chelsea.

[Wanlie Tong]

I'm sick of Rooney's behaviour, really. He's an excellent footballer but his temper is often making things worse than it should, both for him and Man Utd.

And I mean Chelsea on the whole. They seemed to have lost the lustre they had a couple of seasons ago. They may be sitting high on the table but it's obvious they are no longer the same as before. Of course that's a good thing for Man Utd, but I still feel a tinge of pity... even if I dislike Chelsea.

Rooney is the primary reason I don't like Man U. My favorite EPL team is Arsenal and who have been out of it for a while. I can't bring myself to root for Liverpool or especially Chelsea so I guess I hope Man U wins the league.

I think the answer that most Chelsea fans would give you for the team's decline would be Mourinho leaving. In addition it seems to me that a number of their players (Ballack & Terry for example) are past their prime and in decline.

[Guo Xiang]

Rooney is the primary reason I don't like Man U. My favorite EPL team is Arsenal and who have been out of it for a while. I can't bring myself to root for Liverpool or especially Chelsea so I guess I hope Man U wins the league.

I think the answer that most Chelsea fans would give you for the team's decline would be Mourinho leaving. In addition it seems to me that a number of their players (Ballack & Terry for example) are past their prime and in decline.

Oh come on, Wanlie. You can look at Giggsy and Scholes instead of Rooney. They represent Man Utd on a much better level no matter how you look at it.

Maybe instead of declining, Ballack simply is one of those foreigners who isn't well-suited for EPL. It's not an easy league for foreigners to adjust to.

[Wanlie Tong]

Oh come on, Wanlie. You can look at Giggsy and Scholes instead of Rooney. They represent Man Utd on a much better level no matter how you look at it.

Maybe instead of declining, Ballack simply is one of those foreigners who isn't well-suited for EPL. It's not an easy league for foreigners to adjust to.

You make a valid point about Rooney not being representative of the the whole team (but then again some of Ronaldo's antics are pretty bad too.) Guo Xiang Jr's first goalkeeper trainer is a big Man U fan and I asked him how he could root for Rooney and he said I don't root for Rooney I root for Man U.

With regard to Ballack I think he was fairly effective for Chelsea the first couple of years when he wasn't injured which admittedly wasn't that often. Ballack is 32, which is not young for a footballer and Chelsea's midfield Ballack included seems to lack pace. I also think Chelsea made a mistake signing Deco. He was not that good last season for Barca, and one of the rumors at the time was that he was more interested in Barcelona's nightlife than in training.

[Wanlie Tong]

Some entertaining games and big surprises in this week's games. Chelsea drubs what had been arguably the hottest team in Europe, Man U draws at home, Bayern is done and Arsenal is well positioned for the next leg.
I watched the Man U - Porto game and Man U was fortunate to get the draw, without a gift goal they would have lost.

[Guo Xiang]

Some entertaining games and big surprises in this week's games. Chelsea drubs what had been arguably the hottest team in Europe, Man U draws at home, Bayern is done and Arsenal is well positioned for the next leg.
I watched the Man U - Porto game and Man U was fortunate to get the draw, without a gift goal they would have lost.

Liverpool always wins and loses unexpectingly...

[Wanlie Tong]

Liverpool always wins and loses unexpectingly...

But to lose 3-1 at home to a Chelsea team that hadn't scored three goals in a league game since November (against West Brom the worst team in the Premiership)? That isn't just unexpected that is shocking. I doubt that few of even the most diehard Chelsea fan would have predicted that score. What do you think about Man U? I think they are in serious trouble. Porto's confidence has to be sky high right after the first game and Man U hasn't looked good in weeks.

[pannonian]

But to lose 3-1 at home to a Chelsea team that hadn't scored three goals in a league game since November (against West Brom the worst team in the Premiership)? That isn't just unexpected that is shocking. I doubt that few of even the most diehard Chelsea fan would have predicted that score. What do you think about Man U? I think they are in serious trouble. Porto's confidence has to be sky high right after the first game and Man U hasn't looked good in weeks.

Liverpool fans seem to be writing off the Chelsea result as a freak, perhaps aided by the absence of Mascherano, but mainly due to players inexplicably underperforming. Man U's problem seems to be more endemic, in that fatigue is setting in, combined with a weak central midfield (compared with the more muscular Liverpool and Chelsea mids). Arsenal had the same problem with a weak midfield earlier in the season, but previously injured players and Arshavin have added some freshness and zing to their play to mask this, whereas Man U's weak midfield is being shown up by tiredness. They miss Hargreaves.

[Guo Xiang]

What do you think about Man U? I think they are in serious trouble. Porto's confidence has to be sky high right after the first game and Man U hasn't looked good in weeks.

Honestly? I'm speechless. This isn't the right time to run into a bad form, but the team did. As pannonian said, the team could be tired out from all the competitions they are taking part in, and the injury list... The second leg against Porto will be very difficult indeed.

[Wanlie Tong]

Honestly? I'm speechless. This isn't the right time to run into a bad form, but the team did. As pannonian said, the team could be tired out from all the competitions they are taking part in, and the injury list... The second leg against Porto will be very difficult indeed.

It is really out of the norm for Man U to be playing so poorly in the latter part of the season. This is usually the time of year where they pass or seperate themselves from the other contenders for the league. This year they have moved back to the rest of the pack. I have been rooting for a Barca vs Man U final in the CL, but the team that showed up against Porto would be cut to pieces by Barcelona. Not that I would view that as a bad thing.

[Wanlie Tong]

Liverpool fans seem to be writing off the Chelsea result as a freak, perhaps aided by the absence of Mascherano, but mainly due to players inexplicably underperforming. Man U's problem seems to be more endemic, in that fatigue is setting in, combined with a weak central midfield (compared with the more muscular Liverpool and Chelsea mids). Arsenal had the same problem with a weak midfield earlier in the season, but previously injured players and Arshavin have added some freshness and zing to their play to mask this, whereas Man U's weak midfield is being shown up by tiredness. They miss Hargreaves.

You make some interesting points. Ferguson is a master of getting the most out of his squad, but perhaps injuries have forced him to use some players more than he would have liked to.

[Eagle]

FC Porto is a very strong and tight team. MU underestimated the opponents and were surprised. Saw an interview where Fletcher was more or less saying that Porto players are technically very good, very dangerous, great at counter-attack - and they will be aware next time they meet.

In appears that MU players did not appear to have study the opponents well. There are no weak teams at this stage. Porto does not have the financial might of MU, but is very consistent and is well managed. They seem to have a system to find and pick up the players most suitable to their team and their success is not by chance.

[kenixgoh]

Man Utd over Porto
Villarreal over Arsenal
>> ManU to draw 2 legs 0-0 with Villarreal and decide on lottery PK!

Chelsea over Liverpool
Barcelona over Bayern
>> Chelsea over Barca...

Final, ManU Vs Chelsea again!? LOL

[Guo Xiang]

Man Utd over Porto
Villarreal over Arsenal
>> ManU to draw 2 legs 0-0 with Villarreal and decide on lottery PK!

Chelsea over Liverpool
Barcelona over Bayern
>> Chelsea over Barca...

Final, ManU Vs Chelsea again!? LOL

You are betting a lot on Man Utd, and I hope that happens. I hope Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool will get knocked out.

[Wanlie Tong]

Man Utd over Porto
Villarreal over Arsenal
>> ManU to draw 2 legs 0-0 with Villarreal and decide on lottery PK!

Chelsea over Liverpool
Barcelona over Bayern
>> Chelsea over Barca...

Final, ManU Vs Chelsea again!? LOL

Even if Man U gets past Porto I don't see them making the finals. Xavi & Iniesta will dominate Chelsea's midfield. While Anelka & Drogba could cause problems for Barca's back four I don't think they will see the ball much.









7

[Guo Xiang]

Chelsea beat Liverpool 7-5, while Barcelona kicked out Bayern of the tournament too.