Forum

xml	No replies possible in the archive

Author: VR6Vic
Date: 25-11-2004, 19:31

To be honest, i think it would be better if Porto came in 3rd and tried their luck with the UEFA cup because i don't think our team is prepared to face a Barcelona or a AC Milan type team. Last year, i would have full confidence but not this year. But before i can hope for 3rd Place or even second, Porto has to beat a 2nd string Chelsea team at home which i think Mourinha will assist Porto on this one since Chelsea is just complelling their calender and they certanly do not need the CL money.

I also have to hope that CSKA Moscow will either tie or beat PSG in Paris which will be difficult thing to do.

What do you guys honestly think will have to the Defending European champions?

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: MichaelCollins Date: 25-11-2004, 23:23	No. Because of the head2head records between Porto and Paris SG, I think a PSG win over Moscow in Paris on Matchday6 will make any Porto result irrelevant.

Author: Aliceag
Date: 26-11-2004, 04:38

Possible Scenarios:

Porto win Psg Win -> Porto 3rd
Porto draw Psg win -> Porto 3rd
Porto loss Psg win -> Porto 3rd
Porto win Psg draw -> Porto 2nd
Porto win Psg Loss -> Porto 2nd
Porto draw Psg draw -> Porto 3rd
Porto draw Psg Loss -> Porto 3rd
Porto loss Psg draw -> Porto 3rd
Porto loss Psg loss -> Porto 4th

So, Maths tell that Porto will go to UEFA in 67% of cases, that Porto will trough in 22%, and will be KO in 11%.

My belief is that Porto can beat a 2nd line Chelsea, and that Moskva will fight till the end to not lose in Paris (they still can go trough). If this happens, then Porto is trough.

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: Zibir Date: 26-11-2004, 05:43	I think that all is clear. Chelsea FC will lose to FC Porto and Paris Saint-Germain FC will easy win PFC CSKA Moskva. It means that FC Porto will be in Uefa Cup.

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: VR6Vic Date: 26-11-2004, 06:19	I think CSKA will upset PSG. remember, PSG is a very mediocre team and CSKA wants to go to UEFA and possibly CL if Porto loses to 2nd string Chelsea which i don't thin will happen. Don't count out the European Champs!!!

Author: Lyonnais
Date: 26-11-2004, 18:48

It is rather amazing to think that the defending European champion could be out of the competition after the first group stage. This is all the more surprising that this group is pretty weak compared to some others.
Has it ever happened to see an European champion leaving the competition so early (since big teams are playing directly into group stages) ?

Coming back to the prediction, I guess that Porto has a good chance to go through if Paris is unable to beat CSKA. Sorry not to be more precise, but it's difficult to say more at that stage.
Otherwise, I am not at all a fan of PSG. This is even a team that I really never liked (not to say I hate them), but it seems to me rather unacceptable to read from a FC Porto fan that this team is "very mediocre" whereas PSG just took 4 points vs. Porto. Try to be a minimum consistent.

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: anita Date: 26-11-2004, 19:07	Whatever opinion on PSG, I think that they will beat CSKA in Paris, giving Porto a UCR3-spot. Except for the first fifteen minutes in Wednesdays match, CSKA Moskva proved that it is off-season in Russia. (So proved the turf...).

Author: VR6Vic
Date: 27-11-2004, 06:22

Lyonnais: PSG is in 12th in the French league but in the CL, they have a great chance of going through. Yes, PSG did take 4 points fom the European Champions but i'm not suprised. When a team with limited resources compared to Man U, AC Milan, FC Barcelone etc.. WIn the CL, all the Big $$$ teams will get all the good players. Porto lost their best players and are rebuilding this season. Next year Porto will be more competative.

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: mustafakokhan Date: 27-11-2004, 08:14	if psg fail to beat cska moscow porto will qualify otherwise not

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: EarlofBug Date: 28-11-2004, 22:32	Remember that Abramovich is "close" to CSKA. There were even rumours that he is financially involved in CSKA. So CSKA will beat PSG, Chelsea will beat Porto, and CSKA will go through...

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: VR6Vic Date: 28-11-2004, 23:46	Then UEFA will kick out Both Chelsea and CSKA if they find anything fishy

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: akis71 Date: 29-11-2004, 00:01	Stop writting such nonsence. If Abramovich really cared that much CSKA to qualify he could have let CSKA beat Chelsea who had already been qualified.

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: viulo Date: 02-12-2004, 00:36	To Lyonnais Nope, never has a CL winner been thrown out in the first stage since it exists (in group form).

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: Aliceag Date: 08-12-2004, 00:07	YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!! Believe till the end!!! Porto is trough!! Still a Champion to defend his title!!

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: VR6Vic Date: 08-12-2004, 05:47	YES!!!!!! FC Porto, The European Champions pull through yet once again. Just about everyone doubted FC Porto, man were some of you mistaken.

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: anita Date: 08-12-2004, 12:22	Congrat to Porto! But no surprise they beat Chelsea at home. The surprise - to me - came in Paris. But Porto grabbed the chance and a well deserved advancement with FOUR scored goals in six matches!

Re: Do you guys think Porto can make 2nd round CL?
Author: vakho Date: 08-12-2004, 12:28	I think if Chelsea would take a game in Porto as seriously as they did with PSG away and both with CSKA, when they actually need points to be qualified we would have different team to go through in 1/8. So it's bad luck for CSKA that they were drawn to play day 3&4 with Chelsea. Porto's win in Moskow basicly was decisive.

Author: Lyonnais
Date: 08-12-2004, 15:35

Congratulations to Porto. They had this piece of luck that is always necessary to go further.

Apparently CSKA made a very impressive game in Paris yesterday. some French media were making comparisons with the great Dynamo Kiev of 1986 (what might be a bit premature as PSG was too weak to offer resistance).

As far as Paris is concerned, the miracle didn't happen. Do you know what was the title of French sport newspaper L'Equipe (online edition): "it's better like this". It's cruel but the truth is that this team had nothing to do in the European Top 16.

Author: Osirius
Date: 08-12-2004, 17:32

I'm very proud for CSKA for yesterday's match espesially,and may be those who speak about Chelsea's attitude in the game agaist Porto are right,but CSKA had bad luck this compitition(2 missed penelties),anyway I think it's more correct exactly Porto to go through and not CSKA(to little experience).And for CSKA itself may be it'll be better to play in UEFA Cup and to gain more points for Russia and CSKA,cause if Russia takes 15th place next year 2 teames will be in CL(Loko and CSKA)and next year CSKA will be already more compitable than this year.

Author: anita
Date: 08-12-2004, 17:44

Lyonnais, when I read the article in L,Equipe, I spot a bitterly disappointed journalist that had high hopes before the match. They just had to beat off-season CSKA to advance in CL! How hard could that be? I was surprised myself by the result in Paris, and if I had been PSG-supporter, this match would have nagged me for years.

Your argument that "this team had nothing to do in the European Top 16", I will hopefully never understand. To win matches or advance in cups have nothing to do with who "deserves" it. If PSG had won the match, they would have earned a CL-advance and would have "something to do" in 1/8-final. The table would have told us that.

As mentioned before, some wise-asses (Beckenbauer and others) have over the years repeatedly claimed that Rosenborg (and similar low-ranked-countries-teams) have nothing to do in CL. Whatever. Please, Beckenbauer, may we play for it first?

So if we want the "deserved" teams, why not put up an international jury that will decide which teams that may deserve to advance and win CL? Maybe just follow Duncs or macaskils predictions and go with that! Then we don't have to spend endless hours as spectators on match or in front of telly. What a splendid idea! Will liberate lot of resources and time to do other more useful things in life.

Author: Lyonnais
Date: 08-12-2004, 19:43

Anita, for me, the teams that deserve to be in European Top 16 are the ones which gained that right on the pitch. Full period.

And the truth is that Paris didn't deserve that right. After having a very bad start in that competition (2 defeats), they managed to recover thanks to the points taken vs. Porto then Chelsea. When I see Pana be out of the competition with 9 points, PSG was fortunate enough to be in a position to go to the 1/8 with only 8 points. They just had to beat CSKA to get through. The point is certainly not to minimize CSKA skills, it is a good team and it proved it again yesterday, but when you are not able to beat CSKA, I'm sorry but you don't have the right to play the giants such as Barca, Milan, Arsenal, Man U, etc ...
That's just what I meant to say.

Coming back to Rosenborg, I am sincerely impressed by the ability of such a little club (from European standards) to be there almost every year and sometimes to get through. That is clearly a major achievement and football needs teams like Rosenborg to demonstrate that money is not everything. So Rosenborg deserves to be there and to go as far as it can as soon that the 11 (14) players on the pitch can demonstrate that they deserve that right.