The 2018/19 UEFA Champions League: Road to Madrid.

[Wilsy]

'The Champions League...' Just saying it gives me goosebumps, and singing it does even more. Not long ago this was all I wanted, season in, season out the race for top four consumed me. In 2010 Redknapp gave us a taste, and it was everything I imagined it to be. Now, after another solid premier league campaign culminating in our third consecutive champions league qualification, it almost feels... normal.

Last year's competition gave us some incredible memories, destroying a Dortmund team who usually eat us for breakfast, home and away. We humbled the eventual winners Madrid at Wembley, and battled it out at the Bernabeau for a deserved draw. We were arguably the better team in both legs against The Old Lady, but Juve showed us just how cruel and unforgiving football can be when you play against the very best.

Finishing in the top 3 in last year's premier league meant we were the only team to consistently do so for the last 3 seasons. Subsequently our third place finish, above Liverpool in fourth, means that we go into Europe's biggest competition in pot 2 alongside United, with City in pot 1 and Liverpool (likely to be) in pot 3. Chelsea and Arsenal miss out all together and will be playing on Thursday nights, sorry not sorry.

The group stage draw ceremony will take place this Thursday on 30th August at 5pm UK time, this will be streamed live on the UEFA website, and will also be broadcast live on BT Sport 2 from 4.30pm.

Pot 1 consists of the holders, the UEFA Europa League winners and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations. Pots 2 to 4 are determined by the club coefficient rankings.

Pot 1
Real Madrid
Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Manchester City
Juventus
Paris Saint-Germain
Lokomotiv Moscow

Pot 2
Borussia Dortmund
Porto
Manchester United
Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli
Tottenham Hotspur
Roma

Pot 3
Schalke
Lyon
Monaco
CSKA Moscow

Pot 4
Club Brugge
Galatasaray
Inter Milan
Hoffenheim

TBD
Liverpool
Valencia
Viktoria Plzeň
6 play-off winners from (AEK/Videoton, Dynamo Kiev/Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb/Young Boys, Red Bull Salzburg/Red Star Belgrade, PSV/BATE, PAOK/Benfica)

Bookies have us at around 25/1 as eventual winners, 11th favourite.

We've shown that on our day we can beat the very best teams in the world, and if we manage to keep our squad fit and motivated without any big injuries, I can see us pushing on from last year and making it to the semis, at least.

Take it away boys...

COYS

UPDATE:

 

[NickHSpurs]

24 hours to go until the draw... We don't find out later in the day exactly what dates we play home/away do we? Wanna get bang on the flights.

 

[hughy]

To keep this up to date, AEK, Young Boys and Ajax progressed last night through to the group stages.

 

[Lilbaz]

Gutted we can't get porto. Never been to portugal. Don't fancy russia, done madrid and lyon. So barca schalke and brugge for me.

 

[Timberwolf]

I want a rematch with those bastard Young Boys. Gave me the fright of my footballing life when we went 3-0 down in the CL qualifier after a Sebastian Bassong masterclass in how not to defend.

 

[rebrab]

Strongest pot 1 I can remember seeing. Only 'easier' team in there are Locomotiv and they're out in Russia...

 

[Lilbaz]

Strongest pot 1 I can remember seeing. Only 'easier' team in there are Locomotiv and they're out in Russia...

Fuck going to russia.

 

[mark87]

I want a rematch with those bastard Young Boys. Gave me the fright of my footballing life when we went 3-0 down in the CL qualifier after a Sebastian Bassong masterclass in how not to defend.

He made up for it a little bit by scoring the first goal.

 

[Woland]

Pray for Benfica v PAOK tonight.
Should Benfica win away, they enter pot 2 in place of Liverpool, who drop to Pot 3.
Benfica defeat would put PAOK in pot 3 and Liverpool in Pot 2 with us.

 

[fortworthspur]

https://draw.inker.fun/#/cl/gs

simulator, I guess they made some assumptions about today's results. Got us with Lokomotiv, Schalke and Young Boys. Id take that.

 

[Lighty64]

I would like

Bayern Munich not a long away trip, and if the New Stadium is available, would be a great night at the New stadium
Ajax yet again little travel
FC Brugge "DITTO"

fuck getting, to much travelling
Lokomotiv Moscow
Red Star Belgrade
Galatasaray

 

[Lighty64]

https://draw.inker.fun/#/cl/gs

simulator, I guess they made some assumptions about today's results. Got us with Lokomotiv, Schalke and Young Boys. Id take that.

not good

Group A
Atlético
Tottenham
Monaco
Internazionale

 

[Woland]

https://draw.inker.fun/#/cl/gs

simulator, I guess they made some assumptions about today's results. Got us with Lokomotiv, Schalke and Young Boys. Id take that.

Looks balanced

 

[Lighty64]

Pray for Benfica v PAOK tonight.
Should Benfica win away, they enter pot 2 in place of Liverpool, who drop to Pot 3.
Benfica defeat would put PAOK in pot 3 and Liverpool in Pot 2 with us.

as long as Liverpool at least finish 3rd at worst. don't want them finishing bottom and completely out of Europe as the more games they play, the more chance of picking up knocks. just remember they had the least amount of players involved in the later stages of the WC, and only 1 of their 4 I believe that got to the later stages actually played games.

 

[Gb160]

not good

Group A
Atlético
Tottenham
Monaco
Internazionale

Mine was the same except for Schalke instead of Monaco.
Not sure how 'random' that simulator is.

 

[Lilbaz]

not good

Group A
Atlético
Tottenham
Monaco
Internazionale

You not had enough of milan yet? Place is a shithole.

 

[Giovanni]

https://draw.inker.fun/#/cl/gs

simulator, I guess they made some assumptions about today's results. Got us with Lokomotiv, Schalke and Young Boys. Id take that.

How strange...my group seemed very familiar. All teams we have played in cl before

Rea madrid
Tottenham
Schalke
Young boys

 

[Lighty64]

You not had enough of milan yet? Place is a shithole.

I don't want that group, that bloody stupid simulated picked it

 

[lol]

This is some wrestlemania promo title lol

 

[Gb160]

Pray for Benfica v PAOK tonight.
Should Benfica win away, they enter pot 2 in place of Liverpool, who drop to Pot 3.
Benfica defeat would put PAOK in pot 3 and Liverpool in Pot 2 with us.

Not sure how important that is tbh...if you take out the English teams from pot 2, i don't think there's anyone in there that Liverpool wouldn't beat.
Or am i missing something?