Champions League Qualifying Round 2013

[northbank123]

Valencia lacked our mental strength of the last two seasons and lost 4-3 at Sevilla, allowing Sociedad to nick in the final CL spot.

Long story short Zenit will be seeded (if they get through the preliminary round).

[Dan_85]

As it stands...

CL 4th Qualifying Round for Non-Champions
Seeded:
- Arsenal
- Lyon*
- AC Milan
- Schalke
- Zenit St Petersburg*

Unseeded:
- PSV Eindhoven*
- Metalist Kharkiv*
- Fenerbahce*
- Real Sociedad
- Pacos de Ferreira

* These teams enter the competition in the previous round & the seedings above are based on them progressing. The seedings for the 4th Qualifying Round can change if these teams are unexpectedly knocked out in the 3rd round.

Also, I would imagine Pacos de Ferreira will play their CL games at Estadio do Dragao, given that their home ground holds only 5,000. Not so good for those who like to visit new grounds

[SteveO 35]

As it stands...

CL 4th Qualifying Round for Non-Champions
Seeded:
- Arsenal
- Lyon*
- AC Milan
- Schalke
- Zenit St Petersburg*

Unseeded:
- PSV Eindhoven*
- Metalist Kharkiv*
- Fenerbahce*
- Real Sociedad
- Pacos de Ferreira

* These teams enter the competition in the previous round & the seedings above are based on them progressing. The seedings for the 4th Qualifying Round can change if these teams are unexpectedly knocked out in the 3rd round.

Also, I would imagine Pacos de Ferreira will play their CL games at Estadio do Dragao, given that their home ground holds only 5,000. Not so good for those who like to visit new grounds

I can only imagine the glory of a 3-2 aggregate victory sealed in Kharkiv.........its the stuff of dreams. Then there's bloody fabulous group stage spread over 3 months with the last month of it virtually meaningless before the duck shoot in Barca/Munich/Milan.......I can't fucking wait for it to start all over again. How did I go 20 years+ without this fantastic competition in my life?

[highburyJD]

My big preference is Real Sociedad, be on my hols in the South of France avec wife and enfants
plan is: nip out to buy some milk - drive to Spain watch the match
come back the next day claiming amnesia
(what could possibles go wrong?)

[falkirk goon]

As it stands...

CL 4th Qualifying Round for Non-Champions
Seeded:
- Arsenal
- Lyon*
- AC Milan
- Schalke
- Zenit St Petersburg*

Unseeded:
- PSV Eindhoven*
- Metalist Kharkiv*
- Fenerbahce*
- Real Sociedad
- Pacos de Ferreira

* These teams enter the competition in the previous round & the seedings above are based on them progressing. The seedings for the 4th Qualifying Round can change if these teams are unexpectedly knocked out in the 3rd round.

Also, I would imagine Pacos de Ferreira will play their CL games at Estadio do Dragao, given that their home ground holds only 5,000. Not so good for those who like to visit new grounds

I can only imagine the glory of a 3-2 aggregate victory sealed in Kharkiv.........its the stuff of dreams. Then there's bloody fabulous group stage spread over 3 months with the last month of it virtually meaningless before the duck shoot in Barca/Munich/Milan.......I can't fucking wait for it to start all over again. How did I go 20 years+ without this fantastic competition in my life?

Nailbiting win in the knockout phase hold me back while i stick on my moisture resistant boxers and then its onto the group stage probably greece france and germany again..load of boring old shite.

[topgoon]

As it stands...

CL 4th Qualifying Round for Non-Champions
Seeded:
- Arsenal
- Lyon*
- AC Milan
- Schalke
- Zenit St Petersburg*

Unseeded:
- PSV Eindhoven*
- Metalist Kharkiv*
- Fenerbahce*
- Real Sociedad
- Pacos de Ferreira

* These teams enter the competition in the previous round & the seedings above are based on them progressing. The seedings for the 4th Qualifying Round can change if these teams are unexpectedly knocked out in the 3rd round.

Also, I would imagine Pacos de Ferreira will play their CL games at Estadio do Dragao, given that their home ground holds only 5,000. Not so good for those who like to visit new grounds

I can only imagine the glory of a 3-2 aggregate victory sealed in Kharkiv.........its the stuff of dreams. Then there's bloody fabulous group stage spread over 3 months with the last month of it virtually meaningless before the duck shoot in Barca/Munich/Milan.......I can't fucking wait for it to start all over again. How did I go 20 years+ without this fantastic competition in my life?

Nailbiting win in the knockout phase hold me back while i stick on my moisture resistant boxers and then its onto the group stage probably greece france and germany again..load of boring old shite.

I recommend not watching you'll feel better.

[Dan_85]

Fenerbahce banned from UEFA comps for 3yrs, Bursaspor will take their place in the 3rd Qualifying round. This affects the seedings for that round; PAOK will now be seeded and a favourite to make it through to our draw.

Likely opponents for us; PSV Eindhoven, Metalist Kharkiv, PAOK, Real Sociedad, Pacos de Ferreira.

[SteveO 35]

I'm so excited that I'll have to consider typing with one hand in a minute

[falkirk goon]

I'm so excited that I'll have to consider typing with one hand in a minute

[highburyJD]

I like football. I like Arsenal.
Wish we were good enough to not have to qualify.
Can't understand the suicidal miseryguts attitude of some on here.
We'll play a game or two of football. By all means be happy if we win, or sad if we lose.
Being depressed/furious about the existence of the tournament, yet interested enough to chat with strangers about it, just makes no sense to me...

[SteveO 35]

I like football. I like Arsenal.
Wish we were good enough to not have to qualify.
Can't understand the suicidal miseryguts attitude of some on here.
We'll play a game or two of football. By all means be happy if we win, or sad if we lose.
Being depressed/furious about the existence of the tournament, yet interested enough to chat with strangers about it, just makes no sense to me...

We all like football and we all like Arsenal, but as you know I hate this fucking tournament with every bone in my body. First of all its not for Champions and secondly its not a League......so how they come up with the tag 'Champions League' is beyond me. Its tired and boring in format. It is responsible for the lowering of our ambitions, as 4th is now regarded as success. If it became an expanded competition with the top 6 qualifying then our ambitions would be lowered even further. We spend 9 months trying to qualifying for it, sacrifice all other competitions for it, and then inevitably get dumped out of it in February.

Its become the 'be all and end all'. You're old enough to remember a time when we didn't qualify for it. Was Arsenal and football any less fun without it? Not in my book. I enjoyed the UEFA Cup exploits of the early 80s because we had a chance of winning it.

This competition excites Kroenke and Gazidis because it makes them a significant return on their investment. Well bully for them, but save me getting all excited when I see us travelling half way across Europe for a dead group fixture in December before getting dicked by Munich / Milan / Barca which then triggers our exit from the FA Cup and death of another season

[highburyJD]

personally think we've got (and def have had) more of a chance of winning the CL than we did the WAFA

[northbank123]

Our record in knockout competition since we moved has been nothing short of an utter embarrassment. The only real scalp I can recall is AC Milan in 2008 CL, and considering that at the time we were a better team than them that's saying something.

[highburyJD]

Our record in knockout competition since we moved has been nothing short of an utter embarrassment. The only real scalp I can recall is AC Milan in 2008 CL, and considering that at the time we were a better team than them that's saying something.

our record is top 8 in the continent
guess peeps on here are easily embarrassed...

[northbank123]

Our record in knockout competition since we moved has been nothing short of an utter embarrassment. The only real scalp I can recall is AC Milan in 2008 CL, and considering that at the time we were a better team than them that's saying something.

our record is top 8 in the continent
guess peeps on here are easily embarrassed...

Not our knockout record, especially considering I was referring to domestic competitions as well. Surely you get sick of relying on things like UEFA co-efficients to try and deflect away from the real argument?

The point I was making is since 2006 we're unable to beat the big teams in any knockout competition. Until this changes - and there's no signs it will, particularly given our league performance against the top 3 this season with 2 points from 6 games - we've got absolutely no hope of winning the CL. Carling Cup maybe and possibly the FA Cup if we got an immensely favourable draw but chances are we'll have to beat at least one of United, Chelsea or Citeh. Co-efficients don't change that.