OT: Champions League final discussion & live thread
The Champions League final has finally arrived, after months of build up. It features a pair of unlikely semifinal winners, as Chelsea and Bayern Munich upset Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. The game will be played in Allianz Arena (home to Bayern Munich), which most say will benefit Bayern. Both teams come in with multiple players suspended for yellow cards in the semi-finals, with Chelsea hit slightly harder. Bayern plays a very meticulous, attacking style, focusing on good passing and good wings capable of shooting as well as crossing. Chelsea plays more of a deep, counter-attacking style, featuring star playmaker Didier Drogba at striker. Bayern is normally amazing at home, but in a game of this magnitude with this much emotion, all of that goes out the window.
The winner gets a trophy, bragging rights, and a large cash reward. Beyond that, the implications in the English Premier League are huge, as if Chelsea win they will take a 2012-13 Champions League spot from my beloved Spurs.
And before you soccer haters show up and ask "who cares," last year over 300 million people watched the final, much more than the super bowl. So please, if you don't like soccer, keep it civil.
The game starts at 2:30 on Fox
Come On You Bavarians!! Can't wait!
Longtime Chelsea fan here. It's going to be tough playing without JT and Ivanovic but luckily we do get Cahill and Luiz back from injury. 2-1 Chelsea
Sorry, fixed. 2:30 on Fox.
Also, at 10:00 on Fox Soccer, Blackpool takes on West Ham in the Championship play-off final. The winner gets a spot in the English Premier League next year, and the 90 million (!!) pounds that go with that. The loser stays in the Championship (the second tier league), and has to put up with at least one more year of financial woes. Steam at firstrowsports.eu
This is what I'm more interested in today.
Is West Ham the club from Green Street Hooligans?
Also, I tought both Blackpool and West Ham were in the Premier League. When did they get regulated?
Yes to your first question.
And both were relegated after last season.
The stakes are absolutely massive for Tottenham, even though we aren't playing. Win and we get a spot in the CL next year, along with a cash prize, and the ability to lure in top players over the offseason. Lose and not only do we have to put up with the Europa League, but we would likely lose 3 or 4 of our best 5 players, and would be unable to pull and good players over the offseason. This is without a doubt one of the most important games in recent memory for Tottenham.
Yes. COYS!
Go Blues!!
To second go16blue, this is definitely bigger than the superbowl now. There's so much money Champion's league it's crazy.
I'm pulling for Bayern.
Blackpool should be up by at least a goal. Two golden chances and nothing.
Sieg fur Bayern Munchen die champions der eurpoe!!!
What a ball and what touch! That was a great goal
He was fully extended for that first touch, and played it perfectly. Great goal.
As for the CL Final, I'm rooting more against Chelsea than I am for Bayern. Just because I know a ton of bandwagon Chelsea fans and I don't want them to have any reason to celebrate.
Amen to that. And Ann Arbor bars flood with Chelsea fans during CL time. Watching the Barca game at the Blue Lep was a painful experience.
All tied up!!!
I think it's obvious who I'm rooting for. Mia san mia!
West Ham pulls ahead by one in the 87th minute!!
West Ham will be back in the top flight next year. As a Wolves fan, I think this is the better outcome as I think they were the better club. Slightly easier rode back to promotion for my Wolves.
Good for West Ham, but better for Wolves and Bolton next year.
On the other hand, they don't have to worry about anyone being sent off. Terry can't do anything astoundingly stupid from the bench (I think).
Honestly he has lost TWO steps and is always fouling to save himself. He got worked the other weekend in EPL and his days are numbered at the top level. Not to mention he is an ass.
I'm pulling for Bayern in this one.
Also tonight on ESPN2 at 10:30 the Galaxy play Chivas USA, it will be interesting to see if Juan Agudelo sees the field tonight after being traded from NY. You wouldn't expect a guy to play after just a couple practices with the team but Chivas is desperate for some offense so it is a possibility.
Really looking forward to them drubbing Chelsea. I don't usually support German clubs with such gusto, but I really don't find much to like about this Chelsea team.
I'm pulling for Bayern because I don't want Spurs, who I think deserve a place in the Champions League, to be knocked out. Chelsea were absolute crap this year in the EPL, but they are playing to be European champion -- go figure.
Bad news is I knocked the satellite dish while mowing the lawn, and I can't get the thing lined back up :(
To knock Spurs out.
To confirm that the Premier League is the best leauge.
Because my Villans finished with 38 pts.
The EPL is probably the best league, but I don't know how many conclusions we can draw from a single game. Did the Super Bowl confirm that the NFC was better than the AFC?
Also it's not like the Bundesliga is number two.
Also worth noting that performance in Europe and the UEFA statistics pulled off of that probably understantes the level of the EPL, since the strenght of the league is its quality top-to-bottom (cf. Spain with the two best teams in the world, then a huge drop, then the Valencia/Atletico/Sevilla level, then some real crap-ass-Championship-level teams in the bottom half of the league)
Even though I do not root for either Cherlsea or Munich, I would rather see Spurs go on to the CL after finishing fourth in the EPL than Chelsea for their great run in the CL. Doesn't seem fair for Rednapp and the boys to go to Europa after a great season. Just hoping for a well played match.
Forgot Terry wasn't playing today. Go Bayern
And stupid FOX keeps playing their football music for all sports (including baseball and soccer). That music is associated with football. Make some other music for baseball and soccer.
And before you soccer haters show up and ask "who cares," last year over 300 million people watched the final, much more than the super bowl.I'm not a soccer hater by any means, but doesn't the Super Bowl get like a billion viewers? (I also thought the CL final got a lot more than 300M.)
Not sure the numbers for either CLF or Super Bowl (but I bet Google does), but I'm pretty sure the only thing that breaks 1b is the World Cup final.
Some German friends got me interested in soccer so I've always been a follower of the Bundesliga and root for the national team (when the U.S. isn't involved).
But Bayern is the NY Yankees of the league, so it's kinda hard to cheer for them. I'm a Schalke fan.
The one thing I know for sure, Ribery is one ugly SOB!
It's like rooting for the Yankees no matter who you cheer for in this match. But I think Bayern is the lesser of two evils. And I don't want Tottenham to be robbed of a well-deserved CL spot by Chelsea who has underachieved all season up until the knock-out stage.
I read an article about this match that said, "aside from fans of each team, their respective nations will all be cheering for the other side."
All the English posters on the Wolves board I post on are rooting for Chelsea. Don't know if that's indicative of the rest of the league's fans though.
You know, after that whole war thing a lot of people still hold a grudge. I know the Czechs do.
My brother lives in Berlin, everyone was pretty excited to root against Bayern in the Bundesliga championship match the other week. I haven't heard from him about the concensus on today's match.