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    Two pairs of balls

    CL semi-final draw.

    edit: But first they are doing the UEFA Cup.

    #2
    Two pairs of balls

    The excitement reaches fever pitch when they do the draw to decide which team is the "home" one in the final.

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      #3
      Two pairs of balls

      SF1 Napoli - Dnipro
      SF2 Sevilla - Fiorentina

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        #4
        Two pairs of balls

        Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote: The excitement reaches fever pitch when they do the draw to decide which team is the "home" one in the final.
        I was very disappointed to learn this morning that the FA determines the "home" team in the FA Cup Final via a coin toss rather than a draw. (Aston Villa, in case you were wondering)

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          #5
          Two pairs of balls

          Here comes the big draw.........

          ....and the winners of Europa League semi-final no. 1 will be the home team in the final in Warsaw and will play against.... wait for it... the winners of Europa League semi-final no. 2.

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            #6
            Two pairs of balls

            "At this stage of the competition it is an open procedure with no country protection and no seeded teams". Big surprise there, I wouldn't put it past them to seed the semi-finals.

            SF1 Barca - Bayern
            SF2 Juve - Real

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              #7
              Two pairs of balls

              longeared wrote:
              Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair Fan
              The excitement reaches fever pitch when they do the draw to decide which team is the "home" one in the final.
              I was very disappointed to learn this morning that the FA determines the "home" team in the FA Cup Final via a coin toss rather than a draw. (Aston Villa, in case you were wondering)
              Could they not get that coin toss sponsored by McDonalds or suchlike?

              Comment


                #8
                Two pairs of balls

                Antonio Pulisao wrote: "At this stage of the competition it is an open procedure with no country protection and no seeded teams". Big surprise there, I wouldn't put it past them to seed the semi-finals.
                If Zenit had made it through UEFA were going to ensure they didn't play a Ukrainian team in the last 4. Mind you, I don't know what they would have done in the (admittedly unlikely) scenario that Zenit and a Ukrainian side had both made the final.

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                  #9
                  Two pairs of balls

                  I for one was shocked that Barca and Real were kept apart.

                  So, you can imagine how flabbered my ghast was when Real got home advantage in the second leg of their tie.

                  Nobody could have seen this fortunate draw coming. Nobody.

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                    #10
                    Two pairs of balls

                    Being home in the 2nd leg has become much less of an advantage. They needed a sending-off to get through Wednesday's tie.

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                      #11
                      Two pairs of balls

                      longeared wrote:
                      Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair Fan
                      The excitement reaches fever pitch when they do the draw to decide which team is the "home" one in the final.
                      I was very disappointed to learn this morning that the FA determines the "home" team in the FA Cup Final via a coin toss rather than a draw. (Aston Villa, in case you were wondering)
                      Oh good, that will be the better kit combination (assuming Arsenal wear their yellow & blue change not the third/cup monstrosity).

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Two pairs of balls

                        Although Barcelona and Juventus have surpassed expectations this season, it has always looked likely that a Real v Bayern final would come to pass. Bayern would have to fuck up pretty badly (as in the Porto 1st leg, but over the full 180 minutes) to go out. Juventus could do a Chelsea-style smash and grab on Real (especially with Real's injuries) but again that would require a Real fuck up that lasts 180 minutes.

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                          #13
                          Two pairs of balls

                          Barca-Real, Real-Bayern, and Barca-Bayern have all now been semi-finals this decade. This will be the second Barca-Bayern meeting. The "fix" in the draw, if any, is why they all keep avoiding each other at the QF stage.

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                            #14
                            Two pairs of balls

                            Bayern would have to fuck up pretty badly (as in the Porto 1st leg, but over the full 180 minutes) to go out.
                            you do realise they're playing barcelona? messi, suarez, neymar, iniesta, busquets etc? i don't think it'll be as easy as you're suggesting.

                            I for one was shocked that Barca and Real were kept apart.

                            So, you can imagine how flabbered my ghast was when Real got home advantage in the second leg of their tie.

                            Nobody could have seen this fortunate draw coming. Nobody.
                            barcelona and real madrid have been drawn against each other in two CL semis in the last 15 years. if there's a conspiracy to keep them from meeting in semis it only got going pretty recently.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Two pairs of balls

                              The real bone of contention, as Rogin suggests, is how these teams never meet in the last eight. The quarter-finals are not seeded, not officially anyway.

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                                #16
                                Two pairs of balls

                                Real did get Atletico in this year's QF, hardly an easy tie.

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                                  #17
                                  Two pairs of balls

                                  Barcelona got them last year. That suggests a pattern in itself.

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                                    #18
                                    Two pairs of balls

                                    garcia wrote:
                                    Bayern would have to fuck up pretty badly (as in the Porto 1st leg, but over the full 180 minutes) to go out.
                                    you do realise they're playing barcelona? messi, suarez, neymar, iniesta, busquets etc? i don't think it'll be as easy as you're suggesting.
                                    Indeed. Bayern are probably favourites if they get their enormous raft of injured players back in time, but I think it's fair to say that Barcelona are at least a slightly stronger side than Porto.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Two pairs of balls

                                      garcia wrote:
                                      Bayern would have to fuck up pretty badly (as in the Porto 1st leg, but over the full 180 minutes) to go out.
                                      you do realise they're playing barcelona? messi, suarez, neymar, iniesta, busquets etc? i don't think it'll be as easy as you're suggesting.

                                      I for one was shocked that Barca and Real were kept apart.

                                      So, you can imagine how flabbered my ghast was when Real got home advantage in the second leg of their tie.

                                      Nobody could have seen this fortunate draw coming. Nobody.
                                      barcelona and real madrid have been drawn against each other in two CL semis in the last 15 years. if there's a conspiracy to keep them from meeting in semis it only got going pretty recently.
                                      The odds of Barcelona not drawing Madrid is 2/3, hardly a "fortunate" event.

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                                        #20
                                        Two pairs of balls

                                        Bayern v Barcelona two years ago was one of the most one-sided semi-finals I've ever seen. I don't think that all the causes of that defeat have been rectified, wheres Bayern have strengthened even further since then, and thus I do feel that this could be another thrashing, although I accept that Barcelona's quality gives them a chance v Bayern's defence.

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                                          #21
                                          Two pairs of balls

                                          What are the odds on 3 given sides out of 8 being kept apart in the QF draw 4 times on the trot? That's what's happened the last 4 seasons, now.

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