The team I have decided to call Székesfehérvár go through again to my surprise
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Champions League 2018/19: A Visca Wanda
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Play-Off Draw
Champions path
Crvena zvezda (SRB) v Salzburg (AUT)
BATE Borisov (BLR) v PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Young Boys (SUI) v Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Vidi (HUN) v AEK Athens (GRE)
League path
Benfica (POR) v PAOK (GRE)
Ajax (NED) v Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
The six play-off winners will join the 26 automatic entrants in the group stage draw on 30 August.
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This long, drawn-out qualification system is such wank. The only interest in this for me is where I'll be going for my midweek jaunts. I don't see Manchester United doing much better than last season, and I see Manchester City improving. Plus all the usual suspects.
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I'm hoping against hope that the six qualifiers get through the groups and eliminate clubs who got group slots despite finishing third or fourth in their leagues, otherwise the qualifiers are just window dressing to create some illusion that this is still an open competition.
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Originally posted by Satchmo Distel View PostI'm hoping against hope that the six qualifiers get through the groups and eliminate clubs who got group slots despite finishing third or fourth in their leagues, otherwise the qualifiers are just window dressing to create some illusion that this is still an open competition.
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The reason the qualifying is so drawn out is because the 43 champions from countries ranked 12th and down are battling for a mere four places in the groups. Time to revert to a straight knockout, champions only format, surely.
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Originally posted by Third rate Leszno View PostOnly four of those six actually won their leagues, of course.
Man U, who finished 19 points behind Man City last season, had a chance to take only one group slot allocated to English clubs and it all came down to a play-off round in August.
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Ajax and PSV were thrilled to benefit from the Champions League when the Netherlands had more places (indeed, both clubs were active in the negotiations that established the system).
It seems more than a bit rich for such clubs to bemoan the format now that their own performances in Europe have meant that they are no longer automatic invitees.
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Originally posted by ursus arctos View PostAjax and PSV were thrilled to benefit from the Champions League when the Netherlands had more places (indeed, both clubs were active in the negotiations that established the system).
It seems more than a bit rich for such clubs to bemoan the format now that their own performances in Europe have meant that they are no longer automatic invitees.
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For me, it always comes down to whether one believes the competition should match league champions or the best teams in Europe (the disconnect between those two criteria becoming ever more distant).
Even if one were able to put the massive commercial considerations aside, my preference is for the latter, though I certainly understand and appreciate those who think otherwise (and myself miss the time when the UEFA Cup was arguably harder to win that its big-eared counterpart).
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Originally posted by seand View PostVery true, think Satchmo's point though is that it seems obscene that PSV as Dutch champions have to battle through the qualifiers via the 'Champions Path', and could easily end dropping out while Ajax progress from the 'League Path' without playing a reigning champion. (The league route is a round longer and the opposition is probably more challenging, but it does seem a bit nuts that a countries runners-up could be in the groups but not their champions)
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Ajax are doing a very entertaining conceptual art piece against Dinamo Kiev where they try and come up with new ways to almost score. Aside from a number of relatively mundane good chances, there's been a penalty off the post that rebounded straight to the taker, who then put it over the bar, and perhaps the best of them all, two Ajax players scuffing chances back and forth between each other from approximately 2 yards out.
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Young Boys have come from a goal down to win in Zagreb and qualify for the group stage for the first time. Ajax held Dynamo Kiev, so they qualify on the back of their 3-1 home leg victory, and AEK Athens have drawn with MOL Vidi to advance 3-2 on aggregate.
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Originally posted by Third rate Leszno View PostAjax held Dynamo Kiev, so they qualify on the back of their 3-1 home leg victory,
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Originally posted by scratchmonkey View PostAjax are doing a very entertaining conceptual art piece against Dinamo Kiev where they try and come up with new ways to almost score. Aside from a number of relatively mundane good chances, there's been a penalty off the post that rebounded straight to the taker, who then put it over the bar, and perhaps the best of them all, two Ajax players scuffing chances back and forth between each other from approximately 2 yards out.
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