23/24 UCL Knockout Stage

I don't think individual threads are necessary, let's just discuss the entire knockout stage games here...



let's see some predictions

I'm going...

Arsenal
Napoli
Sociedad
Atletico
Dortmund
Bayern
Man City
Real Madrid

Easy draws for City & Arsenal. Lazio and Copenhagen are the only fans truly who will basically rule out their chances already. Looking forward to the La Real and Napoli Barça tie the most.

arsenal, city and bayern aside some banging matchups there

Porto
Napoli
PSG
Inter
Dortmund
Bayern
Man City
Real Madrid

Arquitecto wrote:Easy draws for City & Arsenal. Lazio and Copenhagen are the only fans truly who will basically rule out their chances already. Looking forward to the La Real and Napoli Barça tie the most.

is it really as easy as City's? Going away to Portugal is always a test, especially Porto. But yea of course we should be beating them.

i'd say the order of ease would've been this:
Copenhagen
Lazio
Leipzig
Porto
PSG
Napoli
Inter

Vube rate your confidence/chances against Atleti for me if you will

El Gunner wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:Easy draws for City & Arsenal. Lazio and Copenhagen are the only fans truly who will basically rule out their chances already. Looking forward to the La Real and Napoli Barça tie the most.

is it really as easy as City's? Going away to Portugal is always a test, especially Porto. But yea of course we should be beating them.

i'd say the order of ease would've been this:
Copenhagen
Lazio
Leipzig
Porto
PSG
Napoli
Inter

No nowhere near as easy. Copenhagen dont have a remote chance.

Porto do. Conceição is actually a coach I highly rate and has considerable European experience. Pragmatic and tactical he finds his way out of interesting situations. They are a bit weaker this season compared to his best with Porto but they also haven't faced a threat like Arsenal this season in their somewhat typically easy group.

Stadio Dragão is also a very intimidating atmosphere. I suggest turn up to the volume when you watch it at their home to experience quite the chants.

But relatively speaking to what they could have had yes it is easy.

Pathetic draw

Arquitecto wrote:Vube rate your confidence/chances against Atleti for me if you will

Fanboyism really, brain says Atletico heart says Inter.

Also I've been so positively surprised by Inzaghi, hard to believe. I used to see him as a classic anti-clutch manager who shits himself, but he's come such a long way.

I agree on Inzaghi as I didn't rate him till last year but the CL final to the performance vs City won me over and now being the best Italian team by a distance. Losing against this way past it Simeone Atleti would just be underwhelming overall.

Pedram wrote:lol Osimhen and Kvara will run rings around Barca's defense

Yes but dont you see Barça with their better squad, coach and facing a team that isn't the same Napoli as last year as their advantage?

What about them with Lewandowski?

Good enough draw, no disasters n no mouth water matchups either...

Dont watch Napoli so no idea, but we should get past them? Fact that we crashed out twice in a row means we should get further just by odds alone hopefully lol...

Man luck so such a huge factor in the CLs... night n day difference between some of these teams...

I simply cannot see Barça having many problems with Napoli. Yes Napoli have the two obvious players but Xavi is a more methodical and at the moment fresher more confident coach than Mazzari who's career has been mediocre ever since his first departure from Napoli with the trio of Hamsik, Cavan Lavezzi. It made no sense to bring him back and he has 3 losses and 3 wins in his comeback and unless someone disagrees it just hasn't panned out as expected as it is.

This isn't the Napoli of last year who had a different and much much better coach who led them to the title.

Here's what it comes down to:

Napoli are defensively considerably better since Garcia was sacked, under their new manager. But they lack any depth whatsoever so therefore are a very tired team.

The idea to give Osi and Kvara more freedom works when Napoli work otherwise when it doesn't there is no tactical element or Plan B to rely upon when it does not.

Arquitecto wrote:I agree on Inzaghi as I didn't rate him till last year but the CL final to the performance vs City won me over and now being the best Italian team by a distance. Losing against this way past it Simeone Atleti would just be underwhelming overall.

Griezmann is back to his world class self tho, if Atleti can keep it tight as they always seem to do, The Grease Man can slide them through on his own

Osimhen is having a very average year FYI. Last year was an outlier it seems so far.

Also, PSG got very lucky.

Yea, would have hate to see PSG vs one of the big guns n one of the favs out early, personally I prefer to see them in the latter stages..

Thx Arq on about Napoli Generally we need all the help we can get... we are prolly under performing atm, but there are just quite many weaknesses with Barca n we need all the help we can get n avoid being out of the CL early again

Pedram wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:

Pedram wrote:lol Osimhen and Kvara will run rings around Barca's defense

Yes but dont you see Barça with their better squad, coach and facing a team that isn't the same Napoli as last year as their advantage?

What about them with Lewandowski?

Yea of course, February is a long way and a lot can change in the meantime, but on paper and current form i'd bet on Napoli to advance.

I think it will be tight, can see something like 2-2 and 2-1 which can tilt either way

A lot can happen though until that time, depends also on injuries and Chavi's continuity, we lack mentality and luck though.

sportsczy wrote:Osimhen is having a very average year FYI. Last year was an outlier it seems so far.

Also, PSG got very lucky.

He was decent before they said he was a coconut and then he got injured.

he just made a glorious assist the other day, it's only upwards for Osi for the rest of the season imo

El Gunner wrote:he just made a glorious assist the other day, it's only upwards for Osi for the rest of the season imo

I don't know.  He has had a lot of very similar years until the last one... meaning this year's form is historically the norm for him.  Check out his stats.

He reminds me of Muani frankly.  Hard worker, good pace, good box presence, some flashes of brilliance (like the last game), thrives in space... but technically has a lot of sharp edges which makes it hard for him when in small areas. Also, a mediocre passer.  I remember him at Lille.  He's improved of course in terms of sheer strength.  But technically, he looks about the same.

Only interesting matchup is BVB vs PSV