***UEFA Champions League/Europa League 2010/11 Matchday 1***

[jrodga2k5]

***UEFA Champions League 2010/11 Matchday 1***

So the new season of Champions League action kicks off on Tuesday night with some fantastic ties to look forward to. As usual we have 4 English Teams in the pot and 1 Scottish Representative this season.

Tuesday, 14 September 2010

Group A

FC Twente v Inter Milan, 19:45
Werder Bremen v TOTTENHAM, 19:45 **Live on Sky Sports 4**

Group B

Benfica v Hapoel Tel-Aviv, 19:45
Lyon v Schalke 04, 19:45

Group C

Bursaspor v Valencia, 19:45
MAN UTD v RANGERS, 19:45 **Live on Sky Sports 2**

Group D

Barcelona v Panathinaikos, GpD, 19:45
FC Copenhagen v Rubin Kazan, GpD, 19:45

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

Group E

Bayern Munich v Roma, 19:45
CFR 1907 Cluj-Napoca v Basle, 19:45

Group F

MSK Zilina v CHELSEA, 19:45 **Live on Sky Sports 2**
Marseille v Spartak Moscow, 19:45

Group G

AC Milan v Auxerre, 19:45
Real Madrid v Ajax, 19:45 **Live on Sky Sports 4**

Group H

ARSENAL v Braga, GpH, 19:45 **Live on ITV 1**
Shakhtar Donetsk v Partizan Belgrade, GpH, 19:45

All Other Matches Available on SkySports Red Button

Looking forward to see how my team, Rangers, do at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, not expecting much but expecting a very long night sadly We will no doubt revert to our UEFA Cup run 4-5-1 "anti-football" tactics and hope to sneak a result somehow. Damage limitation at the very least, don't want to start off this seasons campaign with an embarrassing result

Chelsea and Arsenal should get their campaigns off to a strong start but it will be interesting to see how Braga approach the Arsenal tie after their strong showing away to Sevilla in the Qualification Stage.

I think Group G should provide some decent matches with it looking like the most exciting group.

So post all thoughts and reactions to the games as they happen and also beforehand

 

[jrodga2k5]

Looking forward to the Rangers game since i'll be there

Nice one mate Just a home season ticket for me so I'll be at the Home games for the CL this season, hopefully things will go a lot better than last year

 

[jrodga2k5]

I've got a feeling it won't be quite as straightforward tonight is everyone is thinking...well I hope at least

For the lols!

R Ferdinand to score an own goal in 90mins play @ 80/1
1 line at £1.00 per line
Total stake for this bet: £1.00
Potential returns: £81.00

 

[jrodga2k5]

United have made 10 changes with only Fletcher remaining from the Everton draw

I know Fergie likes tinkering but jesus.

Saw that team news, gives us a wee chance now

Seriously?

Yup....

 

[jrodga2k5]

This could either be hilarious or humiliating. Fergie taking a bit of a gamble.

In all honesty that team should be enough to beat us, lets be honest, there are some really good players in and about that team still.

Though I'm hoping that team has got Rangers nice and fired up to cause a few problems and hopefully nick things.

If Fergie gets it right, masterstroke, if he gets it horribly wrong....oh dear

 

[jrodga2k5]

WTF is Fergie doing? That team is still good enough to win but he is going to get ripped if we don't get a result. The whole side shouldn't need a rest at this stage of the season!

It's quite funny cos its Sunday when the Liverpool game is, makes it more for me.

I was thinking, ok if its saturday early but sunday afternoon, either or I'm happier facing that team than a full strength Utd.

I've already made my feelings known on it though, some really good players there and should have enough to beat us, if it doesn't get the Rangers dressing room fired up though I don't know what will

 

[jrodga2k5]

Yeah I know but I don't remember their keeper in any sort of trouble over the 90...

Not at all

Was very pleased about that performance, you can all say what you like about the "anti-football" on display but at no point (apart from some shots from Gibson) did Man Utd look like scoring....

We could have even had a pen

Great result and fantastic point for us, great start to the campaign

Interesting result in Turkey, 4-0 Valencia...ouch, really thought the turks would be a very tricky tie away for all the teams as well.

 

[jrodga2k5]

I dont know what incident you are talking about - but Rangers player played the ball with his hand on the floor also, so a Utd pen could have been given also

The ref seemed to be a little pro Rangers in the 1st half also

Smalling catching Broadfoot in the box, would have been soft but I'm sure Man Utd would have wanted it if it was the other way round.

Also, as if that handball was deliberate or enough to constitute a penalty....that would be truely grasping at straws

 

[jrodga2k5]

No offense to Rangers (they played to their plan) but most Man United teams of the past decade would have picked them apart at will.

Shame that wasn't the Man Utd team on show tonight then eh

The Bursaspor Goalkeeper looks absolutely shambolic, Valencia scored some decent goals tonight, they looked good, will be interesting in two weeks time over in Spain for Utd.

Hopefully we can get a win at home against the Turks before the Double Header against Valencia.

 

[jrodga2k5]

As a fan i'd rather see my team go down 5-0 than go anywhere with a game plan like that.

To be honest I'd rather the 0-0 draw away from home against the top seeds in our group and nice point to start us off with in the group....

Each to their own.

 

[jrodga2k5]

As someone so used to attacking football from your team in the SPL, didn't the complete lack of any attempt to at least test United's leaky defence not bother you at all?

If we opened up we may have lost the game, to be fair in the 2nd half we commited a few players forward at times and should have done better with the final ball.

I am very content with the way we played tonight and if we managed similar over the 3 away games, hopefully being able to open up a bit more against Bursaspor then I'd be happy.

This is what we do away in Europe, it works and I'm happy with that, we need to sort out our home form and then we'll be ok

 

[jrodga2k5]

I watch football for enjoyment and that game was rubbish. Did you enjoy it?

I know it wasn't all Rangers fault, Man Utd were poor as well but I am still scarrred by the 3 atrocious CL games at Ibrox last season.

I had to sit through them last season and the reason they were atrocious was because the team tried to open up and attack at home, we aren't good enough it's that simple.

Playing a 5-4-1 against Man Utd away and Valencia away is fairly acceptable and I'll take a draw in each game if that's what happens, I'd rather we were sensible in our approach to these games.

At home I would be happy for us to set up in a variation of 4-5-1 playing two pacy wingers in possibly Weiss and Naismith to get support forward to the striker. We got 2 points last season and both the 2 points came from away games and not at home so we need to improve, we know that at least.

Ah well looking forward to the game at home against Bursaspor