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Funny how that happens. The balancing of confidence.

Why was United's game postponed, again?
So they can play their FA Cup match against Chelsea on Monday.
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Ah, that's right, of course. Not too bad of a game on a Monday evening.
United will be without a striker. Ibrahimović, Martial, Rashford, and Rooney will all miss the game. Will be interesting to see how they set up.



Bayern München, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Monaco, and Leicester City have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

All of the usual suspects are still alive.



QF Draw:

Bayern München v Real Madrid
Juventus v Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund v Monaco
Atlético Madrid v Leicester City
Holy cow. Bayern against Real is one massive fixture. As good as 50/50, but I think Bayern will advance if they go into the two fixtures with an injury-free squad.

Juventus were extremely solid against Porto and have a very decent shot at beating Barca over two games. Dortmund and Monaco are both scoring goals for fun and have some hugely talented youngsters, so expect two entertaining meetings there. Atletico will likely prove too much of a defensively compact side for Leicester to get through.



Some might complain when it comes to the semi's and/or final, but this is a magnificent draw. Finals are usually boring anyway, regardless of the teams, so let's have some good football. For the first time in I don't know how long, I think both Real and Barca should be considered underdogs and I think both will have to score in the away leg to give themselves any real chance in the second leg. A semis without either would surely mean sweeping changes at both clubs. Changes which, I admit, may well happen anyway.

Take away the prestige of the names and Borussia Dortmund v Monaco should be the tie of the round. Monaco just score for fun and Dortmund can hurt you in many ways. That said, I think Dortmund will prove too much for the Monaco defence if their tie with City is anything to go by.

Surely this is the end of the road for Leicester? Atleti get the tie the other seven teams wanted and I just can't see them getting beaten by Leicester. Not because they're the better team (though they are) or because they have better players (which they do) but because Leicester can only really beat them one way. The way they won the League last year, and Atleti are better at doing that than they are, too. If all else fails, Atleti will win with a freekick or something outrageous from Griezmann.

United shouldn't have much problem with Anderlecht, but with this season's United, I have no confidence in saying that. I wouldn't even be surprised if we didn't win tomorrow.



For the first time in I don't know how long, I think both Real and Barca should be considered underdogs and I think both will have to score in the away leg to give themselves any real chance in the second leg.
This is likely an unpopular opinion, but you have my full support here. Agree on everything else you've said as well.



Why is everyone in my family an Everton FC fan?
I appear to be the only Red in a sea of blue.
...and today I'm the only one cheering!


Liverpool 3 vs Everton 1
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The older I get, the more I understand Michael Douglas' character in "Falling Down"



The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
slbenfica and FC Porto draw 1-1, yesterday. We're still 1 point behind, with 7 matches till the end of the season.

It's not going to be an easy final run to nobody, but I just hope we're up there at the end!



Another poor draw against an 'inferior' team at home. We've dropped so many points this season at home against teams like this. If/when we don't make top 4 at the end of the season, this will be the main reason, IMO. Big game against Everton on Tuesday for both teams.

Elsewhere, that PSG/Monaco game was a bit of a surprise, wasn't it? I didn't see it but it seems as if Monaco just shrank after the second goal.



the samoan lawyer's Avatar
Unregistered User
Another poor draw against an 'inferior' team at home. We've dropped so many points this season at home against teams like this. If/when we don't make top 4 at the end of the season, this will be the main reason, IMO. Big game against Everton on Tuesday for both teams.

Elsewhere, that PSG/Monaco game was a bit of a surprise, wasn't it? I didn't see it but it seems as if Monaco just shrank after the second goal.

It really is poor. We struggle so badly in front of goal its unreal. 20 goals in 15 home league games or something close to that? Not good enough. I honestly cant see us getting 4th place.



Boy did I have to dig to find this thread.

Premier League: Transfer window will close before start of season

Premier League clubs have voted to close next summer's transfer window before the season starts.
Managers have complained that the ability for players to move when the season is under way causes disruption to their squads and preparations.
From next season, the window will close at 17:00 BST on the Thursday before the Premier League season begins.
The vote was not unanimous and clubs will still be able to sell players until the end of the normal window.
The window across Europe runs until 31 August. The Premier League's move means that while clubs will be able to sell until that date, buying activity will cease on 9 August for the 2018-19 season.
European leagues will still be able to buy and sell until 31 August, while the Football League's window also remains unaltered.
Football League bosses have indicated they could follow the Premier League's move but require further dialogue with stakeholders before a decision is made.
The number of Premier League clubs who wanted the change is not yet clear but at least 14 of the 20 must have voted for the move in order for a change to take place.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41188235

I'm hoping for another good result this weekend. We have Stoke and, obviously, they beat Arsenal but they've not looked too good, even in that game. However, last season this was the kind of game we'd have drawn having been unable to break them down. Or, only scoring once after a host of chances. Hoping Lukaku fills his boots.



Boy did I have to dig to find this thread.

I'm hoping for another good result this weekend. We have Stoke and, obviously, they beat Arsenal but they've not looked too good, even in that game. However, last season this was the kind of game we'd have drawn having been unable to break them down. Or, only scoring once after a host of chances. Hoping Lukaku fills his boots.
Your boys look certs for the title, I think the only area you could consider weak is your fullbacks (which will probably be strengthened next year) not a Mourinho fan as his teams play pretty boring football, but United have been good to watch so far. If it gets tight at the top, be prepared for 1-0's week in week out though