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Champions League draw is finally here….

Posted on by rico

Around 5PM today we will know which teams we are to face in the Group stages of the Champions League 2010/2011. Twenty-two sides have already qualified, these are now joined by the clubs who have got through via the play-offs, so all in all there will be 32 sides in the pot.

Eight groups, four in each group and at this stage of the draw, sides from the same country can’t been draw in the same
group and seeded sides are kept apart also.

The way these are kept apart are as follows:

To ensure sides from the same country play on separate days, the eight groups will be distinguished by colour:
Groups A-D will be red and Groups E-H blue. When a paired club is drawn, for example, into one of the red groups, the other paired club, once it has been drawn, will automatically be assigned to one of the four blue groups.

The clubs who automatically qualified are:

Arsenal
Lyon
Roma
Barcelona
Manchester United
Rubin Kazan
Bayern Munich
Marseille
Schalke
Benfica
AC Milan
Shakhtar Donetsk
Bursaspor
Panathinaikos
Spartak Moscow
CFR Cluj
Rangers
FA Twente
Chelsea
Real Madrid
Valencia
Inter Milan

Teams through via play-offs

FC Basel
Hapoel
Tel-Aviv
SC Braga
Werder Bremen
Partizan
Auxerre
FC Copenhagen
Zilina
Tottenham
Ajax

So that’s the bunch, disregard the seeded and the English, who do you hope we get……??

I have a sneaky feeling that Real Madrid will be in our group……

Finally, great night for the reserves, they thumped Bolton 5-0 up north, JET and Aneke got themselves two goals each and Barazite also got his name on the score sheet. For a full report on the match, click the reserves link in the sidebar…

Have a good day all, lets hope for a ‘nice’ group for us and a tough one for the spuds 🙂

rico

170 thoughts on “Champions League draw is finally here….”

  3. mikeB says:

    Hi Rico,

    A veritable mine of information as always… thanks

    All I ask is that the draw doesn’t take us too far… Scotland, Holland, and Belgium would do for me.

    Having said that we’ll probably get Moscow and Tel-Aviv.

  4. rico says:

    Morning mike,

    thanks re the post, i was going to put the ‘pots’ up, but lost the will to live trying 🙂

    good point about the travel, spuds will get the far away trips, Defore said ‘Spurs will go further than Arsenal in the Champions League’ 🙂

  9. mikeB says:

    Morning Rico, Erick,
    having said that I feel loke a bit of a Waloon, cos I don’t think we’ve got a Belgique team left…
    😆

  12. rico says:

    Apparently Squilli has gone back to Seville to pack his bags then he returns on Sunday…

    Could be an interesting interview from Wenger today…

  14. mikeB says:

    If he was looking for new talent he should have been at Bolton… second half they were supposed to have been superb…

    I’m not convinced about Stekelenburg… I’d rather see a tried and tested PL keeper.

  15. rico says:

    Trouble is though mike, if they were poor in the first half, wenger would have left at half-time 😉

    See where you are coming from, but there aren’t many up for grabs, only give and spicy…

    not unless reina decides to jump ship, but he is looking dodgy this season..

  16. mikeB says:

    I still think Given would be a good bet… and considering the business we’ve handed City it would be pretty churlish for them not to deal with us.

  17. mikeB says:

    Rico,

    I’m not too up on these little pictures that go with the posts… Avatars is it?

    All I can say is mine looks like a Tottenham Tart… are you trying to tell me something? 😆

  19. rico says:

    What about this Begovic from Stoke, the chavs want him but we could offer him first team footie…

    But is he any good?

  20. mikeB says:

    Everybody rips them off… why should we be singled out?

    As for Begovic…
    I don’t see him as any better than Chesney, I refuse to look up the spelling, great potential, but not ready yet.

  22. mikeB says:

    Twenty-three I think… and do we really want to get in a bidding-war with Chelski, a week before the window shuts?

    No I’d go for Shay… the last Irish goalkeeper we poached didn’t do too badly for us.

  25. Erick says:

    Sorry folks Exams howdy Mike B Aw is the most stubborn Manager have ever seen we should be through with the transfer business.

  27. rico says:

    Spot on Erick, he should have his players in by now, but better late than never i guess…

    hows the exams going ?

    catch you later mike, have a good day..

  30. Erick says:

    Five Rico am over at twitter and a buddie of mine tells me Aw might have been at the game and Sketeleburg sorry for the spelling was on fire

  32. rico says:

    Wish we could find out for sure, would be interesting to know, maybe its sketelburg and vdw we are looking at – that would be pretty special…

    Five!! 🙁

  35. W.A.T.H says:

    Morning all nice post Rico, apologies if I’m in n out today got another busy one, not sure if am Arthur or Martha lately and no smart arse comments from RA thanx very much 😉

  39. W.A.T.H says:

    I’ll Martha you ya CC………….!

    No GG for me last few days Erick and none til 2moro, how’s your exams going mate..? well I hope.

  42. rico says:

    😆 your’e on form this morning WATH

    We are seeded i’m sure but Real Madrid aren’t so lets hope they get into a different group, but you just know we are going to get them….

  43. W.A.T.H says:

    Seema we are just looked on sky…!

    Pot one: Inter Milan, Barcelona, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Lyon.
    Pot two: Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica, Valencia, Marseille, Panathinaikos.
    Pot three: Tottenham, Rangers, Ajax, Schalke, Basle, Braga, FC Copenhagen, Spartak Moscow.
    Pot four: Hapoel Tel Aviv, FC Twente, Rubin Kazan, Auxerre, CFR Cluj, Partizan Belgrade, MSK Zilina, Bursaspor.

  45. Erick says:

    Rather be watching Arsenal Wath 😉 please don’t let the scholar here that 🙂 nwy nice to hear you use the word work 🙂 🙂

  46. Stef says:

    First of all hi all.

    I must say I would like Real to be in our group we have the team to beat `em and shush Jose big mouth(I really despise that fella).

  49. Erick says:

    Nop Rico I will around here to hear what group we get hope the team will be around its about 7 pm local time and am usually at Uni

  51. rico says:

    Hi to you Stef, welcome to HH

    Trouble is if we get Madrid in a tough group it could be hard for us, i would rather they went in the group with the spuds in it 🙂

  55. Erick says:

    Welcome Stef to HH see your calling for early excitement I wouldn’t mind them we would qualify ahead of them

  57. rico says:

    Erick, It will be nearer to 6pm uk time, the CL draw takes bloomin ages, it goes on longer than Lord of The Rings….. 😉

  58. Red Arse says:

    Hi Rico, you little minx. WW3 indeed! 😉

    Morning Erick, I saw your comment at 10:20, and understand that exams can get you down.

    But remember, this is the time everybody gets tired. The winners are the ones who do best are the ones who try even harder to stay focussed, and pass those exams. 🙂

    WATH, stop it. You know I am easily confused. Arthur, Martha, Ben Arfa, which of them are we trying to sign? 🙂

  61. rico says:

    Hi RA… WW3 is going strong 😉

    WATH – does my head in too, talk about long winded, drawn out load of crap… just get on with the draw and be done with it, no-one is interested in all the other stuff…

  62. Erick says:

    Ra thanks for that I needed it am going to try even harder thanks Scholar so any prediction for us about the draw

  65. Red Arse says:

    Mmm Rico,

    What do you know about MikeB that we don’t?

    His avatar is quite something, especially with those eyebrows. Looks like Daffy Duck after the op! 🙂

    Is it just me or is WordPress v. slow this a.m.? It might be my laptop after I played around with it and my new gizmo yesterday

  66. Red Arse says:

    Erick,

    I think we are good enough to beat anyone in a group round, so let’s just bring them on!

    WATH could be right with his prediction; drawn against 3 other teams and play them home and away; I’m just going to pop out and put a few bob on that! 😉

  74. W.A.T.H says:

    Although now your going to post me as a twit…… hmmmm suppose RA will have something to say about that as well…!

  80. Red Arse says:

    Rico,

    Have been onto my ISP. They say I’m O.K. — probably the way I flutter my eye lids and wag my tail — but there are BT exchange probs all over Londinium, because of the torrential rain yesterday.

    Any old excuse!

  82. Red Arse says:

    Rico dico,

    Did you notice that I hit a certain site with a v. neat piece of ironic leg pull, but no one has a go at me.

    Pity, I do like a little tete a tete occasionally.

    Probably don’t want to playe because I’m an educashional bully fingy! 🙂

  86. rico says:

    hi oliver, aren’t we all… bet the mancs and chavs get an easy group yet again and we get a tough one… its all bloomin fixed.. just can’t work out how they fix it 😉

  87. rico says:

    Right now though i am more interested in what wenger is going to say in his conference, a day early conference at that….

    something is smouldering at the real Highbury House……

  88. oliver says:

    united often get a cupcake group, although to be perfectly honest, that is exactly what we got a year ago…

  89. Red Arse says:

    Hi Oliver,

    You and Erick are the two nicest lobster avatars that I know, you both look good enough to eat!

    I’ll get the boiling water then! 🙂

  94. Red Arse says:

    Rico,

    I was hoping the delay in announcing Squiggly was to produce a keeper at the same time.

    More hopes dashed. 🙁

  95. rico says:

    I was too RA, i’m waiting for the press conference, wonder what he’s got to say…. Hope someone asks him if he was watching Ajax last night….

  97. rico says:

    Hope you are right WATH on both..

    Willy – Kos
    Squilli = Silvestre

    We still need a replacement for Campbell 😉

    I don’t count Senderos as he never played…

  99. W.A.T.H says:

    internationals are pathetic and just ruining club football as fifa piggy backing the success of club football and milking it for all their worth, we then suffer cos the players are stuffed and get all these injuries.

  100. rico says:

    i don’t get why one is needed so soon after the WC… Its crazy.. Your right WATH, and it will be us that pick up injuries…..

    Always is..

  101. Red Arse says:

    Rico, WATH,

    I only half heard Talksport, but I think Arsene said there would be no futher signings in this window. (not in those words, but …)

    He does not want to upset his 4 keepers and there is nothing happening. “It is dead” ….. I think he said, but he might have been referring to his parrot.

  102. W.A.T.H says:

    If we go into the season with the clowns we have in goal then we’re doomed and he is indeed a fool……..! Again still going to reserve those comments until after the window is closed.

  103. rico says:

    just read that too RA, hopefully he is bluffing – he bloody well better be!!

    Stan has sold his soccer club….

  104. oliver says:

    he didn’t say there would not be a signing, just that we are not close to bringing another gk onboard at this moment. that could change very quickly – or not at all. as always, he implied the club continued to look. as long as an additional gk signing is not confirmed, he is going to encourage who we have onboard – after all, one of them will most likely be starting at ewood in two days time.

    does not necessarily mean nobody else is coming in – i am sure we all have our own thoughts on this – just arsene being coy, as usual.

    i try not to worry about what he says – he usually does not give much away, and many of his statements are intended to be supportive of the existing squad. we’ll see when the window finally closes on tuesday.

  105. Red Arse says:

    Rico,

    “Stan has sold his soccer club”

    Stan only has one “soccer” club, in his terms, which I think, is Arsenal.

    Did you mean “football” club (NFL) and did you mean bought?

    Interrogatory inquiry clarification over! 🙂

  106. W.A.T.H says:

    Oliver typical of you to put on a brave face and look for the positive in his words………. I like that about you..! As said I’m waiting til the window over before I say anything but I think he knows full well we need a keeper but as u say he cant say 2 much when one of the 2 clowns has to go in goal on saturday. Least one thing is if he did say we def need a new number 1 the waiter would run off and we would have to buy one thats for sure…!

  107. rico says:

    RA, you knew what I meant you old tinker, yes his team in USA whatever they play 😉

    oliver, i’m waiting until the window shuts before i start shouting 😉

  108. rico says:

    Guys, got to pop off for a bit, will be back after the CL draw, hopefully with something to smile about, like a group full of Inter, Real Madrid, Spuds and Ajax 😉

  109. oliver says:

    wath, i think he knows too. and i think arsene is not the only one. witness almunia’s comments about considering his position, due to the continued specualtion. to me, that suggests more than speculation is going around – arsene has always protected al and fab, so if one is stating that the speculation is unsettling him, i interpret that as an open understanding – with arsenal fc – that the gk position needs to be strengthened.

    that does not automatically mean that we will bring someone else in – time is fast running out. but i do suspect there will at least be an attempt. but if it does not happen, arsene cannot afford to slaughter his current incumbents – he will need to rely on at least two of the every match day.

  111. rico says:

    ah, maybe he’s already signed a keeper, just waiting for Al to find a club before he tells us….

    laters

  112. oliver says:

    if arsene does not bring in another goalkeeper, then i hope he at least breaks up his current first and second choice. most of us have had enough of al and fab, so whomever he keeps as number one (assuming al), i would like to see a different second choice. my preference would be szczesny, but i won’t have a big problem with mannone named new deputy for now. i think mannone deserved more of an opportunity than he got last season.

    that in itself gives somone else an opportunity, drops an under-performer, and perhaps shows both squad and support that arsene’s thinking on our current gk crop has evolved to an extent. none of the above are bad things in my opinion.

  113. oliver says:

    ra, does stan not also own the colorado rapids? i thought he does.

    good luck to him with the rams – if he wants to change coaches, i will welcome spags (steve spagnuolo) back to the giants with open arms! coughlin has two years left on his giants deal – maras will not have a lame duck coach, so either tom wins again this season (or goes deep into playoffs) and gets a new deal, or he is relieved of his duties at the end of the season.

  114. W.A.T.H says:

    I agree Oliver you cant rock the boat 2 much when your relying on the keepers you no longer trust to be your first choice until someone new comes in. Lets hope it’s all done cos if not just on the keeper position we’re doomed but as said holding fire on those negative thoughts for now. me too Rico me out in a bit 2 no idea when back 🙂 send search party if not here by sunday….. lol

  115. Red Arse says:

    Bye Rico, bye WATH.

    Oliver, I am doing so many bits and pieces I have only half an ear to the ground, so to speak.

    I thought Stan had to offload two of his clubs (to his son) in order to meet the NFL requirements banning cross ownership.

    But then I am probably wrong. 🙂

  116. oliver says:

    ra, i know there is an issue with his rams ownership – i think it has something to do with his owning denver-based franchises (nuggets, avs, and rapids). i am not sure how that all ties together, but i remember reading something about it somewhere – i am pretty sure the problem is an nfl ownership rule, not something from nba/nhl/mls…

  117. Red Arse says:

    Yes I’m not sure either Oliver, as I said, I wasn’t really listening.

    I wonder if his new acquisition is a precursor to selling his stake in Arsenal. They are not necessarily connected given his wealth mind you.

    Anyway, have to disappear for a couple of hours as I am still worried about my deadlines rapidly approaching.

    Later, Oliver. 🙂

  118. agirlagunner says:

    I get here just as everyone’s said goodbye, it seems. 🙁 Guess I’ll take calls. 🙂

    rico, I wasn’t aware draws were thus. You do learn something new everyday. You seem to have loads of new stuff up your sleeve. Cool. 🙂

    Good night, all.

  119. rico says:

    Hi agag, night night agag – sorry to have missed you

    Wenger on signing a keeper….

    “We are where we are – we have four great keepers and it is important we give confidence to them for the next game,” Wenger said.

    “I do not rule it out, but at the moment I say I am not in a position to sign anybody. At the moment, it is all dead.”

    That to me says that Schwarzer did fail a medical but he is still looking to buy a keeper… Cagey old devil 😉

  136. oliver says:

    at least we see eddie again. hopefully he will not score in either of these ties – nothing personal, but..

  138. oliver says:

    i would too, but i would still prefer a trip to lisbon, or somewhere closer, than all the way over to the ukraine.

  149. agirlagunner says:

    Boo, oliver! Having a good laugh over the spuds. It’s poor form to wish anyone ill but… I hope the Spuds lose and lose a lot and lose by large margins. 🙂

    rico, well, at least we are assured Dudu will not do an Adebayor if he scores against us…

  150. rico says:

    Nice little trip to Portugal for Braga, it will be funny seeing them in their home kit, its the same as ours 😛

  151. rico says:

    Spot-on agag, he is too much of a gent, in any case, he won’t score against our new defence 😉

    i love the group of the spuddies 🙂

  154. rico says:

    apart from wesley, who are these players voted ‘plyer of europe’ in their respective positions?? I’ve never heard of them 🙂

  156. oliver says:

    all inter boys. milito scored both goals against bayern in the final. jc was also brazil’s first choice gk in the wc. from mourinho’s cynical-yet-effective inter side of last year.

  162. oliver says:

    nobody to get excited over, but i can care less, so long as we qualify – the real competition starts after the group stage.

  163. rico says:

    Erick, when you pop on for a peep at our group….

    Shakatar (dudu’s club)
    FC Partizan
    Braga
    Arsenal 🙂

    A good group in my view……

  164. rico says:

    We should oliver and as winners i hope, its a great draw…

    I am done for the day now, dinner to cook etc…

    you all be safe, be good and see you all sometime tomorrow…

    nighty night

  165. agirlagunner says:

    No team I’m overly worried about. (state of the matter: we always worry anyway)

    Welcome to CL, spuddies… I hope they enjoy their matches. It’s looking like we will, rico. 🙂

  168. Stef says:

    Hi rico I found this site in http://www.arsenalnews.co.uk/ where u can find a lot of gooner blogs

    I watched the `big` draw surprise, surprise all of the players were from Inter lol

    Oh well no Jose_fun for as 🙁 there is still hope we can meet `em in the l8r stage(if they pass the group).
    Arsene would not like this draw all the away games will be long trips.
    BTW what happened with the capital letter to most of your names 😀

  169. Stef says:

    Ahhh… and I finally realized who is agag lol 😀
    seriously thou that’s a bad nick name 4 a girl.
    y not a mirror view of the initials (gaga) 🙂

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