After the last games of the second group phase last night/afternoon (depending on where you live), here are the final standings of the second phase predicting.

Group Phase Two
pt predictor
32 BreizhManu
26 Alf
25 klayman
21 atatange1
21 MIJB#19
20 3ric
20 aelfric
20 CK#12
19 Cards4ever
19 kosta
15 Bing
10 Critch
dnp RPI-Fan

Overall Standings
pt predictor
53 BreizhManu
51 klayman
48 Alf
48 atatange1
43 kosta
41 aelfric
40 3ric
40 MIJB#19
38 CK#12
37 Bing
37 Cards4ever
33 Critch
13 RPI-Fan

For the Knonk-out Phase, I will try to start up a thread within 48 hours after the draw.
The remaining teams and their potential opponents are:
Ajax -NED- (vs. Barcelona, Manchester United, Milan AC)
Barcelona -ESP- (vs. Ajax, Juventus, Real Madrid)
Internazionale -ITA- (vs. Manchester United, Milan AC, Valencia)
Juventus -ITA- (vs. Barcelona, Milan AC, Valencia)
Manchester United -ENG- (vs. Ajax, Internazionale, Real Madrid)
Milan AC -ITA- (vs. Ajax, Internazionale, Juventus)
Real Madrid -ESP- (vs. Barcelona, Manchester United, Valencia)
Valencia -ESP- (vs. Internazionale, Juventus, Real Madrid)

The points system will be as follows:
- Each person competing predicts how far each team will advance
- The predictor can only name 1 winner, 1 runner-up, 2 semi-finalists and 4 quarterfinalists
- For each round, there will be points awarded for the correct predicted winners and losers
- In total, there can be scored 40 points at most, 0 (zero) is the worst possible score

Point to be won per round:
5 per game in the quarter finals (4 for the winners, 1 for the losers)
6 per game in the semi finals (4 for the winners, 2 for the losers)
8 in the final (6 for the winner, 2 for the runners-up)

The points awarded will be:
14 - if you pick team A as winners and eventually they are winners
8 - if you pick team A as winners and eventually they are runners-up
4 - if you pick team A as winners and eventually they are losing semi finalists
0 - if you pick team A as winners and eventually they are losing quarter finalists
8 - if you pick team A as runners-up and eventually they are winners
10 - if you pick team A as runners-up and eventually they are runners-up
4 - if you pick team A as runners-up and eventually they are losing semi finalists
0 - if you pick team A as runners-up and eventually they are losing quarter finalists
4 - if you pick team A as losing semi finalists and eventually they are winners
4 - if you pick team A as losing semi finalists and eventually they are runners-up
6 - if you pick team A as losing semi finalists and eventually they are losing semi finalists
0 - if you pick team A as losing semi finalists and eventually they are losing quarter finalists
0 - if you pick team A as losing quarter finalists and eventually they are winners
0 - if you pick team A as losing quarter finalists and eventually they are runners-up
0 - if you pick team A as losing quarter finalists and eventually they are losing semi finalists
1 - if you pick team A as losing quarter finalists and eventually they are losing quarter finalists

2nd for phase 2 and 3rd overall. Not bad for someone who has yet to watch a single CL game this season...

And : Hi MIJB ! Nice seeing you around.

Well, it's a back-to-school-during-the-working-to-get-some-experience-as-a-computer-programmer-and-information-analyst-day.
Those days I have the time to visit FOFC.
The next day will be April 18th...

Anyway, I went to bed knowing Ajax made the last eight going unbeaten in the second pahse as the only of the 8 quarterfinalists, I woke up and went to school, figuring out the (unsupported) war in Iraq had just started.

Originally posted by MIJB#19
Well, it's a back-to-school-during-the-working-to-get-some-experience-as-a-computer-programmer-and-information-analyst-day.
Those days I have the time to visit FOFC.
The next day will be April 18th...

Anyway, I went to bed knowing Ajax made the last eight going unbeaten in the second pahse as the only of the 8 quarterfinalists, I woke up and went to school, figuring out the (unsupported) war in Iraq had just started.

I believe that the Netherlands are part of the coalition.

Originally posted by Alf
2nd for phase 2 and 3rd overall. Not bad for someone who has yet to watch a single CL game this season...

And : Hi MIJB ! Nice seeing you around.

I'm better than you on that one, 1st for phase 2 and 1st overall while I have yet to watch a game this season too :)

Originally posted by BreizhManu
I'm better than you on that one, 1st for phase 2 and 1st overall while I have yet to watch a game this season too :)

Is that because you are bored with the format? Do you like the idea of going to knockout rounds right after the first phase better?

Not really (even if I like the new format), mainly because unless i'm supporting a team, it's hard for me to watch a game. And also because I'm generally at work during the games (working at nights), but I do follow the competition.

Does anybody are to host a new thread for getting all the predictions for the knock-out phase?
The tree is top-down (in Dutch oriented style;))
Ajax
Milan
Inter
Valencia
Barcelona
Juventus
Manchester Utd
Real Madrid

Originally posted by Cards4ever
I believe that the Netherlands are part of the coalition.

Actually not.

START RANT
Since there are coalition talks here for new goverment between the labour party (PvdA) and the christian democrats (CDA) (not to be mistaken with racist extremists (CD) as CNN usually names them), there has arisen a weird point of view.

PvdA is against war, unless the UN supports (it doesn't.)
CDA is pro war and pro Dutch military supprt.

Put both in a blender and you get a funny, we-politically-support-the-USA-without-military-support-during-the-complete-war shake.

Dutch politics have been a joke since the murder of Pim Fortuijn in May 2002. Better yet, the Dutch queen has made her position almost impossible in a family affair.
If the 'world' wasn't at war right now, I bet a revolution would have thrown this country further appart.

END RANT

So, nobody starting a new thread, 'ey?

All right then, post your picks in this thread, I'll startoff with the format I'd like to see:

Ajax beat Milan AC
Valencia beat Internazionale
Barcelona beat Juventus
Real Madrid beat Manchester United

Ajax beat Valencia
Real Madrid beat Barcelona

Ajax beat Real Madrid

only difference is that your predictions are supposed to be serious...

I always get killed in the knock out phase. :(

Milan over Ajax
Valencia over Inter
Juventus over Barcelona
Man U over Real Madrid

Valencia over Milan
Man U over Juventus

Valencia over Man U

Milan over Ajax
Valencia over Inter
Barcelona over Juventus
Real Madrid over Man U

Milan over Valencia
Barcelona over Real Madrid

Milan over Barcelona



BTW, did you get my PM MIJB?

Bup-ti-dump-ti-dump
Cards, I got your PM.
Stupid me Ping'ed you, in stead of PM'ing you.
I'll PM you the Ping. :D

Thanks MIJB, I missed the ping!

I just thought it might be somethign you were interested in!

bump (I will post later)

Ajax over Milan
Valencia over Inter
Real Madrid over Manchester Utd.
Juventus Over Barcelona

Valencia over Ajax
Real Madrid over Juventus

Real Madrid over Valencia

Milan over Ajax
Inter over Valencia
Real Madrid over Manchester Utd.
Barcelona Over Juventus

Milan over Inter
Real Madrid over Barcelona

Real Madrid over Milan

I really thin the closest matchup will be Juve - Barça , we could see 3 italian teams in semifinals (italian teams are back on track this season)

Milan AC over Ajax
Internazionale over Valencia
Barcelona over Juventus
Real Madrid over Manchester United

Milan AC over Inter
Real Madrid over Barca

Real Madrid over Milan AC

Originally posted by BreizhManu
Milan over Ajax
Inter over Valencia
Real Madrid over Manchester Utd.
Barcelona Over Juventus

Milan over Inter
Real Madrid over Barcelona

Real Madrid over Milan

I really thin the closest matchup will be Juve - Barça , we could see 3 italian teams in semifinals (italian teams are back on track this season)
Or three Spanish, like in my prediction...

Do not read the next line!
This was a pseudo-bump...

Ajax over Milan
Inter over Valencia
Barcelona over Juventus
Real Madrid over Manchester United

Inter over Ajax
Real Madrid over Barcelona

Real Madrid over Inter

"Just another ma-nic Mon-day"
"Bump-oh-oooooh"
"I wish it were Sun-day"
"Bump-oh-oooooh"
:rolleyes:

Last chance to enter the knock-out phase prediction competition.

Entries should be posted within the next 3 hours!

Milan over Ajax
Valencia over Inter
Barcelona over Juventus
Manchester United over Real Madrid

Valencia over Ajax
Barcelona over Man Utd

Barcelona over Valenciar

Well, with CK#12 as the last entry, we have 8 contestants in the knock-out phase.

I guess last night hasn't hardly changed the minds of most people, has it?

For those wondering what Meep is doing on board:
I managed to injure myself, landing on someone's foot during a volleyball game last Saturday afternoon, meaning I have the most common volleyball injury for the first time in my ten years playing ball, not to mention for the first time in my life...

Originally posted by CK#12
Milan over Ajax
...
Valencia over Ajax

CK#12, could you clarify this prediction?
Do you mean you want to predict Ajax going out in the cup twice? (Sounds silly but in the points scoring system I had in mind, this could be a strategy.)

Without a timly clarification (before the return match between Milan and Ajax), your prediction will go into the spreadsheet as follows:
Ajax over Milan
Valencia over Ajax

bump, CK#12, please clarify for your own good.
Or else I'll have to keep the above given predictions.

bump, only 2 semi finals and the final left...

This game is down to just a view people able to win this thing.

Cards4ever can still win this round.
So ca 3ric.
And so can the French duo Alf and BreizhManu, as they have the same predictions.

For the overall standings, first place has been taken already by BreizhManu.
Second place is taken by Alf, however, klayman can still tie his score.
3ric and klayman remain in a battle for third place.

yep, that Juventus last minute goal vs Barça was so unexpected... Otherwise I would have had all 4 semi finalists

Go Milan!!!!!!! Fire up, beat Juve! :D

Well, Cards4ever put it quite right, Milan wins, Cards wins, Juve' wins, Alf and BreizhManu win.
All other players won't see their position or number of points change.
That is, for the knock-out phase round.

The overall standings will not change over the outcome of the final, expect for the point totals of the three mentioned earlier.

For those already interested, the final standings with points are:
(hoping the formatting will work well...)

<pre><font="courier">
If Milan wins:
tot rk name ko pts tot pts
1 BreizhManu 21 74
2 Alf 21 69
3 klayman 10 61
4 Cards4ever 22 59
5 aelfric 10 51
6 3ric 10 50
7 atatange1 0 48
8 MIJB#19 5 45
9 Kosta 0 43
10 CK#12 0 38
11 Bing 0 37
12 Critch 0 33
13 RPI-Fan 0 13

If Juve' wins
tot rk name ko pts tot pts
1 BreizhManu 23 76
2 Alf 23 71
3 klayman 10 61
4 Cards4ever 16 53
5 aelfric 10 51
6 3ric 10 50
7 atatange1 0 48
8 MIJB#19 5 45
9 Kosta 0 43
10 CK#12 0 38
11 Bing 0 37
12 Critch 0 33
13 RPI-Fan 0 13
</font></pre>

brutal...I always choke in the knock out phase...

As I already said, that Juventus team just killed my predictions. But what an awesome football they played yesterday !!!

Real Madrid is on a real slump lately. Apart from their Man U game, they lost 2 times in Spanish Miga (big time) and managed to get a draw... Seems Mr Del Bosque doesn't know how to rotate his players since Zidane, Figo, Roberto Carlos are all playing all the games.

And also, tell Real to buy some defenders. We know offense is sexy but with Zidane, Figo, McManaman, they are already set, whereas Hierro on Central Defense simply does not deserve a spot at this level of competition.

A truely sad Real Madrid supporter...

Juve' is without Nedved due to suspension, right?

I hope Milan wo't underestimate Juve without its star player.

Anyway, I won't turn the tv on until around 23:30, when the penalty kicks are about to start in 10 minutes...;)