2008/2009 UEFA Champions' League Prediction Competition
The draw is done, the group matches are scheduled. It's time to set up another predictions competition for the FOFC crowd. The rules and scoring are the same as in past seasons, but for your ease, I'll summarize them once again.

Three stages
The prediction competition comes in three stages. You're free to join for each seperate stage, but you score more points if you enter in all three of them. What are the three stages?
* Group stage
* Round of sixteen
* Championship playoff tree

In the group matches phase you're asked to predict the final standings of all eight groups. Per group you can score a total of five points. Each team in the top two correctly predicted is worth two points. If you predict a team to finish in the top two, but the end up in the other spot, you receive one point. The fifth point can be scored by correctly predicting the third ranked team. Your fourth place finishing team isn't worth any points, but logically it means you'll have at least one point by correctly predicting a top two team. That gives a 40-point maximum for this stage.

In the round of sixteen you can score two point per matchup. It's quite simple: the sixteen remaining teams are paired to eight sets. For every pair you predict the winner and a correct prediction is worth two points. That gives a 16-point maximum.

In the championship playoff tree stage you'll be making predictions for which four teams will make the semi finals, which teams will make the final and, finally, which team wins the 2008/2009 UEFA Champions' League. The scoring system is a little bit more complicated, but usually it comes down to predicting the final two teams correctly. In total you can score 50 points in this stage.

Entry is free, there's no prize money involved or what so ever, it's purely for the honor and competition. TazFTW is the defending champion, with a total of 80 points, leaning heavily on his perfect 50 in the 2007/2008 championship playoff tree stage. 2005/2006 winner atatange1 finished second with 79 points, cthomer5000 was third with 72 points. Other past winners are condors (2006/2007), moriarity (2004/2005) and BreizhManu (2002/2003 and 2003/2004).


Group stage predictions
Enough bla-bla, it's time to make your group stage predictions. Below are the eight groups of four. Simply post your predicted top three per group (four is okay, but three is sufficient), to enter the competition. No post editing allowed and keep in mind the deadline is kickoff time of the first group matches (scheduled to be tuesday September 16th at 2:45 pm Eastern).

Group A: Chelsea (ENG), AS Roma (ITA), Girondins Bordeaux (FRA), CFR Cluj (ROU)
Group B: Internazionale (ITA), Werder Bremen (GER), Panathinaikos (GRE), Anorthosis Famagusta (CYP)
Group C: FC Barcelona (ESP), Sporting CP (POR), FC Basel (SUI), Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Group D: Liverpool FC (ENG), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Olympique Marseille (FRA), Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Group E: Manchester United (ENG), Villarreal (ESP), Celtic (SCO), Aalborg AB (DEN)
Group F: Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), FC Bayern (GER), Steaua Bucuresti (ROU), Fiorentina (ITA)
Group G: Arsenal FC (ENG), FC Porto (POR), Fenerbahce (TUR), Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Group H: Real Madrid (ESP), Juventus (ITA), FC Zenit (RUS), BATE Borisov (BLS)

The Champion's League is getting to a point where it is just not too interesting anymore. You can pretty much bet two teams from ENG / SPA / ITA will advance from each group.

Anyway, my predictions:

A: Chelsea / Roma / Bordeaux / Cluj
B: Inter / Werder / Panathinaikos / Famagusta (Cyprus? I mean, seriously?)
C: Barça / Sporting / Donetsk / Basel
D: Athletico / Liverpool / PSV / OM
E: MU / Villareal / Aalborg / Celtic
F: Bayern / Lyon / Fiorentina / Steaua
G: Arsenal / Fenerbahce / Kiev / Porto
H: Juve / Real / Zenit / Borislov

my own picks

A: 1 Chelsea, 2 Roma, 3 Bordeaux
B: 1 Inter, 2 Werder, 3 Panathinaikos
C: 1 Barcelona, 2 Shakhtar, 3 Sporting
D: 1 Liverpool, 2 PSV, 3 Marseille
E: 1 Man Utd, 2 Villarreal, 3 Celtic
F: 1 Bayern, 2 Lyon, 3 Fiorentina
G: 1 Arsenal, 2 Fenerbahce, 3 Porto
H: 1 Real Madrid, 2 Zenit, 3 Juventus

A: 1.Chelsea 2.AS Roma 3.Bordeaux 4.CFR Cluj

B: 1.Werder Bremen 2.Inter 3.Panathinaikos 4.Anorthosis Famagusta

C: 1.Barcelona 2.Sporting CP 3.FC Basel 4.Shakhtar Donetsk

D: 1.PSV Eindhoven 2.Liverpool 3.Olympique Marseille 4.Atletico Madrid

E: 1.ManU 2.Villarreal 3. Celtic 4.Aalborg

F: 1.FC Bayern 2.Fiorentina 3.Olympique Lyonnais 4.Steaua Bucuresti

G: 1.Arsenal 2.Fenerbahce 3.FC Porto 4.Dynamo Kyiv

H: 1.Real Madrid 2.Juventus 3.FC Zenit 4.BATE Borisov

less than 7 days until kickoff bump!

Group A: Chelsea (ENG) (1), AS Roma (ITA) (2), Girondins Bordeaux (FRA) (3) CFR Cluj (ROU) (4)
Group B: Internazionale (ITA) (1), Werder Bremen (GER) (3), Panathinaikos (2) (GRE), Anorthosis Famagusta (4) (CYP)
Group C: FC Barcelona (ESP) (1), Sporting CP (POR) (3), FC Basel (SUI) (4), Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) (2)
Group D: Liverpool FC (ENG) (1), PSV Eindhoven (NED) (4) , Olympique Marseille (FRA) (3), Atletico Madrid (ESP) (2)
Group E: Manchester United (ENG) (1), Villarreal (ESP) (2), Celtic (SCO) (3), Aalborg AB (DEN) (4)
Group F: Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) (2), FC Bayern (GER) (1), Steaua Bucuresti (ROU) (4), Fiorentina (ITA) (3)
Group G: Arsenal FC (ENG) (1), FC Porto (POR) (3), Fenerbahce (TUR) (2), Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) (4)
Group H: Real Madrid (ESP) (1), Juventus (ITA) (2), FC Zenit (RUS) (3), BATE Borisov (BLS) (4)

Group A: Chelsea - AS Roma - CFR Cluj - Girondins Bordeaux
Group B: Inter - Werder - Panathinaikos - Anorthosis Famagusta
Group C: Barcelona - Shakhtar - Sporting - Basel
Group D: Atletico Madrid - PSV - Liverpool - Marseille
Group E: Man Utd - Villarreal - Aalborg - Celtic
Group F: Olympique Lyonnais - Fiorentina - Bayern - Steaua
Group G: Arsenal - Dynamo Kiev - Porto - Fenerbahce
Group H: Real Madrid - Juventus - Zenit - BATE Borisov

4 days until kickoff bump

Group A: Chelsea / Roma / Bordeaux / CFR Cluj
Group B: Inter / Panathinaikos / Werder Bremen / Anorthosis
Group C: Barcelona / Sporting / Basel / Donetsk
Group D: Liverpool / Atletico Madrid / PSV / Marseille
Group E: Manchester United / Villarreal / Celtic / Aalborg
Group F: Lyon / Fiorentina / Bayern Munich / Steaua Bucuresti
Group G: Arsenal / Porto / Fenerbahce / Dynamo Kiev
Group H: Juventus / Real Madrid / Zenit / BATE Borisov

Standings listed from first to last.

Group A: Chelsea (ENG), AS Roma (ITA), Girondins Bordeaux (FRA), CFR Cluj (ROU)
Group B: Internazionale (ITA), Werder Bremen (GER), Panathinaikos (GRE), Anorthosis Famagusta (CYP)
Group C: FC Barcelona (ESP), Sporting CP (POR), Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), FC Basel (SUI)
Group D: Liverpool FC (ENG), Atletico Madrid (ESP), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Olympique Marseille (FRA)
Group E: Manchester United (ENG), Villarreal (ESP), Celtic (SCO), Aalborg AB (DEN)
Group F: Fiorentina (ITA), FC Bayern (GER), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), Steaua Bucuresti (ROU)
Group G: Arsenal FC (ENG), FC Porto (POR), Fenerbahce (TUR), Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Group H: Real Madrid (ESP), Juventus (ITA), FC Zenit (RUS), BATE Borisov (BLS)<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Group A: Chelsea / Roma / Bordeaux / CFR Cluj
Group B: Inter / / Werder Bremen /Panathinaikos / Anorthosis
Group C: Barcelona / Sporting / Basel / Donetsk
Group D: Liverpool / Atletico Madrid / Marseille /PSV
Group E: Manchester United / Villarreal / Celtic / Aalborg
Group F: Bayern Munich / Fiorentina /Lyon / Steaua Bucuresti
Group G: Porto / Fenerbahce / Arsenal / Dynamo Kiev
Group H: Real Madrid /Juventus / Zenit / BATE Borisov

Group A: Chelsea, AS Roma, Girondins Bordeaux, CFR Cluj
Group B: Internazionale, Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis Famagusta
Group C: FC Barcelona, Sporting CP, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Basel
Group D: Liverpool FC, Olympique Marseille, PSV Eindhoven, Atletico Madrid
Group E: Manchester United, Villarreal, Celtic, Aalborg AB
Group F: Olympique Lyonnais, FC Bayern, Fiorentina, Steaua Bucuresti
Group G: Arsenal FC, Fenerbahce, FC Porto, Dynamo Kyiv
Group H: Real Madrid, Juventus, FC Zenit, BATE Borisov

A: 1 Chelsea, 2 Roma, 3 Bordeaux, 4 Cluj
B: 1 Inter, 2 Werder Bremen, 3 Panathinaikos, 4 Famagusta
C: 1 Barca, 2 Shakhtar, 3 Sporting, 4 Basel
D: 1 Atletico Madrid, 2 Liverpool, 3 PSV, 4 Marseiile
E: 1 Man U, 2 Celtic, 3 Villarreal, 4 Aalborg
F: 1 Bayern, 2 Fiorentina, 3 Lyon, Steaua
G: 1 Arsenal, 2 Fenerbahce, 3 Porto, 4 Dynamo Kyiv
H: 1 Juventus, 2 Real Madrid, 3 Zenit, 4 BATE

Group A: Chelsea - Girondins Bordeaux - AS Roma - CFR Cluj
Group B: Inter - Werder - Panathinaikos - Anorthosis Famagusta
Group C: Barcelona - Sporting - Shakhtar - Basel
Group D: Liverpool - Atletico Madrid - PSV - Marseille
Group E: Villarreal - Man Utd - Celtic - Aalborg
Group F: Olympique Lyonnais - Fiorentina - Bayern - Steaua
Group G: Arsenal - Fenerbahce - Porto - Dynamo Kiev
Group H: Juventus - Zenit - Real Madrid - BATE Borisov

Group A: Chelsea (1), AS Roma (2), Girondins Bordeaux (3), CFR Cluj (4)
Group B: Internazionale (1), Werder Bremen (2), Panathinaikos (3), Anorthosis Famagusta (4)
Group C: FC Barcelona (1), Sporting CP (2), Shakhtar Donetsk (3), FC Basel (4),
Group D: Olympique Marseille (1), Liverpool FC (2), Atletico Madrid (3), PSV Eindhoven (4)
Group E: Manchester United (1), Celtic (2), Villarreal (3), , Aalborg AB (4)
Group F: Olympique Lyonnais (1), FC Bayern (2), Fiorentina (3), Steaua Bucuresti (4),
Group G: Arsenal FC (1), Fenerbahce (2), Dynamo Kyiv (3), FC Porto (4)
Group H: Juventus (1), Real Madrid (2), FC Zenit (3), BATE Borisov (4)

Group A: Chelsea, Roma, Bordeaux, Cluj
Group B: Inter, Breamen, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis Famagusta
Group C: Barca, Sporting, Shakhtar Donetsk, Basel
Group D: Atletico Madrid, Marseille, Liverpool, PSV
Group E: Man U, Villarreal, Celtic, Aalbork
Group F: Lyon, Bayern, Fiorentina, Steaua
Group G: Arsenal, Fenerbahce, Porto, Dynamo Kyiv
Group H: Real, Juve, Zenit, BATE

A: Chelsea, Roma, Bordeaux, Cluj
B: Inter, Bremen, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis Famagusta
C: Barca, Sporting, Shakhtar, Basel
D: Liverpool, Marseille, At Madrid, PSV
E: Man U, Celtic, Villarreal, Aalborg
F: Bayern, Lyon, Fiorentina, Steaua
G: Arsenal, Porto, Fenerbahce, Dynamo Kyiv
H: Juve, Real, Zenit, BATE

Group A: Chelsea (ENG), AS Roma (ITA), Girondins Bordeaux (FRA)
Group B: Werder Bremen (GER), Internazionale (ITA),Panathinaikos (GRE)
Group C: FC Barcelona (ESP), Sporting CP (POR), Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Group D: Liverpool FC (ENG), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Group E: Manchester United (ENG), Celtic (SCO), Villarreal (ESP)
Group F: FC Bayern (GER), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), Fiorentina (ITA)
Group G: Arsenal FC (ENG), FC Porto (POR), Fenerbahce (TUR)
Group H: Real Madrid (ESP), Juventus (ITA), FC Zenit (RUS)

A: Chelsea, Roma, Bordeaux, CFR CLuj
B: Inter, Werder, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis Famagusta
C: Barcelona, Sporting, Shaktar, Basel
D: Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, PSV, Marseille
E: Man U, Villareal, Celtic, Aalborg
F: Bayern, Lyon, Fiorentia, Steaua Bucarest
G: Arsenal, Fenerbache, Porto, Kyiv
H: Madrid, Juventus, Zenit, BATE


there we go

60 minutes before deadline bump!

Barely in time before the 4th round of games, here are the halfway through the group phase projected standings:

1st with 29 points fantastic flying froggies
2nd with 27 points cthomer5000
3rd with 25 points atatange1
4th with 24 points SirFozzie, Ronnie Dobbs2, Butter of 69, TazFTW and Katon
9th with 23 points TredWel
10th with 22 points dacman, Scholes and Northwood_DK
13th with 21 points MIJB#19 and I. J. Reilly
15th with 20 points Critch and condors
17th with 19 points Cards4ever

My picks held up alright... i got 14 of the 16 advancing teams, with 8 of them being exact hits on their position.

I think aside from maybe some surprising 1/2 swaps... this was a very predictable group stage.

However, i think there are going to be some dynamite matchups right off the bat in the knockout stage. Barcelona and Inter especially have almost nothing but huge matchu possibilities.

Alright, it's time for the scores for the first round precitions. Those who played are still pretty close together, with TripleF leading the way, 2 points ahead of a threesome.
<table><tr><td>rk<td>who?<td>pt
<tr><td>1<td>fantastic flying froggies<td>28
<tr><td>2<td>SirFozzie<td>26
<tr><td>2<td>Butter of 69<td>26
<tr><td>2<td>cthomer5000<td>26
<tr><td>5<td>TredWel<td>25
<tr><td>6<td>Ronnie Dobbs2<td>24
<tr><td>6<td>Cards4ever<td>24
<tr><td>6<td>condors<td>24
<tr><td>9<td>dacman<td>23
<tr><td>10<td>TazTFW<td>22
<tr><td>10<td>Nortwood_DK<td>22
<tr><td>12<td>I. J. Reilly<td>21
<tr><td>12<td>Katon<td>21
<tr><td>14<td>MIJB#19<td>20
<tr><td>14<td>atatange1<td>20
<tr><td>16<td>Scholes<td>17
<tr><td>17<td>Critch<td>16
<tr><td>18<td>rest of FOFC<td>0</table>

How predictable things really were? Three #1 seeds finished 1st, all eight #1 seeds will return in the round of 16. Four #2 seeds finished 1st, six out of eight will be back, one is UEFA Cup bound (Werder), one is done (PSV). One #3 seed made it to the round of 16 (Panathinaikos) while three of the remaining seven go on into the UEFA Cup. Of all #4 seeds, one survived (Atletico Madrid), four go into the UEFA Cup.

So, 14 out of the 16 #1 or #2 seeded teams made it into the last 16. All possible matchups in the round of 16:
AS Roma - Sporting, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Lyon or Arsenal
Panathinaikos - Chelsea, Sporting, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Lyon, Arsenal or Real Madrid
Barcelona - Chelsea, Internazionale, Lyon or Arsenal
Liverpool - Internazionale, Sporting, Villarreal, Lyon or Real Madrid
Man Utd - Internazionale, Sporting, Atletico Madrid, Lyon or Real Madrid
Bayern - Chelsea, Internazionale, Sporting, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Arsenal or Real Madrid
Porto - Chelsea, Internazionale, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Lyon or Real Madrid
Juventus - Chelsea, Sporting, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Lyon or Arsenal
Chelsea - Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Bayern, Porto or Juventus
Internazionale - Barcelona, Liverpool, Man Utd, Bayern or Porto
Sporting - AS Roma, Panathinaikos, Liverpool, Man Utd, Bayern or Juventus
Atletico Madrid - AS Roma, Panathinaikos, Man Utd, Bayern, Porto or Juventus
Villarreal - AS Roma, Panathinaikos, Liverpool, Bayern, Porto or Juventus
Lyon - AS Roma, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Liverpool, Man Utd, Porto or Juventus
Arsenal - AS Roma, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Bayern or Juventus
Real Madrid - AS Roma, Panathinaikos, Liverpool, Man Utd, Bayern or Porto

So yeah, Barcelona's potential matchups are pretty brutal.

Slightly delayed, I hadn't posted the round of 16 matchups yet. Like in past seasons, you pick one team to win per matchup and get 2 points for a correct pick. Picks are due February 24th, 2:45 pm Eastern. So plenty of time to think who to pick.

Atlético Madrid - Porto
Olympique Lyon - Barcelona
Arsenal - AS Roma
Internazionale - Manchester United
Real Madrid - Liverpool
Chelsea - Juventus
Villarreal - Panathinaikos
Sporting Portugal - Bayern

Atlético Madrid - Porto
Olympique Lyon - Barcelona
Arsenal - AS Roma
Internazionale - Manchester United
Real Madrid - Liverpool
Chelsea - Juventus
Villarreal - Panathinaikos
Sporting Portugal - Bayern

18 days minus two hours before the deadline bump. With my own picks below.

Porto
Barcelona
Arsenal
Manchester United
Liverpool
Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern

Porto
Barcelona
Fookin' Gooners
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Juventus
Villarreal
Bayern

Porto
Barcelona
AS Roma
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern

Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
Arsenal
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Juventus
Panathinaikos
Bayern

Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
AS Roma
Manchester United
Liverpool
Juventus
Villarreal
Bayern

my picks:
edit: see official picks on newer post below.


my (original) reasoning:
Atletico-Porto should be a very interesting matchup that could go either way. As a fan I don't really care about watching it, but on paper i think it's extremely competitive. I'm basically banking on the overall strength of the Spanish League here and Atletico's killer strikers.

Barcelona-Lyon: Barcelona are playing video game soccer now, absolutely exploding every team they play. Lyon are on the ropes in France. I think this is the most slam-dunk pick in the round.

Arsenal - AS Roma
Roma is fairly hot right now while Arsenal is crumbling and a lot of guys are injured. I could see changing my mind at the last minute as the Arsenal injury situation gets a little more clear, but right now im taking Roma.

Inter-Man U
I think on paper this is the big matchup, but I bet it will be dull as a spectacle. I see 1-2 goals total over both legs. Man U hasn't allowed a goal in about a million years, and they have a big deep squad with a lot of tools. As long as Man U get out of Italy losing 1-0 or doing better, they've got this.


Real Madrid - Liverpool
Real Madrid are looking terrible but winning... Liverpool is schizophrenic in the league, but Rafa shows year after year that he completely gets how to handle knockout competitions. I hope Madrid knock them off, but I think Liverpool will take it.

Chelsea - Juventus
I think I would have taken Chelsea 3 weeks ago, but with the completely unsettled clubhouse and coach shakeup, I'm going out on a limb and taking Juventus, who are doing quite well in Italy. If Chelsea was at home in the 2nd leg I would be picking them, that's how close i think this is.

Villarreal - Panathinaikos
Will probably be 'surprisingly' close, but i think Villareal will pull this out.

Sporting Portugal - Bayern
Bayern are clicking (more or less), and I can't really hide my lack of belief in the Portugese sides. Bayern all the way.

Aboit 3 days, 4 hours and 25 minutes until kickoff bump!

Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
AS Roma
Manchester United
Liverpool
Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern

Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
Arsenal
Internazionale
Liverpool
Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern

Im pretty sure im going to reverese course and take both Chelsea and Arsenal over their Italian counterparts. Hiddink should be a positive at Chelsea and Arsenal has some crazy unbeaten streak at home in CL while Roma can never win in England.

Ultimately i think im far more likely to go 2-0 or 1-1 betting on both English teams than i am betting against them.

so my amended picks:

Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
Arsenal
Manchester United
Liverpool
Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern

Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
AS Roma
Manchester United
Liverpool
Juventus
Panathinaikos
Bayern<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
AS Roma
Manchester United
Liverpool
Juventus
Villarreal
Sporting Portugal

Porto
Barcelona
Arsenal
Internazionale
Real Madrid
Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern

Porto
Barcelona
Arsenal
Man U
Real Madrid
Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern
<!-- / message -->

Come on - does no one else care guys?

7 of 8 for me, but unforutnately i think i lost the 1 most contested matchup (atletico-porto)

Somebody break up England please - its starting to bore the shit out of me and kill the competition itself i think.

5 out of 8 FTL. At least the Reds looks good.

heh, looks like I was 8 for 8.

New standings are below. The draw for the quarterfinals through final is on March 20th, I'll try to get the new predictions request posted on that same day.

<table><tr><td>rk<td>who?<td>TOT<td>R32<td>R16
<tr><td>1<td>cthomer5000<td>40<td>26<td>14
<tr><td>1<td>SirFozzie<td>40<td>26<td>14
<tr><td>3<td>Butter of 69<td>38<td>26<td>12
<tr><td>4<td>dacman<td>37<td>23<td>14
<tr><td>4<td>TredWel<td>37<td>25<td>12
<tr><td>6<td>fantastic flying froggies<td>36<td>28<td>8
<tr><td>6<td>MIJB#19<td>36<td>20<td>16
<tr><td>8<td>Ronnie Dobbs2<td>34<td>24<td>10
<tr><td>9<td>atatange1<td>32<td>20<td>12
<tr><td>9<td>Cards4ever<td>32<td>24<td>8
<tr><td>11<td>I. J. Reilly<td>31<td>21<td>10
<tr><td>12<td>Scholes<td>29<td>17<td>12
<tr><td>13<td>condors<td>24<td>24<td>0
<tr><td>13<td>Critch<td>24<td>16<td>8
<tr><td>15<td>Nortwood_DK<td>22<td>22<td>0
<tr><td>15<td>TazTFW<td>22<td>22<td>0
<tr><td>17<td>Katon<td>21<td>21<td>0
<tr><td>18<td>rest of FOFC<td>0<td>0<td>0</table>

Here's the draw -- winners of the first 2 listed play each other in the semis, and thus the winners of the 2nd 2.

Villarreal vs. Arsenal
Man Utd vs. FC Porto
Liverpool vs. Chelsea
Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich

I think it's good overall draw for Man U, despite having to go on the road for the 2nd leg in both 1/4 and semis (if they make it).

I think Man U/Barcelona is the biggest possible matchup, and that's possible for the final.

Also I'm glad Liverpool/Chelsea drew each other - there's a matchup I can skip entirely.

Draw in, so here we go, again!

Eight teams left, 3 rounds to determine the winner. For the prediction competition, we're going to pick winners all the way down to the final winner. So what do I need to get from you? I need to see four semi finals winners and your final prediction (including a clear mentioning of who will win the final).

The four games (the top two's winners' play head-to-head in the semis):
FC Barcelona vs FC Bayern
Liverpool FC vs Chelsea FC
Manchester United FC vs FC Porto
Villarreal CF vs Arsenal FC

Semifinalists

Barcelona
Chelsea
Manchester United
Arsenal

Finalists
Barcelona
Manchester United

Champions:
Manchester United

My picks:
Semi's: Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal
Final: Chelsea over Arsenal

damn, didn't too good in the previous round.

Quarterfinals: Barcelona, Liverpool, Man U and Villareal
Semis: Liverpool and Man U
Final: Man Utd

Barcelona
Liverpool
Man U
Arsenal

Liverpool
Man U

Liverpool

Semifinals:
Barcelona v. Liverpool
Manchester United v. Villarreal

Finals: Liverpool v. Manchester United

Winner: Manchester United

Barcelona
Liverpool
Man U
Arsenal

Liverpool
Man U

Man U

I see Liverpool/Man U/Barcelona as the only reasonable picks to win it all. Chelsea can't possible get through Liverpool, Barcelona, and Man U as far as i'm concerned. Just too tough a route to have to take.

I see Liverpool/Man U/Barcelona as the only reasonable picks to win it all. Chelsea can't possible get through Liverpool, Barcelona, and Man U as far as i'm concerned. Just too tough a route to have to take.All of them have a tough road ahead, yet one of them will win it. Arsenal and Chelsea have the second leg homefield advantage in both rounds. Unconsiously I guess that led me to them in an all-London final. :D

Barcelona
Liverpool
Manchester United
Villereal

Finalists
Barcelona
Manchester United

Champions:
Barcelona

FC Bayern
Chelsea FC
Manchester United FC
Arsenal FC

Bayern
Man Utd

Man Utd

As far back as I am I have nothing to lose in hoping for an upset with Bayern and Chelsea. Hopefully, they will come through.

Barcelona
Chelsea
Manchester United
Villarreal

Barcelona
Villarreal

Villarreal.

Why not, my "pick upsets" tactic hasnt failed me so far :)

Semifinalists:
Barcelona
Liverpool
Manchester United
Arsenal

Finalists:
Barcelona
Manchester United

Winner:
Barcelona

Villarreal vs. Arsenal
Man Utd vs. FC Porto
Liverpool vs. Chelsea
Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich

Man Utd v . Arsenal
Liverpool v. Barcelona

Man Utd v. Barcelona
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Villarreal
FC Porto
Chelsea
Bayern Munich


Villarreal
Chelsea

Chelsea

I have to make up some ground.

Barcelona
Liverpool
Man U
Villarreal

Barcelona
Man U

Barcelona

Less than 90 mins until kickoff bump.

wow. pair of crazy results today.

I am in rough, rough shape heading into the 2nd leg.

3 out of 4 results from that first leg would have to be considered at least moderately shocking.

Bayern just rolled over and died
Man U looked nervous and shakey
Liverpool checked out after the 10 minute mark


I think Liverpool is doomed... they have to score a minimum of 3 goals at Stamford Bridge... i just don't see it happening.

Don't look now, but Liverpool is up 2-0 after 30 mins.

espn360.com

Don't look now, but Liverpool is up 2-0 after 30 mins.

espn360.com

Okay, you can look again

The little bit of hope was fun while it lasted.

In. Fucking. Sane.

Wow, that game was a lot less boring than I expected it to be. Pretty happy right now that I decided to turn the tv on for it.

Wow, that game was a lot less boring than I expected it to be. Pretty happy right now that I decided to turn the tv on for it.

Agreed. That was one of the craziest games I can recall ever seeing.

(Does the Rob Van Dam Style Fingerpoints to himself)

Yeah, Liverpool f'ed me hard. Got 3 out of 4 though... but now i'm doomed on the Chelsea/Barcelona matchup.

d'oh

Prediction competition spoiler of who's still in the race for the championship this year:
With only two of the thirteen predictors in the quarterfinals having managed to nail all four winners correctly, we've seen a big sweep in the race for the tipping title. Thise two batting 1.000 were SirFozzie and MIJB#19.

Standings with only the quarterfinals losers factored in:
1. SirFozzie 52 points
2. cthomer5000 49 points
3. MIJB#19 48 points
4. dacman and TredWel 46 points
6. Butter_of_69 44 points
7. RonnieDobbs2 43 points
8. TripleF 42 points
9. atatange1 41 points
10. Cards4ever 38 points
11. I.J. Reilly 37 points
12. Critch 33 points
13. Scholes 32 points
14. and lower are those who don't participate in the QF predictions

Effect of the quarterfinals results is that only the two 4/4 pickers remain in the race for this year's prediction competition.
SirFozzie maintains 1st if ManUtd wins the CL, if Arsenal beats Barcelona or if Barcelona beats ManU.
MIJB#19 sneaks two spots up if Chelsea wins the CL, if Arsenal beats Chelsea or if Barcelona beats Arsenal.
A Chelsea-ManUtd or a Barcelona-Arsenal final will leave the outcome open until the CL final.

Standings with just the final to go:

1. SirFozzie with 78 points (90 if ManU win)
2. dacman with 65 points (77 if ManU win)
2. TredWel with 65 points (77 if ManU win)
4. cthomer5000 with 64 points (71 if ManU win)
5. atatange1 with 61 points (68 if ManU win)
6. Ronnie Dobbs2 with 58 points (63 if Barca win)
7. MIJB#19 with 57 points
8. cards4ever with 50 points (62 if Barca win)
9. TripleF with 50 points (57 if ManU win)
10. I.J. Reilly with 49 points (61 if Barca win)
11. critch with 48 points (53 if ManU win)
12. Butter of 69 with 44 points
13. Scholes with 34 points
14.+ those who missed the elite eight picks

Looks like I haven't taken the time to tabulate the final scores.
Well, hadn't taken the time, as here they are:

Knock-out phase top5
1. TredWel 40 (out of 50) points
2. SirFozzie 38 pt
3. Cards4ever 30 pt
3. I.J. Reilly 30 pt
5. atatange1 29 pt
5. Ronnie Dobbs2 29 pt

Final top13:
13. with 35 points: Scholes
12. with 48 points: Critch
11. with 50 points: fantastic flying froggies
10. with 52 points: butter of 69
9. with 57 points: MIJB#19
7. with 61 points: atatange1 and I. J. Reilly
6. with 62 points: Cards4ever
5. with 63 points: Ronnie Dobbs2
4. with 64 points: cthomer5000
3. with 65 points: dacman
2. with 77 points: TredWel
1. with 78 points: SirFozzie