Association Football 2023/2024 Discussion Thread

[JGibson]

Arsenal lose to Bayern 3-2 on aggregate. Manchester City lose to Real Madrid 4-3 on penalties after drawing 4-4 on aggregate.

England's hopes for an extra UCL spot are fading fast.

[Lechasseur]

Leverkusen officially champions of Germany, still in the hunt for a treble, and 5 league matches from immortality. Sky's the limit for Xabi Alonso.

Congratulations to Leverkusen!

Although I do like Bayern, it's good to see someone else finally win the Bundesliga for once, and frankly if I had to see someone else win, Leverkusen is the team I would have wanted to see do it (beyond Xabi Alonso having done a tremendous job, the Cologne area is the area I know best in Germany, I've been several times so I guess it's the closest thing to a "local" team for me in the Bundesliga lol).

And on that note, I think it's possible that Leverkusen may finally be a more sustainable longer term rival to Bayern than other challengers in my lifetime (Dortmund, Bremen, Schalke, Leipzig, etc) exactly due to the fact that it's a club from the Cologne area. I think part of the reason that Bayern had managed to dominate the Bundesliga so overwhelmingly for so long is exactly because it was the only big city club (and also the only club with a real pre-1990s history) in Germany that didn't go into severe decline in the 1990s (like for example Hamburg or FC Koln). I don't think it was ever going to be sustainable to have Bayern's main rivals be from such smaller cities.

Now finally, for the first time in decades, you have a challenger from one of Germany's main metropolitan areas.

[Lechasseur]

And now for my European semi-finals predictions:

Champions League:
Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

Europa League:
Marseille vs Atalanta
Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen

Europa Conference League:
Aston Villa vs Olympiacos
Fiorentina vs Club Brugge

Let's see if I do better with my predictions this round compared to last round (I'm glad that I got PSG right though!)

And at this stage I'll give my predictions for competition winners as well, let's see how it holds up at the end of the season:

Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain (tbf a prediction of the gut and heart moreso than of the mind)

Europa League: Bayer Leverkusen

Europa Conference League: Aston Villa

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

TWO STARS FOR INTER MILAN! This has been an amazing Serie A season for the team, although in terms of other competitions it was a pale shadow of 2022/2023. My pick for the squad's MVP is Federico Dimarco, a wing-back who leaves his mark on so many goals and has an amazingly yellow-card-free record.

[Santander]

TWO STARS FOR INTER MILAN! This has been an amazing Serie A season for the team, although in terms of other competitions it was a pale shadow of 2022/2023. My pick for the squad's MVP is Federico Dimarco, a wing-back who leaves his mark on so many goals and has an amazingly yellow-card-free record.

Nothing sweeter than clinching a milestone title against your local rivals.

[Santander]

Was that part 1 of the annual PSG bottling it in Europe series? That was a very fun game to watch.

Also, hilarious post-match show on CBS with drunk Jamie Carragher.

[JGibson]

Still hoping and praying for Manchester City to drop points so Arsenal can be in a good position to win it all.

[Santander]

Leverkusen now 5 matches from an unprecedented undefeated treble and perhaps the greatest achievement in the sport's history.

[Mike88]

Sporting CP won the Portuguese Championship after Benfica's defeat to Famalicão, which made it mathematically impossible to overtake Sporting. It is Sporting's 20th title.

https://twitter.com/CabineSport/status/1787363883201544681
Sporting fans celebrating the title in downtown Lisbon.

[Santander]

That time of year we can celebrate both Man City and PSG both out of the Champions League. 🥳 Imagine a Bayern - Dortmund rematch of London... in London.

[Lechasseur]

That time of year we can celebrate both Man City and PSG both out of the Champions League. 🥳 Imagine a Bayern - Dortmund rematch of London... in London.

Man City out is good. I was disappointed to see PSG knocked out.

I'm pulling for Bayern Munich to win the competition now.

Regardless, whoever wins the Real Madrid-Bayern tie is going to be a heavy favourite to win the Champions League Final.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Dortmund's qualification diminished a lot my interest in the final. Every time a middle-sized team reaches the final (Valencia, Leverkusen, Tottenham, etc.) the game is always a lackluster affair.   

[Lechasseur]

Dortmund's qualification diminished a lot my interest in the final. Every time a middle-sized team reaches the final (Valencia, Leverkusen, Tottenham, etc.) the game is always a lackluster affair.   

If anything, this Dortmund team imo is worse than those teams mentioned, they probably won't even qualify for the Champions League next season, and this is a league where there are only 2 top tier teams

Valencia won La Liga the season after making the Champions League final vs Bayern Munich, and that Leverkusen team was arguably the best German team to have gone trophyless in my lifetime

Real Madrid should be winning this now, this Dortmund team is imo the weakest team I've seen make a Champions League final since I've been following the sport (and I've been following nearly 2 decades now)

[JGibson]

Bayern had a good goal robbed on a questionable offside whistle in which it would have leveled it late in stoppage time. More proof the refs are sucking off Real Madrid. 

[Santander]

Bayern had a good goal robbed on a questionable offside whistle in which it would have leveled it late in stoppage time. More proof the refs are sucking off Real Madrid. 

Yes, it was a major refereeing error but Madrid players backed off the ball after the whistle, which came before De Ligt's shot. You can't call that a "good goal".

[Landslide Lyndon]

Bayern had a good goal robbed on a questionable offside whistle in which it would have leveled it late in stoppage time. More proof the refs are sucking off Real Madrid. 

That has been the story of Champions League for the last ten years and the reason I don't follow it any more as closely as in the past. Real would and should have been eliminated already from the round of 16 if not for the referees in both games with Leipzig.   

[Santander]

Leverkusen simply refuse to lose. Incredible.

[Lechasseur]

My predictions for the European competition finals:

Champions League: Real Madrid
Europa League: Bayer Leverkusen
Europa Conference League: Fiorentina

I don't really care who wins the Champions League final (even though Real Madrid are clear favourites), but I'm definitely pulling for Bayer Leverkusen and Fiorentina in their respective finals

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Leverkusen simply refuse to lose. Incredible.

I was not going to watch the game, then I saw Roma was ahead 2-0 and I got excited and switched on my television, and then... that. Such a bummer!

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Anyway, after what happened last year I start from the assumption that Italian teams will manage the ridiculous feat of losing five European finals in a row. I hope to be pleasantly surprised - especially by Atalanta, for whom a win would be a magnificent coronation to this unprecedented cycle.

[Lechasseur]

Anyway, after what happened last year I start from the assumption that Italian teams will manage the ridiculous feat of losing five European finals in a row. I hope to be pleasantly surprised - especially by Atalanta, for whom a win would be a magnificent coronation to this unprecedented cycle.

Imo Fiorentina has a far better shot at winning their final than Atalanta does. I think Fiorentina are even favoured (I'm predicting they'll win), although Olympiacos are a good team that shouldn't be underestimated (as they proved in the previous round by eliminating Aston Villa, who I thought would win the Conference League).

I have a very hard time seeing Atalanta beating this Leverkusen team.

[Santander]

Atalanta definitely have a good chance. Despite not having as many big names, they are at a similar level as Roma (not just because they're on the same point tally in Serie A), who reached two consecutive European finals. This is a very good level for them.

Of course, Leverkusen would be a contender for winning the Champions League, much less the Europa League, and have the somewhat unusual privilege of being both favorites and having a huge amount of neutral support.

[JGibson]

Hoping Manchester City drop points at least once (likely either the Fulham or Spurs game) and Arsenal win both remaining fixtures so that the Gunners win the Premier League.

[Lechasseur]

Atalanta definitely have a good chance. Despite not having as many big names, they are at a similar level as Roma (not just because they're on the same point tally in Serie A), who reached two consecutive European finals. This is a very good level for them.

Of course, Leverkusen would be a contender for winning the Champions League, much less the Europa League, and have the somewhat unusual privilege of being both favorites and having a huge amount of neutral support.

I never said Atalanta weren't a good team, to the contrary.

It's that Leverkusen's THAT good.

And I'm definitely a neutral pulling for Leverkusen here!

[Lechasseur]

Hoping Manchester City drop points at least once (likely either the Fulham or Spurs game) and Arsenal win both remaining fixtures so that the Gunners win the Premier League.

Me too

COYG!