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Champions League Preview: Updated 1030

Posted by :devday On : March 20, 2009
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Category: Arsenal

[Update: 30 minutes until the draw]

So, guys, the day is here. After stuttering past Roma, we now await our fate in the Champions League. The draw will take place at 11am today and we’re into the “no team is seeded” time…

The 8 teams still involved are:

  1. Arsenal
  2. Bayern
  3. Barcelona
  4. Chelsea
  5. Liverpool
  6. Man United
  7. Porto
  8. Villareal

Any of those teams are going to be hard. Who would you rather get? Maybe Porto or Villareal? Avoid an English team? It’s so hard… All will be revealed shortly…

09:30 Update

Does anyone have a feeling that we’re going to get Barcelona? First Guardiola starting talking about it and then Henry starts saying this:

“Of course it would be special to draw Arsenal. Everyone knows that. It will be a really weird feeling if we get them because of the love I have for the club and the fans. I haven’t had the chance to go back to The Emirates to watch a game since I joined Barcelona.

“We play on Sunday quite often in Spain and with training the day before and Champions League matches as well it has not been possible to get there. A lot of people are still there from my time at Arsenal – not just players but people behind the scenes who make it such a great club.”

“I don’t have the same special bond with The Emirates as I did Highbury. In my last season there I only played about 18 games because of injury.

“I’m a Highbury man as I played there for seven of the eight years I was at Arsenal. All the Arsenal fans would tell you Highbury was pretty special and pretty different. So my bond is not with the stadium but with the club and the fans.

“That’s why it would be so strange and difficult to play against Arsenal. I’m not saying I’d prefer to avoid them but if we get Arsenal in the draw it will be really weird.”

Interesting…

10:30 Update

Cesc is confident and he’s said:

“We know it will be tough in the next round but we also know we can beat any one of them. We are in the quarter-finals, among the eight best teams in Europe, and we are there on merit.

“We deserve to be there and it’s serious now. If you want to win this competition you have to beat the best players in the world and now is that time.”

Hopefully we’ll get Porto…]]>

devday

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  • Pissed off

    Still waiting, folks.

  • Debs

    less than 2hrs to go now.

  • Gooner Get Ya

    < ![CDATA[1st to comment..woo hoo. I want Porto in the next round. Villareal are gunning for us after we knocked them out in the semi-finals in 06.

    I am not sure about the English teams as it husts more if we lose to them but is it best to loose now or in the semi's or the final (i am not saying we will loose but just thinking of the consequences if we did).]]>

  • Gooner Get Ya

    damn it, there weren’t any comments when i started typing…damn you pissed off/debs. lol :-)

  • Debs

    < ![CDATA[lol gooner get ya. I was wondering whether our comments were invincible to you or that you were having a bad hair day! lol

    But yeah, it's sometimes annoying when after you post a comment, you realise that other comments have been posted after you started typing, especially when it sort of makes your point slightly irrelevant/unnecessary! lol:D
    I try to cut my comment, refresh the page, then paste, nowadays to avoid it! lol]]>

  • http://kierandelaney.net/blog kierandelaney.net/blog

    < ![CDATA[United v Porto
    Bayern v Chelsea
    Liverpool v Villereal
    Arsenal v Barca

    You read it here first, I'm not 100% on who will be at home first in each leg, but my gut feeling for the draw is those legs. £5 on will win me £1200 if i'm right!]]>

  • Fabrez

    I feel as if we will stay away from English opposition…my gut feeling is we get Bayern or Villareal for some reason…we shall see! 1hr 15 mins 2 go!

  • devday

    < ![CDATA[Liverpool vs Bayern
    Chelsea vs United
    Arsenal vs Villareal
    Barcelona vs Porto

    Is the teams that were picked out in my dream last night!

    But Kieran, I think you're draw sounds more like it!]]>

  • Dan

    < ![CDATA[I think we will get Liverpool. I'm pissed off about it already, and it hasn't happened yet :D

    I kind of want Bayern though. We'll see...]]>

  • Fabrez

    < ![CDATA[Liverpool v Chelsea
    Arsenal v Bayern
    Villareal v Barca
    Porto v Man U

    Not a pick i fancy, but i think it could be like this!]]>

  • Gooner Get Ya

    < ![CDATA[Liverpool V Bayern
    Man U v Barca
    Chelsea v Villareal
    Arsenal v Porto

    That is what i want :-)]]>

  • Pete

    Hmmm, I’m really torn between as team I want us to play. My head says I dont want to play a difficult, in-form team until the latter rounds. But the prospect of having Thierry and the Barca boys playing at the Emirates does make me smile. I think the best thing to say is, I dont mind who we get as long as we go through to the semi’s. But I’d prefer we no play a premier league team again.

  • http://kierandelaney.net/blog kierandelaney.net/blog

    < ![CDATA[Bayern are too english and too good. Avoid at all costs!

    It's written this year for a two legged tie against Barca, with Henry scoring at the Emirates and refusing to celebrate. He might even get to see the kid he left behind.

    Man U will probably get Porto because they always do.

    Villareal/Porto are the two easiest teams left in the draw.

    I'll be gutted if we pull English opposition, I'd rather go out to Barca or Bayern than have to play an English team.]]>

  • http://kierandelaney.net/blog kierandelaney.net/blog

    < ![CDATA[OMG, just thought about a Man U v Liverpool tie.

    Holy shit that would be good after the 4-1 tanking at Trafford!]]>

  • Debs

    I don’t want us to get the weakest team cos it’d be harder for us. We all thought Roma was the weakest team to get and they took us all the way. We always bring our A-game the bigger the opposition. Bring on Barca!

  • unspoken

    < ![CDATA[hahaha.. i'm seriously hoping for a barca-arsenal final again!
    and then we'll get our chance again. :)

    man u and pool can face off now. this is the longest 17 mins. i guess everyone's waiting for the draw..]]>

  • Debs

    actually, us and barca in the final will be the perfect time to avenge that defeat in the final.

  • Dan

    Yeah i reckon Debs. If we had villareal or porto i’d be feeling less confident i think. I think bayern is the middle ground, but it isn’t going to matter much, a tough draw no matter what.

  • unspoken

    < ![CDATA[Did you know that Manchester United are currently cultivating a 21-game unbeaten run in the Champions League? They have not lost in this competition since they were knocked out of the 2006-07 contest by AC Milan in the semi-final second leg.

    time for that to end? :)]]>

  • Debs

    My heart’s thumping! I don’t know why, seeing as we’ve got no one to fear!!!

  • devday

    What a silly video – get to the draw already!!!

  • Debs

    Villareal! Hmm…

  • Pete

    Villa real

  • unspoken

    we got villareal???! i;m like waiting for the net update!

  • unspoken

    < ![CDATA[LOL!

    Villarreal v Arsenal
    Manchester United v FC Porto
    Liverpool v Chelsea
    Barcelona v Bayern Munich

    wootss!! somehow i seem happy. :X]]>

  • Pete

    If we win against Villareal, we play either Man u or Porto in the semi’s

  • Debs

    we could face man u in the semis.

  • Pete

    < ![CDATA[Not a bad draw. Not easy but not as difficult as it could have been.

    Winners of Villarreal v Arsenal will play Manchester United v FC Porto in the semi's

    Winners of Liverpool v Chelsea play winners of Barcelona v Bayern Munich.]]>

  • unspoken

    < ![CDATA[somehow, we seem to play quite well against man u. : )

    so hopefully it all goes well.. but porto can try doing the job for us. though i think man u will beat them.

    barcelona bayern interesting match..]]>

  • Debs

    Barca in the final please!

  • Dan

    I feel indifferent really. Chuffed to see Chelsea vs Liverpool. Haha