Europa League talk here.

The gobbi and the dirtyrottenscousers both play today (not each other) in Europa League 3d qualifying round games.

EDIT:

FT scores --

Shamrock 0-2 gobbi (both by amauri)

Rabotnicki 0-2 dirtyrottenscousers

Here's the playoff draw for the Europa League (c/p from mediaset since it's neater than the one on uefa):

Paris Saint Germain (Fra) - Maccabi Tel Aviv (Isr)
Bayern Leverkusen (Ger) - Tavriya (Ucr)
Cska Mosca (Ros) - Anorthosis Famagosta (Cip)
Hajduk Spalato (Cro) - Urziceni (Rom)
Feyenoord (Ola) - Gent (Bel)

Genk (Bel) - Porto (Por)
Debreceni (Ung) - Lovech (Bul)
Aris Salonicco (Gre) - Austria Vienna (Aus)
Galatasaray (Tur) - Karpaty (Ucr)
Palermo (Ita) - Maribor (Slo)

Brugge (Bel) - Dinamo Minsk (Blr)
Omonia Nicosia (Cip) - Metalist (Ucr)
Vaslui (Rom) - Lilla (Fra)
Napoli (Ita) - Elfsborg (Sve)
Sporting Lisbona (Por) - Broendy (Dan)

Liverpool (Ing) - Trabzonspor (Tur)
Celtic (Sco) - Utrecht (Ola)
Borussia Dortmund (Ger) - Quarabag (Aze)
AIK (Sve) - Levski Sofia (Bul)
Grassoppher (Svi) - Steaua (Rom)

Sturm Graz (Aus) - Juventus (Ita)
Getafe (Spa) - Hapoel (Cip)
Dundee United (Sco) - Aek Atene (Gre)
AZ Alkmaar (Ola) - Aktobe (Kaz)
Dnipro (Ucr) - Lech (Pol)


Rapid Vienna (Aus) - Aston Villa (Ing)
Cska Sofia (Bul) - TNS (Gal)
Besiktas (Tur) - HJK Helsinki (Fin)
Slovan Bratislava (Svk) - Stoccarda (Ger)
Novosibirsk (Rus) - PSV (Ola)
Bate Borisov (Blr) - Maritimo (Por)

Losanna (Svi) - Lokomotiv Mosca (Rus)
Gyor (Ung) - Dinamo Zagabria (Cro)
Odense (Dan) - Motherwell (Sco)
Paok (Gre) - Fenerbache (Tur)
Villareal (Spa) - Dnepr (Blr)
Timisoara (Rom) - Manchester City (Ing)

Time for revenge. Vienna knocked us out at this stage last year, not sure how.

WOW! AIK is trying to beat IFK.
they were the only swedish team that won europa leuage a while back ago.'Now they are trying to make history but they are not as good this year as the was before.
Martin makumba left

Mon the Utrecht

And I hope Rangers manage to sign Jelavic soon, otherwise there's connotations for both Rangers and Villa, not to mention his current side Wien.

So, somewhere in Birmingham, people are cursing edelweiss, schnitzel, and all things Austrian.

Rapid Vienna knocked Villa out of the Europa League for the second year inna row.

Tough week for them. They are still in trauma from MON departure.

And the worst part is that it means Jelavic isn't eligible for Rangers in the CL now

They were average before he came along, and that's what they've gone back to being.

Who's MON?

Aston Villa's former coach: Martin O'Neill.

Yay, Rapid once more made a wonder. Hope they can replace Jelavić somehow.

I liked their banner 'The Return of Your Nightmare', their fans are awesome.


Wrong on both accounts. We were awful before he came along. To be honest, most Villa fans had pretty much accepted we were going to get relegated the following season.. then Randy and MON saved us. Now we're the same as we have been for the last few years, in the following pack.

Juventus 3-3 Lech Poznan

The comedy continues.

Dinamo putting up a grand performance tonight winning Villareal in Zagreb with 2-0.

Let's not laugh, this is not good for the Italian league in general. All teams need to perform well this season, or we really risk losing our 4th spot

So, how do you rate the chances of a civil war if Dinamo should draw Hajduk later on in the competition?

That would be a first. Hajduk lost unfortunately 3-1 to AEK, but I think they have a solid young team. I would be a delightfull draw to me

Yep. I'm all for Juve/Inter/Roma doing well in Europe. Ultimately what benefits Milan is all that matters.

Naah, I cannot be for Inter, it's just impossible.

+1000

If Italian teams don't have a massive year in Europe the 4th spot is as good as gone, I'll swollow my pride and root for Inter to at least make a semi appearance, same goes for Milan and at least the quarters for Roma. Plus the Europa League teams need to wake up.

Plus Inter going far in the CL will keep them occupied and will allow for more slip ups in the league, something I want even more desperately then the CL

What do you mean by that?

Italys direct opposition is Germany, right? I don't think Serie A clubs stand a chance. Milan and Inter won, Roma lost (vs. Bayern) like Palermo, while Juve, Napoli and Samp drew. Okay, it's just the first round, again I don't see any of them going far. Meanwhile Bayer, Borussia and Stuttgart won; only Schalke lost.

Inter drew Filippo

Also that's why they need to wake up, all those teams are good enough to make it at least to the quarters, but most Italian mid-level teams seem to think very little of the Europa League and never gave it any effort, it's been that way for a few years now, which is why Italy are about to lose their spot.

Going far in the CL certainly didn't hamper their league performance last season, so I'm not sure that argument washes anymore.

They let us and Roma almost catch them twice, both teams were too toothless to make Inter pay for their mistakes. Plus this time it's Benitez not Mourinho. He tends to focus more on one thing and rotate a lot for the competition he doesn't have his eye on, we've seen him do it with Liverpool every year

Oh, God! Oh, word! Oh, my! Napoli were Instabul'd today by Liverpool. Leading 1-0 in the 80th, FT: 3-1.

Oh well, at least that bunch from Middle Eastlands lost. £500m well spent.

Big misstake from Napolis defender and Gerrad toke the chance
and I don't think that should have been penalty but it was way to hard for the ref to judge that.
I guess Liverpool really needed Torres but the Capitan handle it good

Man City got hit by some amazing goals. The first and third were absolute bombas!


Agreed. Gerrard was quite good, but the Napoli defenders just lost complete concentration (much like Sampdoria's defense took a nap a few months back).

Dossena thought he was still a Liverpool player.

Hahaha, all in all, another very bad week for Italian clubs.

Wow, just wow at the snow in Lech Poznan-Juventus. Juve and Sampdoria out of the Europa League.

Edinson Cavani scored a hat trick against Utrecht (3-3) to keep a qualification option available for Napoli.

Italian clubs in the Europa are just embarrassing...

They snub it beyond belief, as if clubs like Sampdoria or Palermo have higher aims.

Is it really a question of snubbing the Europa league? or they're just not good enough..?

Champions League?

A mix of both, but I'd say the first has a heavier weight.



Yeah, right.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic here, but considering they finished 4th and 5th last season, why not? Hell, even Tottenham did it last season...

Firstly, because there's no way in hell Milan, Inter and Juventus won't make it to the Champions League this season, and that leaves only one spot left which will be contended between Lazio, Roma and Napoli. Secondly, because starting next season Italy will lose one spot for the Champions League. For teams like Sampdoria, Palermo and even Napoli, I expect full dedication to a tournament such as Europa League.

So... after finishing a couple of points off 4th spot last season, the Palermo of Sirigu, Pastore, Miccoli and Illicic are not going to aim for another CL charge, they'll be content hanging around in the Europa League for the forseeable future.
As I've said, you could have said the same thing about England's top 4 a couple of years ago, and all it takes is one season for a mediocre team to break into it.

Cavani scored in stoppage time and Napoli is the only Italian team to go through.

Raise a fin if you're surprised there was also a brawl during the game.

(it IS naples, after all)

I think we all can be proud Napoli defended Serie A honor tonight!!

Why should we be proud? Are we Italian? I simply don't care.

Dortmund failed to win, that's kinda a shame.

Well you don't have to be Italian to be a fan of serie A...

+1

I cheered as if Milan had scored.

That's true.

But we don't have to be Serie A fans, when we're Milan fans. I should have said something like that.