Match Thread [FT] Servette 1 - 1 Rangers (Tavernier 51)

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

1 minute ago, weebluedevil said:

Indeed. Moreover, it depends on what competition they will play in. 

 

Club Bruges: Over-performed massively in Europe last year - came 2nd in CL groups with 11 points, but came undone in round of 16.  This year they are playing to qualify for the Europe Conf. Groups already 5-1 up from first leg. They could go quite deep in that competition, our biggest threat. 

 

Dinamo Zagreb: Like us, in the CL qualifiers. They are 2-1 up from 1st leg (home) against AEK Athens. We should probably hope they make it to the CL, where points will be tougher to come by. They played in CL last season and took a gallant 4 points though, but came last. No EL fall-back. 

 

Shakhtar Donetsk: As winners of the UPL, they were straight into the CL groups. They managed 6 points in the CL group stage last season and dropped to the EL where they failed at round of 16. A big threat, if they again do well in the CL and drop to the EL, but they are also the furthest behind on current points. 

Just a wee correction WBD. Zagreb actually lost their 2-1 in the first leg at home so might struggle to qualify.

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,344]

Brugges have Ronny Diela as manager so will probably be ragdolled by any decent opposition. 

 

I'm torn on this thing, I am not sure we have the squad to play in something like this and challenge domestically. if its an additional 6 games for example on top of Europe (if we need to go through qualifiers again) it will stretch us.

 

But on the other hand the money and exposure will be good.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

4 minutes ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

Brugges have Ronny Diela as manager so will probably be ragdolled by any decent opposition. 

 

I'm torn on this thing, I am not sure we have the squad to play in something like this and challenge domestically. if its an additional 6 games for example on top of Europe (if we need to go through qualifiers again) it will stretch us.

 

But on the other hand the money and exposure will be good.

I am also torn. With regards to potential money earned, I've seen 25 million mention. Is that overall prize money for the tournament or what we could potentially earn? I'll email Gianni Infantino...

[weebluedevil 1,239]

1 hour ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

Just a wee correction WBD. Zagreb actually lost their 2-1 in the first leg at home so might struggle to qualify.

Thanks for that. good news then. I'll edit the post. 

[Gonzo79 15,294]

I'm a wee bit surprised Dinamo Zagreb haven't been kicked out of Europe after their fans travelled to Athens and killed an AEK fan last week (they did this despite a ban on away fans).  

Edited August 17, 2023 by Gonzo79

[Idisi 559]

Well done  Fingers are crossed for PSV.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

1 hour ago, Gonzo79 said:

I'm a wee bit surprised Dinamo Zagreb haven't been kicked out of Europe after their fans travelled to Athens and killed an AEK fan last week (they did this despite a ban on away fans).  

Was the game not in Zagreb? 

[Gonzo79 15,294]

10 minutes ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

Was the game not in Zagreb? 

The first leg was in Athens last week but got cancelled when the AEK fan was killed, hence the game in Athens now being played this weekend. 

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

1 minute ago, Gonzo79 said:

The first leg was in Athens last week but got cancelled when the AEK fan was killed, hence the game in Athens now being played this weekend. 

Cheers Gonzo. I did think it was strange that a CL game was on a weekend. 

[yuddie 1,693]

2 hours ago, Gonzo79 said:

I'm a wee bit surprised Dinamo Zagreb haven't been kicked out of Europe after their fans travelled to Athens and killed an AEK fan last week (they did this despite a ban on away fans).  

Nutters mate, hopefully there's no trouble for our fans over in Holland because they've got that streak in them. Love football but I wouldn't kill for it.