Champions League 2013/14

[METALMAN]

I dunno. Celtic had a tough group last year and did alright.

[DavidMarrio]

Who did they have apart from Barca? Didn't they have Benfica thinking about it

[METALMAN]

Yup. And someone else....whoever it was

[Liam]

To be fair, Ajax aren't what they used to be either.

[stokeriño]

Yup. And someone else....whoever it was

Spartak Moscow

[METALMAN]

Nah. I mean Celtic are obviously the underdogs. But Ajax are nothing special; I don't remember Milan ever being weaker; and Barcelona have a threadbare defence and a new manager.

[Kaney]

We've beat barca before

Actually think Arsenal have a good chance of qualifying if we can manage to strengthen the squad before then.

[Baddar]

Had no idea this was today. Happy with that group.

To be fair, Ajax aren't what they used to be either.

Man City thought that a year ago.

[Cheeky Hughes]

Best draw we've had. Pleased with that.

[METALMAN]

To be fair, Ajax aren't what they used to be either.

Man City thought that a year ago.

And? They were right. Beating Man City in a match doesn't alter the team's whole trajectory.

[Cheeky Hughes]

To be fair, Ajax aren't what they used to be either.

Man City thought that a year ago.

And? They were right. Beating Man City in a match doesn't alter the team's whole trajectory.

Plus that was due to the fact that City played shit more than anything else.

[Lineker]

The best part of the draw for me was the Arsenal fan who phoned up talkSport and complained that it's definitely definitely rigged. Hilarious.

[stokeriño]

Super Cup! Super Cup! Tonight!

Classic 'Community Shield' mentality where the winners love it and the losers say it doesn't really matter... Objectively though, Bayern are the better team with so many of their key players at their peaks around the age of 27 or 28, compared to our bunch of 22 or 23 year olds (plus they rested half their squad in their last match, we didn't), so they have to be the favourites.

Will be fun though. And I say that as someone who even enjoyed our mauling by Falcao last year in a "lol, CARNAGE" kind of way.

[stokeriño]

Bayern Munich: Neuer, Dante, Rafinha, Boateng, Lahm, Ribéry, Robben, T. Müller, Alaba, Kroos, Mandžukić

Subs: Starke, Van Buyten, Contento, Javi Martínez, Shaqiri, Götze, Pizarro

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole, Ramires, Lampard, Oscar, Hazard, Schurrle, Torres

Subs: Schwarzer, Essien, Mata, Mikel, Lukaku, Terry, Azpilicueta

The lack of obvious rotation suggests we're taking this seriously enough, I guess.

[King Ellis]

Mata's still in the dog house!

[stokeriño]

Oh hey, Adrian Chiles took two whole minutes to be a cunt this time. Better than usual.

[Ant]

I am a bit shocked Mata is not starting to be honest. Can you see him going Stoke?

[stokeriño]

I am a bit shocked Mata is not starting to be honest. Can you see him going Stoke?

Not really. I think José's thinking has gone thusly: Mata plays his first game at Villa and is shattered after 60 mins, so off he comes. No way he's starting at United four days later, but maybe he can come off the bench...except the game is on too much of a knife-edge to throw a semi-fit Mata in. Now it's a game with a trophy at stake and so José picks what (so far as I can tell) are probably his 11 with the top match fitness in the squad - so again, bench for Mata, but perhaps he will feature later.

If he'd gone full rotation and brought in Azpilicueta, Essien, Mikel, Bertrand, Lukaku, or whoever...but still kept Mata out, I would perhaps be more confused. But the fact that there hasn't makes me think this is the most likely reasoning.

[METALMAN]

I think it is because Mourimho hates the Spanish. Azpilicueta isn't playing either!

[Jimmy]

Because playing Torres is actually more punishment than just keeping him on the bench?