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SDKFZ 222 12:33 Thu Nov 25
Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

I was a bit bored this evening so I decided to analyse the tables for future potential Europa League opponents. All eight Champions League groups have just one match left to play.

Group A:

This will be fought out by RB Leipzig and FC Bruges on 4 points each, but the -11 goal difference handicaps Bruges.

Group B:

This is a three way split with FC Porto, AC Milan and A. Madrid on 5, 4 and 4 points respectively.

Group C:

This is likely to be Dortmund as they have 6 points. They can’t be caught by Besiktas and need a 10 goal swing and three points in order to catch up with Sporting Lisbon.

Group D:

Likewise, this is likely to be Sheriff Tiraspol as their third place can’t be changed.

Group E:

Either Barcelona or Benfica, as they have 7 and 5 points, respectively.

*However, Benfica are at home to last placed Kiev and Barcelona are away to Bayern in the last match.

Group F:

Villarreal, Atalanta or Young Boys, on 7, 6 and 4, respectively. Although, it is more likely to be one from the first two.

* Atalanta, in 2nd place, play at home to Villarreal in the last match, which gives them the edge.

Group G:

All four teams are within just 3 points of each other - Lille, RB Salzburg, Sevilla and Wolfsburg, on 8, 7, 6 and 5, respectively. It will go down to the last match.

Group H:

This will be between Zenit or Malmö as there is only a 3 point gap, but the huge goal difference favours Zenit.

The eight third placed ECL teams then play the eight second placed Europa teams in 2-legged ties on the 17th and 24th February. The draw for this takes place on 16th December.

The draw for the Round of 16 proper takes place on 25th February.o

SDKFZ 222 12:40 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

That should have read ‘Villarreal are in second place’, not Atalanta 😳🤦🏼‍♂️

Vexed 12:42 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Nice work. Sounds like there are some potential giants falling into the Europa. West Ham v Barcelona would be mental.

Irish Hammer 12:48 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Thanks for doing that, much appreciated.

A trip to the Bernabau, Camp Now, or San Siro would be fucking surreal !

mallard 12:55 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Thanks for doing the research so we didn’t have to.

Some tasty European clubs in the next round

RBshorty 12:56 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Dortmund would be nice.

SDKFZ 222 1:38 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

These are the future rounds, as taken from the EUFA.com website. I should have included them in the main post, sorry:

Knockout stage dates

Knockout round play-offs draw: 13 December 2021

Knockout round play-offs: 17 & 24 February 2022

Round of 16 draw: 25 February 2022

Round of 16: 10 & 17 March 2022

Quarter & semi-finals draw: 18 March 2022

Quarter-finals: 7 & 14 April 2022

Semi-finals: 28 April & 5 May 2022

Final: 18 May 2022

Manuel 2:39 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Barca should already be fucked, don't know if anyone saw it but Benfica missed an open goal in injury time in their 0-0 with Barca on Tuesday.

I suppose Barca, Dortmund, and either Madrid/Milan could be the strongest drop outs.

Would like to see Leicester go out.

Mex Martillo 8:19 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

I would just add SDKFZ 222 1:38 Thu Nov 25, that by finishing 1st in the group we go straight into the last 16 (draw 28th Feb. games 16-17 March) and avoid the knockout phase where champions league drop outs plays 2nd placed UEFC groups teams (draw Dec and played Feb).
Have to say I’d love that we meet Barca in the later stages. I live not too far from the Camp Nou and have a lot of Barca supporting friends.

WHUDeano 9:08 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

I was having a look at this last night and saw that Barca look very likely to drop into the Europa. West Ham v Barcelona in a competitive knockout match would be incredible! Milan at the San Siro would pretty special too! Though I think it seems more likely for Porto to drop into it.

Manuel 9:26 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

I wonder if those planning to go to the last 16 away tie will want a glamour tie, or the weakest team left on paper? I suppose the same applies to the home leg, to some extent.

On The Ball 9:41 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

It's a funny one - in the FA Cup I want the worst team left in it at home - always. Here, I think most of us will be drawn towards the 'glamour' ties - who wouldn't want to see us at the Nou Camp? Even though it'd more likely see us knocked out than going to one of the 'lesser' sides. For some reason it feels like more the point of the tournament than the FA Cup (that said, having been before I'd be over the moon to go to Tiraspol again).

I look forward to the meltdown on here for Barcelona at home when Sully comes up with a letter above 'A' for the match category.....

Sydney_Iron 9:57 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Don’t mind who comes down from the CL, hopefully we get a decent draw to the final though but would be nice to have a biggish club on the final, Barcelona??? Dont think it will happen, they are a bit shit ATM

Agree with Manual, hope Leicester go out, they can finish 3rd and drop to the Conference, give Spurs a bit of competition, in fact I would be willing them on…..

twoleftfeet 11:01 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Leicester should beat Legia tonight which would put them top of the group but they go to Napoli for the last game.

Stubbo 1:03 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Id like to see us get the weakest teams available in the round of 16 and the quarters, work through those, and then when we get to the Semi's pull out a draw with someone more massive.

Getting dispatched by Barca or Milan in the round of 16 will be a bit of an anticlimax.

Manuel 1:07 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Stubbo - Yea I'd go along with that, we need to think bigger than 'wouldn't it be great to draw a real big club' but I suppose the fear is getting drawn against a lesser side getting eliminated and then missing out on a big one.

nich the d 4:45 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Do you lot!! really think a tie with Barcelona sees West Ham out?

Have you watched Barcelona this season? There's nothing to fear there!

ludo21 5:17 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Obviously we lack experience in Europe (although some of our players have it) but the way that the English CL clubs have swept the competition aside suggests that we don't have much to fear from even the so called 'big clubs' in Europe.

Obviously anything can happen on the night but there is no reason to fear any of the 3rd placed CL clubs.

We have shown that we aren't far behind the top three clubs in England over at 18 months now... the European clubs should be more scared of drawing us than we are of them.

SDKFZ 222 7:11 Thu Nov 25
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

I’ve been on the Dortmund, Bayern, Hertha Berlin and Barcelona stadium tours, all were very nice and it’d be great to see us play in those.

The only sniff I’ve had of the San Siro was when we passed it on the coach en route to Cremonese..

Billy Blagg 2:42 Fri Nov 26
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Every season I sit slack-jawed at the fact the UEFA has toadied again to the supposed big clubs to allow them a safety net of dropping into another competition at the last 32 stage after failing in the competition they originally started in. It's like taking aside all the London Marathon runners who are puffing away after 5 miles
and dropping them off just short of the finishing line to see if they can beat Kipchoge over 100 yards. Just allow the Europa League to be the second-tier competition and scrap this lunacy.

SDKFZ 222 3:00 Fri Nov 26
Re: Potential Third Place Champion’s Leaugue drop-outs.

Billy Blagg 2:42 Fri Nov 26

I totally agree. That’s how Chelsea managed to win the Europa when they dropped into it.

The same thing now happens with the Europa Conference League. Europa third place rejects drop into that competition. It also creates fixture congestion with the extra qualifying rounds happening in February.

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