[retired_anneduck]

The new season is with us, and with the old thread locked away, its time for a new thread if theres enough interest just in time for the new European season (with Kazakhstan so far dominating all). Hope their enough interest to keep this going

The qualifiers for Europe this year - Champions League:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">2nd Qualifying Round (28 teams)Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef.------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- -------Steaua Bucuresti Rom 55.255 Beitar Jerusalem Isr 6.338Glasgow Rangers Sco 47.064 Zaglebie Lubin Pol 5.609Shakhtar Donetsk Ukr 44.726 NK Domzale * Slo 5.272Besiktas Tur 43.791 IF Elfsborg * Swe 4.478Levski Sofia Bul 38.112 FK Sarajevo * Bos 4.190Slavia Praha Cze 32.851 FK Ventspils * Lat 3.860Rosenborg BK Nor 31.509 MSK Zilina * Svk 3.575Red Star Belgrade Srb 19.256 Pyunik Yerevan * Arm 3.145FC København Den 19.129 FH Hafnarfjardar * Isl 2.650Dinamo Zagreb * Cro 17.533 Zeta Golubovci * Mon 2.420Racing Genk Bel 15.594 Tampere United * Fin 2.420DVSC Debrecen *** 11.675 Sheriff Tiraspol * Mol 2.365FC Salzburg Aut 9.104 FK Astana * Kaz 2.035BATE Borisov * Bls 6.492 Levadia Tallinn * Est 1.9253rd Qualifying Round (32 teams)Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef.------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- -------Liverpool Eng 112.618 Sparta Praha Cze 37.851Arsenal Eng 104.618 Fenerbahçe Tur 36.791Valencia Esp 99.374 AEK Athens Gre 36.415Sevilla Esp 87.374 Dinamo Bucuresti Rom 34.255Benfica Por 67.107 Slavia Praha ** Cze 32.851Ajax Ned 65.995 Rosenborg BK ** Nor 31.509Werder Bremen Ger 63.640 Spartak Moscow Rus 27.920Celtic Sco 62.064 Red Star Belgrade ** Srb 19.256Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 55.255 FC København ** Den 19.129Lazio Roma Ita 51.808 Toulouse FC Fra 17.706Glasgow Rangers ** Sco 47.064 Dinamo Zagreb * Cro 17.533Shakhtar Donetsk ** Ukr 44.726 Racing Genk ** Bel 15.594Besiktas ** Tur 43.791 DVSC Debrecen ** *** 11.675Anderlecht Bel 41.594 FC Zürich Sui 9.869Dinamo Kiev Ukr 38.726 FC Salzburg ** Aut 9.104Levski Sofia ** Bul 38.112 BATE Borisov * Bls 1.540Intertoto Cup - From EE, Otelul (Romania) and Tobol (Kazakhstan) won through to the UEFA Cup 2nd Qualifying RoundUEFA Cup - 2nd Qualifying Round (64 teams)Northern region (22 teams):Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef.------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- -------Blackburn Rovers @ Eng 36.618 Helsingborg IF * Swe 3.478OB Odense * Den 15.129 Hammarby IF @ Swe 3.478Standard Liège Bel 14.594 BK Häcken * Swe 3.478Vålerengen IF * Nor 11.509 MyPa-47 * Fin 3.420Dunfermline Athletic Sco 10.064 Metalurgs Liepaja * Lat 2.860FC Midtjylland * Den 9.129 Skonto Riga * Lat 2.860AaB Aalborg @ Den 7.129 Suduva Marijampole * Lit 2.420Fredrikstad FK Nor 6.509 Ekranas Panevezys * Lit 2.420SK Brann Bergen * Nor 6.509 HJK Helsinki * Fin 2.420Lillestrøm SK * Nor 6.509 Haka Valkeakoski * Fin 2.420AIK Stockholm * Swe 4.478 Drogheda United * Irl 2.145Central-East region (20 teams):Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef.------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- -------FC Basel Sui 54.869 FK Jablonec Cze 8.851RC Lens @ Fra 51.706 Young Boys * Sui 7.869Zenit St. Petersburg Rus 38.920 SV Ried * Aut 6.104Hamburger SV @ Ger 34.640 SV Mattersburg * Aut 6.104Austria Wien Aut 30.104 MTK Budapest * *** 5.675Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Ukr 29.726 GKS Belchatow * Pol 5.609Petrzalka Bratislava * Svk 13.575 Honvéd Budapest * *** 4.675Groclin Grodzisk * Pol 11.609 Dinamo Tbilisi * Geo 4.035Rapid Wien @ Aut 10.104 FC Zlaté Moravce * Svk 3.575FC Sion Sui 8.869 Tobol Kustanai @ Kaz 0.770Southern-Mediterranean region (22 teams):Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef.------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- -------Sampdoria @ Ita 28.808 Erciyesspor Tur 8.791Galatasaray Tur 26.791 Hajduk Split * Cro 7.533Atlético Madrid @ Esp 25.374 Maccabi Netanya Isr 6.338CSKA Sofia Bul 20.112 Vojvodina Novi Sad * Srb 6.256Hapoel Tel-Aviv Isr 19.338 FK Bezanija * Srb 6.256Litex Lovech * Bul 19.112 Anorthosis Famagusta * Cyp 5.492União de Leiria @ Por 16.107 Nova Gorica * Slo 4.272Maccabi Tel-Aviv * Isr 14.338 Slaven Koprivnica * Cro 3.533CFR Cluj Rom 13.255 Omonia Nicosia * Cyp 3.492Otelul Galati @ Rom 13.255 NK Koper * Slo 3.272Lokomotiv Sofia Bul 10.112 Zrinjski Mostar * Bos 3.190</pre>


Shakhtar Donetsk, CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Steaua Bucharest and Dynamo Kiev are expected to be the strongest of the East European teams. Dinamo Bucharest have their strongest team for years and walked away with the Romanian league last season and will be one to avoid in the 3QR of the Champions League.

Zenit are real dark horses for the UEFA Cup having spent heavily in January and the summer break. Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star may cause an upset as well

Partizan, who had a very good team this year were kicked out fo the UEFA Cup by UEFA last week (pending appeal) for crowd trouble away at Zrinjski in Mostar

[retired_noramae]

Going to Moscow in a few weeks, think I might try to catch a CSKA or Spartak game, seasons about half way through right?

[retired_charlene]

come one spartak varna

[retired_anneduck]

Originally posted by dudley:
Going to Moscow in a few weeks, think I might try to catch a CSKA or Spartak game, seasons about half way through right?

Yep, just over half way done. CSKA having a poor season so far (since Akinfeev got injured), the top two are as expected. Rostov are really crap and certs to be relegated

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">1FC Spartak Moskva 18332FC Zenit St. Petersburg 18313FC Moskva 18304FC Dinamo Moskva 18275PFC CSKA Moskva 18266FC Lokomotiv Moskva 19247FC Rubin Kazan 16238FC Krylya Sovetov Samara18229FC Luch-Energia Vladivostok182110FC Spartak Nalchik 172111FC Tom Tomsk 182112FC Amkar Perm 182113FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast182114FC Kuban Krasnodar 182115FC Khimki 182016FC Rostov 1812</pre>

[retired_noramae]

Wow, CSKA are doing crap, shame about Akinfeev being injured, he's awesome. 5 out of the top 6 from Moscow, must be some sort of record?

[retired_anneduck]

First big transfer of the week in Eastern Europe, its big spending Donetsk, Manchester City target Nery Castillo to join Shakhtar for around 15m euros

Castillo set to join Shakhtar

Great transfer for Lucescu's men, he looked fantastic at the Copa America

[retired_lpribila]

Bolton could play Red Star Belgrade in the first round of the UEFA Cup if they got through, wouldn't fancy a trip there. :/

Other potential opponents are Mlada Boleslav, Salzburg, Sion and Petrzalka.

[retired_anneduck]

Red Star have a decent shot of making the CL group stages if they get a kind draw (not like Milan last year for example), and might just sneak into a seeded position in the UEFA cup

Good team this year, even without Zigic

Current UC1R seeds are:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Round 1 (80 teams)Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef.------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- -------Villarreal Esp 78.374 Red Star Belgrade *** Srb 19.256Bayern München Ger 73.640 FC København *** Den 19.129AZ Alkmaar Ned 63.995 Litex Lovech * Bul 19.112Panathinaikos Gre 55.415 Toulouse FC *** Fra 17.706FC Basel ** Sui 54.869 Dinamo Zagreb *** Cro 17.533RC Lens @ Fra 51.706 Panionios Gre 16.415Girondins Bordeaux Fra 49.706 União de Leiria @ Por 16.107Bayer Leverkusen Ger 45.640 Racing Genk *** Bel 15.594Club Brugge Bel 45.594 OB Odense * Den 15.129Palermo Ita 42.808 FC Groningen Ned 14.995Tottenham Hotspur Eng 40.618 1.FC Nürnberg Ger 14.640Real Zaragoza Esp 40.374 Standard Liège ** Bel 14.594Rapid Bucuresti Rom 40.255 Maccabi Tel-Aviv * Isr 14.338Lokomotiv Moscow Rus 38.920 CF Os Belenenses Por 14.107Zenit St. Petersburg ** Rus 38.920 Paços de Ferreira Por 14.107Sparta Praha *** Cze 37.851 Mladá Boleslav Cze 13.851Fenerbahçe *** Tur 36.791 Petrzalka Bratislava * Svk 13.575FC Sochaux-Montbéliard Fra 36.706 Aris Thessaloniki Gre 13.415Blackburn Rovers @ Eng 36.618 ------------------------------------AEK Athens *** Gre 36.415 CFR Cluj ** Rom 13.255Heerenveen Ned 35.995 Otelul Galati @ Rom 13.255Hamburger SV @ Ger 34.640 FC Twente Enschede Ned 12.995Dinamo Bucuresti *** Rom 34.255 DVSC Debrecen *** *** 11.675Slavia Praha *** Cze 32.851 Groclin Grodzisk * Pol 11.609Bolton Wanderers Eng 32.618 Vålerengen IF * Nor 11.509Rosenborg BK *** Nor 31.509 Aberdeen Sco 11.064Austria Wien ** Aut 30.104 Lokomotiv Sofia ** Bul 10.112Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk ** Ukr 29.726 Rapid Wien @ Aut 10.104Sampdoria @ Ita 28.808 Dunfermline Athletic ** Sco 10.064Spartak Moscow *** Rus 27.920 FC Zürich *** Sui 9.869Sporting Braga Por 27.107 Metalist Kharkiv Ukr 9.726------------------------------------ FC Midtjylland * Den 9.129Galatasaray ** Tur 26.791 FC Salzburg *** Aut 9.104Getafe Esp 25.374 FC Sion ** Sui 8.869Atlético Madrid @ Esp 25.374 AE Larissa Gre 8.415Everton Eng 24.618 AaB Aalborg @ Den 7.129Fiorentina Ita 21.808 Fredrikstad FK ** Nor 6.509Empoli Ita 21.808 SK Brann Bergen * Nor 6.509Stade Rennais Fra 20.706 Lillestrøm SK * Nor 6.509CSKA Sofia ** Bul 20.112 AIK Stockholm * Swe 4.478Hapoel Tel-Aviv ** Isr 19.338 BATE Borisov *** Bls 1.540</pre>

The lines indicate definitely seeded, definitely not seeded, and to be decided

[retired_karahlane]

Hope Steaua make the group stages. I want to see if Nicolae Dica is as good in real life as he is on FM

[retired_anneduck]

He is very good. Becali (Steaua's owner) wants to build an all Romanian team and they've stopped selling all their best players abroad every year (as have all Romanian teams), which is why they've been doing so well

Providing they get a decent draw, as a seeded team they should be going through to the group stages