Ludogorets v Liverpool UEFA CL Wed 26 Nov

[Guest davelfc]

 

 

When is a must-win game not really a must-win game? When Liverpool travel to Sofia on Wednesday night.

 

It says much about the contrary nature of a difficult campaign for Brendan Rodgers and his players that victory in Bulgaria against Ludogorets is not imperative to secure progress to the group stages of the Champions League.

While reliant on Real Madrid maintaining a 100% record throughout the group, the Reds could draw in midweek and still qualify from Group B.Even a defeat against Ludogorets may not be fatal, although qualification would depend on an unlikely sequence of events.

Six points, though, was enough for Zenit St Petersburg to go through last season, the lowest total of any team not to be eliminated at the group stage.

After that, there are a gaggle of teams for whom seven points were enough, including Liverpool in 2001-02 when the second group stage was still being used.

 

Rodgers’ side need to win at least one of their final two games.

Realistically, four points from six is the bare minimum, although a victory against Ludogorets and a triumph by more than one goal against Basel at Anfield in the final group match on December 9 would ensure Liverpool control their own destiny.

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fc-win-against-ludogorets-8164332

 

Don't really know what to say about that article from the echo. 

[Dr. J]

I believe in magical thinking, thus we should play the exact team, using the exact same tactics, because this time it will come out right.

 

I also believe if I can say Ludogorets Razgrad 10 times very fast without fucking up we will win handily.

[ratcatcher]

Well its easy to say disregard this game but we need a win to get the confidence going. I'd go back to basics (and any other cliches people want to throw in) for this game and play our strongest team (if we have one!).

 

I'd go 4-4-2. Presuming our strongest team is fielded, I'd then play this in the league. Of course if it goes tits up again, all bets are off.

[Section_31]

[scudger99]

Do we have to win against Ludogorets ?  We have to win against some cunt at some point.  Otherwise being managerless will become a reality sooner rather than later.

We have to play to win, we can't defend for shit anyway so we might as well give it a shot.  Hell, we did alright against RM at their place, we should still have enough about us to twat this lot.

 

But it's inevitable that we'll shit the bed..........

[ZonkoVille77]

we'll get tonked.

 

We're fucked.

[Russ Atmosphere]

Was hoping to not watch us so soon.

[Guest davelfc]

Was hoping to not watch us so soon.

 

We have a chance to put that embarrassing debacle from yesterday behind us and get a whole new embarrassing debacle to see us to the weekend. 

[xerxes]

Well its easy to say disregard this game

How? If we lose we are pretty much out of the CL depending on the goal difference result from the Basel/Madrid tie.

[TheFridge]

We'll shit the bed, again.

[El Dangerous]

We'll finish 3rd in the group then when he comes back in the new year Rafa will win us the UEFA cup and qualify us again. Then we'll sign Xabi, Mascherano and Karl Heinz Riedle and we'll be good again.

[Kevin D]

Cunt ref.

[Denny Crane]

Liverpool have not lost 5 games in a row since 1953. So Rodgers can't even throw this one. We have shipped 21 goals in our last 10 away games under Rodgers. I guess that explains why Rodgers was so ecastic after only shipping 1 at Real Madrid.

[Mook]

We are absolute certainties to lose here & not score.

 

It's heartbreaking at the moment.

[bouncebrigade]

We'll win 74-13.

[Dr. J]

Lallana:

 

 

We win and lose as a team; we need to stay together, keep fighting and keep working for each other. We have got a tough game on Wednesday so we all need to be together for that one.

“We need to win to stay in the competition, so the lads will be fighting for their lives to do that. It’s important, not just for ourselves, but for the fans, the manager and everyone involved with Liverpool Football Club.”

 

Our finest hour it is, then. Wonder if Rodgers will start him.

[Original202]

Ah, so the first player has come out with the "We know what we need to do to turn this around, we're fighting and working hard" shite after the latest debacle. Excellent.

 

Where's Flanno? And how much longer is Sakho out for? Maybe we should just play them anyway. And Suso.

[Rotpeter]

I'm surprised that was the quote that got air. The other day he was saying that it would be remarkable if we finished 4th. Alas, this shook loose some deliberately repressed memories and I'll probably never forgive him.  Filed him under, soft lad, loser.

[magicrat]

We will draw this and Rodgers will try and bullshit us that we can still qualify. we were unlucky and this could be the turning point, Back on earth the vultures are still circling  

[manwiththestick]

It's going to be eye aids, no two ways about it.

[Paco]

Liverpool have not lost 5 games in a row since 1953. So Rodgers can't even throw this one. We have shipped 21 goals in our last 10 away games under Rodgers. I guess that explains why Rodgers was so ecastic after only shipping 1 at Real Madrid.

wow you really do relish in the failure of this football club.

[Captain]

I'd rather not think about this one tbh.

 

I used to absolutely love us in the CL. Now I dread us playing European minnows.

 

Fuck me how we've fallen.

[scudger99]

It's a chance to dig in.  We were doing OK at Madrid, (although they were in 3rd gear).  The players selected need to turn up though.  In a sane world, they'd be playing for their places at the weekend with the current situation.  Sanity ?  Our current plight resembles a Monty Python sketch on acid, they'd probably win and all get dropped for the weekend.

But we're not going to get much of a better chance to beat up some minnows and restore some belief.

If we get twatted here, I'm finding a nice cave for the Bournemouth game.

[Mark M]

Now for the first time I know how my missus feels about football.

 

Another game of football there always on aren't they?

 

I'm back to how I felt under Hodgson just not looking forward to watching us but watching us anyway and making myself more miserable.

[Dr. J]

Any clue on the team? Not many did themselves with honour against Palace. What are the chances they'll be out there on Weds?