The Champions League has grown ever more popular in the United States as soccer has increased in popularity. I have always been a geography nerd, and the idea of a continental competition like the Champions League always appealed to me. (There is one in North America too, but Mexican teams always win it, and the US is the only other country with a remote chance. It’s not as fun.) There is plenty of coverage now for the group stages, but I like to follow it from the outset. I’m even in a pick ‘em league with some friends (e-mail me if you would like to join, thevictimes[at]gmail.com) that starts from the very first qualifier.
Since there is so little coverage of the Champions League until the group and knockout stage, I thought I would start doing a preview of the rounds being played. The 1st qualifying round starts next Tuesday, but the 2nd round is already drawn. They are home and home ties, and the winner moves on if they have an aggregate victory. So let’s take a look at each and every one of the scheduled matches (with a special Europa League bonus at the end)
1st round
Shirak (Armenia) vs Tre Penne (San Marino) – The Armenian association has fallen on hard times, and this is their first time playing in the first qualifying round. Historically, Armenia has pumped out quality young talent, but has seen them move on to play in the Ukraine or Russia. The biggest surprise is that it’s not traditional Armenian powerhouse Pyunik, who use to make appearances in the Soviet league, lost out to Shirak. Tre Penne, for what it’s worth, are regular participants in the tournament. They can beat Andorran teams, but nobody else. PICK: Shirak
Lusitans (Andorra) vs EB/Streymur (Faeroe Islands) – There are a couple of tough treks here aren’t there? It used to be that instead of Armenia and the Faeroe Islands, it was Luxembourg and Malta which played in the first round with Andorra and San Marino. Armenia and the Faeroes are much further away. Andorra has about one or two good teams, and Lusitans traditionally isn’t one of them. The Faeroes are a tough place to play, and unless Lusitans puts up a big number in the home half of the tie, I see no way EB/Streymur drops this. PICK: EB/Streymur
2nd Round
Neftçi Baku (Azerbaijan) vs Skënderbeu Korçë (Albania) – Neftçi made it to the group stage of the Europa League last year, which is an incredible accomplishment for a smaller nation. Despite my affinity for Skënderbeu (I liked their page of Facebook!) I can’t deny the Azeri side has the experience and skill to make this a walkover. PICK: Neftçi Baku
Steaua Bucharest (Romania) vs Vardar (Macedonia) – As recently as last year, Romania got a team into the group stage automatically. Steaua is one of the, if not upper then high middle class teams in Europe. It’s too bad for Vardar, because they are an under appreciated team from an under appreciated association. If Yugoslavia was still together, they would have one of the best associations in eastern Europe. Too bad Communism fell apart, eh? PICK: Steaua
Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic) vs Željezničar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – This tie is a good barometer for soccer in Bosnia. There are a lot of good players from Bosnia (such as Manchester City’s Eden Dzeko) and their national team is playing well in World Cup Qualification and will probably make the tournament. The association, however, is still divided along ethnic boundaries ad is fairly disorganized. Is there any talent left in house, or has a Bosnian soccer playing diaspora crippled the domestic league? Plzeň is an above average team from an above average nation, having played in the group stage a couple of years ago (and getting thoroughly embarrassed, but that’s not the point). I think if Željezničar can remain competitive, perhaps Bosnia will step into the world stage like Croatia and Serbia before them. That said… PICK: Viktoria Plzeň
Sherriff Tiraspol (Moldova) vs Sutjeska (Montenegro) – Sherriff has been knocking on the door to the Group Stage for years, while Sutjeska is a new arrival from a country playing above it’s head on an international level (they were winning their group in World Cup Qualification until they got destroyed by Ukraine). Sherriff is a small eastern European team from a nationalistic sliver of land that has an extremely wealthy benefactor. By all accounts, Tiraspol is a very strange place to live, but a good place to watch soccer. PICK: Sherriff
Birkirkara (Malta) vs Maribor (Slovenia) – Maribor is a traditionally strong team in a decent league, while this is Malta’s first time putting a team into the 2nd qualifying round (well, without having to play their way into it). It’s a mismatch. Maribor usually plays into the group stage of the Europa League. PICK: Maribor
Sligo (Ireland) vs Molde (Norway) – Norway has a much better association than Ireland. Ireland is wrought with financial instability and a greater interest in rugby. All that said, Molde has been a disaster this season in the Tippeligaen. Molde was so good last year, but they sold two of their best layers this year and didn’t do enough to restock the cupboards. Molde isn’t a team flush with cash, so they couldn’t just out and buy players. Sligo and Ireland aren’t terribly strong, but Molde is such a catastrophe this year. PICK: Sligo
Elfsborg (Sweden) vs Daugava Daugavpils (Latvia) – Every year, Sweden sends a new champion. Every year, they win their first round, sometimes their second. Every year, they bust out in the playoff stage. Latvia hasn’t really done great on the European stage, and this year will be no different. PICK: Elfsborg
HJK (Finland) vs Kalju (Estonia) – Last year, HJK scored 7 goals in their opening game versus KR from Iceland. This year they play Kalju, new to the Champions League and from a nation that has a storied history of putting up completely indefensible international appearances. Good times. PICK: HJK
Ekranas (Lithuania) vs FH (Iceland) – Ekranas is a joke. The Lithuanian A Lyga is a terrible association that ranges between 7-12 teams year to year, because so many teams can’t maintain themselves. They don’t have promotion or relegation in the Lithuanian system (because there aren’t enough teams), and it is generally a disorganized nightmare. Ekranas is the only team that can get their act together and win the league every year, which helps bolster their coefficient to the point that they get seeded every year. Then, they keep drawing what are usually the weakest teams in their pool and narrowly sneak past the competition and get embarrassed in the 3rd round. Last year, they lost to Anderlecht from Belgium in the 3rd round 11-0. As for FH, the H stands for Hafnarfjörður! Iceland puts out way more talent than seems normal. PICK: FH
TNS (Wales) vs Legia (Poland) – TNS scored one of the biggest upsets in recent memory when they knocked off Bohemians (Ireland) and then lost out to Anderlecht 6-1 in round 3. (If you have been reading this, you should reflect and say wow, Irish teams and Ekranas are really not that good) Generally speaking, Wales is a poor league, though, which is why TNS (which stands for either The New Saints or Total Network Solutions, depending on how well the sponsorship money is rolling in) winning a tie was such a surprise. Legia is a strong team from a good association. Not even close. PICK: Legia
Cliftonville (Northern Ireland) vs Celtic (Scotland) – Celtic is playing in the qualifying round because the rest of Scotland is abortive. Rangers were dropped to the 4th tier because of financial issues, and there is no other competition for Celtic. They are the best team in the 2nd round, barring, perhaps Steaua. They are among the premier teams in Europe and will win this tie easily. Sorry, Cliftonville. Worst draw possible. PICK: Celtic
Fola (Luxembourg) vs Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) – Last year, Dinamo Zagreb had the toughest second round draw possible, taking on Ludogorets Razgrad and only moved through because the extra time went into about 19 minutes. Also last year, Dudelange from Luxembourg started in the first round and went on a surprise run to the 3rd round, which moved Luxembourg OUT of the first qualifying round. So congratulations, Fola, you get to have your ass handed to you. PICK Dinamo Zagreb
Győr (Hungary) vs Maccabbi Tel Aviv (Israel) – This is Győr’s first trip in a while to European competition thanks to some scandal which led to bans and suspensions and a bit of a poor run through the current century, as well as strong teams from Debrecen and Videoton. To me, Győr is a mystery. Israel always puts a strong team in the Champions League. They are never disappointing. I am picking based on the skill of Maccabbi (who have former Rosenborg striker Rade Prica on the squad) rather than anything I know about Győr IF Maccabbi wins this, I can see them making it to the Group Stage. PICK: Maccabbi Tel Aviv
BATE (Belarus) vs Shakhter (Kazakhstan) – BATE is the highest rated team based on coefficient at this stage of the Champions League, but I don’t think that’s an accurate reflection of their current form. They are also in for a tough battle with Shakhter who plays in Karagandy. The nearest foreign nation to Karagandy is Russia. Next, Mongolia. That’s a tough trip for BATE. I don’t think they will lose, but Kazakhstan always plays tough and defensive especially at home, and BATE is vulnerable, so if they go down early in any year, this would be the year for it. PICK: BATE
Shirak vs Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) – This is obviously based on my assumption Shirak will win in round one. If it is possible that this is a skill, then Partizan is very good at drawing first round qualifiers in the Champions League’s earliest rounds. They usually back it up in later rounds against tougher opponents, so I don’t have the problem with Partizan that I do with Ekranas. Partizan is actually a solid squad. PICK: Partizan Belgrade
Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) vs Ludogorets (Bulgaria) – Ludogorets was promoted to the Bulgarian top league two years ago and won it that same year. Since they had no European experience, they had a low coefficient, so they ended up drawing Dinamo Zagreb, a regional powerhouse. This is how it ended. Everyone died. Razgrad is owned by a wealthy individual intent on making Razgrad a powerhouse, and their coefficient didn’t even go up despite taking Dinamo down to the wire. Slovan is a much weaker opponent than Dinamo, fortunately for the collective health of eastern Bulgaria. PICK: Ludogorets
Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia) vs EB Streymur: Congratulations, Dinamo, you are seeded this year! Enjoy a trip to a barren Arctic archipelago! Based solely on the incredibly long trek Dinamo has to take to the Faeroe Islands, this is a tie that bears watching, but I would be very surprised if the two Dinamos didn’t go 2 for 2. PICK: Dinamo Tbilisi
EUROPA LEAGUE BONUS !!!!!
Rosenborg is playing in the Europa League again this year, and were entered in the first round for the second year in a row. There are 76 teams in the first qualifying round of he Europa League, so it’s a little bit different than the Champions League.
For the third year in a row, Rosenborg will begin with a tie with a Northern Irish team, and for the second year in a row, they will face Crusaders FC in the first round. Last year, the match was very testy, and although Rosenborg won easily, Crusaders were very chippy and got under RBK’s skin. Rosenborg has had some turnover (including bringing in the insane Nicki Bille Nielsen) but Crusaders have kept essentially the same team for the past 15 years. They are old, and they lost in the same fixture last year. The biggest concern is how physical this gets and whether or not Rosenborg gets to round two with all of their players. Nielsen might end up in a Belfast prison.
Assuming they get past Crusaders, Rosenborg’s second round tie would be with St. Johnstone from Scotland. As I mentioned earlier, Scotland is a mess. St. Johnstone, like Crusaders, is full of aging players who have been with the club forever, but they are gearing up their forwards this summer. It’s a tough tie for Rosenborg, but I am more comfortable with their chances against St. Johnstone than I was with their match last year against Ordabasy in Kazakhstan.
If you are looking forward to something to fill your mornings, then start paying attention Tuesday morning, and join the Champions League pick ’em
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
