⚽ Soccer Match-day Thread (4 Viewers)

[El Floppo]

EPL running rampant

Speaking of the EPL, Brentford just went up 2-0 against Forest in a very meaningful game for Champions League positioning.

Am really rooting for Forest to hold on and return to the CL. What a season for them regardless of how it ends. Their manager should be Manager of the Season.

I understand this sentiment but for obvious reasons I feel the exact opposite.

fwiw, I'm rooting for Forest AND NC. would LOVE to see MC on the outside.

wait... 5 spots? where's Chelsea in all of this? I'd love to Chelsea on the outside if they're in the mix.

As it stands now, if the Forest lose holds...

Liverpool 82
Arsenal 67
Newcastle 62
Man City 61
Chelsea 60
Nottm Forest 60
Aston Villa 57

All on 34 matches played

is Forest 6th on GD?

good gravy, Chelsea being handed goals now.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

 

[B Maverick]

MU legend Antony with a stunner for Bettis.

The man is where he should be. And doing well for them. Pay up Betis!

 

[B Maverick]

EPL running rampant

Speaking of the EPL, Brentford just went up 2-0 against Forest in a very meaningful game for Champions League positioning.

Am really rooting for Forest to hold on and return to the CL. What a season for them regardless of how it ends. Their manager should be Manager of the Season.

I understand this sentiment but for obvious reasons I feel the exact opposite.

fwiw, I'm rooting for Forest AND NC. would LOVE to see MC on the outside.

wait... 5 spots? where's Chelsea in all of this? I'd love to Chelsea on the outside if they're in the mix.

As it stands now, if the Forest lose holds...

Liverpool 82
Arsenal 67
Newcastle 62
Man City 61
Chelsea 60
Nottm Forest 60
Aston Villa 57

All on 34 matches played

is Forest 6th on GD?

good gravy, Chelsea being handed goals now.

Must be, didn't look at that.

And nice of them to hand one back.

 

[El Floppo]

MU legend Antony with a stunner for Bettis.

The man is where he should be. And doing well for them. Pay up Betis!

I'm a big Isco fan, and of course Johnny USA... this Betis team has been fun to watch with Antony finding his way.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I'm doing my final matchday watch party again this year on May 25. All games kick off at 10:00 CST. Two tvs in the garage, mostly my son's friends but a few dads, lots of smoked meats and cigars. Looks like it could be a good one this year.

 

[B Maverick]

I'm doing my final matchday watch party again this year on May 25. All games kick off at 10:00 CST. Two tvs in the garage, mostly my son's friends but a few dads, lots of smoked meats and cigars. Looks like it could be a good one this year.

Where's this being held?

 

[B Maverick]

MU legend Antony with a stunner for Bettis.

The man is where he should be. And doing well for them. Pay up Betis!

I'm a big Isco fan, and of course Johnny USA... this Betis team has been fun to watch with Antony finding his way.

So much so that J-USA is being linked to United.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

It turns out that Djurgarden, currently 11th in the Swedish Allsvenskan league, aren't really all that. These are Conference League things.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I'm doing my final matchday watch party again this year on May 25. All games kick off at 10:00 CST. Two tvs in the garage, mostly my son's friends but a few dads, lots of smoked meats and cigars. Looks like it could be a good one this year.

Where's this being held?

All are welcome. My garage is your garage. This year I'm adding a garage fridge, which is standard in Wisconsin.

 

[B Maverick]

Lo Celso looked like he dove, but credit to Michael Oliver for being quick on the yellow with two Fio players rushing him.

just outside the box so no VAR. Free kick hits the wall.

 

[B Maverick]

BODO has life!

 

[B Maverick]

Well, on to the second leg

United host Bilbao up 3-0
Bodo/Glimt to host Tottenham down 3-1
Chelsea host Djurgarden up 4-1
Fiorentina host Betis down 2-1

 

[El Floppo]

MU legend Antony with a stunner for Bettis.

The man is where he should be. And doing well for them. Pay up Betis!

I'm a big Isco fan, and of course Johnny USA... this Betis team has been fun to watch with Antony finding his way.

So much so that J-USA is being linked to United.

I think Spurs have some weird right of first refusal or something for Johnny

 

[El Floppo]

I'm doing my final matchday watch party again this year on May 25. All games kick off at 10:00 CST. Two tvs in the garage, mostly my son's friends but a few dads, lots of smoked meats and cigars. Looks like it could be a good one this year.

Where's this being held?

All are welcome. My garage is your garage. This year I'm adding a garage fridge, which is standard in Wisconsin.

I figured garages ARE fridges in WI... At least most of the year.

 

[El Floppo]

MU legend Antony with a stunner for Bettis.

The man is where he should be. And doing well for them. Pay up Betis!

I'm a big Isco fan, and of course Johnny USA... this Betis team has been fun to watch with Antony finding his way.

So much so that J-USA is being linked to United.

I think Spurs have some weird right of first refusal or something for Johnny

"Tottenham Hotspur are not expected to find it easy to sign Johnny Cardoso despite their option to buy, with one Premier League club ready to make a lucrative offer to the midfielder this summer.

Spurs have a £21m option to buy Cardoso this summer, but that does not mean that they are in the driving seat to land the midfielder."

Johnny has the right to refuse the deal.

MU and Wolves also supposedly interested.

 

[B Maverick]

MU legend Antony with a stunner for Bettis.

The man is where he should be. And doing well for them. Pay up Betis!

I'm a big Isco fan, and of course Johnny USA... this Betis team has been fun to watch with Antony finding his way.

So much so that J-USA is being linked to United.

I think Spurs have some weird right of first refusal or something for Johnny

"Tottenham Hotspur are not expected to find it easy to sign Johnny Cardoso despite their option to buy, with one Premier League club ready to make a lucrative offer to the midfielder this summer.

Spurs have a £21m option to buy Cardoso this summer, but that does not mean that they are in the driving seat to land the midfielder."

Johnny has the right to refuse the deal.

MU and Wolves also supposedly interested.

My first thought when he was linked was no thanks. I'll have to watch more of him I guess.

 

[El Floppo]

MU legend Antony with a stunner for Bettis.

The man is where he should be. And doing well for them. Pay up Betis!

I'm a big Isco fan, and of course Johnny USA... this Betis team has been fun to watch with Antony finding his way.

So much so that J-USA is being linked to United.

I think Spurs have some weird right of first refusal or something for Johnny

"Tottenham Hotspur are not expected to find it easy to sign Johnny Cardoso despite their option to buy, with one Premier League club ready to make a lucrative offer to the midfielder this summer.

Spurs have a £21m option to buy Cardoso this summer, but that does not mean that they are in the driving seat to land the midfielder."

Johnny has the right to refuse the deal.

MU and Wolves also supposedly interested.

My first thought when he was linked was no thanks. I'll have to watch more of him I guess.

tbh, I like his game, but I don't get the hype for this kind of move based on watching a few Betis games and whatever time he gets with the US.

he's got good technical skills, good read of space and marking, good vision and ability on the dribble and pass, but lacks explosiveness that I think is needed in the EPL (or in La Liga if he wasn't partnered with somebody else who has it). similar to a Beckerman (but better) or late stages Caillou.

IMO, he MUST be in a double pivot with a very active, ball chasing partner... that's where he's looked very good for Betis.

 

[B Maverick]

Arsenal going from title contenders to worrying about the top 5?

Bournemouth with a nice win today.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Antony with a ridiculous game winner in injury time today

Video - 296a20be

Video was uploaded to Streamin.me on May 05, 2025.

streamin.me

 

[bigbottom]

Is anyone other than me following Roma? They are on an amazing run. 4 points from relegation at midseason when Ranieri takes over. They are now in a Champions League battle after a 19 match unbeaten streak (I believe the best record among the top five leagues for 2025). They will very likely need to win out, however, and they have some really tough matches in their last three. Odds are still against them but after their season start it is amazing that they even have a shot.

 

[El Floppo]

Is anyone other than me following Roma? They are on an amazing run. 4 points from relegation at midseason when Ranieri takes over. They are now in a Champions League battle after a 19 match unbeaten streak (I believe the best record among the top five leagues for 2025). They will very likely need to win out, however, and they have some really tough matches in their last three. Odds are still against them but after their season start it is amazing that they even have a shot.

my gb I previously mentioned to you is a HUGE Roma fan, so I follow a bit. been an amazing story... and while I want US players in the CL, I'd love to see the giallorossi finish this dream turn around out in the CL.

tl;dr- I hate having to root for Juve.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Two second half goals at Palace and they're even with a half hour to play -- for those of us with an interest in the final positioning for next year's Euro spots.

 

[El Floppo]

Two second half goals at Palace and they're even with a half hour to play -- for those of us with an interest in the final positioning for next year's Euro spots.

1-1.

That last Euro spot (6th place) is going to be a battle. And somebody very deserving is going to be on the outside.

 

[B Maverick]

Two second half goals at Palace and they're even with a half hour to play -- for those of us with an interest in the final positioning for next year's Euro spots.

1-1.

That last Euro spot (6th place) is going to be a battle. And somebody very deserving is going to be on the outside.

By "Euro spot" you mean what?

This was my understanding:
1-5 Champions League
6 - Europa
7 - Europa via FA Cup winner. If the winner is in the CL, #7 gets this spot.
8- Conference League.

If Chelsea wins the Conference League, not sure how that affects any of this since they might qualify for the CL. Winning would guarantee them a Europa spot. Does that mean 8 gets into Europa and a 9th team goes to Conference League?

 

[El Floppo]

Two second half goals at Palace and they're even with a half hour to play -- for those of us with an interest in the final positioning for next year's Euro spots.

1-1.

That last Euro spot (6th place) is going to be a battle. And somebody very deserving is going to be on the outside.

By "Euro spot" you mean what?

This was my understanding:
1-5 Champions League
6 - Europa
7 - Europa via FA Cup winner. If the winner is in the CL, #7 gets this spot.
8- Conference League.

If Chelsea wins the Conference League, not sure how that affects any of this since they might qualify for the CL. Winning would guarantee them a Europa spot. Does that mean 8 gets into Europa and a 9th team goes to Conference League?

This is good stuff. No idea really- I only looked at the table on ESPN where it says 1-5 get CL and 6 get Europa.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Two second half goals at Palace and they're even with a half hour to play -- for those of us with an interest in the final positioning for next year's Euro spots.

1-1.

That last Euro spot (6th place) is going to be a battle. And somebody very deserving is going to be on the outside.

It's gotten too complicated for me to try to figure out any more. Top 5 are in the champions League, but Spurs or Man United could also still get in by winning Europa. Then I think 1 or 2 Europa League spots usually go to English clubs, possibly depending on the FA Cup final? And don't forget the UEFA Conference League! It seems like 8 or 9 from England could end up playing in a European tournament these days.

 

[TennesseeJed]

If Chelsea wins the Conference League, not sure how that affects any of this since they might qualify for the CL. Winning would guarantee them a Europa spot. Does that mean 8 gets into Europa and a 9th team goes to Conference League?

Premier League claims up to 10 can qualify - but I thought I read somewhere that PL could lose a spot in the Conference league - if 10 teams qualify:

But this is from PL:

How could 10 English teams play in Europe next season?​

There is a chance that European competitions will feature 10 English clubs next season. Here is a scenario where this could happen:

- Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Man City finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League
- Aston Villa or Brighton finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League
- Chelsea finish outside the top six and qualify for the Europa League by winning this season’s Conference League
- Bournemouth finish seventh and take the Conference League place passed down by EFL Cup winners Newcastle
- Crystal Palace finish outside the top eight and qualify for the Europa League by winning this season’s FA Cup
- Manchester United or Spurs finish outside the top 10 and qualify for the Champions League by winning this season’s Europa League

Such an improbable outcome would mean SIX English clubs playing in next year’s Champions League, THREE in the Europa League, and ONE in the Conference League.

The domestic situation of Man Utd and Spurs – who sit 15th and 16th respectively – means lifting the Europa League trophy is now their only means of retaining European football next year. They could meet in the final in Bilbao on 21 May, with the victors receiving a place in the 2025/26 Champions League.