UEFA Cup Group Stage [Match 1]

Boro

Aachen Vs Lille
Egaleo Vs Middlesbrough
Dnipro Vs Club Brugge
Zenit Vs AEK
Dinamo Tbilisi Vs Sochaux
Feyenoord Vs Hearts
Steaua Vs Standard
Schalke Vs Basel
Amica Vs Rangers
Beveren Vs Stuttgart
Auxerre Vs GAK
Zaragoza Vs Utrecht
Athletic Vs Parma
Lazio Vs Villarreal
Benfica Vs Heerenveen
Panionios Vs Newcastle


Here is where the much derided group stage kicks off. Boro and Newcastle both play in Athens on the same night. Arsenal also visit on wednesday night. Just hoping there will be no trouble.

Anyway, i forsee comfortable away wins for Boro and Newcastle, Hearts to lose and Rangers to get an unlucky draw. Boro are in fine form after the demolition of Blackburn at the weekend - Jimmy looks like he is lovin it up north - joint 2nd top scorer in the premiership with 6 goals from 8 games (7 in 9 in all competitions). Bet Chelsea regret letting him move on a free now!

Boro

Well to the undiluted (im sure) joy of everyone here on the soccer boards, middlesbrough won their first game in the Uefa cup group stage, beating Egaleo 1-0 away from home.

Stewart Downing scored the winner. Viduka started the game but looked unfit after his couple of weeks out injured, while JFH came in late on. Downing is the lad that everyone in england is talking about, looking like he could be the left winger they have prayed for for years. He isnt as tricky a winger as Duff is but he isnt that far behind. IMO he is a much better passer of the ball (not crosser) and has a more clinical eye for goal.

Well im happy so screw the lot of ye

eirebhoy

Aye, Downing is completely underrated. What are Boro's fixtures for the group stage?

I have a tenner accumulator on Feyenoord to beat Hearts (currently 1-0), Schalke to be Basel (currently 1-0), Stuttgart to beat Beveren and Bilbao to beat Parma.

Feyenoord - Hearts is on BBC Scotland, good few Hearts fans at it, the team are backs to the wall though. Its currently 1-0 and h/t but Feyenoord's goal was about 2 feet offside, I'm happy though (see above).

Rangers are winning 1-0, Lovenkrands with the goal.

[edit] stuttgart just gone 1 up.

Boro

Middlesbroughs remaining fixtures :

home against Lazio
away against Villereal (you should know them Eirebhoy!)
home against Partizan Belgrade

I reckon a win and two draws or better is enough to get through to the next round as the top 3 teams (out of each group of 5) all go through.

eirebhoy

Boro wrote:

Middlesbroughs remaining fixtures :

home against Lazio
away against Villereal (you should know them Eirebhoy!)
home against Partizan Belgrade

I reckon a win and two draws or better is enough to get through to the next round as the top 3 teams (out of each group of 5) all go through.

Decent enough draw (in term of home/away's). 2 home wins is acheivable, Villereal away is a tough one.

All my teams are winning 1-0, nerve racking or what.

eirebhoy

eirebhoy wrote:

I have a tenner accumulator on Feyenoord to beat Hearts (currently 1-0), Schalke to be Basel (currently 1-0), Stuttgart to beat Beveren and Bilbao to beat Parma.

Feyenoord won 3-0, Stuttgart won 4-1, Bilbao are winning 2-0 and Schalke drew 1-1. Sheffield United let me down on Tuesday in an 8/1 accum. Unfortunate week for me.

Villarreal are winning 1-0 with 10mins to go. Rangers won 5-0. Newcastle won 1-0 (Shearer pen).

Boro

Unlucky Eirebhoy - i feel for you! Ive been in a similar position where only millwall losing let me down on a 25-2 accumulator before. And i had a decent few quid on it. Needless to say i was drinking mi-wadi that night

Boro

Middlesbrough sit top of their group after Lazio and Villeral could only draw in rome.
Really excited about this now.

Winners of the group take on another team who finished 3rd in a group, 2nd placed teams take on a team who finished 3rd in their champions league group.

BTW Downing has scored 2 goals in 6 league appearances (4 as a substitute) and 1 goal in 2 uefa cup appearances (1 as a sub). Pretty impressive record for a left winger especially as the three goals were
1: the equaliser in a 2-2 draw against newcastle
2: the equaliser in a 1-1 draw against manu
3: the winner against egaleo in a must win uefa cup match

damn impressive

Big Ears

Having watched highlights from the Lazio V Villereal Middlesbrough have a great chance of going through the group unbeaten and possibly topping it .

Villereal is the only team I could see coming ahead of them , Lazio are just crap .

Boro

Dont know how the rest of you feel when your team is in europe, but this is the first time my team have ever been in europe and i am over the moon. When we won our first EVER trophy last season, i was absolutely over the moon.

Some fans of the higher ranked clubs take being in the CL for granted and look at the uefa cup with derision, i am delighted that we are in it. Its really an amazing feeling. I was on a high for at least 3 weeks after the league cup win, and every time we play in europe im absolutely buzzing. Its comparable i suppose to the way liverpool fans felt when they did the treble after years of unachievement.

signed - a european virgin and lovin it!

eirebhoy

Boro wrote:

Winners of the group take on another team who finished 3rd in a group, 2nd placed teams take on a team who finished 3rd in their champions league group.

Jaysus, if you come 3rd you're probably more likely to get a better draw than those who finish second.