Best wishes,
Doug
Soccer thread 08/09 (will have spoilers!)
Moderators: Bill_Abner, ScoopBrady
Thoughts from today;
- So glad c*** won and a fantastic match (EDIT: LOL, forgot that the forum won't let me write S C U N THORPE lol!)
Watched the Liverpool match live on the web with the Newcastle match on the telly;
- Newcastle are utter wank - those players should be forced to go down and play in the Championship, they were absolutely pathetic - no intensity or desire whatsoever, I'm just disgusted by their performance and I'm not even a Newcastle supporter
- Oh Sami! Sami! Sami! Can't believe that's the last time I'll see him in a Liverpool shirt. What a colossus and what a signing by Houllier. Almost had tears in my eyes when came on and he almost scored!
- Well done Paddy Dogshit for scoring a goal
- So glad c*** won and a fantastic match (EDIT: LOL, forgot that the forum won't let me write S C U N THORPE lol!)
Watched the Liverpool match live on the web with the Newcastle match on the telly;
- Newcastle are utter wank - those players should be forced to go down and play in the Championship, they were absolutely pathetic - no intensity or desire whatsoever, I'm just disgusted by their performance and I'm not even a Newcastle supporter
- Oh Sami! Sami! Sami! Can't believe that's the last time I'll see him in a Liverpool shirt. What a colossus and what a signing by Houllier. Almost had tears in my eyes when came on and he almost scored!
- Well done Paddy Dogshit for scoring a goal
Last edited by Macca00 on Sun May 24, 2009 1:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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davet010
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Looking at Newcastle's finances, the fire sale had better start soon as they have a wage bill of astronomical proportions and a parachute payment of £11m next year. I can see them, quite seriously, doing a Leeds, and Mike Ashley looked particularly upset as he's either going to have to fund their losses from next year, or sell and make a massive one-off loss. The Newcastle fans, most of them anyway, I do have sympathy for, as I've seen City get the drop 5 times, 4 on the last day. Mike Ashley I have no sympathy for whatsoever.
Most annoying thing of the day - Phil Brown and Hull players celebrating with champagne as they stay up, despite Man U playing their C team against them.
Number of Hull wins in the last 22 games......1.
Crikey, I think I could manage a Premiership team to one win in over half a season. They'll definitely get the drop next season, and Phil Brown and his stupid headset can disappear into oblivion.
Last Europa League place goes to......Fulham. Good luck to them, done well this season.
Rangers won the SPL (like anyone notices), and oddly enough Motherwell finished below Hibs despite having 1 more point....I'd love to see the rationale for that 'splitting the league' nonsense.
Most annoying thing of the day - Phil Brown and Hull players celebrating with champagne as they stay up, despite Man U playing their C team against them.
Number of Hull wins in the last 22 games......1.
Crikey, I think I could manage a Premiership team to one win in over half a season. They'll definitely get the drop next season, and Phil Brown and his stupid headset can disappear into oblivion.
Last Europa League place goes to......Fulham. Good luck to them, done well this season.
Rangers won the SPL (like anyone notices), and oddly enough Motherwell finished below Hibs despite having 1 more point....I'd love to see the rationale for that 'splitting the league' nonsense.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
How many teams get promoted and climb the ladder and stay at the top divisions?
Maybe not become perennial CL teams but threaten to or play often in the UEFA Cup?
As for the lower leagues, it sounds like many clubs are struggling, even before the global economic slowdown.
Have any of them folded or have the lower leagues consolidated?
There may be a historical tradition at many of these smaller clubs but are they being propped up (subsidized) just to maintain this promotion/relegation structure?
Why aren't people in smaller towns just watching the top divisions and CL games on TV instead of supporting small-time teams?
In the US, the promotion and relegation system wouldn't work. MLB has minor leagues only because the big league teams foot much of the bills -- or at least cover the payroll for the prospects. But those minor league teams wouldn't be able to come up and compete perennially against the big leagues.
Maybe not become perennial CL teams but threaten to or play often in the UEFA Cup?
As for the lower leagues, it sounds like many clubs are struggling, even before the global economic slowdown.
Have any of them folded or have the lower leagues consolidated?
There may be a historical tradition at many of these smaller clubs but are they being propped up (subsidized) just to maintain this promotion/relegation structure?
Why aren't people in smaller towns just watching the top divisions and CL games on TV instead of supporting small-time teams?
In the US, the promotion and relegation system wouldn't work. MLB has minor leagues only because the big league teams foot much of the bills -- or at least cover the payroll for the prospects. But those minor league teams wouldn't be able to come up and compete perennially against the big leagues.
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davet010
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England is probably unique in having 92 professional clubs (may be more, but I don't know how many Blue Square League teams are full time), but most of them sort of bumble along in reasonable health. They aren't subsidized by anything other than smallish TV contracts either. The reason people go to watch them is that they are their local clubs and a real part of the community, rather than corporate franchises, which is why, for the most part, Americans don't understand them - though people from other nations with a soccer culture do. These clubs started as works teams, pub teams, church teams - not as franchises to be bought, traded and moved on a whim.wco81 wrote:How many teams get promoted and climb the ladder and stay at the top divisions?
Maybe not become perennial CL teams but threaten to or play often in the UEFA Cup?
As for the lower leagues, it sounds like many clubs are struggling, even before the global economic slowdown.
Have any of them folded or have the lower leagues consolidated?
There may be a historical tradition at many of these smaller clubs but are they being propped up (subsidized) just to maintain this promotion/relegation structure?
Why aren't people in smaller towns just watching the top divisions and CL games on TV instead of supporting small-time teams?
In the US, the promotion and relegation system wouldn't work. MLB has minor leagues only because the big league teams foot much of the bills -- or at least cover the payroll for the prospects. But those minor league teams wouldn't be able to come up and compete perennially against the big leagues.
Most of these teams don't give a s*** about the CL (and neither do I, to be honest - it's a UEFA cash cow which distorts leagues particularly in smaller countries.) The Europa League (or UEFA Cup as was) is a complete waste of time - 21 games to turn a profit of £5m....BFW to that, in a big way.
There are teams in the lower leagues with fantastic histories....Preston NE, Blackpool, Leeds....Nottm Forest, who've won as many European Cups as Barcelona, Norwich who've just been relegated to the third tier, but 15 years ago beat Bayern Munich in Germany. Some of these are still pulling in crowds of 25-30,000 in the third tier.
As for consolidation, the only recent movement has been the introduction of automatic promotion and relegation between Div 2 and the Conference, which is to all intents and purposes Div 3.
And here's a final stat for you - the Premiership has been going for only 16 years, and yet of the 92 teams in the League, 42 have played at least one season at the top level, and only 7 have been ever present. So clubs can come up, stay up and challenge for UEFA cup spots - I seem to remember that at some time during the life of the Prem, Fulham were in the fourth tier and Man City have been in the third tier.
Promotion and relegation helps prevent mediocrity being an aim in itself...it might be a result of how good you are, but any team that tries to settle for it will find themselves sweating up a storm on the last day of the season. Give me that instead of the Los Angeles Clippers any day of the week, because that is what English soccer fans would never pay to see, that 'F**k it, season's only just started but we've got no chance so who cares' attitude.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
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davet010
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There were about 3 Newcastle players who looked gutted at the end - the rest of them, Owen included, just looked like they were thinking about tomorrow's phone calls...travel agent first, their own agent second.Macca00 wrote:Thoughts from today;
- So glad c*** won and a fantastic match (EDIT: LOL, forgot that the forum won't let me write S C U N THORPE lol!)
- Newcastle are utter wank - those players should be forced to go down and play in the Championship, they were absolutely pathetic - no intensity or desire whatsoever, I'm just disgusted by their performance and I'm not even a Newcastle supporter
Good job Joey Barton left City to join a 'bigger club', otherwise he'd never have had the chance to run out against Doncaster and Blackpool in a league match. Rumours are that Viduka is on his way to Burnley next season, as they are sponsored by a pie company.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
But all those clubs are shooting for promotion, yeah?
That means that they have to build stadia which are big enough for potential EPL games. Seems any club with aspirations for excellence are quickly going to drop pretensions of a little community enterprise.
They must have sponsorships (signage with corporate logos) and so on.
Plus, the CL is what every top player seems to aspire to. They want to compete at the highest level.
It's not like Olympic basketball or baseball. Players take satisfaction in representing their countries but the highest achievement in most professional team sports occur outside of the Olympics.
The CL isn't just some spectacle, it is a pooling of the best teams in the best leagues. It's not exactly a series of exhibitions.
That means that they have to build stadia which are big enough for potential EPL games. Seems any club with aspirations for excellence are quickly going to drop pretensions of a little community enterprise.
They must have sponsorships (signage with corporate logos) and so on.
Plus, the CL is what every top player seems to aspire to. They want to compete at the highest level.
It's not like Olympic basketball or baseball. Players take satisfaction in representing their countries but the highest achievement in most professional team sports occur outside of the Olympics.
The CL isn't just some spectacle, it is a pooling of the best teams in the best leagues. It's not exactly a series of exhibitions.
Good post from a Bengals fan. Haha I had to throw that in there because had the NFL had relegation, the Bengals would be in the Blue Square North.davet010 wrote:England is probably unique in having 92 professional clubs (may be more, but I don't know how many Blue Square League teams are full time), but most of them sort of bumble along in reasonable health. They aren't subsidized by anything other than smallish TV contracts either. The reason people go to watch them is that they are their local clubs and a real part of the community, rather than corporate franchises, which is why, for the most part, Americans don't understand them - though people from other nations with a soccer culture do. These clubs started as works teams, pub teams, church teams - not as franchises to be bought, traded and moved on a whim.wco81 wrote:How many teams get promoted and climb the ladder and stay at the top divisions?
Maybe not become perennial CL teams but threaten to or play often in the UEFA Cup?
As for the lower leagues, it sounds like many clubs are struggling, even before the global economic slowdown.
Have any of them folded or have the lower leagues consolidated?
There may be a historical tradition at many of these smaller clubs but are they being propped up (subsidized) just to maintain this promotion/relegation structure?
Why aren't people in smaller towns just watching the top divisions and CL games on TV instead of supporting small-time teams?
In the US, the promotion and relegation system wouldn't work. MLB has minor leagues only because the big league teams foot much of the bills -- or at least cover the payroll for the prospects. But those minor league teams wouldn't be able to come up and compete perennially against the big leagues.
Most of these teams don't give a s*** about the CL (and neither do I, to be honest - it's a UEFA cash cow which distorts leagues particularly in smaller countries.) The Europa League (or UEFA Cup as was) is a complete waste of time - 21 games to turn a profit of £5m....BFW to that, in a big way.
There are teams in the lower leagues with fantastic histories....Preston NE, Blackpool, Leeds....Nottm Forest, who've won as many European Cups as Barcelona, Norwich who've just been relegated to the third tier, but 15 years ago beat Bayern Munich in Germany. Some of these are still pulling in crowds of 25-30,000 in the third tier.
As for consolidation, the only recent movement has been the introduction of automatic promotion and relegation between Div 2 and the Conference, which is to all intents and purposes Div 3.
And here's a final stat for you - the Premiership has been going for only 16 years, and yet of the 92 teams in the League, 42 have played at least one season at the top level, and only 7 have been ever present. So clubs can come up, stay up and challenge for UEFA cup spots - I seem to remember that at some time during the life of the Prem, Fulham were in the fourth tier and Man City have been in the third tier.
Promotion and relegation helps prevent mediocrity being an aim in itself...it might be a result of how good you are, but any team that tries to settle for it will find themselves sweating up a storm on the last day of the season. Give me that instead of the Los Angeles Clippers any day of the week, because that is what English soccer fans would never pay to see, that 'F**k it, season's only just started but we've got no chance so who cares' attitude.
I think the problem with the big four is the CL. Too much money sustaining these teams. The CL should pay out to the top 10 in all the leagues. Instead of having the Europe league maybe these teams just get a cash infusion so that they have a chance to break into the CL.
Mike Ashley got what he deserved. You did something Freddie Shepard couldn't do and that's saying a lot.
I know people hate Shearer but let's be honest, these players they were not going to keep the the club up. Maybe they have talent but there transfer blunders finally caught up with them. To be honest, I don't think Newcastle will be promoted for a long time. Hell you might even see this club turn into a N. Forest or something where it just can't break through even though it has all the history.
I have no idea what you point is, but I believe that you stadium only has to meet Football League qualifications to go from Blue Square Premier into League 2. So in theory, a team with 3k stadium could play in the EPL. However, the police would probably make them move the matches to a bigger stadium plus the whole revenue part of it.wco81 wrote:But all those clubs are shooting for promotion, yeah?
That means that they have to build stadia which are big enough for potential EPL games. Seems any club with aspirations for excellence are quickly going to drop pretensions of a little community enterprise.
They must have sponsorships (signage with corporate logos) and so on.
Plus, the CL is what every top player seems to aspire to. They want to compete at the highest level.
It's not like Olympic basketball or baseball. Players take satisfaction in representing their countries but the highest achievement in most professional team sports occur outside of the Olympics.
The CL isn't just some spectacle, it is a pooling of the best teams in the best leagues. It's not exactly a series of exhibitions.
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davet010
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I can't remember what the minimum requirement is for a Premiership stadium, but there are few teams in the Championship with grounds under 20,000 all seater.
As for the Chumpions League, I have a much simpler suggestion to fix its baleful effect....make it League Champions only, two leg knockout all the way. Either that, or let the top 20 clubs piss off into a European League and the rest of the teams get back to enjoying their own leagues while the EL becomes a mini NFL with no promotion and relegation....I'd give that 5 years before the fans start calling for it to end.
I love this perception about Newcastle having 'history'....between the wars, maybe. One cup (UEFA) in nearly 60 years and no domestic trophy since 1952 does not constitute history, nor does getting a decent turn out in a one-team town. To me they are exactly the same as Leeds, and I can see them going the same way.
Oh, and much as I dislike Mike Ashley, he's not even in the same league of odiousness as Shepherd, who I'm sure must leave a slimy trail behind him as he oozes along. He must be rubbing his paws together now, plotting on just how little Ashley will accept to sell him the club back.
And thanks JRod for mentioning the Bengals...just when I thought I was getting away with it too....but they are a prime example.
As for the Chumpions League, I have a much simpler suggestion to fix its baleful effect....make it League Champions only, two leg knockout all the way. Either that, or let the top 20 clubs piss off into a European League and the rest of the teams get back to enjoying their own leagues while the EL becomes a mini NFL with no promotion and relegation....I'd give that 5 years before the fans start calling for it to end.
I love this perception about Newcastle having 'history'....between the wars, maybe. One cup (UEFA) in nearly 60 years and no domestic trophy since 1952 does not constitute history, nor does getting a decent turn out in a one-team town. To me they are exactly the same as Leeds, and I can see them going the same way.
Oh, and much as I dislike Mike Ashley, he's not even in the same league of odiousness as Shepherd, who I'm sure must leave a slimy trail behind him as he oozes along. He must be rubbing his paws together now, plotting on just how little Ashley will accept to sell him the club back.
And thanks JRod for mentioning the Bengals...just when I thought I was getting away with it too....but they are a prime example.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
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pk500
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The only positive about relegation is that the club can start undoing all of the HORRIFIC transfer deals that Souness, Ashley and their lot have made in the last few years.
Newcastle started heading for the sh*tter the second Sir Bobby was sacked. The toilet finally was flushed yesterday.
I think it would be good for Shearer to stay with the club if he's serious about management. The guy entered this failed, yet hopeless, reclamation project with zero coaching experience. He could earn his proverbial stripes in the Championship, learning the ins and outs of daily management.
The only problem would be the incredibly unrealistic expectations of those in the North East, who expect Newcastle to dominate the Championship next season for an instant return to the Premiership, as only befit a "massive clooob" such as theirs. That's not going to happen, especially after that fat f*ck Ashley finishes his fire sale, as Dave pointed out.
So it would be easier and a hell of a lot less stressful for Big Al to return to the tube and collect an easy pay day for opening his mouth and saying nothing.
Take care,
PK
Newcastle started heading for the sh*tter the second Sir Bobby was sacked. The toilet finally was flushed yesterday.
I think it would be good for Shearer to stay with the club if he's serious about management. The guy entered this failed, yet hopeless, reclamation project with zero coaching experience. He could earn his proverbial stripes in the Championship, learning the ins and outs of daily management.
The only problem would be the incredibly unrealistic expectations of those in the North East, who expect Newcastle to dominate the Championship next season for an instant return to the Premiership, as only befit a "massive clooob" such as theirs. That's not going to happen, especially after that fat f*ck Ashley finishes his fire sale, as Dave pointed out.
So it would be easier and a hell of a lot less stressful for Big Al to return to the tube and collect an easy pay day for opening his mouth and saying nothing.
Take care,
PK
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davet010
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Shearer might do OK with an experienced number 2, and Ian Dowie has plenty of experience at that level. The benefit for Newcastle of Shearer taking the job is that he'll get a shedload more time and patience from the Geordie faithful than anyone else.
And don't be too down on Ashley....waiting in the deeps is that f***in greasy abomination, Freddie Shepperd, all set up with his £40m to offer Ashley for his £200m investment and a quick get out. To me the fact that no one has kicked eight shades of s*** out of that revolting twat, never mind being willing to accept back someone caught on camera laughing at the gullibility of his own team's fans, says everything about how desperate Newcastle fans are.
Non-Newcastle quote of the day yesterday from Sky Sports..
Jeff Stelling (turning to Paul Merson, who was commentating on Sunderland's game vs Chelsea) - 'so Paul, is it fair to say Sunderland need a few more good players to avoid this next season?'
Merson - 'about 8'
And don't be too down on Ashley....waiting in the deeps is that f***in greasy abomination, Freddie Shepperd, all set up with his £40m to offer Ashley for his £200m investment and a quick get out. To me the fact that no one has kicked eight shades of s*** out of that revolting twat, never mind being willing to accept back someone caught on camera laughing at the gullibility of his own team's fans, says everything about how desperate Newcastle fans are.
Non-Newcastle quote of the day yesterday from Sky Sports..
Jeff Stelling (turning to Paul Merson, who was commentating on Sunderland's game vs Chelsea) - 'so Paul, is it fair to say Sunderland need a few more good players to avoid this next season?'
Merson - 'about 8'
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
You cannot discount the six FA Cups and four First Division Championships, no matter when they occurred. I don't know how you define history, but Newcastle were very good from 1905-1911, appearing in the FA Cup finals 5 of those years. After WWII they won the FA Cup 3 times in a space of 5 years in the 1950s. And you cannot forget the 1995-96 season in which NUFC almost won the Premier League, eventually losing out to ManU by 4 points. Sure, they are not at the same level of titles and cups as the elite clubs, but NUFC does have a very long and storied history, not to mention a ridiculously rabid fan base all things considered. St. James was drawing over 60,000 supporters a match as far back as the 1930s, and damn near 70,000 some games. Obviously the stadium seats less now (52,000 or so), but the point is the supporters have been pouring in by the droves for over 100 years to see this club play, cups or no cups. There is a very long and colorful history throughout that span.davet010 wrote:I love this perception about Newcastle having 'history'....between the wars, maybe. One cup (UEFA) in nearly 60 years and no domestic trophy since 1952 does not constitute history
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GB_Simo
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Or the 12 point lead they squandered, or KK's televised meltdown. They tend not to talk about 95-96 too much up here, or anything much more recent than Jackie Milburn.toonarmy wrote:And you cannot forget the 1995-96 season in which NUFC almost won the Premier League, eventually losing out to ManU by 4 points.
Somewhere in Charlotte, Squiddy has just exploded with joy.
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pk500
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"I would just LUV to beat them ... "toonarmy wrote:And you cannot forget the 1995-96 season in which NUFC almost won the Premier League, eventually losing out to ManU by 4 points.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
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davet010
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God, another town full of yonner inbreds, to add to Blackburn, Bolton, Wigan.
SHould be amusing when they play Blackburn, that's classified by Lancs Constabulary as a class A fixture concerning its potential for crowd violence, as they really hate each other. Someone once told me that during Blackburn's only European Cup foray, after they were knocked out by a Norwegian team called Trelleborgs, Burnley Council actually explored the possibility of formally twinning with them.
That'll be entertaining TV then, for those nostalgic for old-fashioned 80's hooliganism.
Strachan gone from Celtic as well - 3 titles in a row obviously don;t count for much when you lose the title to a Rangers team who strongly resemble a mid-table Championship outfit. Maybe off to Sunderland ?
SHould be amusing when they play Blackburn, that's classified by Lancs Constabulary as a class A fixture concerning its potential for crowd violence, as they really hate each other. Someone once told me that during Blackburn's only European Cup foray, after they were knocked out by a Norwegian team called Trelleborgs, Burnley Council actually explored the possibility of formally twinning with them.
That'll be entertaining TV then, for those nostalgic for old-fashioned 80's hooliganism.
Strachan gone from Celtic as well - 3 titles in a row obviously don;t count for much when you lose the title to a Rangers team who strongly resemble a mid-table Championship outfit. Maybe off to Sunderland ?
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
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davet010
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Ah, silly me - when Simo mentioned your delight I thought you had a strange affinity for Burnley...I forgot who they were playing.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
Championship next year
Barnsley
Blackpool
Bristol City
Cardiff City
Coventry
Crystal Palace
Derby
Doncaster
Ipswich
Leicester
Middlesbrough
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Peterborough
Plymouth
Preston
QPR
Reading
c***
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
Swansea
Watford
West Brom
That isn't a bad lineup. Will be a very tough league.
Barnsley
Blackpool
Bristol City
Cardiff City
Coventry
Crystal Palace
Derby
Doncaster
Ipswich
Leicester
Middlesbrough
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Peterborough
Plymouth
Preston
QPR
Reading
c***
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
Swansea
Watford
West Brom
That isn't a bad lineup. Will be a very tough league.
Where's the Canaries? Oh, that's right, both my teams got relegated this year. It's been hard enough following Norwich in the Championship. I might as well give up trying to follow them in League One from here in the States. Newcastle has a big enough following that surely a good number of its games will be televised so that I can see them via the Internet. If not, next season will end up just being a long wait for the World Cup.fsquid wrote:Championship next year
Barnsley
Blackpool
Bristol City
Cardiff City
Coventry
Crystal Palace
Derby
Doncaster
Ipswich
Leicester
Middlesbrough
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Peterborough
Plymouth
Preston
QPR
Reading
c***
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
Swansea
Watford
West Brom
That isn't a bad lineup. Will be a very tough league.
I really look forward to this final in Rome. Barcelona will be a bit weak at the back with the absence of Alves, Abidal and especially Marquez, but with Henry and Iniesta ready to go, they should provide some headaches to the Red Devils along an inspired Messi whom I think will be the Star of the game. However it'll remain to be seen how fit are Henry and the Spaniard are.
Sylvinho and Puyol better stay alert at the back and watch ManU's counterattack especially #7.
The Argentinian will have to fight hard against P. Evra and if there's a player that misses Alves more, it's him. He was OK against Chelsea but not dominant, he's due for a big game.
Any team that has Berbatov, Tevez and Scholes warming up the bench is a luxury and if Barca plays tentatively like they did against Chelsea, the Reds will surely have a better way of punishing the 'Azulgrana' unlike the Blues.
It should be a good one, I am picking Barcelona 2-1 in ET.
Sylvinho and Puyol better stay alert at the back and watch ManU's counterattack especially #7.
The Argentinian will have to fight hard against P. Evra and if there's a player that misses Alves more, it's him. He was OK against Chelsea but not dominant, he's due for a big game.
Any team that has Berbatov, Tevez and Scholes warming up the bench is a luxury and if Barca plays tentatively like they did against Chelsea, the Reds will surely have a better way of punishing the 'Azulgrana' unlike the Blues.
It should be a good one, I am picking Barcelona 2-1 in ET.