Competition UEFA Europa League - 2024/2025

[Larry David]

Couldn’t give a fuck about politics and who rangers like and dislike etc etc etc

I’m a grumpy old jew that has lots of Scottish family that support Celtic, I couldn’t give a fuck who supports Palestine or Israel or whatnot

Let’s just serve them their deep fried arses on a plate

 

[bus-conductor]

Anyone know if Tramps and Potter are still at large?

 

[SpiderSpurs]

View: https://x.com/TheSpursExpress/status/1829480668952133926

 

[Mariner]

Galatasaray on my birthday, Istanbul it is then. COYS

 

[TommyD123]

Just seen Utd play a day before us on the Wednesday before our game with them on the Sunday

 

[Richard Splash]

Just seen Utd play a day before us on the Wednesday before our game with them on the Sunday

Click to shrink...

They are probably on red cage moaning about how they have less prep time for their Europa game than we do as they have to kick off a day earlier.

 

[Spursidol]

Sat	21/09/2024	15:00		BRENTFORD	H
Thu	26/09/2024	20:00		QARABAG 5 days after Brentford	H
Sun	29/09/2024	16:30		MANCHESTER UNITED 3 days after Qarabag	A
Thu	03/10/2024	17:45		FERENCVAROS 4 days after ManU	A
Sun	06/10/2024	16:30		BRIGHTON	A
Sat	19/10/2024	12:30		WEST HAM UNITED	H
Thu	24/10/2024	20:00		AZ ALKMAAR 5 days after Wham	H
Sun	27/10/2024	14:00		CRYSTAL PALACE 3 days after Alkmaar	A
Sat	02/11/2024			ASTON VILLA	H
Thu	07/11/2024	17:45		GALATASARY 5 days after Villa	A
Sun	10/11/2024			IPSWICH 3 days after Galatasaray	H
Sat	23/11/2024			MANCHESTER CITY	A
Thu	28/11/2024	20:00		ROMA 5 days after City	H
Sun	01/12/2024			FULHAM 4 days after Roma	H
Sat	07/12/2024			CHELSEA	H
Thu	12/12/2024	20:00		RANGERS 5 days after Chelsea	A
Sun	15/12/2024			SOUTHAMPTON 3 days after Rangers	A
Sat	18/01/2025			EVERTON	A
Thu	23/01/2025	17:45		HOFFENHEIM 5 days after Everton	A
Sun	26/01/2025			LEICESTER 3 days after Hoffenheim	H
Thu	30/01/2025	20:00		ELFSBORG 4 days after Leicester	H
Sun	02/02/2025			BRENTFORD 3 days after Elfsborg	A

Click to shrink...

I've add days between matches to the fixture list above.

As perhaps expected we get between 3 and 5 days break before or after EL matches and PL matches - but at least at present we don't have the 36 or 48 hour break we have sometimes endured in the past.

Biggest issues will be where we have lengthy flights involved for away games - Qarabag (Baku) is our longest flight but that's 5 and a half hours there and back, or best part of a day there and back when adding on times waiting at airport and local transport time. Galatasaray (Istanbul) is slightly less at 4 hours each way plus airport waiting times and local transport, so will take most of a day

We are certainly going to need to rotate the squad regularly to play this many games at this game frequency !

 

[Richard Splash]

I've add days between matches to the fixture list above.

As perhaps expected we get between 3 and 5 days break before or after EL matches and PL matches - but at least at present we don't have the 36 or 48 hour break we have sometimes endured in the past.

Biggest issues will be where we have lengthy flights involved for away games - Qarabag (Baku) is our longest flight but that's 5 and a half hours there and back, or best part of a day there and back when adding on times waiting at airport and local transport time. Galatasaray (Istanbul) is slightly less at 4 hours each way plus airport waiting times and local transport, so will take most of a day

We are certainly going to need to rotate the squad regularly to play this many games at this game frequency !

Click to shrink...

We’re not playing Qarabag away - only at home

 

[Mrs Perryman]

If I can get a ticket, I might do Budapest.

 

[Spursidol]

Just to add to the fixture list, this is League Cup potential fixture list :

Third round	w/c 16 & 23 September 2024
Fourth round	w/c 28 October 2024
Quarter-finals	w/c 16 December 2024
Semi-finals	w/c 6 January 2025 & w/c 3 February 2025
Final	16 March 2025

and these are the FA cup dates :
Third Round Proper - Saturday 11 January 2025
Fourth Round Proper - Saturday 8 February 2025
Fifth Round Proper - Saturday 1 March 2025
Quarter Final - Saturday 29 March 2025
Semi Final - Saturday 26 April 2025
Final - Saturday 17 May 2025

 

[Spursidol]

We’re not playing Qarabag away - only at home

Click to shrink...

Thanks - still getting used to new rules of NOT playing sides home and away.

 

[Airfixx]

The difficulty is only the top 8 are guaranteed the next phase and we want to avoid a playoff ideally; so we would need to take all the games seriously.

Unless we want the extra two games.

Click to shrink...

.......And so we fkn should be!!!

 

[Murphy]

That's not a difficulty. If we're not in the top 8 with our squad then Ange will have seriously fucked up.

Click to shrink...

I don't necessarily disagree, but it's coming a mile off that Ange will likely not field our strongest 11 in these games.

We need to be taking this super seriously because you can bet you arse the other top teams will be.

We are going to need 18-20 points at least to avoid the play off.

 

[Richard Splash]

Thanks - still getting used to new rules of NOT playing sides home and away.

Click to shrink...

Yeah it’s quite a change. I’m just delighted we’re not going Azerbaijan

 

[Richard Splash]

I don't necessarily disagree, but it's coming a mile off that Ange will likely not field our strongest 11 in these games.

We need to be taking this super seriously because you can bet you arse the other top teams will be.

We are going to need 18-20 points at least to avoid the play off.

Click to shrink...

Solanke was talking about looking forward to Europe though - I took that as a good sign.

I think it’s just managing each game - he can go weak at home to Qarabag and Elfsborg but clearly not Roma.

Top 8 is vital to our chances of winning this - your almost nailed on for the quarters if you finish top 8

 

[Spursidol]

I don't necessarily disagree, but it's coming a mile off that Ange will likely not field our strongest 11 in these games.

We need to be taking this super seriously because you can bet you arse the other top teams will be.

We are going to need 18-20 points at least to avoid the play off.

Click to shrink...

I don't think our 'first X1' can possibly play all the games in PL, EL plus domestic cups as that means playing pretty much every weekend and mid week - and playing that frequently invites injuries as well.

So Ange will need to rotate both the starting X1 and make good use of the 5 subs each match so as not to over play the players. Clearly he's going to need to be selective as to when we play the first X1 - which might only be 10 times in the whole season - and when he rotates in 1/2/3/4/5 other players into starting X1 whether that's Dragusin, Bergvall or whoever.

Other sides will take the competition seriously - but we have the misfortune to also play in PL where there are no easy games, so we will probably need to rotate more than other top sides.

I doubt if any team is going to get 8 wins/24 points - if only because all of pot 1 play two other sides in Pot 1, let alone tricky ties away to clubs in other pots (eg we face Galatasaray in Pot 3).

So my expectation is that 5 wins and maybe one draw (16 points) from 8 games may be enough to avoid playoffs and we need to try to build up a decent GD which may be the equivalent of an extra point - I don't see more than about 5 other sides doing better than that.

In practice Ange will need to field teams who he expects has a good chance of winning each game, particularly in the first say 3 games where 3 wins would start us off well and give us a little more flexibility in results required in later games.

 

[Murphy]

I don't think our 'first X1' can possibly play all the games in PL, EL plus domestic cups as that means playing pretty much every weekend and mid week - and playing that frequently invites injuries as well.

So Ange will need to rotate both the starting X1 and make good use of the 5 subs each match so as not to over play the players. Clearly he's going to need to be selective as to when we play the first X1 - which might only be 10 times in the whole season - and when he rotates in 1/2/3/4/5 other players into starting X1 whether that's Dragusin, Bergvall or whoever.

Other sides will take the competition seriously - but we have the misfortune to also play in PL where there are no easy games, so we will probably need to rotate more than other top sides.

I doubt if any team is going to get 8 wins/24 points - if only because all of pot 1 play two other sides in Pot 1, let alone tricky ties away to clubs in other pots (eg we face Galatasaray in Pot 3).

So my expectation is that 5 wins and maybe one draw (16 points) from 8 games may be enough to avoid playoffs and we need to try to build up a decent GD which may be the equivalent of an extra point - I don't see more than about 5 other sides doing better than that.

In practice Ange will need to field teams who he expects has a good chance of winning each game, particularly in the first say 3 games where 3 wins would start us off well and give us a little more flexibility in results required in later games.

Click to shrink...

If this was the Champion's League, Ange wouldn't rotate so much. The other managers don't.

 

[Hampshire Spur]

Will go to AZ Alkmaar home game. Might try and go to hoffenheim away if i can get a ticket. Germany is a good trip.

 

[Notabadsquad]

it's no longer possible to drop into the Europa League from the Champions League (or into the UEFA Conference League from the UEFA Europa League). Once you're out, you're out.

The VERY BEST change.

 

[TootingSpurs]

Anyone planning on going out to Istanbul for the Gala game? Is it safe? Hoping to take my old man and would appreciate any tips from those that have been. Cheers.