knife guard

Chapter 520 Huo Village Miracle Champions League Group Draw
After Arshavin's welcome ceremony, Rangnick led the team to Monte Carlo in Monaco to participate in the UEFA Super Cup. When Hoffenheim went to play, more than 1 German fans followed the team to Monaco Cheer, the club owner Dietmar is also with the team this time.Hope, club general manager Rothaus, the two big men went to Monaco not only to watch the top battle between Hoffenheim and Manchester United, they will also attend the Champions League group stage at the Grimaldi Conference Center in Monte Carlo, Monaco Draw ceremony.

For a village team like Hoffenheim to have the opportunity to participate in the highest level of football in Europe, it is an unparalleled honor for everyone in Hoffenheim. I think that world-class giants like Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Milan will come When they played in Mannheim, the Hoffenheim fans would laugh out loud even in their sleep, but the Hoffenheim fans did not dare to have too much hope for their team. In this level of competition, the most important thing is to accumulate experience, not how high the results are. It is better to be able to qualify for the group, and the fans will not be disappointed if they cannot qualify.

On the afternoon of August 8, Monte Carlo in Monaco has become very lively. In addition to tens of thousands of Hoffenheim and Manchester United fans, there are countless heavyweights in European football gathered here. They all came to participate Champions League group stage draw ceremony.

Grimaldi Conference Center is known as the best conference center in the world, and its reputation is still ahead of Amsterdam, Barcelona and Hong Kong. The center covers an area of ​​35000 square meters. It is a cultural center with technology and fashionable appearance. Changing the venue format is one of the must-choice venues for various UEFA activities.

At this moment, Li Huan, Lannick, Hope, and Rothaus were sitting in the central hall waiting for the draw ceremony to start. The four of them were chatting from time to time, when Beckenbauer, Hoeness, and Klinsmann left Come here, Hope and others stood up and greeted Beckenbauer and his party with a smile. Although they were deadly rivals in the league, they still behaved quite gentlemanly in public. After a few pleasantries, Beckenbauer and his party They sat down in a row behind Hope and the others.

Not long after last season's Champions League winners Manchester United and runner-up Chelsea also arrived. The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferguson attracted reporters from almost the entire hall, and various cameras were aimed at them for a while.Facing this kind of situation, Cristiano Ronaldo is full of spring breeze and swaying freely. He is the biggest winner of the last Champions League. The team won the European Champions Cup. He won the top scorer, and he is 90.00% sure that he will win the Champions League. players.

Chelsea's coach Scolari, Lampard, Terry, Cech and others are smiling, but compared with Ferguson and Ronaldo, they smile a bit reluctantly. In fact, for them, if it is not because of They would rather not come to receive the award at the draw ceremony. The defeat of last season hit them too hard, especially Terry, who slipped a kick and missed a penalty at the end, had a strange expression.

At this time, the guests who participated in the draw ceremony also came to the scene one after another. Bio, their arrival made the conference hall even more starry.

The host of the draw ceremony was UEFA Secretary-General Taylor. He introduced the rules and procedures of the draw. Among the total 32 teams, 16 teams directly entered the UEFA Champions League this season. 16 teams qualified through play-offs, including traditional strong teams such as Barcelona, ​​Juventus, Arsenal and Liverpool.Among them, Russia's Zenit St. Petersburg, Roania's Cluj, Belarus' BATE Borisov, Cyprus' Anroxas and Germany's Hoffenheim are newcomers to the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
The 32 teams are divided into four grades, each grade has 8 teams, and the 8 teams will enter different groups.The premise principle of lottery is different groups from the same country.

Pot [-]: Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona, ​​Arsenal, Manchester United, Lyon, Inter Milan, Real Madrid
Pot [-]: Bayern Munich, PSV, Villarreal, Roma, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Panathinaikos, Juventus;
Pot [-]: Marseille, Zenit St Petersburg, Steaua Bucharest, Bordeaux, Celtic, Basel, Fenerbahce, Hoffenheim

Although it was the first time to participate in the Champions League, Hoffenheim won the UEFA Cup, so they were assigned to the third pot.

Pot [-]: Shakhtar Donetsk, Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid, Dynamo Kiev, Anorthosis, Aalborg, Butt, Cluj
Before the draw, the award for the best goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League last season was presented first. The winner of this award was Cech, the goalkeeper of Chelsea, and Schmeichel, the legendary goalkeeper of Denmark, presented the award for him.After Cech took over the trophy, the draw ceremony officially began. Cech, together with Schmeichel, helped Taylor to draw the first draw.

The Premier League powerhouse Chelsea was drawn out first, and the Blues entered Group A.Then the next seeded team fell one after another, with Inter Milan in Group B, Lyon in Group F, Arsenal in Group G, Real Madrid in Group H, Liverpool in Group D, Barcelona in Group C, and defending champion Manchester United. In Group E.
After the draw for the first seeded team, the draw ceremony presented the award for the best defender in the UEFA Champions League last season, and the legendary Italian defender Baresi presented the award to Chelsea captain John Terry.The draw for the second tier of teams began immediately, and Terry assisted in the draw as a guest.The first Sporting Lisbon to be drawn, the Portuguese powerhouse was divided into Group C where Barcelona is located.Eindhoven enters Group D, Villarreal is drawn into Group E, Juventus is in Group H where Real Madrid is, Roma is in Group A, Porto is in Group G, Bayern and Lyon are in Group F, Paragon Nasinakos entered Group B where Inter Milan is located.
When the first and second teams were drawn, it did not cause much reaction from the guests on the scene. It was just that Real Madrid made a loud discussion when they saw that Juventus was drawn, and Lyon saw that it was the same as Bayern. Group, the mood is not very good.But each group has two qualifying places, and the two teams can't decide anything. The most dangerous thing is the draw of the third-tier team. The death group is formed after the third draw.

When Sir Charlton presented the award to Lampard for the best striker, the atmosphere in the conference hall became tense. Hoffenheim and Zenit are teams that no one wants to meet. Celtic's combat effectiveness Also very strong, but compared to Zenit and Hoffenheim, they are still a little bit worse.Zenit was able to score four goals against Bayern. Hoffenheim and Bayern won all three matches. Although Bayern has become the second-tier European trend, their strength should not be underestimated. The same is true for Zenit and Hoffenheim. The strength is also not to be underestimated.These two teams are basically the group of death.

But Zenit and Hoffenheim also don't want to enter the group where the first two teams are very strong.Hoffenheim has been talking in a low voice after the second draw.

Although Rangnick is not a youngster in the Champions League, he has never qualified for the group stage in the Champions League. He can be called a loser. On the contrary, he is the most nervous person among the four guests at Hoffenheim.

Rothaus kept moving his fingers to relieve the tension, and said: "As long as we don't enter Group H of Real Madrid and Juventus and Group E of Manchester United and Villarreal, everything else is better. We are not good at playing La Liga teams. .”

Lannick said: "Chelsea and Roma in Group A are not easy to play, but everything is possible. I hope God blesses you."

Li Huan said maliciously: "I most hope to enter Group F."

The first stage of Group F is Lyon, and the second stage is Bayern. Li Huan's words were heard by several people in the Bayern club behind him. Immediately, Hoeness and Klinsmann's faces became ugly. Playing the drums, lest they draw Hoffenheim and Zenit, these two teams have now become their nemesis.

The first to be drawn by Lampard was Bordeaux, and they were divided into Group A.

The people in the seats at Chelsea and Roma let out a long sigh of relief. Scolari laughed with Kenyon with a smile on his face. Roma's bald coach Spalletti couldn't help applauding. Bordeaux's coach was very dissatisfied.

Immediately afterwards, the Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe was drawn into Group G. The coaches of Arsenal and Porto in Group G had mixed expressions of joy and sorrow. The bravery of Fenerbahce still scares everyone, and Fenerbahce’s home court is also known as the Hell Stadium. Arsenal and Porto are both technical players. easy.

Then Basel was divided into Group C, Celtic entered Group E, Marseille could only enter Group D, and Star Bucharest, which was finally drawn, entered Group F.
In the end, there were only Zenit and Hoffenheim left, as well as Group H and Group B. The coaches of Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and Panathinaikos in Group B all frowned.Inter Milan is better. Mourinho can still maintain a smile. Although Panathinaikos is a second-tier team, their strength is average, but Real Madrid and Juventus are a group. Which one of Zenit is the group of death.

Zenit and Hoffenheim are also extremely nervous, neither of them want to enter Group H, but now both teams obviously have a 50.00% chance of entering the death group.

Now it's Bayern's turn to make sarcastic remarks, Hoeness said to Lannick angrily: "Juventus has fallen, Real Madrid can't even make it to the quarter-finals every year, I hope you go to Group H to win the Bundesliga and get more points. "

Rangnick was very nervous at the moment, and he had no intention of bickering with Hoeness: "We are newcomers, and of course the task of scoring points for the Bundesliga still depends on Bayern."

Li Huan sarcastically said: "Thank you for giving us the UEFA Cup championship. You look down on the UEFA Cup. You can't give up the UEFA Champions League. This is the highest honor in Europe."

When the people of Bayern and Hoffenheim were bickering, Lampard had already drawn the seventh team out, and Charlton had also drawn out Group H.

Immediately there was warm applause from the Hoffenheim quartet in the conference hall. Lannick, Rothaus, Li Huan and Hope hugged each other. Zenit entered the death group. They were lucky to come to B Group.And Zenit head coach Edvocaat thumped his thigh in frustration, thinking how difficult it is to break through the gap between Real Madrid and Juventus. If they are assigned to Group B, no matter Mourinho Inter Milan is so tyrannical, as long as they can deal with Panathinaikos in Greece, it is enough. What they get after qualifying in the group is not only a high bonus, but also a very high honor.

Hope smiled and said to Li Huan: "It seems that God is still on our side. There is great hope for qualifying in the group stage."

After Rangnick was overjoyed, he quickly and cautiously said: "Panasinaikos can be assigned to the second tier, which shows that they have a lot of points in the European war and rich experience. We should not underestimate them."

Li Huan's goal this season is the Champions League. He is happier than the other three, saying: "No matter which team is in the fourth tier, at least we have the strength to fight."

Several people in Bayern saw a half chance of entering the death group, and Hoffenheim was able to avoid it. They were really jealous of this country bumpkin's good luck.Their experience in the Champions League is extremely rich. They know that the strength of their opponents in the group stage is not only a matter of qualifying. The result of coming out of the death group full of scars and red and yellow cards is completely different from the result of rushing out of an easier group. , Once Hoffenheim qualify, it is likely to go further.

After the legendary Portuguese star Eusebio presented the Champions League best former Ronaldo of the Year, the draw for the fourth round of the Champions League group stage began.The teams in the fourth tier are basically playing soy sauce, so it didn't cause any sensation. Only Atletico Madrid entered Group D, which caused a commotion on the scene. Apart from Liverpool's superior strength, the other three teams in this group Marseille, Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid are all at the same level. This is another death group outside Group H.

So far, the grouping of the eight groups of the UEFA Champions League has been completed. The eight groups are:
Group A: Chelsea, Roma, Bordeaux, Cluj
Group B: Inter Milan, Panathinaikos, Hoffenheim, Anroxas
Group C: Barcelona, ​​Sporting Lisbon, Basel, Shakhtar Donetsk
Group D: Liverpool, PSV, Marseille, Atletico Madrid
Group E: Manchester United, Villarreal, Celtic, Aalborg
Group F: Lyon, Bayern Munich, Steaua Bucharest, Fiorentina
Group G: Arsenal, Porto, Fenerbahce, Dynamo Kiev
Group H: Real Madrid, Juventus, Zenit St Petersburg, BATE Borisov
But the draw ceremony is not over yet, and there is one last item, Zidane presents the best player in the UEFA Champions League. After the selection by UEFA, Ronaldo became the best player in the UEFA Champions League last season.

Although he knew for a long time that he would be able to win this award, Ronaldo was still very excited. He was unruly and unruly in his acceptance speech. He thanked the Manchester United group for their help and believed that the honor he received belonged to Manchester United. Integral.

Seeing Ronaldo's award acceptance speech on it, Hope smiled and joked with Li Huan: "I hope I will still be sitting here at this time next year, and you can stand on it to receive the award."

Li Huan was also jealous in his heart. The UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League cannot be compared. Looking at the formation UEFA has set up for the UEFA Champions League, and thinking about how poor he was when he was the top scorer in the UEFA Cup, it is a heaven and an earth. .He shrugged and said, "Mr. Hope, who can say this."

Hope laughed loudly, patted Li Huan on the shoulder, and said, "With ambition, you are much more confident than your compatriots. You are not humble at all. Shao Jia would definitely say, how is that possible, I am a defender."

Li Huan smiled and was about to speak when reporters rushed to the head coaches, managers and player representatives of various clubs, and they wanted to conduct on-site interviews with these coaches.

A reporter from Gazzetta dello Sport caught Li Huan and asked Li Huan how he felt about being assigned to Group B. Li Huan said: "This is a lottery. Inter Milan is the strongest. They will undoubtedly be the big favorites to qualify for the group. .Except for Inter Milan, the other two teams are not strong, and we can advance by beating the other two teams.”

When the reporter asked Li Huan whether he was afraid of being in a team with Mourinho, Li Huan said with a smile: "You should ask Mourinho whether he is afraid. Inter Milan has had many precedents in the Champions League. Definitely going to be scared of something like that happening again. First in the group is a must for them and we might cause them some problems."

Rangnick was also asked by the reporter of "Bild" about his feelings about the grouping. Rangnick replied: "Hoffenheim will definitely compete with Panathinaikos for another qualifying spot. Difficult to predict. Panathinaikos is a hard nut to crack. They have experience in the Champions League for several consecutive seasons, and they are more mature. Experience happens to be what we lack the most. One or two doesn't matter."

The head coach of Panathinaikos is Ten Carter. He was originally the assistant coach of the Barcelona head coach Black Swan. He played a big role when Barcelona won the Champions League in 2006. Said: Although I like attacking football, I am not crazy, in the Champions League, avoidable mistakes in defense will pay a heavy price.If we want to advance to the knockout stage, we must know this. Judging from our history and group situation, advancing to the knockout stage is not wishful thinking. "

(End of this chapter)