lickierambert

We can't play Ludogorets, Rostov or BM in the next round. Confirmed seeded teams so far are Besiktas, and Lyon/Sevilla.

Also, if we get through, we will definitely be away 2nd leg (23rd February). In case anyone needs to book time off work early

Tonight, 7pm, BBC 2. We are ball number 35 Anyone fancy the final part of the Crystal Palace trilogy? Thought not

Pardew has been sacked after a 4-0 saints away victory once, let's do it again

There is absolutely no way we would put a league side out that is as weak as that. We'll put out 3 fairly strong sides, making 3/4 changes each time I think

Coutinho looked to be badly injured today. Not sure that helps our apparent pursuit of Sturridge in January

and maybe 2 clear cut chances created over the three games

It's a young bench but most of their first 11 are there. Lafata is the danger and he didn't play at St Marys

Just as long as he's not as good as our 17 year old from 2007, then all good

A draw suits both sides I think so I wouldn't be surprised if that how it ends up

I'd agree but there's some clear managerial trends he's developed over the last 6 or 7 years: -Poor cup performance when it should be a priority -Poor late season form/general exhaustion -Lots of possession but limited penetration -Too many draws Levy can't be happy with their exit in a very manageable group

Resting a few players as well to concentrate on the league. Sounds familiar

I'm sure there are some geeks like me tracking the results across both European competitions this midweek. There are currently 74 potential participants in the Europa League knock out stages, including all those Champions League teams yet to progress or definitely finish 4th in their group. Tonight and tomorrow should see that number whittle down as the likes of Barca and Real Madrid inevitably progress in the CL and we may find out the identity of some of the 3rd place teams dropping into the Europa League. Tottenham, Lyon and Borussia Monchengladbach look likely candidates Thursday will see quite a few EL teams exit. Only 1 (Gabala) have been officially eliminated from the group stages already

Crikey. 9 out of the last 10 matches he's officiated have had 5 plus bookings. I'll see what the bookies are offering on those markets for Thursday

If we get through to the knockout stages, the round of 32 takes place 2/3 of the way through the league season, and either side of an FA Cup weekend. If we're safely ensconced in mid table I've no doubt Claude will put out our 'best' 11 (including Fonte for example). But we need to secure some league wins before that

Mask permitting, I think Tadic will play on Thursday.

Correct on all counts I think. Bottom line is that it's in our hands on the last group game whatever happens. It's why I think Puel will make 7 or 8 changes. We need a league win pronto and next Sunday is the priority

Surely they have to offer Ervine a contract? A middle order of Vince, Bailey, Dawson and Ervine might actually be quite solid. Interesting the overseas is a batsman given our bowling woes next year. I hope you're right Weston and we have a bowler lined up. We are still pretty light in terms of t20 specialists as well. Hopefully we get a top order batsman on a t20 contract

Well they certainly aren't buying the whole club with that fund!

I'd say our scouting network are looking for at least one centre back as a matter of reasonable urgency. I love Fonte and VVD but I doubt either will be in our first team in 2 years time, for differing reasons

Also in terms of Puel v Pochettino, I admire the fact that Puel doesn't use a translator. I mean, his interviews are boring and incomprehensible most of the time, but Poch hid behind a translator because he knew he could get away with it at a 'smaller' club

I have no problem with Koeman and you can't really argue with 7th and 6th place finishes. However three things have stood out with Puel compared to Koeman: 1. He's been much more trusting of the young players, notably McQueen in the last couple of weeks. I think if Koeman was in charge, Yoshida would be playing at right back and Martina at left back instead. 2. We have a much more identifiable style. Last year, particularly away from home, we just wanted to soak things up and then hope to catch someone on the break for a 1-0 victory. This year, things seem much more joined up, although it is quite difficult to specify exactly how 3. The players seem much more praiseworthy of Puel, which is quite telling. Tadic and Mane quite clearly fell out with Koeman last year. VVD, Austin and Romeu have been gushing in their praise the last few weeks from what I've seen Plus, I hope Puel gives the FA Cup and/or the EL knock out stages more of a go after Christmas. You felt as though Koeman threw the cups in order to protect his Premier League bonus money

I'd take Morgan on a loan. I'm worried by our reliance on Romeu and how overworked he may become

Agree but I'm still really nervous somehow

I was listening on 5 live and you could hear every word Kenzie was saying.