Results
It’s all over for four of our Champions League teams, but we do know two of the names that will be in the Quarter-FInals next month. The last of the undefeated teams eventually lost last week and two groups have a three-way struggle this weekend…
Group A
Not only did Allison Wonderland miss out on the chance to guarantee themselves qualification a week early, but that 40-27 loss actually put them in a difficult position going into the final game of the first round. They will have to beat Sporting Wicker Park this weekend in order to go above them. If they draw or lose, they will need Mighty fine feeling to do them a favour by beating CG XI.
MFF’s bid for a third Champions League title has ended, for this season, as they went down to a second defeat to SWP. The five bonus points picked up by Trippier and Dalot made the difference, but to be fair, they were unlucky enough to leave seventeen more points on the bench. The lay of the group means that MFF can no longer reach the IML either, while SWP’s CL future is in the hands of the fates.
Group B
The Champions League holders were blessed by the sending off of Chester’s Manuel Akanji against Brighton last weekend. A one-point win over the Championship side was largely due to Mo Salah’s brace and sixteen point gain, but it was ultimately City’s defence that let Chester fall out of the Champions League. It means that they have nothing to play for here next week, but their opponents Fergi Time do.
Fergi Time themselves lost a one-point thriller last weekend and it gave Barons a way into the CL Quarter-Finals. Thanks to two bonus points each from Romero and Haaland, Barons could be playing in the next round if they get a better result than Fergi or, less likely, get the same result but outscore them by 55 or more. However, history is against Barons as they have been outscored by Gloopy eight times across the opening nine gameweeks this season, including the week they met in a League & Cup double. Fergi Time on the other hand, beat AFC Chester by over 30FPts both times they played against each other last month.
Group C
The first team into the next round are Housewives Favourite. The firepower of the Brentford duo Mbeumo and Wissa was too much for Whiskey de Bruyne, and caused them to be eliminated from the tournament. However, it does set-up a couple of interesting head-to-heads this weekend. WdB beat ATC in game #1, 50-42, and if they were to do it again (albeit by a much greater margin), they could steal third place and a spot in the IML QF’s.
In the other matchup, Housewives Favourite will face Smash & Grab in our second League & Cup double-up of the season. In the opening gameweek of the Premier League season, Wives Fave saw off S&G 56-49 thanks to another fine outing by Mbeumo & Wissa, and in the first game of the CL the Champions of Champions won that 39-35. But S&G will come into the double-header as Premier League leaders and also needing at least a draw to confirm their place in the next round.
Group D
De Bruyne Trousers also booked their place in the Quarter-Finals this week; unfortunately it wasn’t with the fireworks they had used over the last four weeks, but more of a whimper as the failure of El Dude Bros to repeat their win over Uncle Monty gives DBT a six-point lead over third place and a guaranteed top-two finish. Nevertheless, these two will both play a heated match this weekend; DBT need a point to seal first place out of the group and El DB’s need a good result to seal third and an outside shot at second…
For the other two, after both won in MD5 and rejuvenated their prospects, they are well-placed to move up if results go their way. For whichever team wins the final game of the Group Stage, they should leapfrog the team above them if that team loses. That is to say that – Uncle Monty have a better total than El Dude Bros and so could appear in the IML with the right scores, or, Hung Like a Bony could move above DBT, again with a superior points tally, and potentially earn an easier Quarter-Final. Possibly.
The Knockout Rounds…
The Quarter-Finals will match the same format as previous seasons:
QF1) Winner Group A vs. Runner-Up Group B
QF2) Winner Group C vs. Runner-Up Group D
QF3) Winner Group B vs. Runner-Up Group A
QF4) Winner Group D vs. Runner-Up Group C
Two-legged ties (GW’s 11 & 12). The best aggregate score goes to the Semi-Finals.
Semi-Finals:
Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
Winner QF3 vs. WInner QF4
Again, two legs (GW’s 13 & 14). Winners meet in the Final.
We skip Gameweek 15 as it’s a midweek fixture and Gameweek 16 for the IML Final.
The Champions League Final will be played in Gameweek 17, on the weekend of the 16th December.
Also…
The teams that finish third in each group will go on to play in the Intramural League.
In Gameweeks 11 & 12 – The Quarter Finals:
Third Place Group A vs. BattleVAR Galactico
Third Place Group B vs. Harambe Hotspur
Third Place Group C vs. Route 57 FC
Third Place Group D vs. GoFys FC
Semi-Finals: Gameweeks 13 & 14
The IML Final: Gameweek 16
You must be logged in to post a comment.