Of course I will be at work. Here's hoping Liverpool pull it out.

i'll be heading home for a 2 hour lunch to watch this.

Damn. I wanted to watch this. Go Milan!

I'm for Liverpool, just because my brother supports them. That, and fun to root for the underdog.

Should be a good game either way.

Go Liverpool because:
1) It's England.
2) Since Chelsea lost, they should lose to the champs.

I was hoping they would have this game on the Fox Soccer Channel today, but instead they are showing the final FA game. Arsenal vs Man U.

DRAT~!


Dont tell me who wins... i hope they replay it soon on the tele.

liverpool looks like shit.

Is anyone in the UK watching this? I am watching the gamecast on soccernet. What the hell is going on?

i watched the first half at home. like i said, liverpool looks like shit. milan scores in the first minute. luis garcia had a few decent chances that he absolutely blew. i decided to come back to work after it being 3-0 at half.

now of course i'll probably miss the best comeback ever.

holy shit...just checked soccernet. 3-3. why the fuck did i leave????

At least someone else must suffer!! Oh and I still owe you a mix. I am worhtless.

Fantasy EPL coming this fall to an obner near you

<-----idiot

Watched it at work on ESPN2. Had my boss watch the penalty shootout with me.

They even replayed it later on ESPN2

fuck. from the quaters onwards champions league this year's had a great run of the best team (on the day) losing

Liverpool was fifth in the English Premeriship League this year and won the European championship. So, they'll be in next year to defend right? Does that mean Everton gets the shaft, or will the EPL have five teams next year?

obligatory Football - American college hoops analogy: Liverpool = Villanova

The holders should always have the chance to retain their title. It completely devalues the whole competition if they don't.

On the other hand it's not fair to take a place away from an other country or to change the rules at this stage and deny Everton.

It's a shame for Liverpool but I think they have to let Everton take the final spot and then revise the rules so that this doesn't happen again.

I don't think Liverpool should be allowed in automatically. It is not as though the Super Bowl Champ from the previous year gets an automatic bid.

Oh and yes I know how this is different. I understand the workings of the EPL and CL.

I still think the link between conference play and national championship in American collegiate athletics is a good analogy, though. The main difference is college sports occurs over the course of one season whereas this year's EPL results determines next year's CL makeup. Giving Liverpool an automatic bid would have the same ethos and also be consistent with the World Cup. Everton deserves a spot, though.

Suggestion: Have the CL champion's league receive an extra bid (whether the champion would have made the cut or not)... but then you have an extra team... maybe remove a bid from the worst league based on CL match performance. *shrug*

Get rid of the Israeli/Turkish/Greek team. Coonsidering those teams are garbage anyway.

Yes I know the Greeks won Euro 2004, but that was a bigger anomaly than Liverpool.

Venom from OPA! forthcoming.

I gather that Liverpool won the shootout. How does a team like AC Milan with all of those superstars lose to them? Oh yeah, like 'nova handled Ewing and the boys. But 'nova didn't have to come back from 20 down at halftime to do it.

Go Tottenham Hotspur! I like that little thing on their strip.

Oh and they definitely will nto be playing.

From Soccernet:

Liverpool's title was its first in the tournament since its fans rioted at the 1985 final in Brussels, Belgium, causing the death of 39 spectators and leading to a lengthy ban from European competition for English clubs. Under current rules, Liverpool won't be able to defend its title because only the top four teams in the Premier League qualified for next year's competition.