Category: Champions League

Can PSG Finally Get Their Hands on the Champions League Trophy or Will Bayern Munich End The Drought?

James Hill
PSG Bayern Munich Champions League

Estadio da Luz will be the arena for the 2020 Champions League final which will see Paris Saint-Germain clash with Bayern Munch this Sunday for the most prestigious prize in European club football. Anyone familiar with the history of these two teams will agree that the Germans are favorites to come away with another trophy. They have won the tournament on five occasions in the past, while their French opponents made it to the final game for the first time ever. However, nothing is impossible when it comes to these…

Read More

Can an English Team Win the Champions League Again This Year?

James Hill
English Teams in Champions League

The 2019/2020 football season across Europe has mostly been concluded but we still have the advanced stages of this year’s Champions League tournament to look forward to. Some juicy clashes are coming up and today I will be focusing on the two remaining Premier League clubs. Manchester City and Chelsea are the only English clubs left in the competition after holders Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur were booted out in the last round by Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig respectively. The first legs of the upcoming quarter-finals have already been played…

Read More

Was Atletico Madrid’s Win Over Liverpool Luck or Masterclass by Simeone?

James Hill
Atletico Madrid Liverpool

I’m sure that most of you watched the game between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. The Spaniards knocked out the reigning Champions League winners after the extra time and the overall impression is that Diego Simeone and his men got fortunate. That’s what many pundits said and Jurgen Klopp had a dig at his colleague after the match. Michael Owen went a step further and directly tweeted that this was not a masterclass by Simeone but pure luck. But is that really the case? Let’s look at the main…

Read More

PSG – Borussia Dortmund Betting Preview and Prediction

James Hill
PSG Borussia Dortmund Betting Preview

The coronavirus epidemic has brought a lot of chaos in Europe and football was affected as well. I already shared a couple of posts on the topic, so I won’t go into too many details here. What’s important is that tonight’s UEFA Champions League game between PSG and Borussia Dortmund will be played behind closed doors. I share my views on the potential effects on this betting preview of the match. Before I start, let me remind you that the first game between those two ended with a 2-1 victory…

Read More

Five Things We Learned from the First Leg of the Champions League Knockouts

James Hill
Bayern Munich Manchester City Champions League Knockouts

The first leg of the UEFA Champions League is behind us and that brings us closer to the trophy. I believe we learned a lot from the games, so it’s time for analysis before the return legs. Here are my five things we learned so far. The Teams Are Closer Than We Thought Most teams are still in it after the first leg. Only Atalanta and Bayern Munich seem certain for the next round, while all the other clubs will be hoping to progress. Sure, RB Leipzig looked good and…

Read More

How Gnabry Became World Class After He Wasn’t Good Enough for West Brom

James Hill
Serge Gnabri West Bromwich Albion

Football can be funny sometimes. Serge Gnabry destroyed his second London club this season, scoring a brace against Chelsea for Bayern Munich’s 3-0 victory in the Champions League last night. It was a masterful display from the forward and I think very few people doubt that Gnabry is world-class nowadays. And yet, several years ago the youngster was labeled “not good enough” to start for West Bromwich Albion by Toni Pulis, of all people. So it got me thinking, how did Gnabry develop from not good enough for West Brom…

Read More

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City Betting Preview and Prediction

James Hill
Real Madrid Manchester City UEFA Champions Leauge

There are several interesting ties in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, but the most anticipated among them is between Real Madrid and Manchester City. Both clubs have underperformed at times this season and the UCL is their best chance to please the fans. I don’t think any of the teams likes the draw, but the neutrals will be delighted to watch two of the top sides in Europe clash. If you need some help picking the best wagers for this game, you’ve come to the right place. This…

Read More

Napoli vs. Barcelona Betting Preview and Prediction

James Hill
Napoli Barcelona Betting Preview

Barcelona might have been happy with the Champions League draw initially, but Napoli’s resurgence after the arrival of Gennaro Gattuso is a concern. The Italian side has been much better recently and I think this could be a cracking tie. Napoli will have the home advantage in the first leg and a good result here would be instrumental for the team’s ambitions to progress. In this betting preview, I evaluate the chances of both sides and share my prediction of what’s going to happen on Tuesday night. Napoli The first…

Read More

Why Aymeric Laporte Is the Key to Manchester City’s Season

James Hill
Aymeric Laporte Pep Guardiola Manchester City

I’ve stated multiple times that Pep Guardiola’s refusal to buy another central defender is one of the reasons why Manchester City failed to meet the expectations this season. I still believe that is the case, but I can’t deny the fact that the Spanish manager has been unlucky too. The injury of Aymeric Laporte early in the campaign was monumental. The Frenchman is the best player in arguably the only position where the champions are short in numbers. What he brings to this team is invaluable for many reasons and…

Read More

Tottenham vs. RB Leipzig Betting Preview

James Hill
Tottenham Hotspurs RB Leipzig Betting Preview

I don’t think that anyone expects from any of the teams that play today in the Champions League to go all the way in the tournament. That puts them in a unique position to stay under the radar and suffer less pressure to perform. Probably the only exception is Tottenham. The Spurs reached the final of the competition last season and at the very least, their fans want to see the team beat RB Leipzig. The English side will have the home advantage in the first leg, but the bookmakers…

Read More

Five Things We Learned from Friday’s Champions League Games

James Hill
Erling Haaland and Other Champions League Figures

We saw two exciting games of football in the Champions League last night. Borussia Dortmund beat PSG 2-1 at home, while Atletico Madrid earned a precious 1-0 lead over Liverpool. The results pretty much leave both ties in the balance until the second leg. In the meantime, there are five important things we learned on Tuesday. Erling Haaland Can Do It in the Biggest Stage We’ve known that Erling Haaland is a talented striker for a while. He scored a ton of goals in Austria, but we’ve seen other players…

Read More

A Look at the Top Contenders for the Champions League after the January Transfer Window

James Hill
Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and FC Barcelona Logos

The January transfer window is now over and there are only two weeks left until the return of the UEFA Champions League. I believe now is the perfect time to assess the favorites for the most prestigious European tournaments. I’ve picked only teams that have a genuine chance to lift the trophy, in my opinion. Also, the order I used is determined by the odds of the leading bookmakers on the market. Liverpool If there’s a team that didn’t need recruitment in January, that’s Liverpool. The Reds have been the…

Read More

Latest Champions League and Europa League Odds After the Draws

James Hill
UEFA Champions League Trophy and Logo

We now know the draw for the first round of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League eliminations. That means the online bookmakers have released updated odds on each team winning the respective competition. Let’s first take a look at the draws and then assess the odds for a few of the leading teams. UEFA Champions League Last 16 Draw Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) Real Madrid (ESP) vs. Manchester City (ENG) Atalanta (ITA) vs. Valencia (ESP) Atlético Madrid (ESP) vs. Liverpool (ENG) Chelsea (ENG) vs. Bayern Munich…

Read More

UEFA Champions League 2019 & Europa League 2019 Draw – UK Teams & Their Opponents

Adl Admin

Even though football season ended less than one month ago, we are not far away from UEFA Champions League and Europa League qualifiers. Two English clubs Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC have won these competitions in the previous campaign. There was a draw made today in Nyon, France and below you can find out all opponents for UK clubs. Celtic Will Host The Champions Of Bosnia & Herzegovina The Bhoys conquered the Scottish Premiership once again in season 2018/2019. They defended the title without any issues, having won 87 points…

Read More

UEFA President reveals plans of big change in UCL final allocation policy

Vyom Chaudhary

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has revealed that he intends to change the policy to select the venue for the UEFA Champions League final. While speaking at the Oxford University, Ceferin said that UCL finals should only be held at four-five biggest stadiums in Europe, such as Wembley Stadium. He said, via Daily Mail, “We had 62,000 tickets in Madrid and 980,000 requests. If we would play for example in Wembley, we would have 30,000 more [tickets]. “Probably that as a top, top, top event should be played only at the…

Read More

Report: Liverpool’s main man to turn down the new deal

Vyom Chaudhary

German manager Jurgen Klopp has been quite a revelation in his current role at Liverpool. Klopp didn’t take long to become a fan-favourite at Anfield following his appointment in 2015. In the last four years, Klopp has transformed the club and have reinstalled them as one of the best European sides. Liverpool’s recent Champions League success has only enhanced his reputation. Besides winning their sixth Champions League title, the Reds also registered their record point-total in 2018-19 Premier League. Hence, it’s no surprise that the latest Liverpool blogs suggest that…

Read More

Manchester United face a battle in keeping David de Gea

Vyom Chaudhary

It has been stressed enough in the media that Manchester United need an overhaul in the summer. A lot of faces are supposed to make exit, while a lot of new faces are expected to arrive at Old Trafford in the summer. However, United’s main battle may lie elsewhere this window. The Red Devils face a tough fight to keep their star goalkeeper David de Gea at the club. The Spaniard has only one year left in his deal with United, and according to Sky Sports, he has turned down…

Read More

Comeback kings set up all-English Champions League Final

Adl Admin

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will go head-to-head in the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1 after sealing spectacular victories in their respective semi-final ties. The Reds recovered from a 3-0 first leg deficit against Barcelona by recording a thrilling 4-0 success in the return fixture to spark wild celebrations at Anfield. Spurs battled back from three goals down after 35 minutes of the second leg of their tie with Ajax to make it 3-3 on aggregate and progress to the final on away goals. Read on as we…

Read More

Son backs Spurs to perform in Kane’s absence

Adl Admin

Tottenham forward Heung-Min Son has insisted he feels no extra pressure with the injury to star striker Harry Kane, and backs Brazilian Lucas Moura to help the team get goals in his absence. Son, 26, has scored 12 league goals this season in just 19 starts, including two goals in Tottenham’s first three matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He is likely to be required to fill in for Kane who could be out of rot remainder of the season with ankle ligament problems suffered in Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League…

Read More

Premier League clubs reject Champions League proposals

Adl Admin

Premier League clubs have unanimously opposed proposals for changes to the UEFA Champions League format which would increase the number of games during the first half of the season and also wipe out end-of-season races for qualification to Europe’s top continental competition. The changes were being proposed for implementation during the 2024-25 season, but clubs in England’s top flight have banded together to reject the plans. With England having four of the final eight in this season’s tournament, as well as the Premier League’s standing as one of the top…

Read More

Ecstasy in Paris Has Luke Sure Solskjaer Will Get the Job

Adl Admin

If it were up to Manchester United’s left-back Luke Shaw, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would immediately be awarded the job at Old Trafford on a full-time basis. Shaw was speaking after what can only be described as pandemonium in Paris as Manchester United pulled off one of the great escapes and gave their supporters a night in France’s capital that they will never forget. The 23-year-old is ‘certain’ that Solskjaer will get the job and in all honesty, Shaw probably speaks for everyone in the footballing world. Few things convince the…

Read More

Lionel Messi wins record fifth European Golden Shoe award

Jason Bourne

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi says he “never imagined having so much success” after being presented with a record fifth European Golden Shoe award. The Argentine scored 34 goals in 36 La Liga appearances in 2017-18, making him the highest goalscorer in Europe ahead of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (32). Messi’s latest Golden Shoe award moves him one ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won four in total. “The truth is I had no idea this would happen when I started,” said Messi. “I dreamt of playing professional football and enjoying success,…

Read More

Atletico’s Filipe Luis sidelined with hamstring injury

Jason Bourne

Atlético Madrid defender Filipe Luis looks set to be out of action for around three weeks after the club confirmed he has suffered a hamstring strain. The Brazilian left-back was forced off an hour into Atlético’s dramatic 3-2 win at Real Valladolid on Saturday. Atlético announced on Monday that, following an MRI scan, the 33-year-old sustained a grade one strain. Although the club have not set a specific return date, a rest period of three weeks is recommended after such injuries. As such, Filipe Luis will most likely miss Saturday’s visit of Espanyol and…

Read More

Manchester United draw PSG in Champions League, Liverpool to face Bayern Munich

Jason Bourne

Manchester United have drawn Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League, while Liverpool will face Bayern Munich and Tottenham will take on Borussia Dortmund. Manchester City were drawn against Bundesliga side Schalke, meaning three of the four English teams will face German opposition. Cristiano Ronaldo will return to the city of Madrid, with Juventus drawn against Atletico. Holders Real Madrid must overcome Dutch side Ajax, while Barcelona will take on Lyon and Roma will face FC Porto. The first legs of the last-16 ties will be split…

Read More

Uefa announces introduction of ‘Europa League 2’ from 2021

Jason Bourne
UEFA Europa League

A third European club competition with the working title ‘Europa League 2’ will be introduced from 2021. One English team will enter the play-offs of the new tournament, while Scottish sides may miss out on Europa League places in a reshuffle. As part of Uefa’s 2021-2024 cycle, the Europa League will be halved in size to 32 teams with an extra play-off round between the group stage and last 16. The new tournament will be played on Thursdays alongside the Europa League. Every country’s champions will still enter the Champions…

Read More