UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid Suffer Shock Defeat To Shakhtar Donetsk
Real Madrid’s recent misery continued as they suffered a shock 2-3 home defeat at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk in their opening Champions League group game. The Spanish champions were undone by a Shakhtar team that was missing 13 first-team players due to Covid-19. So What Went Wrong? Zidane shouldered full responsibility for an ultimately “bad night” where Madrid were found wanting. Shakhtar were impressive for the most part and on the 29th minute they broke the deadlock. The full back, Viktor Korniienko, bumbled his way into the box before laying it off to Tete who finished into the corner with aplomb. Real Madrid soon found themselves behind again four minutes later. Tete cut in from the right and fizzed a shot heading towards the corner. With Courtois only able to parry it back out, V...
Champions League: Marcus Rashford’s late strike sinks PSG again as Sevilla draw at Chelsea
Marcus Rashford was once again the hero as he scored a late goal to claim a 2-1 away win for Manchester United over Paris Saint-Germain in Group H, in Tuesday’s Champions League. In the round of 16 of the 2018/2019 Champions League season, Rashford converted a 94th minute penalty, as United overturned a 2-0 home defeat to beat PSG 3-1 and advance into the quarter-finals. This is the first time since 2004, PSG have lost a Champions League group game at home. PSG’s last two home defeats in the Champions League have come against United. Bruno Fernandes opened scoring in the 24th minute for United from the penalty spot. Ten minutes into the second half PSG were back on level terms following an own goal by Anthony Martial. But in the 87th minute Martial grabbed the winner with a superb strike t...
Ajax vs Liverpool: Tv channel, Live stream, Team News, Prediction
Liverpool will face Ajax in the opening fixture of their 2020/21 Champions League campaign on Wednesday night at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The two sides haven’t met face to face in over 50 years, but it promises to be a cracking game. Both the teams finished top of their respective leagues last season, but Ajax weren’t crowned Champions as the competition was concluded abruptly due to the coronavirus pandemic without declaring the winner. Liverpool are heading into this game on the back of a 2-2 draw against derby rivals Everton. Ajax, on the other hand, earned a convincing 5-1 victory against Heerenveen at the weekend in the Dutch league. Where to watch? Kick-off time: 20:00 (BST) Watch on Tv (UK): The match will be shown live on BT Sport 2. Subscribers can also stream...
Champions League Match Preview, Team News and Predicted Lineups: Chelsea vs Sevilla
The 2020-21 Champions League campaign kicks off tonight, and Chelsea will be hosting Sevilla at Stamford Bridge and hope to secure all three points as they look to emerge top of Group E ahead of the round-of-16. [embedded content] Rennes and Krasnodar are the other teams in the group, and the Blues will fancy their chances of booking a place in the last-16 after doing so last term before getting eliminated at the hands of Bayern Munich in the knockout stage. Finishing second behind Valencia in Group H saw Chelsea draw the Bundesliga giants in the last-16, and they have to top their group this time around to prevent such a scenario. On paper, Sevilla stand between Frank Lampard’s side and that top spot, though, and the La Liga giants are one of the teams to watch out for this season after t...
PSG vs Manchester United: Team News, Key Stats and Predicted Lineups
Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester UnitedUEFA Champions League 2020/2120th October, 20:00 pm BSTLe Parc des Princes, Paris Paris Saint-Germain host Manchester United in the Champions League later today and the French outfit will be looking to begin their European campaign with a win at home. Thomas Tuchel’s side made it to the final of the competition last year and they will be hoping to go all the way this time. Meanwhile, Manchester United are coming into this game on the back of an impressive performance against Newcastle United and they will be confident of getting something out of this game. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have been inconsistent so far this season and the Manchester United boss will be hoping for a good performance here. The Red Devils have the quality to trouble most teams...
Ajax vs Liverpool: Team News, Predicted line-ups from Champions League
Ajax will play host to Liverpool in the opening Champions League group fixture at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Wednesday. The Dutch giants find themselves second in the Eredivise table, one point behind PSV Eindhoven after five games. They are heading into this game on the back of a convincing 5-1 victory against Heerenveen at the weekend in the Dutch league. Dusan Tadic scored twice, while the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Davy Klaassen, and Antony added their names on the scoresheet and sealed all three points for Erik ten Hag’s side. Liverpool, on the other hand, are heading into this match on the back of a 2-2 draw against derby rivals Everton. In arguably one of the most intense feisty encounters in recent years, Everton twice came from behind to earn a point. Sadio Mane and Mohamed Sala...
Transitioning Teams and Europe
Why the failure to qualify for Europe for a transitioning team could be a blessing in disguise. European qualification in many footballing leagues and cultures is considered one of the more realistic targets at the start of a season. While the league title is there to be taken by an elusive team, there are six to seven teams that get to play in the European competitions namely, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The fans of every team with a decent top-10 caliber squad expect their teams to be in the mix to achieve the said target. The traditional ‘Top’ teams are by nature expected to have that level of consistency every season they grace the pitch. This very expectation and excitement turn into rage and criticism when their respective teams can’t manage to ch...
23-year-old forward misses out on Liverpool Champions League squad, loan move expected?
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed his Liverpool Champions League squad for the 2020/21 season but while there aren’t any major much surprises, one name has been left out. Welsh forward Harry Wilson, who could have been listed as a homegrown player in the 25-man squad, has been left out, giving the Liverpool manager 24 names on his A list. According to UEFA, the ‘A list’ is limited to 25 players with eight of those required to be ‘homegrown and four of those having been trained at the club for at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21. The Reds have a deadline of 11pm on Monday to submit their finalised squad, with Klopp’s selection already settled after a well-managed transfer window. It is therefore assumed, according to Sky Sports, that the 23-year-old forward may be headin...
Thiago Alcantara’s two-word reaction to Liverpool’s UCL group stage draws
Liverpool have been drawn alongside Ajax, Atalanta and FC Midtjylland in the Group D of the 2020-21 Champions League campaign. [embedded content] The Reds couldn’t defend their title from 2018-19 last term, with Atletico Madrid eliminating them in the round-of-16, and they will be keen to prove their quality all over again this season. Liverpool won the Premier League at a canter last term and have strengthened their squad this summer, landing the trio of Konstantinos Tsimikas, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota. The Spanish midfielder played a huge role as Bayern Munich secured the Champions League trophy last term, emerging as the man of the match in the final against Paris Saint-Germain. While Thiago won’t be able to defend the European title with the Bundesliga giants, he can’t wait to pl...
Pione Sisto: The Revival
Ahead of FC Midtjylland’s Champions League Qualifier second leg against Slavia Prague, we profile the familiar new face Pione Sisto, and his chaotic last few years in football. Danish winger Pione Sisto’s career has been a rollercoaster, with impressive highs, and deep lows. After excelling in the Danish League from the age of 17, Sisto truly broke onto the scene as a future star of European football when he was part of the inspiring FC Midtjylland side that nearly took down Manchester United in the 2016 Europa League. With the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, and Arsenal vying for his signature in the summer of 2016, Sisto had the world at his feet. In the end, Sisto chose to bring his talents to Spain, opting for Europa league aspirants Celta Vigo in a move that would promise more game time...
Bayern must stay focused – coach
Bayern Munich players will only let their stunning 8-2 UEFA Champions League quarter-final victory on Friday sink in for a day. Club head coach Hansi Flick believes, however, that if they are to win the title they still need to work hard. Flick, who was assistant coach of Germany in their historic 7-1 demolition of hosts Brazil en route to the World Cup title in 2014, said his players now needed to stay grounded. He said this was necessary ahead of a semi-final against either Manchester City or Olympique Lyonnais. Hi. Today we had a game against the junior team. I scored two goals. Now at home watching a movie. bye — Philipe Coutinho (@Phil_Coutinho) September 3, 2011 “You know that I do not look back because only the here and now matters,” Flick told reporters when asked about comparisons...
Manchester United halt summer transfer plans until season objective is reached
According to the MEN, Manchester United have shelved their summer transfer plans until the club’s Champions League fate is clear. Currently in the third spot, the Red Devils face off against fellow top-four hopefuls Leicester City who are just one point behind them. The Red Devils need to avoid a loss on the final day of the season to ensure a top-four finish. A return to Europe’s top competition will be a just reward for United’s brilliant form since the start of the year. The club has lost just once in the league since as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side went from strength to strength. It now appears where we end up will dictate the club’s summer activity. According to the report, United have made no more enquiries about their targets since discovering the transfer window was set to open on J...
