Champions League News and Analysis

UCL Power Rankings: Aston Villa, Barca rise; Real Madrid stand tall; Don’t sleep on Monaco

24Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

UCL Power Rankings: Aston Villa, Barca rise; Real Madrid stand tall; Don’t sleep on Monaco

8. Monaco Sure, it was only Red Star Belgrade and then they couldn't even beat Dinamo Zagreb before that, but, looking at the bigger picture, Monaco have all the ingredients of a Champions League sleeper. Ligue 1 has quietly become a lot more competitive this season with a legitimate battle at the top of the table fought among PSG, Monaco, and Marseille, and in league play at least, Monaco look like the most complete side. There are familiar names to diehard football fans like former Liverpool attacker Takumi Minamino, ex-Arsenal American striker Folarin Balogun, former Chelsea and Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, or 2018 World Cup hero Aleksandr Golovin. However, the biggest gems for Monaco are the next generation of stars who have yet to make it big in the mainstream. Eliesse...

UCL Takes: Hansi Flick world’s best, Manuel Neuer finished, why Lille are so dangerous

23Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

UCL Takes: Hansi Flick world’s best, Manuel Neuer finished, why Lille are so dangerous

Why Lille are so dangerous At this point, nobody is going to be sleeping on Lille. If a victory over the Champions League's most mythical side, Real Madrid, wasn't enough to awaken fans fro their slumber, then Les Dogues taking down another giant of Spanish football 3-1 surely must do the trick. It would be wrong to state that Lille dominated the game against Atletico Madrid, who had several great chances to pull ahead of their Ligue 1 opponents on Wednesday night. The difference is that they didn't take them, nor did they show the championship grit that was so typical of those famous Diego Simeone sides in the 2010s. Instead, it was Lille who buckled down with a bodies-on-the-line defensive approach while relying on the brilliance of their two main attacking stars to force the issu...

UCL’s 3 best players of the day: Minamino joins Vini Jr. and Juve’s unsung hero

22Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

UCL’s 3 best players of the day: Minamino joins Vini Jr. and Juve’s unsung hero

AS Monaco FW Takumi Minamino Takumi Minamino didn't score a goal as spellbinding as Wilfried Singo (seriously, if your team needs a center back, you should look this guy up), nor was he as active as 22-year-old standout Maghnes Akliouche. But when it comes to pure efficiency, Minamino stood above everyone else, finishing two "gimme" chances with ease while recording an assist of his own. Minaminio was in the right place at the right time, putting on a clinic in positioning while making smart interplay and creating multiple chances for his teammates. With Monaco dominating the ball and so many of his teammates itching to take defenders on, Minamino was smart about taking up central positions away from his teammates in positions where a goal would be possible. Without those keen in...

UCL Takes: Arsenal’s Gyokeres regret, Vini Jr. is the world’s best, Juve remain far off

22Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga, Premier League, Serie A

UCL Takes: Arsenal’s Gyokeres regret, Vini Jr. is the world’s best, Juve remain far off

Why didn't Arsenal sign Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres? Is there any argument against Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior being the best player in world football? And are Juventus even ready to compete in the Champions League again? Juventus aren't Champions League ready Juventus have made very real strides under the management of Thiago Motta, who came to the Bianconeri as the most coveted manager in Italian football for taking Bologna to the Champions League. But even as Juve have performed better this season with more promising results individually in an attacking sense, they've still only scored 11 goals and rank as one of Serie A's worst offensive teams in the top half of the table. Furthermore, the Bianconeri are third in the league, which is the same place they were in ...

UCL Score Predictions: Real Madrid and Liverpool on upset watch, Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich

21Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

UCL Score Predictions: Real Madrid and Liverpool on upset watch, Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich

Here are score predictions for the three biggest Champions League matchups of Matchday 3 of the 2024/25 season. Real Madrid vs. Dortmund Real Madrid will host Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night in a rematch of the 2024 Champions League Final, which Los Merengues unsurprisingly won 2-0 behind an inspired performance from 2024 Ballon d'Or favorite Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian winger scored the decisive goal this past weekend in a 2-1 win over underdogs Celta Vigo, while Dortmund also won 2-1 on Friday night against the scrappy St. Pauli, courtesy of a winner from their star man in new striker Serhou Guirassy. Dortmund are actually a little more dangerous this season thanks to Guirassy's presence at striker and a breakout season from younger winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, but as their ...

Real Madrid, Juventus pursuing UCL breakout left back

12Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, LaLiga, Serie A

Real Madrid, Juventus pursuing UCL breakout left back

Real Madrid are in the market for a new left back in the summer 2025 transfer window, and while their dream target is Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, who remains an impending free agent, they have their eyes on young up-and-coming talents in Europe's top five leagues. Meanwhile, Juventus are weighing potential defensive signings after center back Gleison Bremer's season-ending injury, with Ardian Ismajli on the radar as a possible center back signing. Juventus could also use a left back, though, as they signed Juan Cabal this summer from Hellas Verona as an option, but they could use a more attacking left back in a platoon setup. According to a report from Calciomercato.com, Juventus are interested in Benfica left back Alvaro Fernandez Carreras, who previously spent time in th...

Ranking the 10 best strikers in the world in 2024

3Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best strikers in the world in 2024

Who are the best strikers in world football right now? With two months of action in the books in the 2024/25 league seasons, let's take an updated look at the best No. 9's on the planet, ranking them from tenth to first. Where did Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane land? How does Ollie Watkins stack up with the elites? 10. Andrej Kramaric, Hoffenheim For years, Andrej Kramaric has been one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga, setting records as a goal-scorer for Hoffenheim without showing any desire to leave the German side. Kramaric makes this list over bigger names like Alvaro Morata and Dusan Vlahovic, because he honestly outplayed both of those guys significantly last season and has already been better to start the 2023/24 season. The problem with world football these days is...

Team News: Celtic will be without one of their best players vs. Dortmund

1Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Team News: Celtic will be without one of their best players vs. Dortmund

After demolishing Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in their opening 2024/25 Champions League fixture of the new format, Celtic will face last year's finalist Borussia Dortmund in a much tougher Matchday 2 battle. Of course, Dortmund aren't exactly invincible despite their pedigree, as they were destroyed 5-1 by Stuttgart themselves a couple of weeks ago and recently had some difficulties defensively in a 4-2 win over "Little Ruhrderby" rivals Bochum. Celtic will have one key disadvantage going into Tuesday night's game at the Signal Iduna Park, however, as one of their most important players won't be able to play. Manager Brendan Rodgers ruled out starting center back Cameron Carter-Vickers with a toe injury, as the 26-year-old was unable to play this past weekend in what ended up being an e...

Luis Enrique’s ego is basically gifting Arsenal a free Champions League win vs. PSG

30Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Luis Enrique’s ego is basically gifting Arsenal a free Champions League win vs. PSG

Arsenal will face PSG on Tuesday night at the Emirates for their second match of the 2024/25 Champions League season, and while a game on paper against the 2023/24 UCL semifinalists figures to be a tough one, it would honestly be a profound disappointment for the Gunners to lose. PSG are first in Ligue 1 but tied on points with Monaco, reeling after losing Kylian Mbappe. They do have some bright spots, such as new signing Joao Neves and young winger Bradley Barcola, but they don't look like Champions League contenders without Mbappe. Meanwhile, Arsenal are fighting tooth and nail to finally win the Premier League, and, in doing so, are Champions League hopefuls in their own rights. A strong showing at home against PSG on Matchday 2 would go a long way in validating their legitimacy a...

2024/25 Champions League Predictions for Matchday 2

30Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

2024/25 Champions League Predictions for Matchday 2

Arsenal vs. PSG PSG don't feel like a legitimate Champions League threat in an era without Kylian Mbappe, who seemed to be the only reason why the Parisians were threats to reach the semifinals after Neymar was fully washed on the beach like a sullen hermit crab without a shell. Joao Neves gives PSG reason for optimism, but when your standout attacking player is Ousmane Dembele heading into the year 2025, you don't really stand much of a chance against a Premier League title contender. Arsenal have their own problems after a surprisingly complacent summer transfer window from an attacking perspective, but, then again, you don't need much more than Bukayo Saka and the Champions League version of Gabriel Jesus to dismantle PSG's defense. Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 PSG Aston Villa vs....