Champions League News, Transfers, Injuries, Player Ratings, Analysis

The 3 most underrated Dortmund players every Real Madrid fan must know

13May

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Champions League, Features, LaLiga

The 3 most underrated Dortmund players every Real Madrid fan must know

On June 1, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will clash in a Champions League Final that nobody saw coming. Although everyone had Real Madrid on their list of favorites, especially after signing former Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham this summer, BVB were the definition of underdogs coming into the knockout stages. Dortmund have been hugely disappointing and were utterly lost without Bellingham until another one of their former English superstars, Jadon Sancho, showed up on loan from Manchester United. A Sancho masterclass against Kylian Mbappe's PSG later, and Dortmund are facing the Real Madrid juggernaut they once embarrassed 11 years ago to face bitter rivals Bayern Munich in the final at Wembley. Now, Real Madrid are the ones going to Wembley, having just dispatched Bayern...

Ranking the 5 best Real Madrid players of the 2023/24 Champions League campaign

13May

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga

Ranking the 5 best Real Madrid players of the 2023/24 Champions League campaign

Real Madrid are headed to their second Champions League Final in three years under manager Carlo Ancelotti, and many of their players have the opportunity to secure six Champions League titles if they can get the job done at Wembley against underdogs Borussia Dortmund. Ahead of the big game on June 1, here is a look at the five best Real Madrid players of the current Champions League campaign, ranked in order. 5. FW Rodrygo Goes Rodrygo tends to bring out his best on Champions League nights, and who can forget his stunning brace to rescue Real Madrid from the dead in 2022 against Manchester City? Quietly, Rodrygo has tied Vinicius Junior for the team lead in the 2023/24 Champions League campaign with five goals, adding two assists for good measure. The Brazilian star has average...

Real Madrid fans will appreciate Vinicius Jr. channeling Sergio Ramos by trolling Joshua Kimmich to waste time

9May

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Champions League, Features, LaLiga

Real Madrid fans will appreciate Vinicius Jr. channeling Sergio Ramos by trolling Joshua Kimmich to waste time

Vinicius Junior was the clear standout on the pitch for Real Madrid in their 2-1 Champions League semifinal Remontada against European Clasico rivals Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu. The match had it all from wonderful individual play, incredible Manuel Neuer saves, masterful Carlo Ancelotti managing, heroics from an unlikely source in Joselu, and some late-game controversy courtesy of the referees. There were so many forgotten highlights within the match, too, including a moment from Vinicius Junior that didn't have to do with his relentless dribbling against Bayern Munich stars Joshua Kimmich and Matthijs de Ligt. In this case, Vinicius Jr. trolled the living daylights out of Kimmich - a known troll himself - to shave valuable moments off the clock for Real Madrid. htt...

Bayern Munich fans enraged after refs gift Champions League Final to Real Madrid

8May

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Champions League, Features, LaLiga

Bayern Munich fans enraged after refs gift Champions League Final to Real Madrid

As expected, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich played out a Champions League semifinal for the ages. After an even first leg that ended up 2-2 at the Allianz Arena, it looked like Bayern would pull off a win at the Santiago Bernabeu and reach Thomas Tuchel's third career Champions League Final. Instead, Tuchel will end his only full season at Bayern Munich with no Bundesliga title and no chance at redemption in the Champions League. That's partially thanks to Real Madrid super-sub Joselu, who affirmed he is one of the most underrated players in world football with a poacher's brace to lift his childhood club to another improbable late-game Remontada at the Bernabeu on a Champions League night. But unfortunately for Bayern Munich and the wider footballing discourse, it's also partially...

Thomas Tuchel’s choice of Real Madrid’s most key player will puzzle only casual fans

7May

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga

Thomas Tuchel’s choice of Real Madrid’s most key player will puzzle only casual fans

Real Madrid will host Bayern Munich on Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu for what will be a high-stakes encounter with everything on the line in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals. Both teams played out a perfect stalemate in the first leg, drawing 2-2 in what can only be described as a suiting match and result to a battle billed as the European Clasico. Ahead of the second leg at the Bernabeu, Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel took the time to praise one Real Madrid player in particular as the key man for the Merengues in the Champions League: “Toni Kroos has been the key for years, he has no problems with pressure and wearing this shirt. He’s so successful, has an impressive trajectory, dominates the game in his way, takes advantage of spaces. Sets the pa...

Real Madrid Starting Lineup Prediction vs. Bayern Munich for the UCL semifinal second leg

5May

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga

Real Madrid Starting Lineup Prediction vs. Bayern Munich for the UCL semifinal second leg

After securing a 2-2 draw away at the Allianz Arena, Real Madrid will play host to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu, looking to make it yet another unforgettable Champions League night at the vaunted venue. Real Madrid have dominated LaLiga and are coming off a 3-0 drubbing of Cadiz over the weekend, and they are the favorites to win the Champions League as the competition's most successful team. But while Bayern Munich have struggled in the Bundesliga this season, their Champions League pedigree is also quite strong, and manager Thomas Tuchel has already frequently had Real Madrid's number in the UCL. Here is how Real Madrid are predicted to line up their starting XI on Wednesday night at the Bernabeu as they look to make it two Champions League finals in...

Thomas Tuchel offers Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, and Dayot Upamecano injury updates before Real Madrid match

26Apr

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Champions League, Features, LaLiga

Thomas Tuchel offers Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, and Dayot Upamecano injury updates before Real Madrid match

Bayern Munich will play host to Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday, April 30, as it will be an elite European rivalry renewed. Before Bayern Munich face the LaLiga leaders, though, they will have another tough matchup in the Bundesliga this weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt. Ahead of the game on Saturday, Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel offered an injury update about three star players, with Bayern fans especially concerned about the status of star right winger Leroy Sane before Tuesday's Real Madrid matchup. Per Tuchel, Sane is going to be a game-time call. The club is taking things day-to-day with the German international. He has began training individually, but, at this juncture, Tuchel cannot make a definitive call on whether or no...

Jamal Musiala names the 2 players who rival Jude Bellingham as the best in the world

25Apr

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Champions League, Features, LaLiga

Jamal Musiala names the 2 players who rival Jude Bellingham as the best in the world

Bayern Munich superstar Jamal Musiala and Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham are close friends off the pitch, but they are about to be fierce opponents on it next week on April 30 at the Allianz Arena in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. The mutual respect between the two Bundesliga icons is obvious, and Musiala recently gave Bellingham praise by shouting him out as one of the very best footballers on this planet. Jamal Musiala was asked, via @iMiaSanMia, who he would pick as the best player in the world today. The German international listed Jude Bellingham as one option, and he also named current teammate Harry Kane and future Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe as the other two candidates. Perhaps Musiala, humble as he is, may consider adding himself on that short...

The only reason why Kylian Mbappe hasn’t announced his Real Madrid transfer yet

25Apr

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga, Ligue 1

The only reason why Kylian Mbappe hasn’t announced his Real Madrid transfer yet

PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe is about to become a free agent, but there is no extravaganza about the most talented footballer on the planet leaving for free. That's because everyone knows he is going to Real Madrid. Even key figures at other clubs, such as Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, joke about the well-known fact that Mbappe only wants Real Madrid. At this point, PSG have given up on trying to convince Mbappe to stay. Luis Enrique isn't playing nice with him in front of the media and even subbed him early in multiple Ligue 1 matchups. The PSG front office isn't engaging in their usual scare tactics towards Real Madrid either. So why hasn't Kylian Mbappe just gone ahead and announced to the whole world that the jig is up and he is finally joining Real Madrid in 2024? ...

Antonio Rudiger picks out 2 Bayern Munich stars he’s watching the closest next to Harry Kane

25Apr

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Champions League, Features, LaLiga

Antonio Rudiger picks out 2 Bayern Munich stars he’s watching the closest next to Harry Kane

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will meet again in the Champions League semifinals, just like old times, except there will be no Cristiano Ronaldo or Arjen Robben. Some faces, like Luka Modric and Manuel Neuer, will be familiar, but there are plenty of new superstars in this old European footballing rivalry like Vinicius Junior and Harry Kane. One of those new faces on Real Madrid, Antonio Rudiger, is a veteran of the competition in his own right, having won the tournament in 2020/21 for Chelsea, knocking out the Royal Whites along the way. Rudiger knows plenty about Bayern Munich, too. Not only is he a German international who played in the Bundesliga as a youngster for Stuttgart, but he also played for Thomas Tuchel when Chelsea won the Champions League. Ahead of next week's fi...