Champions League

1Oct By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Arsenal have golden chance to show Arteta progress in PSG litmus test

Rooming with Ronaldinho, playing with Jay-Jay Okocha and making his Champions League debut aged just 18, it is no wonder Mikel Arteta has such fond memories of his time at Paris Saint-Germain.Arteta was just a teenager back then, sent out on loan by Barcelona to gain first-team experience, but his 18 months in the French capital had a profound effect. LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 28: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, applauds the fans at full-time following the team's victory in the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City FC at Emirates Stadium on September 28, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) The first seeds about one day becoming a manager were planted thanks to the way head coach Luis Fernandez trusted him and Arteta a...

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1Oct By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

AC Milan Predicted Lineup vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Champions League

Champions League action returns as reigning Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen play host to AC Milan at the BayArena. MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 27: Paulo Fonseca, manager of AC Milan, interacts with Alvaro Morata of AC Milan during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Lecce at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 27, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) The Rossoneri is coming off a 3–0 victory over Lecce in Serie A, Paulo Fonseca's third win across all competitions as the new Milan boss. The win was also Milan's second-straight win in league play following its 2–1 triumph over rival Inter Milan at the previous weekend that has it in third place in the Serie A table. Fonseca will look to keep the momentum rolling in a bid to pick up his first three...

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20Sep By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Champions League: Barca lose to Monaco as Arsenal draw with Atalanta

On matchday 1 of the Champions League Barcelona dropped points, Manchester City and Arsenal failed to win and there were some banner results already. Bayern Munich scored nine goals. French club Monaco upset 10-man Barcelona by grinding out a 2-1 victory on Thursday in the Champions League, while a stunning David Raya double-save ensured Arsenal a goalless draw away to Europa League winners Atalanta. Barca have started the season with a perfect record after five La Liga matches but, hindered by a red card in the 11th minute for Eric Garcia, fell to defeat on the French Riviera. Maghnes Akliouche fired the French side into the lead five minutes after Garcia was dismissed for a last-man challenge on Takumi Minamino. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal equalised in the 28th minute with an arrowed ...

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19Sep By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Man City blunted by ‘giant performance’ Inter in Champions League stalemate

Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi praised his team's "giant performance" after holding Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in their Champions League opener. The expanded tournament format, designed to pit Europe’s top clubs against each other more frequently, saw both sides start their campaigns with a hard-fought stalemate. Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi said the Italian champions produced a "giant performance" to leave Manchester City frustrated in a 0-0 draw to begin their Champions League campaign on Wednesday. One of the selling points of the new expanded Champions League format was to bring together the continent's elite teams more often before the knockout stage. A repeat of the 2023 final, won 1-0 by City, did little to set the pulses racing, but Inter will feel they should have inflict...

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18Sep By Football Flame2 Comments

Champions League

Bellingham ‘not surprised at all’ after Mbappe strikes in opening Real win

Jude Bellingham discussed Kylian Mbappe's immediate impact in the Real Madrid side, as Los Blancos started their defence of the Champions League trophy with a 3-1 win over Stuttgart. MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 17: Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between Real Madrid CF and VfB Stuttgart at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 17, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Endrick and Antonio Rudiger were also on target for the hosts, while the Bundesliga side found the net through Deniz Undav. Bellingham was making his first appearance for Carlo Ancelotti's side since August 18. Jude Bellingham hailed another standout moment in Kylian Mbappe’s career after the ...

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18Sep By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Liverpool kick off UEFA Champions League with 3-1 win over AC Milan

Liverpool celebrated their return to the UEFA Champions League after a one-season absence with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday, overcoming a shaky start with goals from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai. MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 17: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool FC embraces Tammy Abraham of AC Milan at the end of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between AC Milan and Liverpool FC at Stadio San Siro on September 17, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) The Reds got off to an awful first few minutes in the battle between the two European heavyweights, as Christian Pulisic fired the Rossoneri in front at home following a quick counterattack in the third minute, aided by L...

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16Sep By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Official: Real Madrid squad list to face VfB Stuttgart

Real Madrid are all set to kickstart the defence of their UEFA Champions League crown tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu when they take VfB Stuttgart in their first fixture of the newly-introduced ‘League phase’. Ahead of Tuesday night’s contest in the Spanish capital, manager Carlo Ancelotti has announced the list of players who will be available at his disposal. The big news is that key midfield duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham are back in the squad after spending some time on the sidelines due to injury. It is likely that both are put into the starting XI right away by the manager. Meanwhile, Eder Militao also makes the squad list despite reports suggesting that the Brazilian would miss tomorrow’s game after he missed training today. Tomorrow’s game will see Kylian Mbappe mak...

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15Sep By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

New Champions League format explained and history of changes to groups and knockouts

Fans will have to get their heads around the first major change to the Champions League format for two decades as the new 36-team first-round league phase makes its debut for 2024/25. While the previous incarnation remained the same for several years, the competition is no stranger to change with lots of tweaks and adjustments taking place as UEFA sought the perfect formula for its prized event. The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League will see the competition undergo the most dramatic change in its history this season, with the number of teams increasing and a full-scale revamp to the opening round. The competition proper will now see 36 teams competing for an opportunity at the biggest prize, up from 32, and the more recognisable group stage making way for an intriguing-looking league phase. h...

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8Sep By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

PSG Receive Boost Ahead of Crucial Champions League Fixtures Against Girona, Arsenal

The international window hasn’t been kind to Paris Saint-Germain with key players like Vitinha, Désiré Doué, and Warren Zaïre-Emery suffering injuries. After the alarm bells went off with their midfield suffering multiple blows ahead of an intense next few weeks, there’s a sigh of relief. The Parisians have a mix of good and bad news as club football returns this week and the UEFA Champions League kicks off this month. PSG will face Stade Brestois on September 14 and the Spanish side Girona on September 18. Afterward, the Ligue 1 side face Stade de Reims on September 21 and Stade Rennais on September 27 before their showdown with Arsenal on October 1. As a result, the capital club need all their players healthy for these next couple of weeks and while they suffered scares, L’Equipe ...

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5Sep By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Liverpool reveal why three stars left out of Champions League squad

Liverpool have revealed why three of their first-team stars were omitted from their Champions League squad. The Anfield outfit are finalising preparations for this season's new 36-team league format and new manager Arne Slot has named 25 players in his side.Eight of the squad members must be 'locally trained players' while four of these must be 'club trained' adding further restrictions to the footballers the boss can choose. The Reds are set to come up against AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid, Girona, Lille and PSV, in the league stage of the competition but some supporters were concerned that a number of snubbed names would not feature in these matches. In particular, many were shocked to see Harvey Elliott, Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah left off t...

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14Aug By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Lille defeats Fenerbahce in Champions League qualifying

Canadian Jonathan David's 118th-minute penalty for France's Lille on Tuesday ended Turkey's Fenerbahce's hopes of making the revamped Champions League.Lille advanced as the 3-2 winner over Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce after two legs in the third qualifying round.David's penalty lifted Lille into a 1-1 draw Tuesday. Lille won the first leg 2-1.Fenerbahce scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time through Bafode Diakite's own-goal to go 1-0 ahead in the second leg in Istanbul and take the match to extra time.Mourinho was hired in June on an $11-million annual salary to try to win Fenerbahce’s first Turkish league title since 2014. He was attempting to get his new team into the revamped 36-team league stage of the Champions League, which he won with Porto in 2004 and Inter ...

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2Jun By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Real Madrid Unstoppable, Win 15th Champions League Trophy

 Eder Militao, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo of Real Madrid pose for a photo with the UEFA Champions League Trophy as they celebrate after Real Madrid defeat Borussia Dortmund during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Final match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid CF at Wembley Stadium on June 01, 2024 in London, England. Real Madrid withstood a Borussia Dortmund barrage to win the Champions League for the 15th time as Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior struck late in a 2-0 win at Wembley on Saturday.Right-back Carvajal headed in from Toni Kroos’ corner on 74 minutes before Vinicius fired into the far corner to extend the Spanish giants’ record as the most successful club in Champions League history.Madrid have now won their last nine European Cup finals and won the competiti...

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29May By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

UCL final returns to Wembley

Champions League before the UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg football match Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid at the San Siro stadium in Milan on February 20, 2024.On Saturday, June 1, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will meet in the Champions League final on Paramount+. While Real Madrid will be vying for their 15th Champions League title and first since 2022, Borussia Dortmund could win their first Champions League title since 1997. Wembley Stadium in London will be the stage for this clash. England's national soccer stadium opened in 2007 replacing the old Wembley Stadium that stood since 1923. With a capacity of 90,000, Wembley is the largest stadium in Europe for now until the expected capacity of Barcelona's Camp Nou which is currently undergoing renovations.Wembley is no ...

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9May By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Joselu Earns Madrid Incredible Bayern Comeback To Reach Champions League Final

 Joselu Mato of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring his first goal during the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg match between Real Madrid and FC Bayern München at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on May 08, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. Real Madrid produced a spectacular comeback against Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League final with Joselu striking twice late on, earning them a 2-1 win on Wednesday to progress 4-3 on aggregate.Alphonso Davies smashed the visiting German giants ahead in the second half but record 14-time winners Madrid produced a sensational comeback with Joselu netting in the 88th and 91st minutes.Spanish champions Real Madrid face another German side, Borussia Dortmund, in the Wembley final on June 1, after they stunned the team they call their "black beas...

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8May By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Borussia Dortmund reach Champions League final

 Karim Adeyemi, Mats Hummels, Emre Can of Dortmund and teammates celebrate the victory following the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Borussia Dortmund (BVB) at Parc des Princes stadium on May 7, 2024 in Paris, France.The return matches of the semi-finals have started in the Football Champions League.Paris Saint-Germain, the French champion, hosted Borussia Dortmund in Paris. In their first leg, the German team won by a narrow margin.In the second leg, just like in the first, Borussia Dortmund won Paris Saint-Germain by only one goal.Mats Hummels stood out in the "Bees" team.Borussia Dortmund reach Champions League final. The match between Real and Bayern Munich will take place on May 8. The first match between these clubs ended i...

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2May By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Fuellkrug earns Dortmund 1-0 first-leg win over PSG

 Niclas Fullkrug #14 of Borussia Dortmund plays the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma #99 of Paris Saint-Germain during the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain at Signal Iduna Park on May 01, 2024 in Dortmund, Germany. Borussia Dortmund's Niclas Fuellkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal a 1-0 victory over visitors Paris St Germain in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Fuellkrug's path and the Germany forward controlled the ball with a perfect first touch before drilling a low shot past keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 36th minute.PSG, fresh from being crowned Ligue 1 champions and desperate to win their first ever Champions League trophy, found it hard goi...

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1May By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Dortmund v PSG another Champions League thriller: Luis Enrique

 Paris Saint-Germain's Spanish coach Luis Enrique attends a press conference on April 30, 2024 in Dortmund, western Germany, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg football match between Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).Paris St-Germain and Borussia Dortmund served up plenty of entertainment in the Champions League quarterfinals, and their meeting in the semis promises more of the same, PSG manager Luis Enrique said on Tuesday.Both sides came back from first-leg defeats to reach the semifinals, PSG winning 4-1 in Barcelona after a 3-2 loss in Paris and Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 to recover from their defeat in Spain.“I think that is the way it went in the quarterfinals based on the playing style of Dortmund and the way that we play,” Luis En...

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1May By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: Madrid making an art form of scoring when least expected

Kim Min-Jae of FC Bayern München in action with Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg match between FC Bayern München and Real Madrid at Allianz Arena on April 30, 2024 in Munich, Germany.Real Madrid has made an art form of striking when least expected.Bayern Munich was so dominant in the Champions League semifinal on Tuesday that it seemed only a matter of time before it scored. But Madrid pounced instead.Vinícius Júnior ran onto a brilliant Toni Kroos pass and fired the visitors ahead in the 24th minute with their first chance.“I know that Viní prefers the ball in space than at his feet,” Kroos said.“Then he makes his move. He makes the pass easy for me with his run.”Madrid's knack for scoring goals out of nothing is a trait that plays on ri...

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18Apr By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Kimmich heads Bayern past Arsenal into Champions League semis

Joshua Kimmich of FC Bayern München celebrates scoring the 1st team goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match between FC Bayern München and Arsenal FC at Allianz Arena on April 17, 2024 in Munich, Germany.A 63rd-minute Joshua Kimmich header gave Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over Arsenal and a place in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.The 3-2 aggregate quarter-final victory means Bayern return to the last-four for the first time since winning the title in 2020.Bayern will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid for a place in the final.The result continues a poor week for Arsenal, who conceded top spot in the Premier League table on Sunday with their first league loss of 2024."We can enjoy this one. The first half was cagey and then we upped the tempo,"...

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18Apr By Football FlameNo Comments

Champions League

Pep Guardiola praises ‘exceptional’ Man City after Champions League exit v Real Madrid

 Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, reacts after the team's defeat in the penalty shoot out during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match between Manchester City and Real Madrid CF at Etihad Stadium on April 17, 2024 in Manchester, England. Despite crashing out of Europe, Pep Guardiola couldn’t fault his players and their performance against Real Madrid.Pep Guardiola said he couldn't have asked any more of his players on Wednesday as Manchester City crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid.The Premier League champions drew 1-1 in 90 minutes (4-4 on aggregate) which required extra-time and eventually penalties to determine a winner. Missed spot-kicks from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic proved decisive and Antonio Rudiger converted...

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