Europe’s top teams finally seem to understand the problem New Champions League.
standings table The games heading into the fourth round will look much different than a year ago, when a new 36-team format debuted and outcomes became less predictable.
Top of the list before Tuesday’s match is a list of undefeated, high-income teams led by Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, who will play a high-profile game at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
A second blockbuster match (5th place Real Madrid vs. 10th place Liverpool) also opens the door slightly for teams outside the big five to catch up.
His first team from outside the wealthy elite was Sporting Lisbon, who finished tied for 11th before going to Juventus. Qarabag, 13th, is the highest-placed true outsider in the competition and calls Chelsea his home.
Some prestigious teams struggled in their first games in the expanded eight-game format, which offered a wider range of opponents.
After three games last year, Aston Villa returned to the league for the first time in 41 years and were in first place. Brest, the unprecedented French club I was in 5th place. Neither is eligible to participate in this edition. Sporting remained in eighth place, qualifying directly for the round of 16, ahead of then-coach Ruben Amorim’s side. Lost 4-1 to Manchester City Last November 5th.
A year ago, PSG were in 19th place but were on the verge of being eliminated in the final round. Madrid lost in Lille and finished 12th, while Bayern suffered back-to-back defeats against Villa and Barcelona, leaving them in 23rd place.
Today, PSG, Bayern and Madrid were joined by Arsenal and Inter Milan with three consecutive wins. Together, these five have scored 52 goals and conceded just six.
Featured rematch
PSG vs. Bayern and Liverpool vs. Real Madrid also faced each other on Matchday 5 of last season.
PSG then lost 1-0 in Munich, with Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé sent off a few weeks after the defeat to Arsenal, and they did not look like future champions. Still, that was before Desiree Due, who was injured again, settled into the team. Hvitya Kvaratskhelia arrives From Naples in January.
If PSG have led the French league this season, losing only one of their 15 games in all competitions, Bayern have been on an incredible 15-game winning streak. Supported by Harry Kane He scored 22 of the team’s 54 goals.
A year ago, Liverpool were already dominating. a 2-0 win at Anfield Real Madrid suffered their third defeat in five Champions League games since the start of the Kylian Mbappé era.
Currently, Madrid is clearly in the lead in the domestic league. Mbappe having fun scoring goalsMeanwhile, Liverpool’s win over Aston Villa on Saturday was their first win in England in more than a month.
One interesting subplot is the reaction of Liverpool fans to the return. Trent Alexander-Arnold They have been a local favorite for the past eight seasons.
expected number of goals
The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium is the perfect place to look for goals in Tuesday’s early game.
Napoli return home after the match Won against PSV Eindhoven 6-2 2 weeks ago. Eintracht Frankfurt have certainly been on a roll this season, with all three of their Champions League matches ending 5-1.
Eintracht dominated Galatasaray with that score before suffering a heavy defeat against Atletico Madrid. Liverpool home.
At least there will be more goals than Eintracht fans in the stadium. Italian city authorities have banned German clubs from selling tickets to fans to prevent possible crowd trouble.
Haaland vs Dortmund
Erling Haaland has been almost unstoppable this season, scoring 26 goals for Manchester City and Norway, and the challenge now lies with his former club Borussia Dortmund. I wish you the best.
City have won the last 12 times they have hosted German teams in the Champions League since 2014, including a 2-1 victory over Dortmund in September 2022. Haaland’s acrobatic flick volley high above the ground.
Belgian bruise
With big wins for Union Saint Giroise (3-1 against PSV) and Club Brugge (4-1 against Monaco) in their opening games, it looked like Belgian clubs could win big this season.
Since then, each side has suffered back-to-back defeats, with Union, making their Champions League debut, losing twice 4-0 at the home stadium of Brussels rivals Anderlecht.
This week’s match against Spain will not be easy. Union will play Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, while Brugge will face Barcelona on Wednesday.
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