Topic: UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Season - page 52. (Read 69130 times)

I think one of the biggest problems now is that Mbappe is the one striker that the opponents can focus on. He is the most dangerous weapon that Real Madrid has and when Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo are injured, it makes it quite predictable for the opponents what Real Madrid is about to do. It is sometimes the same for Manchester City when the opponents focus on taking Haaland out of the game. It works out quite often since they know that Haaland is the center of attention for their attacking game.

But now with 2 top stars being out of the game due to injuries, the opponents can't of course neglect the other substitute strikers, but the game will still be centered around Mbappe. They can get him covered man to man and in space. That means he can barely use his speed to create chances for himself and once he has got the ball, he is probably surrounded by at least two players towards the opponent's goal.

Usually with a player like Mbappe you want to play a system with 3 attackers, something like 4-3-3. This makes it very hard for the opponent to guess the next move. Like Barcelona played with Messi, Suarez + one more striker. That's almost impossible to defend for an entire game when you know that all 3 of them have the ability to strike from literally anywhere and you have a player like Suarez who can perfectly cover the center. Mbappe prefers to speed up on the wing and then find his way to the center during the dribbling.

One advantage of winning consistently is that you will keep winning. Because you are winning, others will fear to match you because the winning mentality has created . Likewise if you keep lose, people will want to play you, even in your worse form because they know you will dash them the 3 points.

Liverpool is a club I admire and they have their policies and even had to lose Sadio Mane, so now I see that such decisions are paying up. Kudos

The group stage is already a sealed deal in my opinion as Liverpool isn't really at threat by any team and the have already collected a good number of points. But as you could see in the Premier League, Liverpool can be vulnerable and despite the fact that Newcastle is not in their best shape, it is still possible for those teams to steal points from Liverpool. So it is not the time too feel to comfortable yet and rather be prepared for tougher and closer games in the knockout games. At least they will get around the playoff games and can use the energy in other important games.

When a team is highly favored at the moment with consistent performances, I believe Liverpool will have no problem in the current group stage. A draw would be the worst result Liverpool could get because the new coach currently has a better strategy and style for this season.
The problem of injury concerns is not a big problem for Arne Slot, because he knows what he has to do to keep the players physically fit and also the transfer market will open soon and of course Arne Slot will bring in some players to find suitable reserve players to be second-string players.

Atalanta is Real Madrid toughest opponent in the next three matches, Salzburg and Brest, although not to be underestimated, look easier to overcome. Real Madrid current condition has not fully improved, they lost again in La Liga, Ancelotti must work hard to achieve different results in the Champions League. Talking about Real Madrid mentality, there is no doubt about it. Most likely Ancelotti will be able to lead his team to the last 16, even though they have to go through the playoffs.

No one expected Real Madrid to experience a very severe injury storm, making it difficult for them to defend the La Liga and Champions League trophies this season. Real Madrid's current decline certainly provides an opportunity for other contestants to become title contenders, as well as Manchester City declining performance. If the two favorite teams rise, the competition will be even more competitive, but we need to wait and see if they are able to go to the last 16.

I'm not sure if this current Liverpool team that we are seeing will have any problem in this group stage of the UEFA champions league. The new UEFA arrangements hasn't favoured other big teams much compared to Liverpool. Truth is, Liverpool aren't just lucky, but they've being performing well across every competition. The only thing that might be a problem is probably having injury worries at this very crucial time of the season. Injury worries at the beginning of a season sometimes don't really affect compared to injury worries at the middle of a season.

As it stands with Liverpool, the absence of two key players like Salah and Van Dijk can be a massive problem, which I think the manager isn't ready for. They should just enjoy this moment and try to go far in every competition, and hope that all key players stays fit, which doesn't often happen because football is a contact sport, so injury is always possible. I have the feeling that they will win their remaining group stage games, considering what they've done so far this season.

Yes true, for their first ever participation, they did alright and the fact that they are even here is more than enough, so there isn't really anything that would be all that much of an issue, we need to consider how that would look for the future and how they could improve on what they did this season. If you ask me, they did alright last season but this season they do not look that great, and not just in UCL, they are 8th in the league as well, which isn't great but at the same time if they finished 8th last season, we would have said that's good, but because they finished third place last season which was totally unexpected by anyone, I feel like that makes people have higher hopes for them at La Liga.

So while the UCL scores are normal for a team that is going there for the first time, I feel like they need to finish at least fourth place, and go to UCL again to make sure that they do better next season, if they join UCL once and never again, then that's not good at all.

They still have a few matches left before deciding whether to be eliminated or join the play off zone for the knock out phase.
Atalanta, Salzburg and Brest will be their final Champions League fixtures and of course if they want to keep their chances of qualifying then they should try their best to get 3 points to secure their place in the table.

Atalanta is a dark horse and this could be one of the difficult matches for Madrid, but they should be able to sweep the victory in this match especially with the mental aspect and the condition of their players is better only it will also be difficult because Atalanta is not an easy opponent to beat. This match is an important match because it could be that if this match wins, this will be a turning point for them in the next 2 matches.

Did you just say managed that game wasn't won by luck, I watched in from -20 to 95 mins  , what I'm trying to day is I didn't missed a second of the game and I can say they deserve it even with the margin...

Hence, comparing both margin , it seem to be same just that one conceded more goals than the other. The Dortmund vs Barcelona game shouldn't be that stressing for Barcelona to achieve unless it's another unlucky/bad  day for them (not saying it will be easy actually but Barcelona should win it)

Yeah Home and Away games do matter in most cases, but when Liverpool is playing against a weaker team like Girona, the reason why they may have trouble isn't the away game unless their plane somehow arrives 15 minutes before the game and they have to rush or something.

We are talking about a team difference that is vast and won't be all that simple for anyone, we are talking about a bigger gap here than some teams have between leagues, so it is not going to be that hard for Liverpool to win. Think about it, Liverpool beat Real Madrid, not easily but they did beat them, and Real Madrid is second in la liga, whereas Girona is 8th on the same league, if Liverpool managed to beat Real Madrid then they should not have any trouble beating Girona at all.

It looks like it will also be interesting for the match between Dortmund vs Barcelona because after all, previously Dortmund lost to Real Madrid with a score of 5-2 and Barcelona also managed to beat Bayern Munich with a score of 4-1. But, in this moment for their results in the domestic league, I feel that Barcelona are underperforming and also, at the same time Dortmund seem to be recovering. Indeed, there is still time for them to play in the Champions League and will still have a good preparation too. But at least, because of the change in performance and their results like that, then maybe Dortmund who will play at home can make it difficult for Barcelona which based on the odds Barcelona is still quite a favorite.

To me, Real Madrid's performance is getting worse every day; the team is not getting better as we have been thinking before this time. They will do everything possible to make good for them if they fail to do that, although there is a long way to go. The season is still long, and there are still matches to play, but I think Real Madrid lost some important matches they were not supposed to lose.

However, I’m not a Madrid fan, but it will be good if they get back to the way we know them. Because it is not going to be funny if a big club that won the title last season is unable to qualify for the next round, it will be disappointing. I hope Ancelotti will get things right before time runs out.

Real Madrid have already lost several important matches so the next Champions League match is more important for them they must win the next match. Real Madrid was not supposed to lose against AC Milan yet Real Madrid lost that match by a big margin then in the Champions League Real Madrid faced Liverpool again where they did not do well. Despite all this, as a Real Madrid fan, I still have faith in the team and I still believe that Real Madrid will come back strongly in their next match. Real Madrid have performed well under pressure in other seasons. As they have been under pressure this season too, my hope is that they will come back brilliantly in this difficult situation.

Winning Real Madrid at Anfield was expected win, having the odds to go round and placing huge hits on the big leagues this season. With the level of competitive pattern, Liverpool wouldn't be subject to any core oppositions in the UEFA Champions League, they're straight and running all corners for huge victory which is deserved from their ends. Liverpool will withstand all pressures this season because Arne Slot have trained the players to become fierce towards oppositions. Girona doesn't even stand a chance if you ask me, they're competitive from their ends but when it comes to facing elite English side, another different story would be recorded.

Their first season in this competition is more about gaining experience and understanding the intensity of competition that takes place in the UCL with against big teams, so indeed they can't do too much in the UCL when facing strong teams, like as Feyenoord, PSG and eindhoven who have experience and better performance in the UCL, however, like  your said, the experience Girona have gained from UCL games this season will be invaluable for their future development, although there is no guarantee that they will be able to qualify for the UCL again if remember their inconsistent form in La Liga so far.

Coming as a guest will certainly be difficult for all clubs competing as guests, but here my belief is different from Liverpool. Hosting Girona is not difficult for Liverpool to get points but how they maintain the quality of their game in the Champions League must be maintained, even though they were just held to a draw by Newcastle United but I know in this draw match it certainly prepares the stamina of the players for the match against Girona in the Champions League, Liverpool will certainly really keep their goal from conceding, therefore there will certainly be a game for tighter defense.

This is a historic season for Girona, it is true that they still look very mediocre for a competition like the Champions League, but Michel and his players will gain a lot of experience in their first season. Girona match against Liverpool in the 5th round is fairly easy to predict, in many ways Arne Slot squad is very superior. At first glance this is a match that will make Liverpool even more solid at the top of the standings, and make their winning record continue without a blemish. Girona is slightly advantaged because they act as hosts, but I don't think they will avoid defeat. It seems that next season Girona will not be able to return to the Champions League, because they also look very difficult to break into the top four in La Liga.

Makes sense, considering Liverpool are currently in a safe position. they don't need to win big, the most important thing is to still get full points even with a narrow goal difference. besides, Girona is not a tough opponent, considering they only won one of five matches and lost the rest. it could be that Arne Slot will rotate some of his players and give playing minutes to other players, with the scenario that they will maximize their matches in their Domestic League. maybe Under 2.5 goals is quite ideal, with the scenario of a final result with a narrow score of under 3 goals from both teams. however, before we are too quick to make a choice in the betting options, it would be better to first make sure of the latest information from both teams. especially regarding the starting line-up, also with the rotations made by Arne Slot. because, Girona's chances of winning this match are relatively small. before this match is held, we look forward to both teams playing their matches in their Domestic League. Liverpool vs Everton, Girona vs Real Madrid.

Exactly, when a club qualifies to the champion league for the first time, they are only to come and gain experience on how things are done and how the heat of the competition is like, because they will hardly meet up with other strong clubs that are use to playing the league and fully prepared for it. Girona is not prepared for UCL, if not they wouldn't have sold their mainstay players to other clubs. Liverpool will definitely win Girona, because they are in a good form and haven't lost any of their UCL matches.

Liverpools defense and is solid actually and all part of the team is working perfectly well because they don't seem to have any challenge currently and even if they don't have any sharp striker they are still the one leading and they are maintaining everything, the good part of it is that they are consistent Liverpool have not really lost any game like that and they are really showing that they are in power not bad we all have our bad and good days, who whould have expected us to have dropped to the fourth position it is just very alarming, but now pep will do everything possible to bring back that confidence in us.

Real Madrid have not been there self for so time now and with the way other clubs have picked up it will be hard for Real Madrid to just catch just like that easily, and girona is only hot last season and now a lot of things have changed at first I did not expect things to turn out the way they did in most of this games so it is better continuing watching because the games have become more confusing than before because for example who do you think will win the champions league.