PSG had a very difficult time today in the game against Lorient. It took until the 81st minute for them to score the winning goal. They were better the whole game, but without goals it is of little use. PSG play every game knowing that they will easily become champions, so maybe we shouldn't expect a lot from this team every game. Sometimes they hit hard with big numbers, but somehow I still understand when they try a little less. And after all, nobody wants to get injured this way.

We can conclude that there will be some nice matches from the draw next Monday. PSG came in 2nd in the group, so that could be a huge spectacle. Liverpool is not having a great season, came in 2nd but you don't want to play against that either. Manchester City - PSG would be a great poster, both teams will not be happy with that. Real Madrid made a tough draw last year, eliminating all title favorites 1 for 1. I don't think they will repeat that feat this season, it didn't look convincing in the group stage either, but they were also in a relatively weak group of course. We will know more about the draw on Monday and then we will also keep an eye on the odds of the bookmakers after the draw.

Barcelona are now comfortably 2-0 ahead, but Lewandowsky missed a penalty after 7 minutes. That can happen to the best, he is already in good enough shape for the World Cup. Barcelona didn't play brilliantly today but in the 2nd half they took a big distance, I think they can score another goal today with a final score at 3-0. Getafe - Cadiz was a very boring match and it is therefore not surprising that this match ended in a 0-0 draw. Tomorrow Real Madrid can start in its game.

Napoli is already looking forward to falling behind at Atalanta. It is 1-0 after about 20 minutes of play. The goal was scored from a penalty, but that will not be the case at Atalanta. I had already thought that this could be a very difficult game for Napoli. Sooner or later you will run into a defeat, it is impossible to remain unbeaten in this strong competition. But all chances for Napoli to turn the game around, only Atalanta is a team that usually gives little away. Even if they lose this match, it doesn't matter much. The moment I want to post I see that Napoli just made the 1-1.

That was hard work for Manchester City today. Didn't think they would have this much trouble with Fullham. But Haaland was unlucky that his goal was disallowed in the 74th minute. Still sour for Fullham that CIty received a penalty in the very last minute. Those are 2 important extra points for City from Haaland's penalty. Otherwise Arsenal could take more distance tomorrow. Can you still call that luck with a team like City? We saw no less than 7 goals in the Leeds United match, which is entertaining football.

Sparta has really had a dream year so far. Were around 8th place and now seem to easily win at Vitesse with a 0-2 lead. It's only 5 minutes to play. Last year, Sparta actually played against relegation all the time, something that is actually unthinkable now. Tomorrow we have the top match Ajax - PSV on the program, with the note that the supporters of PSV are not allowed to join. They have been sanctioned. Ajax individually has more quality, but that doesn't count in these kinds of matches. I can remember that last year it was even 0-4 for the cup.

The number 1 in the world, Carlos Alcaraz, has stopped playing tennis for the time being. He has suffered an abdominal injury and is unable to play tournaments for the time being. He can't compete in the Davis Cup on behalf of Spain either, they will miss him very much. It seems like a harmless injury, but it can last for a while. Nadal had the exact same injury during Wimbledon or the Australian Open, I don't remember. As a result, he had to give up his match in the semi-finals without taking action. I also expect a lot from Jack Sinner soon, he is at the lower top of the world, waiting for his real breakthrough soon. He is one of the tennis players who should be able to knock Alcaraz off the throne.

Getafe - Cadiz is 0-0 and there are only a few minutes left to play. That will probably also be the rest position. I expect few surprises at Barcelona - Almeria. I also heard it's Pique's farewell match. Enough is enough, he's like 35 or something, isn't he? Just the right age to quit. He already indicated that things had been going less well lately and that he was struggling with his body. Then you can't do anything but stop playing professional football. He is not going to play football a division lower. It is a pity that he now also misses the World Cup.

The gap with Arsenal but also with Manchester City has now become significant. United are still suffering from those 2 defeats in the first 2 games of the season. That was against opponents they would normally win easily, if you had just won those matches they would now be tied for 2nd with City. United are in good form, but are finding it difficult to score at the moment. The victory in the Europa League was good for self-confidence, but it was only 0-1 there too. United was in a phase where the points had to be raked in, but it is also time for them to show more consistent football and score more goals. Manchester City will not worry that they are not yet at the top.

Udinese started the season very well but seems to be gradually falling back to the middle bracket. Bad for this club. At the moment they play against Lecce and are 0-1 behind at home. So that seems to be another defeat, or at least not a victory. Lazio Roma have taken quite a beating in the Europa League with the defeat to Feyenoord, they have to be careful not to spiral into a downward spiral and they are already playing the derby against AS Roma this week. AS Roma seems to me to have an advantage, especially because Lazio now has to go to the conference league and has received a big blow to self-confidence. Napoli could have a very difficult game against Atalanta.

I also think PSG will win this match quite easily. They have been scoring a lot of goals lately and all the strikers seem to be in good shape. PSG have been working hard this season to appoint a new coach, football looks much better and fresher. I think PSG is now at its peak in terms of level, but they sometimes concede a few goals here and there and are also regularly behind, which is a small minus. Furthermore, you can hardly bet on them because there is very little value in the bets. Maybe 1.10 for a home win for example.

I have no idea what the exact reason is, but now Argentina is suddenly the big favorite behind Brazil. They are even estimated so highly by the bookmakers that they have approximately the same odds as Brazil. They have now passed France. Does anyone have an explanation for this? They now get up around 6.00 and for a long time they were around 10.0
I can't remember that special things happened that made Argentina suddenly a top favourite. Messi has gotten into a bit more form lately, could that have something to do with that? France has made little impression, but we have seen more often that practice matches (Nations League) mean nothing.

The Europa League still has some prestige, although most people are only interested in the Champions League. I also can't imagine Barcelona being happy with the Europa League, but apparently it was the maximum achievable. Once they're in there, they'll definitely take that seriously, but I think the focus will be more on the competition. I think the national champion of Spain has more status than winning the Eruopa League. Although the Europa League with the current participating teams is stronger than the Spanish league. Juventus has also been added. Those matches we get there could all be Champions League matches. Perhaps it is good for a few teams that they have now ended up in the Europa League, in the CL they were probably soon eliminated. I haven't looked at the odds for the winner of the Spanish League anymore, but it seems to me that Real Madrid are still the favorites because they have more points and also play a bit better than Barcelona. But in a few games, everything can just be different.

If I have understood correctly, the draw is November 7th. The PSG must have been surprised when they won 2-1 after the change of the whistle. Everyone thought they were the group winner then, but Benfica managed to win with no less than 1-6 and therefore finished 1st in the group. PSG are of course better, but it is certainly not undeserved as they have not won a single game. So in theory we can already see PSG in action against Bayern Munich or perhaps Manchester City. Those are nice pots for the eighth final. I think that Benfica and Brugge normally go out quickly, those are the 2 weakest teams, but they both became group winners and in theory therefore have a weaker opponent.

Manchester United are currently ahead of Real Sociedad. It is almost completely level with points and goals for and against. I can't see it that way, but I think United can even win the group if they go 0-2 or more. You would say that it doesn't matter because they are already qualified for the next round, but as a group winner I think you have to play one intermediate round less so a greater chance of progressing further in the tournament.
There is no longer any tension in that group. We do have plenty of tension in group F, where everyone can still continue and at the moment there have been no goals at Feyenoord - Lazio.

I thought Xavi had done a formidable job over his predecessor, Ronald Koeman. But now that I put the figures side by side, it appears that Koeman has done better? That is only on paper, because the game picture looks much better from Barcelona at the moment. They are fully into the title race with Real Madrid, who failed to win at home last week. So Real Madrid can also make mistakes, although I still think Real Madrid play more convincingly than Barcelona. We have mainly seen that in the mutual match, but also in the Champions League. It must be said that Barcelona had a very tough group. The cup can also fall in all directions for both. Xavi will certainly want to win at least 1 prize.

According to the bookmakers, they are still the big favorite along with AC Milan. Juventus can write off, but we should not underestimate Inter. They are starting to play better and better and we still get a lot of mutual confrontations between Napoli and other top teams. They are a mountain of points ahead, but the top in Italy is strong and very wide, so it's certainly not a done deal yet. I think Napoli are making the best impression at the moment. They may have lost to Liverpool in the Champions League yesterday, but who will win in that stadium? You can't really take that game with you. Even though Liverpool are certainly not doing their best. Napoli had already qualified for the next round and made a big impression in the CL. Last week also a businesslike and cramped victory at AS Roma, but won is won. You can't always win with eye-catching football and big numbers.

It looks bad for Juventus. They have qualification for the Europa League in their own hands, but at the moment they are even virtually 3rd due to the early deficit against PSG. I expect Benfica to win, so they stay third. However, if Benfica fail to win then that would mean Juventus finishing 4th, that would be a real failure. Juventus have played a very bad tournament this season. AC Milan must beat Salzburg at home to advance in the CL and seem well on their way via an early AC Milan goal. Giroud made him. Dynamo Zagreb quickly took a 0-1 lead, but within 10 minutes it was already 1-1. I expect Manchester City to win easily but I don't know if they have set up the 1st team or some sort of reserve team.

Not wintering in the Champions League will feel like a big defeat for Tottenham and Juventus. These are teams with big names and certainly in the Tottenham group they should continue. In that respect, Juventus has not been lucky in a group with PSG. Benfica has amazed us all with its performance. Would that all be the merits of new trainer Roger Schmidt? You can go far in the Champions League, but you are very dependent on the draw. PSG and Bayern Munich can also be drawn against each other or do you receive a protected status as number 1 in the group so that you are sure to draw against a number 2?

Roma still managed to turn the game around with a 1-3 victory. It is a pity for Verona that it is almost at the bottom as a result. I also expect a lot from the Atalanta - Napoli match. that is a match that Napoli should look out for, if there is a team that can beat Napoli it is the team from Atalana. Not individually, of course, but it's about the performance of the team. Marten de Roon recently dropped out with an injury, which they will need at Atalanta. monza - Bologna has just started and there it is still 0-0 after a few minutes of football.