This match will bring together two former Real Madrid strikers, Benzema and Ronaldo, I think this match is very interesting to wait for. Statistically, Al Ittihad is in an unstable condition, and conversely Al Nassr has a better record in terms of collecting points. Al Ittihad luck because this match took place at their home ground, it provided more motivation for Benzema and his colleagues to secure full points.

Al Nassr ambition is to close the gap with Al Hilal at the top of the standings, which is currently 10 points behind. On the other hand, Al Ittihad no longer has the opportunity to defend the trophy, but they have the ambition to finish in a more worthy place next season. I predict this match will end in a draw, that's very fair for both of them.

With Al Ittihad's current condition, Al Nassr does have a better chance of improving its meeting record. However, as I said above, I have a tendency that this match will end in a draw, and if I had to choose I would avoid betting on this match.

I agree that the financial crisis that hit Barcelona is making them slump at the moment, because they cannot build a squad that is able to maintain its consistency again this season as defending champions. For Barcelona fans, a reality like this is certainly very sad, and they definitely miss Barcelona as it was in its former glory. But it is an inseparable part, that ups and downs in performance don't just happen, there are many reasons otherwise.

To finish in the top four of the standings, I think Xavi can fight for it, and they can automatically appear again in the Champions League next season. Indeed, Girona presence in the top four adds to the competition, but we cannot just ignore Barcelona and its dominance in La Liga.

There are many shortcomings in Barcelona this season, from the defense line to the front line, especially Lewandowski who is no longer as sharp as last season. Some young players from the academy could be another solution, but of course they need time to develop again. Madrid is a strong candidate this season, and Girona is its closest competitor. Meanwhile, ATM and Barcelona deserve to be in the top four of the standings.

As we know, Inter and Juventus have become stronger than the previous season, not to mention Milan which has increased its strength by recruiting several better quality players. It must be admitted that in this case Napoli is under greater pressure to maintain the Scudetto, another thing is the change of coach who is considered a poor successor to Spalletti-Rudi Garcia-Walter Mazzarri.

I agree that the red card received by Napoli gave Roma the freedom to control the game, and we know that previously Mourinho squad was more unstable than Napoli now. So I think Roma was lucky because Matteo Politano and Osimhen got red cards.

In my opinion, Napoli can no longer defend the Scudetto, it is very impossible with a very small chance. At least their current effort is to get close to the UCL zone and finish there when the season ends. Meanwhile in the Coppa Italia they have lost, their situation is very difficult to understand at the moment.

Hopefully his magic doesn't fade when he joins Man United, reportedly Kubo is being projected as a replacement for Sancho in the future. the dowry is quite large, and the proposed salary certainly makes Kubo tempted to move, But for Sociedad they must immediately look for new players who are suitable to be able to compete in La Liga and UCL.

If Ten Hag is hunting for more players, it is implied that he is still very much supported by the club top brass, where United inconsistency so far has not shaken his position as head coach. several new players who had previously been recruited did not contribute optimally, hopefully Kubo can become a new hope when he is officially brought in.

I think United also need to streamline the squad by releasing several players who have minimal contribution. previously, Martial is reportedly going to be released by The Red Devils and he will not be given a new contract extension.

That right, Liverpool and Laverkusen are the two initial teams that should be prioritized, which is understandable because they appear quite consistently here and in their respective domestic leagues. Milan is actually worth considering, In fact I think they have a better squad than Roma. but as you say, we need to leave room for surprises.

Milan playoff match against rennes, I think if Pioli squad is able to display the same strength as in the UCL group phase, they can qualify for the last 16 of the Europa league easily, because we know their chances in group f are slim because they are in the group hell. on paper, there is no doubt that they will finish the match and continue their struggle here, who knows they could be alongside Liverpool and Laverkusen in the list of favorites to win. I agree that historical factors have a big meaning, and influence the mentality of players in a competition, but this must be proven by achieving success again.

intelligible, that is a very difficult question for anyone to answer, and after seeing a series of scenarios related to the Mbappe transfer saga which is always linked to Madrid, personally I chose to just watch it without wanting to speculate too much about it. Overall, I also agree with you, that Mbappe does not have to move to Madrid, and also the Madrid camp has not officially expressed its intention to recruit Mbappe. Previously, Madrid had even made a statement on its official website saying that there was no agreement whatsoever with Mbappe.

I agree with you that Real Sociedad deserves the respect it deserves, qualifying as group winners and competing closely with Inter Milan is a signal that PSG needs to be wary of. In terms of attributes and experience of playing in the UCL, PSG has a better advantage, but we cannot use that as a complete benchmark. Sociedad didn't make it through to the last 16 easily either, it was their strength and effort that got them through at this stage.

I want to see this meeting from Luis Enrique point of view, his experience coaching Barcelona and the Spanish National Team gives PSG an advantage when meeting Sociedad. The advantage I mean is that Enrique really understands the character of the Spanish representative, so he can prepare his squad well to beat Sociedad.

It's true that PSG this season is far from great in the UCL, but I feel that to qualify for the quarter-finals they can do it. This is a moment that PSG must make good use of, while Mabeppe is still at the club. Yes, we need to wait to see how each of them performs before february, many things have changed because there are several matches that must be finished first.

That's right, PSG management special treatment of Mbappe created a gap within the team, indeed Mbappe is one of the best at the moment and that cannot be denied. His presence can make a difference, but on the other hand forcing him to stay is not a wise way, because it has the potential to make the club's bargaining value smaller in the eyes of star players.

Apart from that, who knows, releasing Mabppe will make PSG better, because it reduces one of the biggest egos in the dressing room. The contribution of other players becomes more visible, gets fair treatment, and the spotlight as a good player does not always focus on Mbappe alone. In a narrower sense, the presence of star players sometimes makes things easier, but often makes the club worse and less stable.

I agree about the way Madrid manages star players, no player puts himself bigger than the club. I think if Mbappe moves to Madrid, his character will change a lot, and his ego will be easy to manage because he is not the only star who has to be treated like a king who already has all the awards as the best player.

That's right, a fair result for both teams in their efforts to continue the hunt for the EPL trophy, Aston Villa also experienced the same result. This means there is no change in position in the standings, but the points gap is narrowing in the top four with Arsenal being the temporary leaders. Klopp is certainly not happy with the drama of sharing points, but on the other hand, Arsenal is now a stronger team than the previous season. The scenario next week is that Arsenal will host West Ham, I think this is a match that requires high concentration, because surprisingly they managed to embarrass Man United. Meanwhile, Liverpool will face a slightly easier opponent, namely Burnley. While Aston Villa will visit Old Trafford, I think Unai Emery troops will add to Ten Hag suffering.

Bayern Munchen still has a chance to retain the trophy, and there is still hope for them to overtake Laverkusen to take over the top of the standings. many matches have not yet been completed, the competition is only halfway through, which means there is no guarantee for Laverkusen to go unbeaten in one season.

Kane is a good striker, his ability to score goals is no longer in doubt. That is why management and Tuchel insisted on recruiting him before the transfer window closed, and Kane paid for everything with a commensurate contribution. I don't think it's a curse, But rather that Kane came at the right time to help Bayern maintain dominance at a time when Laverkusen is a serious challenger. If they fail, Bayern can fight again next season, maybe he won't be lucky.

Of course it is very nice to see that the Bundesliga has a team that can compete with Bayern, we haven't seen another team on the podium at the end of the season for a long time. regardless of who will be the champion, the competition in the Bundesliga this season makes us all entertained, is no longer boring, and attracts more of our attention.

I think the Inter Milan versus ATM meeting is quite balanced, even though there is a slight difference in technical strength, considering that squad depth affects overall statistics. Mentally, I admit that Inter is indeed better, because they were runners up last season, Martinez is one of their current mainstays, coach Inzaghi has quite high hopes for him. Apart from that, Inter defense line is quite tough, ATM will test it in the round of 16.

On the other hand, ATM is also not a team that can be underestimated, and beating them is not an easy thing to do. Qualified for the round of 16 with an impressive record, unbeaten in 6 group stage matches. Therefore I think this is a meeting of very balanced forces, all perceptions could change if Inter or ATM make significant changes in the January transfer window.

Furthermore, Inter and ATM are not really favorites in the UCL, I mean they are not on a par with Madrid, Bayern or Man City. But I don't think that can be used as a complete benchmark, who knows, Inter can reach the final like last season, anything can happen because this is UCL and everything is very different.

This season Ligue 1 experienced another change regarding the number of clubs that had to drop from caste and be relegated to Ligue 2. Last season 4 clubs had to be relegated because Ligue 1 changed its format back to 18 contestants each season, automatically now 2 clubs will be relegated and another club must fighting through the play off route to stay in Ligue 1.

Le Havre and Metz seem to have good competitiveness to stay in Ligue 1, after promotion last season. Meanwhile, currently, Clermont, Lorient and Toulouse are in the red zone, due to only being able to achieve 2 wins in 17 matches. There is still a chance to recover, because we see that there is still a lot of match left, but I think they will have difficulty in their efforts.

Lyon consistently recovered by winning 3 consecutive wins, after previously being at the bottom of the standings. While the top standings still belong to PSG, I think Mbappe and colleagues will be champions again this season, no team can seriously pressure them in the hunt for the Ligue 1 trophy.

Sheffield United apparently forced Aston Villa to share points, and stopped Unai Emery squad from leading the EPL standings temporarily. However, the 1 point collected by Aston Villa brought them overtake Liverpool in second place, not too bad, just less than optimal. In stressful circumstances, Sheffield managed to become a stumbling block, something I never imagined before.

Liverpool, who will host Arsenal, will certainly have a better chance of leading the standings, and overtaking Aston Villa and Arsenal. Not without reason, because Jurgen Klopp squad will act as hosts, their home match record is also very good, I think this is a good opportunity for Salah and his colleagues to rise to the top.

Arsenal strength cannot be underestimated this season, to be honest, this is a match that is difficult to predict. Even though a draw is likely to occur, the target of each is to confirm their position at the top of the list, and statistically the Reds have a slightly better presentation than the Gunners. I will not miss this big match, the winner of the match will lead two things in my opinion, the standings and the strongest title challenger.

What we hoped for them finally happened, they got back up and won. Automatically, three consecutive wins lifted their position from the bottom of the standings, a place they absolutely cannot visit again in the following weeks. The realistic target is to stay away from the degradation zone, hopefully these three matches are a sign that they have created a turning point in their performance.

The players self confidence has increased, this needs to be maintained as capital in the next match against Le Havre. I think Lyon should still make a move in the January transfer window, in an effort to add depth to the squad and give them some good options in player rotation. Returning to the beginning, if the match against La Havre is won, Lyon will move up to mid table.

We have seen Xabi Alonso fleet work hard in 25 matches unbeaten, a record that is very entertaining for football fans, and the way they recorded it was truly beyond everyone expectations. so it is not an exaggeration to say that Laverkusen has the potential to break Bayern Munchen dominance this season, a healthy competition in achieving their respective club targets. many hope that Xabi can create luck for Laverkusen, I mean bringing the Bundesliga trophy home to the glass cupboard.

I don't think too much about draws in two consecutive matches, because that is a very understandable thing in football. what is more important for them is not being defeated even though they only have 1 point, In order to maintain the points gap in the standings. however, in the future, to maintain a safe position at the top, it is a necessity that securing full points is an absolute requirement to achieve their dreams.

We have seen that Laverkusen is consistent in every competition they participate in, DFB Pokal, Bundesliga and European League. an interesting fact about Xabi fleet is the team balance. the busy match schedule was managed well, in this case they were lucky because they avoided the storm of player injuries, Making it easier for Xabi to rotate players. I hope their future matches can run smoothly and get 3 points. Tuchel has a headache because his club dominance is threatened this season.

I almost forgot that Nkunku was part of Chelsea, I mean after all this time the former Leipzig man finally made his first debut for Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. Luck enveloped him after the Blues managed to advance to the semifinals on penalties, I think he could be a long term prospect for Chelsea. However, we will see how Pochettino gives Nkunku a role when playing in the EPL, his duet with Jackson is the one we have been waiting for.

Overall, the players recruited by Chelsea have not performed optimally according to expectations, a storm of injuries is one of the reasons so that chemistry has not been formed between the players evenly in one lineup. Pochettino must be wiser in determining his starting XI, and must be really selective in rotating players to achieve the target. 10th position in the standings is not where they are, as a respectable club the Blues should finish in a better place.

If Pochettino can maximize and unleash the potential of his expensive signings, I think Chelsea can bounce back in the second half of the season. The news regarding the Blues management interest in Osimhen sounds interesting, I think it could be a solution to their dull front line in the future.

Girona must manage their self-confidence well when they visit Real Betis headquarters, and not consider their opponent as a club that is easy for them to beat. I think Michel as Girona manager understands this well, because after all Betis is a tough opponent for Girona. If you refer to existing statistics, Girona deserves to be the favorite in this match, but I also understand that surprises can happen.

There are many records that make us admire Girona this season, one of which is beating Barcelona. That's the closest example we can come up with regarding surprises, but I have a tendency that Girona can steal full points at Betis home ground today. If successful, then Girona position at the top of the La Liga standings is safe for the time being, meaning for this week only, because Madrid is very ready to overtake them at any time if Girona lose points.

The Madrid versus Alaves match is very easy to predict, Madrid will bring home 3 points to the Santiago Bernabeu easily. For Alaves they are getting closer to the red zone, they need a miracle if they want to thwart Madrid steps, and I think there are no surprises in this match. So in the end Girona will lead the standings, and Madrid will temporarily continue to shadow from second place in the standings.

I think there is no word surrender in Xavi dictionary, either in La Liga or at UCL. as you said, domestic competitions cannot be used as a full benchmark, because UCL is very different in many ways, including the atmosphere. The round of 16 will only start in february, which means that Xavi still has a lot of time to improve his club to be even better in the future. apart from that, Napoli will also do the same thing, their ambition to talk a lot at UCL is one of their current priorities.

It is clear that the knockout round is more difficult than the group phase, all contestants will try their best to beat each other from the first leg. no team can be guaranteed that they will advance to the quarter-finals, because we have seen so many surprises happen so far. Several other favorite teams have also experienced ups and downs in performance, therefore the room for surprises is wide open.

The transfer window must be used as an alternative solution to increase strength, but what needs to be paid attention to here is recruiting players who are mature and experienced. because when the competition is running at the current stage, the adaptation period should not be a new challenge, because the recruitment of new players is expected to have an instant impact on the club.

If you want to bet on Aston Villa winning, I'm pretty sure they can give us a profit. With its consistency so far, Aston Villa has become one of the clubs that is considered promising, even now its status has risen to become a contender for the EPL title along with Arsenal and Liverpool, of course we will not forget the defending champion Man City.

Aston Villa statistics are also very interesting to digest, Unai Emery squad is a very productive club at the moment, only losing to Man City. They just need to improve their back line going forward, to reduce the number of goals conceded. apart from that, I think no club will dare to underestimate Aston Villa this season, especially after they were able to beat big teams like Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Man City previously.

That why I think the match against Sheffield United will end the way they want, securing 3 points and having the opportunity to lead the standings for a while. A performance that we have rarely seen so far, where the dominance of the elite EPL team, was felt to be defeated by Aston Villa.

Aston Villa has the opportunity to be the luckiest team in week 18, because Unai Emery squad could have the opportunity to lead the top of the standings if Liverpool draw against Arsenal on Sunday. But of course this can only be realized if they succeed in beating Sheffield United first. As an illustration, Sheffield United is only the bottom team in the current standings, I think Aston Villa will be able to secure full points.

Sheffield United was only able to secure 8 points and just like Burnley, their struggle to get out of the degradation zone was quite tough. Aston Villa, as we see today, appears impressive and surpasses Man City performance. I think this is a good opportunity for Emery squad, and must be utilized perfectly.

On paper, there is nothing that can be expected from Sheffield United to be able to thwart Aston Villa steps, they need a miracle and great luck to become a stumbling block. Moreover, I think Sheffield United will be degradation next season, because they are having difficulty collecting points, even by playing a draw.