⚽UEFA Champions League Discussion Thread -- 2023/24 | Prelim Qualifiers

[Harkorede]

City and Liverpool knew they had to switch things up and both weirdly enough went for almost opposite evolutions in pure strikers. But while City can attract proven players, Liverpool still, because of style, identity and money, can only go for potentials.

Remember how Nunez started playing at Liverpool, he scored in every match until Haaland was just adapting.

Sadly, I do remember. Nunez made his debut in the Community Shield, where we just blasted City out of the sky (as the underdog too, so it was a great start to my betting season). But yeah, sent himself off, coinciding with our injuries, and then our mojo got shaken. City's definitely had the easier going, and Haaland fit the system really well. They've got actual suppliers, we've got defenders expecting to feed crosses to Nunez haha.

I think the only difference between both players that surrounds them, Haaland had a decent amount of chances in the Community Shield too, but I guess the pressure were just enormous, while Nunez seem to have slotted right perfectly into the team, the only struggle now is on the overall the team performance not individually player, Nunez would also be doing perfectly right in the current City lineup with a supply line like De Bruyne and the kind of form Cancelo is currently on right now, It's no doubt Haaland is a deadly striker with great strength and positioning instinct, but I'd give much credit to his supply line as well, which is what Nunez tends to be lacking at the moment, but it's just a matter of time, I suppose.

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[tokeweed]

^  We'll see how far they go in the UCL with Haaland tho.  City has had some good runs in the UCL since Guardiola took over but those runs were never far enough.  With the players they got, there's no excuse but to win it all and bring home their first CL trophy.  Is Haaland their guy after Aguero?  Sure...  But will he make the squad that much better to bring of the trophy?  ...  We'll see.  But I'm hopeful we'll see them in the final and hopefully vs Real Madrid.  That should add a bit of spice to it. 

[arimamib]

^  We'll see how far they go in the UCL with Haaland tho.  City has had some good runs in the UCL since Guardiola took over but those runs were never far enough.  With the players they got, there's no excuse but to win it all and bring home their first CL trophy.  Is Haaland their guy after Aguero?  Sure...  But will he make the squad that much better to bring of the trophy?  ...  We'll see.  But I'm hopeful we'll see them in the final and hopefully vs Real Madrid.  That should add a bit of spice to it. 

From the first, the owner of Manchester City really wanted his team to win the UCL trophy, Pep Guardiola as the coach who had brought Barcelona to win the UCL has not been able to bring City to the Champions podium.
New hope has begun to appear since Haaland arrival, City began to be productive in terms of goals after Haaland joined the squad led by Guardiola. As one of the favorite teams to win the UCL this season, City must be able to win all matches in the UCL as a condition to get the Trophy.

[Coyster]

New hope has begun to appear since Haaland arrival, City began to be productive in terms of goals after Haaland joined the squad led by Guardiola.

City have always been a team that scores quite a lot of goals, i mean, they hold the record for the most goals scored in an EPL season, that was in 2017/2018, and Haaland wasn't anywhere near their team then, so they always score goals, their problem has been scoring important goals in crucial games in the latter stages of the CL, and also missing quite a lot of opportunities in important games that they ought to have put to bed, like againts Real Madrid in the first leg of the CL Semi Final last season.

Having said that, that area could possibly be were Haaland can help the team to go all the way, he has a great positioning ability, and he hardly misses chances, thus just maybe in the most important games in the latter stages of the CL, he could be the man to help them kill off games and get the goals they need to go all the way, we would see.

[Cryptomultiplier]

City and Liverpool knew they had to switch things up and both weirdly enough went for almost opposite evolutions in pure strikers. But while City can attract proven players, Liverpool still, because of style, identity and money, can only go for potentials.

Remember how Nunez started playing at Liverpool, he scored in every match until Haaland was just adapting.

Sadly, I do remember. Nunez made his debut in the Community Shield, where we just blasted City out of the sky (as the underdog too, so it was a great start to my betting season). But yeah, sent himself off, coinciding with our injuries, and then our mojo got shaken. City's definitely had the easier going, and Haaland fit the system really well. They've got actual suppliers, we've got defenders expecting to feed crosses to Nunez haha.

I think the only difference between both players that surrounds them, Haaland had a decent amount of chances in the Community Shield too, but I guess the pressure were just enormous, while Nunez seem to have slotted right perfectly into the team, the only struggle now is on the overall the team performance not individually player, Nunez would also be doing perfectly right in the current City lineup with a supply line like De Bruyne and the kind of form Cancelo is currently on right now, It's no doubt Haaland is a deadly striker with great strength and positioning instinct, but I'd give much credit to his supply line as well, which is what Nunez tends to be lacking at the moment, but it's just a matter of time, I suppose.

Haaland has a better goals per game ratio across his playing career with a margin of 0.77,  compared to Nunez goals per game ratio of 0.47.
These two are unique in their own style but also good for aerial challenges. The way Haaland fits right in, is same way Aguero was, with the runs and speed and strength. He is more of a complete striker compared to Nunez. Nunez's role for Liverpool is meant to sync with Sala and Firmino, just as Mane then, who offered a solid sync with Sala and the team.  One other thing will be to look at how fast they can rebound from injuries while maintaining form. The season still has more games for these players to show their worth, though I like the Klopp side, they still have more incompetency to work on. I however, see Manchester city doing better with an already complete squad.

https://www.si.com/soccer/manchestercity/.amp/features-opinions/darwin-nunez-vs-erling-haaland-who-will-score-more-this-season

[MoonOfLife]

New hope has begun to appear since Haaland arrival, City began to be productive in terms of goals after Haaland joined the squad led by Guardiola. As one of the favorite teams to win the UCL this season, City must be able to win all matches in the UCL as a condition to get the Trophy.

Every season Manchester City are favorites to win the title. But unfortunately, they could not win the title. The city has been favorites for the Champions League trophy for the last few seasons. Favorites Manchester City, as usual, this season. Because they have a stable and strong squad. However, if they can maintain consistency, Manchester City may qualify for the finals.

[Pulsar77]

I think that Nunez also has a really nice talent and showed this to us while he was playing for Benfica. His scoring performance was very impressive which was the main reason Liverpool signed him by paying a really high amount of money. However he can't make the same effort at Liverpool now. Just look at Haaland. He is also playing for a new team but he has already become the shining star at Manchester City. Nunez should improve his performance one way or another otherwise this transfer will be one of the worsts for Liverpool in their near history.

I don't want to be cruel as it is the beginning of the season but Liverpool really need him in especially the EPL and Champions League. If he starts to play like himself this would be a big boost to the scoring ability of the team. Because they don't have any problem with finding many goal chances. The problem is that they can't finish them up with goals most of the time.

[Asiska02]

Every season Manchester City are favorites to win the title. But unfortunately, they could not win the title. The city has been favorites for the Champions League trophy for the last few seasons. Favorites Manchester City, as usual, this season. Because they have a stable and strong squad. However, if they can maintain consistency, Manchester City may qualify for the finals.

They will undoubtedly make the final this year, that much is certain. They have the team to once again make it to the final match this year. Can they, however, claim victory? Guardioula has done everything in his power to help the team win the title, but it hasn't happened yet. The management still has a lot of faith in him and anticipates that he will bring home the trophy for them this year.

Guardioula has made some little but substantial changes to the team, and maybe the new squad can bring home the trophy with players like Haaland, who is a machine for scoring goals whenever he gets the chance.

[rdluffy]

They will undoubtedly make the final this year, that much is certain. They have the team to once again make it to the final match this year. Can they, however, claim victory? Guardioula has done everything in his power to help the team win the title, but it hasn't happened yet. The management still has a lot of faith in him and anticipates that he will bring home the trophy for them this year.

Guardioula has made some little but substantial changes to the team, and maybe the new squad can bring home the trophy with players like Haaland, who is a machine for scoring goals whenever he gets the chance.

It's not guaranteed to make the finals, I didn't bet in any champion because the league is always hard to predict
World cup for example, we have 3 or 4 teams with great chances to be the champion, but with UEFA League we can say there's at least 8 possible champions

It will depends on next rounds. Group G is easy enough to city classify without any difficulty, 6 points in 2 matches, 6 goals, but next rounds is where championship starts.
I think it's just a matter of time to City become a champion, and I think it's easier than PSG for example, and people always say PSG will win

My opinion of 3 strongest favorites to win this season:

Manchester City
Real Madrid again
Bayern München

[CLS63]

My opinion of 3 strongest favorites to win this season:

Manchester City
Real Madrid again
Bayern München

Manchester City are the biggest favourite according to bookmakers as well:



Real Madrid are behind some other teams as usual even though they are the last champions. But of course we all remember how difficult it was for Real Madrid. It is really hard for them to do this two times in a row now I think. This season can really be the one for especially Manchester City or PSG. I have big doubts about Bayern Munich now. They are much better in the Champions League than the Bundesliga. But this might not last long. Because they are still playing without a natural striker. If they don't solve this issue in January at worst this can be a big headache for them.

[boltz]

I think we all deserve to see a final between PSG and City , right ? This will a true clash between the best team right now but you can never count Real Madrid out even if I doubt they can make it again this year so PSG vs City should be the one. Favorites ? Hard to chose one but I would like a surprise this year.

[dataispower]

I think we all deserve to see a final between PSG and City , right ? This will a true clash between the best team right now but you can never count Real Madrid out even if I doubt they can make it again this year so PSG vs City should be the one. Favorites ? Hard to chose one but I would like a surprise this year.

It's good you didn't forget to add Real Madrid because I still see them as one of the biggest contenders for the Champions League trophy this season. Manchester City is in good form likewise PSG but I think it will be difficult to see both teams in the final because City is still lacking the champions league experience and playing against PSG in the finals we may get to see PSG destroying City because in the PSG team , 80% of the players are well experienced in the champions league, unlike the city players who can do better in the EPL thatn in the Champions League. I would prefer to see Real Madrid and PSG in the finals instead of Manchester City vs PSG.

[Swordsoffreedom]

City and Liverpool knew they had to switch things up and both weirdly enough went for almost opposite evolutions in pure strikers. But while City can attract proven players, Liverpool still, because of style, identity and money, can only go for potentials.

Remember how Nunez started playing at Liverpool, he scored in every match until Haaland was just adapting.

Sadly, I do remember. Nunez made his debut in the Community Shield, where we just blasted City out of the sky (as the underdog too, so it was a great start to my betting season). But yeah, sent himself off, coinciding with our injuries, and then our mojo got shaken. City's definitely had the easier going, and Haaland fit the system really well. They've got actual suppliers, we've got defenders expecting to feed crosses to Nunez haha.

I think the only difference between both players that surrounds them, Haaland had a decent amount of chances in the Community Shield too, but I guess the pressure were just enormous, while Nunez seem to have slotted right perfectly into the team, the only struggle now is on the overall the team performance not individually player, Nunez would also be doing perfectly right in the current City lineup with a supply line like De Bruyne and the kind of form Cancelo is currently on right now, It's no doubt Haaland is a deadly striker with great strength and positioning instinct, but I'd give much credit to his supply line as well, which is what Nunez tends to be lacking at the moment, but it's just a matter of time, I suppose.

Haaland has a better goals per game ratio across his playing career with a margin of 0.77,  compared to Nunez goals per game ratio of 0.47.
These two are unique in their own style but also good for aerial challenges. The way Haaland fits right in, is same way Aguero was, with the runs and speed and strength. He is more of a complete striker compared to Nunez. Nunez's role for Liverpool is meant to sync with Sala and Firmino, just as Mane then, who offered a solid sync with Sala and the team.  One other thing will be to look at how fast they can rebound from injuries while maintaining form. The season still has more games for these players to show their worth, though I like the Klopp side, they still have more incompetency to work on. I however, see Manchester city doing better with an already complete squad.

https://www.si.com/soccer/manchestercity/.amp/features-opinions/darwin-nunez-vs-erling-haaland-who-will-score-more-this-season

As it stands, Liverpool is not playing very well at the moment, and on the other hand, Manchester City is playing really well at the moment as well. So on one side, Nunez is not being able to show his true potential because he is not actually getting enough supply. The other side of the coin is that Halland is actually scoring more because he has a particularly good team that is actually performing exceptionally well and as a result scores more goals.

It appears that most of the goals that Halland has scored for Manchester City have been from inside the penalty area if I am not mistaken. The reason behind this is that the team is producing really accurate balls that are meant to be put into the goal. But I don't see those types of supplies from Liverpool right now if I'm being honest. However, I have to say both players are really good in their own way.

[Razmirraz]

There is no doubt that Nunez is a promising player. But he is not playing well now. Still now he can not prove his worth. If we compare Nunez to Haaland, Nunez is far behind. Liverpool's performance is poor. Although their team is strong, there is no consistency in performance. If Nunez can return to form and play well then maybe Liverpool can play consistently well. Also, Liverpool's midfield needs to be more stable.

The line-up that Liverpool has is almost the same as the quality of the squad that Manchester City has, having not been able to maintain a consistent form Liverpool have dropped a lot of points this summer. I can say that Nunez first season in the EPL was not perfect, he has not been able to show good performances like last season. Haaland has proven to all football fans that he is a man who can compete in the highest competition, Haaland had no trouble in his first season in the EPL and UCL. Haaland and Nunez were both signed at high prices in the last transfer market, but these two players showed different performances, Haaland who always listed his name on the scoreboard while Nunez seemed to have difficulty adapting in the EPL and UCL.

[buwaytress]

I think we all deserve to see a final between PSG and City , right ? This will a true clash between the best team right now but you can never count Real Madrid out even if I doubt they can make it again this year so PSG vs City should be the one. Favorites ? Hard to chose one but I would like a surprise this year.

If both play as well as they are now, yes. Haaland top of his game, Messi in some magical moment (hell, even Neymar is already up to half his regular season quota).

I do want to see Liverpool in there though, as long as our main guys kick into gear -- we must deserve to be there though. Haven't shown that yet.

[Asiska02]

It's not guaranteed to make the finals, I didn't bet in any champion because the league is always hard to predict

It will depends on next rounds. Group G is easy enough to city classify without any difficulty, 6 points in 2 matches, 6 goals, but next rounds is where championship starts.

Even though the league is difficult to predict, you can tell from the style of play and effort each team is putting up if they hope to get to the finals. As long as Manchester City maintains this form, they have a good chance of winning the champions league.
We are aware that the knockout round is much more aggressive and competitive than the group stage, and occasionally the unexpected occurs, leading to both sides fighting fiercely to advance to the next round. But I continue to bet that Manchester City will reach the finals this year with their consistency now.

[borovichok]

^  We'll see how far they go in the UCL with Haaland tho.  City has had some good runs in the UCL since Guardiola took over but those runs were never far enough.  With the players they got, there's no excuse but to win it all and bring home their first CL trophy.  Is Haaland their guy after Aguero?  Sure...  But will he make the squad that much better to bring of the trophy?  ...  We'll see.  But I'm hopeful we'll see them in the final and hopefully vs Real Madrid.  That should add a bit of spice to it. 

I really think he is the guy Manchester city having been missing, he is a top level striker and one thing I admire alot about him is that he never get tired of running, creating space for teammates even if he has scored hat trick he still makes runs he is not tired of scoring, so with the type of creative players Manchester city has,they can archive slot with such a striker in their team, before he came to Manchester city, they citizens always do well but have been unlucky to lift the champions League but this time I wish them that extra luck.

[rby]

^  We'll see how far they go in the UCL with Haaland tho.  City has had some good runs in the UCL since Guardiola took over but those runs were never far enough.  With the players they got, there's no excuse but to win it all and bring home their first CL trophy.  Is Haaland their guy after Aguero?  Sure...  But will he make the squad that much better to bring of the trophy?  ...  We'll see.  But I'm hopeful we'll see them in the final and hopefully vs Real Madrid.  That should add a bit of spice to it. 

I really think he is the guy Manchester city having been missing, he is a top level striker and one thing I admire alot about him is that he never get tired of running, creating space for teammates even if he has scored hat trick he still makes runs he is not tired of scoring, so with the type of creative players Manchester city has,they can archive slot with such a striker in their team, before he came to Manchester city, they citizens always do well but have been unlucky to lift the champions League but this time I wish them that extra luck.

Guardiola is a very good coach in a good club, that is why they have been doing well in successive champions leagues and local leagues. I may not say it was only luck but they lacked a natural super 9 who could give them a goal when it's rare. Just like as Manchester City lost to Chelsea years ago for not scoring one goal. Liverpool lost against Real Madrid just to be able to get a goal which they didn't.
With Erling Haaland, everything has fallen in place for Manchester City.

[posi]

^  We'll see how far they go in the UCL with Haaland tho.  City has had some good runs in the UCL since Guardiola took over but those runs were never far enough.  With the players they got, there's no excuse but to win it all and bring home their first CL trophy.  Is Haaland their guy after Aguero?  Sure...  But will he make the squad that much better to bring of the trophy?  ...  We'll see.  But I'm hopeful we'll see them in the final and hopefully vs Real Madrid.  That should add a bit of spice to it. 

I really think he is the guy Manchester city having been missing, he is a top level striker and one thing I admire alot about him is that he never get tired of running, creating space for teammates even if he has scored hat trick he still makes runs he is not tired of scoring, so with the type of creative players Manchester city has,they can archive slot with such a striker in their team, before he came to Manchester city, they citizens always do well but have been unlucky to lift the champions League but this time I wish them that extra luck.

Guardiola is a very good coach in a good club, that is why they have been doing well in successive champions leagues and local leagues. I may not say it was only luck but they lacked a natural super 9 who could give them a goal when it's rare. Just like as Manchester City lost to Chelsea years ago for not scoring one goal. Liverpool lost against Real Madrid just to be able to get a goal which they didn't.
With Erling Haaland, everything has fallen in place for Manchester City.

Perhaps with Erling Haaland joining the squad, Manchester City is not as vulnerable in attack as they have been in previous seasons. They have good match tactics and a lot of talented players in defense and midfield. They are consistently performing well. However, Manchester City's main weakness this season is that they are becoming overly dependent on Haaland. If Haaland is unable to stay with the squad due to injury before a crucial Champions League match, it will be very difficult for Manchester City to perform well. Guardiola does not have a suitable replacement for Haaland.

[AakZaki]

If both play as well as they are now, yes. Haaland top of his game, Messi in some magical moment (hell, even Neymar is already up to half his regular season quota).

~snip~

Interesting, Many people guessed PSG deserved to be in the UCL final in the next few seasons. But they always fail, the best achievement seems to be they reached the Final in 19/20 after winning in the semifinals against Leipzig. But in the Final they had to lose 1-0 against Bayern Munich. Whereas last season they only reached the round of 16 because they lost to Madrid. There are always surprises for UCL, it's hard to decide the final is PSG vs Man City from now on. Maybe when you enter the knockout phase it will be easier.