UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Season

[Strongkored]

Real Madrid is amongst the top four teams expected or projected to make it to the finals of the UCL without much doubts. They have held onto their champions league formula for winning and qualifying to the next stage without much hassle and that's what has made the difference in the team overtime.
I doubt Arsenal or any English side would win them if they get to lock horns in any of the final matches of the UCL, and that's because they have the formula for these kind of matches.

The remaining two teams from the English Premier League are Arsenal and Manchester City and of these two teams I agree with you that if Arsenal meets Real Madrid then they will find it difficult to overcome Real Madrid because Real Madrid is not only in very good condition this season but their experience in the Champions League will be very helpful when facing difficult matches, especially since they are still trained by coaches who are also experienced in the Champions League, without even underestimated on Arsenal, they will face very high difficulties against Real Madrid and to beat the LaLiga team, they have to have a strategy on how to suppress Jude Bellingham.
Meanwhile, if Manchester City were to face Real Madrid, the prediction would still be 50/50, even though Manchester City seems to be struggling in the domestic league, but as defending champions, of course they will try to perform optimally, but Real Madrid vs Manchester City meeting is very likely to happen in the top four or final, right? not at the start of the knockout round, because in the drawing they will be included as the favorite team.

[tygeade]

PSG are not yet ready to win the champoins league. The French league is not that competitive and the strongest team PSG struggled with Newcastle and other teams in their group. If they make it pass the round of 16 this season I think they are lucky. It will take PSG many years of consistency to win the Champions league, they should forget about it this season.

Agreed, PSG has not yet faced the strongest team in the UCL like real madrid and bayern. It was almost failing to qualify for the knock out stage. It sounds non sense to pick PSG as favorite to win the competition right now.
Luck or unluck have become side factor that was helping the club to qualify or not. In fact, PSG is not that strong to compete with the best club like manchester city, real madrid or bayern.
How many times PSG was botting its performance in the UCL? It can be answered easily. This is also the main reason PSG was always failed to get UCL.
The only best achievement to be runner up of UCL a few years ago but yeah it was a few years ago. Football developed even further and there are lots of change happened.

When you are that good, you do not face a great team until the quarter finals, it's rarely the case. I mean you "may" face someone that is good, but most of the time you really don't. I think it's quite clear that they will not face anyone who will be all that much of a trouble for them. I think quarter finals may end up being a little decent as well, I think it is going to be a bit of a tough deal for the draw, but they are building a great team, maybe during the winter period they will get someone decent as well, who knows?

I think that should be the most important thing, we need to arrange something that will benefit everyone. This is of course not a guaranteed thing but we could always end up with a good PSG win and they may finally get that UCL title they always wanted, that's an important situation. I believe that there is still some time left to see, but I like their current roster, they do look like a good team and they do look like they may do something about it as well.

[Blitzboy]

Dembele is also a great player, although Mbappe is much better known as a world striker. PSG also once had a number of world star players at the club, but they also failed to become champion candidates. Luis Enrique needs to build a better squad and must prioritize collectivity over individual skill and he needs to learn a lot from what Pep Guardiola did at Manchester City because their squad is also not strengthened by world star players.

City is a great club. But this season they seem to be having difficulties when their main players are injured. This can be seen from their last 5 matches when Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne suffered injuries. I'm afraid they won't be able to go further in the champions league this season. And for PSG I agree with what you said that they only have Mbappe as a world class striker although I also don't underestimate Dembele. But the problem at PSG is how Enrique makes collective team play because I see that currently they still only rely on one or two players in their game tactics.

Manchester City's form is worrying me, especially with Haaland and De Bruyne out injured. It's like missing a vital engine part. A top-tier team like City should be able to function without one or two players, but they're suffering. They dominated the UCL group stage, but this slump is worrisome.

I think City set a high bar last season and aren't meeting it now. More than ever, they depend on important players. Without adaptation, their Champions League chances are slim. They must quickly find that winning formula.

[Weawant]

Even though Manchester City managed to advance to the round of 16 as group winners after sweeping all matches with a win, they are actually experiencing a decline in performance. The player injury factor is the most reasonable reason, but a club as big as Manchester City should not be too dependent on just one or two players because they still have quality players who are ready to play in the areas needed.
Manchester City's performance in winning the UCL last season was very different from what they showed this season. With their current performance, I doubt they will be able to defend the UCL title for the second time in a row.

I think Manchester city seems to prioritize the UCL more than they do with premier league so most definitely they are showing a better performance in the champions league which looks more like priority to them and that's why in  the champions league they do better but seem to experience a decline in the premier league.

Never the less I still believe Manchester city will still do well in the premier league and definitely get back on their feet, I'm sure Manchester city even if they don't win the premier league but will be able to finish top four and in the champions league aswell they will be able to get pass the round of sixteen even if they eventually don't win the title of which I know they are very likely to because they are very much experienced and have the capacity although this season they have more challenge to face with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and other tough teams.

[borovichok]

Real Madrid is amongst the top four teams expected or projected to make it to the finals of the UCL without much doubts. They have held onto their champions league formula for winning and qualifying to the next stage without much hassle and that's what has made the difference in the team overtime.
I doubt Arsenal or any English side would win them if they get to lock horns in any of the final matches of the UCL, and that's because they have the formula for these kind of matches.

The formula for most of these clubs is getting the job done within good range of time. Real Madrid is a promising club and they have significant odds of reaching the UCL final this season. We have tough clubs that can be portrayed threats to be crowned thr UCL Champs but I don't see that happening anytime soon. English clubs can compete but only few will make it to good phase. But for Arsenal, I thought if they can't stand the chance to survive because they certainly will not reach the desirable points.

[Lida93]

Don't know if I should refer to this as a fairly drawn pairs except for the pairs between Inter Milan vs ATM, and Napoli vs Barcelona all the other draws in my opinion are of unequal pairing. And Manchester City seem to be the luckiest of them all.

At least with this draws we now know to an extent those teams that will survive to the next round and those that their chances of survival are very slim except the unexpected events as we have before now seen in football does happen. Can't wait for February 13th, 2024 to watch the live actions from these UCL  games.

[Ondekinecakabilirim]

I'm interested in the match between Napoli and Barcelona. I think it's hard to say which team will pass this round. Napoli are far from last season's performance but they are still a very good team. Other than that, I think the other matches have favorite teams. Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund are the favorites. The excitement in the Champions League will be more in the next round. Of course it is a bit early to talk about it but I don't expect too many surprises in this round.

[youdacapt]

Copenhagen vs Manchester City - Once again this is an easy and comfortable draw for the manchester side who has always benefited from UEFA by playing the weakest teasm in the round of 16 ties every season; without surprise, many predicted this outcome for city and even won loads of cash prizes online lol

An easy win for pep struggling side; they are sure to play in the uefa champions league quater finals this season

Porto vs Arsenal - This will be an interesting tie; with both teams having equal chances of getting to the quaters of the   uefa champions league this season. Do you think the gunners stand a chance ?

RB Leizpig vs Real Madrid - A huge tie for the galacticos as they face an injury crisis within their ranks; do you think Real Madrid prowess would be enough to outscore Leizpig in this tie?

I think Real Madrid will quality albiet ugly, what do you think ?

PSV vs Dortmund

I tip dormund scaling through here; psv does not just have enough to defeat the bundesliga team.

PSG vs Real Sociedad - An easy routine win for PSG, or can sociedad pull a shock  and knock out the french ligue giants?

Inter vs Atletico Madrid - A tie popular amongst both teams, usually rough and edgy and many cards issued haha. I have an open cast for this game, Inter could edge out and go for the quarters

Napoli vs Barcelona - Napoli has been bad this season, while Barcelona has been very incosistent too; i think the best team over the legs wins the tie

Lazio vs Bayern - great tie; and i am of the opinion that if Bayern doesn;t win this tie comfortably then he should be sacked haha.

MY THOUGHTS

[bering]

According All football, this is the knockout stage draws.
This draws us a bit fair because almost all teams were paired well, although some teams were lucky to have weak opponents that they are almost sure of their qualifying to the next round.

Arsenal might go far this season because their opponents are not too strong to stop their form even though almost half of the players did not have enough Champions League experience.

There was no big match for round of 16 unless Napoli vs Barcelona and this is interesting match because at their domestic league the performance of both of teams were decline especially Napoli that they have to changing manager from Rudi Garcia to Walter Mazzari because Rudi Garcia was failed to bringing Napoli to performing well in all competitions Napoli even have to out from the race to gets the scudetto because they have already lose 5 times and the difference points between them and Inter Milan is too far 14 points so who will be the winner of this match later whether it Barcelona or Napoli

For other teams Manchester City will gets easy opponent Copenhagen and most likely they will be easily to beat Copenhagen and Real Madrid too will gets easy match because their upcoming opponent is only Leipzig even so with Bayern Munich because Lazio is weaker than them and i am sure Bayern Munich will be able to overcomes Lazio

[wakier]

The match schedule for round 16 has been released, Manchester City and Real Madrid seem to be a little luckier because it will be against a team at lower level I am not underestimating them but I am comparing their performance in the group stage. On the other hand, Bayern Munich must try harder to beat Lazio indeed, Munich is in a better position but sometimes teams from Serie A can make things difficult for their opponents. The same thing with Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid which in my opinion is still too early to fight each other.

I can't wait for the round of sixteen where the teams will fight hard against teams that are hard to beat like Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, these three teams always seem to be favorites in the UCL and it seems they have opponents that are not as tough as Manchester City vs Copenhagen and Bayern Munich vs Lazio I think Real Madrid have quite tough opponents because Leipzig cannot be underestimated, as well as Inter Milan vs Atlètìco Madrid, the La Liga teams cannot be underestimated because they perform well in the domestic league.
But the Barcelona vs Napoli meeting is no less interesting because both teams don't seem very stable in their respective leagues so all the matches in the round of sixteen will look interesting later.

[tusandii]

City is a great club. But this season they seem to be having difficulties when their main players are injured. This can be seen from their last 5 matches when Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne suffered injuries. I'm afraid they won't be able to go further in the champions league this season. And for PSG I agree with what you said that they only have Mbappe as a world class striker although I also don't underestimate Dembele. But the problem at PSG is how Enrique makes collective team play because I see that currently they still only rely on one or two players in their game tactics.

Talking about the injuries suffered by Haaland and De Bruyne will certainly make us worried if Manchester City does not compete until the final round but we will see first that the injury suffered by Haaland is not too serious and in a few days he will return to the field and I also read from various media sources from a few days ago regarding De Bruyne that he had started training independently but had not yet started training with Manchester City and also Pep Guardiola did not put pressure on when he would return but preferred to wait until De Bruyne was completely recovered and said that he was ready to compete again and I'm not sure if anyone has said it before here but what is certain is that I'm just giving an explanation so that we don't worry.
Source : https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/luton-town-v-manchester-city-pep-guardiola-injury-update-63837635

For PSG, yes, the chances of getting a title in the Champions League are very small and that has been very clear since the era of coach Galtier and since the existence of star players like Messi and the reliable player Neymar. PSG have not been able to win a title in the CL and in terms of experience they have not yet can be declared worthy of winning the trophy here.
If we only assess PSG, in fact this club does not have any shortcomings in terms of finances, it is quite good, even in terms of players, it has been very perfect before, but it is still difficult to reach the final round and this season, only Mbappe is left, it will definitely be more difficult to win the title in CL.

[marcous]

Don't know if I should refer to this as a fairly drawn pairs except for the pairs between Inter Milan vs ATM, and Napoli vs Barcelona all the other draws in my opinion are of unequal pairing. And Manchester City seem to be the luckiest of them all.

At least with this draws we now know to an extent those teams that will survive to the next round and those that their chances of survival are very slim except the unexpected events as we have before now seen in football does happen. Can't wait for February 13th, 2024 to watch the live actions from these UCL  games.

I think City and Bayern are the two luckiest teams in the round of 16, because the strength level of Copenhagen and Lazio is still below their two opponents. I think Madrid is also in a lucky position too, because in meeting the Bundesliga representatives, namely Leipzig, I think Madrid can finish the match easily. apart from that I think Arsenal, Barcelona Inter and Dortmund get equal opponents.

Of course, this is only an assumption on paper, which means that clubs that have already qualified for the round of 16 have the same opportunities and opportunities to advance to the quarter finals or further. I agree with you, many surprises can happen and sometimes when we are too confident in one of the teams, and are favorites, we end up being eliminated early.

The knockout rounds which will start in february next year will give the 16 teams time to focus on their respective domestic leagues. City, Bayern and Madrid, as the most favored teams in the UCL, are losing the top of the standings at domestic level at the moment. however in my opinion, this does not necessarily eliminate their status at UCL.

[Dzwaafu11]

Dembele is also a great player, although Mbappe is much better known as a world striker. PSG also once had a number of world star players at the club, but they also failed to become champion candidates. Luis Enrique needs to build a better squad and must prioritize collectivity over individual skill and he needs to learn a lot from what Pep Guardiola did at Manchester City because their squad is also not strengthened by world star players.

City is a great club. But this season they seem to be having difficulties when their main players are injured. This can be seen from their last 5 matches when Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne suffered injuries. I'm afraid they won't be able to go further in the champions league this season. And for PSG I agree with what you said that they only have Mbappe as a world class striker although I also don't underestimate Dembele. But the problem at PSG is how Enrique makes collective team play because I see that currently they still only rely on one or two players in their game tactics.

It’s happened to many clubs, not only Manchester City. Once some key players in the team have injuries, there will be changes in their play, which will even lead them to losses. However, it’s obvious that Manchester City have deformed this season. Halaand and Kelvin De Bronce are their key players, and once these two players are not around in the Manchester City squad, there is always a problem. Because if you look at their performance this season and last season, it is not the same thing. They did better last season than this season because at the beginning of these seasons, Kelvin De Bryune was not around, and De Bryune is one of the key players who always assists Halaand in scoring games. Although other players also do that, adding Bryune makes it up to Halaand anytime.

Issue of the PSG I also think they depend on one or two players, especially Mbappe. Their dependence is very good, but what they need to understand is that only he can do it; they also need the assistance of other players. I hope they should get more experienced players to join the squad so they can give out the positive results they are supposed to.

[budi691]

Don't know if I should refer to this as a fairly drawn pairs except for the pairs between Inter Milan vs ATM, and Napoli vs Barcelona all the other draws in my opinion are of unequal pairing. And Manchester City seem to be the luckiest of them all.

At least with this draws we now know to an extent those teams that will survive to the next round and those that their chances of survival are very slim except the unexpected events as we have before now seen in football does happen. Can't wait for February 13th, 2024 to watch the live actions from these UCL  games.

I think City and Bayern are the two luckiest teams in the round of 16, because the strength level of Copenhagen and Lazio is still below their two opponents. I think Madrid is also in a lucky position too, because in meeting the Bundesliga representatives, namely Leipzig, I think Madrid can finish the match easily. apart from that I think Arsenal, Barcelona Inter and Dortmund get equal opponents.

Of course, this is only an assumption on paper, which means that clubs that have already qualified for the round of 16 have the same opportunities and opportunities to advance to the quarter finals or further. I agree with you, many surprises can happen and sometimes when we are too confident in one of the teams, and are favorites, we end up being eliminated early.

The knockout rounds which will start in february next year will give the 16 teams time to focus on their respective domestic leagues. City, Bayern and Madrid, as the most favored teams in the UCL, are losing the top of the standings at domestic level at the moment. however in my opinion, this does not necessarily eliminate their status at UCL.

The knockout round is often the round where surprises occur. Some teams that may experience difficulties in their domestic leagues can appear very strong in the UCL and vice versa.
Yes, I agree that City, Bayern and Madrid as top teams definitely have the quality and experience of competing in the UCL.
However, seeing the clubs that have already qualified for the round of 16 with the same opportunity to progress further gives the feel of a fair and competitive competition. All teams have a chance and should be respected as serious contenders.

[Xcode7]

Kevin De Bruyne absence has had a big impact on Manchester City performance and it's uncertain when he'll be able to play again so if he's not in the line up then I doubt Manchester City can go to the next round I will favor other teams. So far Real Madrid is still the best in my opinion or Bayern Munich as the second option, these two teams have a big chance to reach the final well, if this really happens it will be difficult to determine who the winner, what is clear is that one of them will be the winner imo. Atletico Madrid actually also caught our attention even though they didn't record a perfect wins but Atletico Madrid has 2 dangerous players in the attack line Álvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann's collaboration is very dangerous and so far they are in the top 3 of the top scorer list.

The match schedule for round 16 has been released, Manchester City and Real Madrid seem to be a little luckier because it will be against a team at lower level I am not underestimating them but I am comparing their performance in the group stage. On the other hand, Bayern Munich must try harder to beat Lazio indeed, Munich is in a better position but sometimes teams from Serie A can make things difficult for their opponents. The same thing with Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid which in my opinion is still too early to fight each other.

I saw only the Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid matches which were fierce and the rest was nothing that difficult I thought.
Bayern will play Lazio, this is not too difficult for Bayern because in terms of quality Bayern is much stronger than Lazio.
Real Madrid will meet Rb Leipzig, this is not a difficult thing for Real Madrid I think, Leipzig is not a strong team that has a strong mentality in UCl.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will meet Copenhagen, this is an advantage for the Man City team, they did not experience difficulties at the start.

Regarding Kevin De Bruyne, winning while he was injured since the start of the season made the performance of Pep Guardiola's team quite disturbed or decreased without his presence in midfield, but rumors are circulating that he will recover in January but in my opinion don't expect too much from the player who have been injured for a long time because there is a big possibility that their performance will not immediately return to normal.

[Docnaster]

I'm interested in the match between Napoli and Barcelona. I think it's hard to say which team will pass this round. Napoli are far from last season's performance but they are still a very good team. Other than that, I think the other matches have favorite teams. Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund are the favorites. The excitement in the Champions League will be more in the next round. Of course it is a bit early to talk about it but I don't expect too many surprises in this round.

Napoli won the Italian Serie A last season hasn't been as impressive as they were last season but their performance in their recent matches since the new manager Walter Mazzarri took over the managerial position at the club suggests that they can still finish the season on a good note. Barcelona who also is the reigning champions of Spain has also failed to maintain their performance of last season that helped them win the the Spanish La Liga title which is believed to be caused by injuries to some important members of the squad since the start of the season.

Napoli i think will progress from the tie if they can continue with their current form. There are rumours in different quarters that the their striker Victor Osimhen who was recently crowned the best player in Africa by CAF will leave the club when the winter transfer window opens but I don't think that'll happen as the Nigeria international will rather prefer a move away from the Diego Armando Maradona stadium next summer. Barcelona is currently having some financial issues that's limited them in signing many more players and that I think will cost them when they meet Napoli in February.

[borovichok]

I'm interested in the match between Napoli and Barcelona. I think it's hard to say which team will pass this round. Napoli are far from last season's performance but they are still a very good team. Other than that, I think the other matches have favorite teams. Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund are the favorites. The excitement in the Champions League will be more in the next round. Of course it is a bit early to talk about it but I don't expect too many surprises in this round.

Picking interest in watching Barcelona advances to the next phase. UCL round of 16 is out. The fixtures I'm seeing doesn't really pull any threat because we can easily predict the club's that come out winners and we might also predict the club. Napoli vs Barcelona is the tough fixtures in the UCL round of 16 this season. The Blaugrana are not in good shape this season but can they be able to maintain good game balance against Napoli. Xavi Hernandez doesn't have the capacity to win matches but his players can make him believe in the possible and reverse their direction to winning matches.

[QueenVera]

I think it will be difficult for us to predict, especially since the draw for the round of 16 has not yet been held. even though the team from the Spanish League has 4 representatives, that doesn't mean the other teams will be easily defeated because there are only a few contestants in this competition. I think in any case, City is still worth considering even though their performance is a little less than optimal in the Domestic League. but in reality, they didn't play badly. and I am also very sure that Pep prioritizes the Champions League trophy to be defended this season.

As for Arsenal, I'm not really sure about Mikel Arteta's squad. but at least, they have competitive ammunition and are worthy of being considered as opponents who can make things difficult for any team. apart from that, the only German representative who is really a favorite is Bayern Munich. I think Tuhchel is very aware of how to win the title in this competition. in other words, they will further strengthen their team squad. maybe by bringing in some new arrivals, as well as City and Arsenal. Well, because this is still just an assumption and speculation, we will find out later after the schedule for the draw for the last 16 of the 2023-24 Champions League will be held this Monday. after that, we can see the teams that will face each other. but personally, I still prefer City even though they are not my favorite team. Well, let's just make sure it's time for the round of 16 to be held.

At the moment, the UCL round of 16 draw is out and for some teams, it's going to be a serious tussle and for some it'll be a minor jump through to the next stage. Judging based on team strength, City has a better chance to advance than Copenhagen, so does PSG, Dortmund and Bayern.

 For the remaining fixtures, the teams are strong and the result is just unpredictable. Arsenal and Porto are in good form, same performance range, the probability is shaky, thesame with Napoli and Barcelona. For Madrid and Leipzig, one would say Madrid are in a better position to advance but the German side shouldn't be underrated though, they're also good in their own way. For Inter and Atletico, it's going to be a serious battle, none of them would allow the other to just go freely without making it tough. Hopefully these teams would use their home advantages wisely and to the best of their ability too.

[legendbtc]

The match schedule for round 16 has been released, Manchester City and Real Madrid seem to be a little luckier because it will be against a team at lower level I am not underestimating them but I am comparing their performance in the group stage. On the other hand, Bayern Munich must try harder to beat Lazio indeed, Munich is in a better position but sometimes teams from Serie A can make things difficult for their opponents. The same thing with Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid which in my opinion is still too early to fight each other.

I can't wait for the round of sixteen where the teams will fight hard against teams that are hard to beat like Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, these three teams always seem to be favorites in the UCL and it seems they have opponents that are not as tough as Manchester City vs Copenhagen and Bayern Munich vs Lazio I think Real Madrid have quite tough opponents because Leipzig cannot be underestimated, as well as Inter Milan vs Atlètìco Madrid, the La Liga teams cannot be underestimated because they perform well in the domestic league.
But the Barcelona vs Napoli meeting is no less interesting because both teams don't seem very stable in their respective leagues so all the matches in the round of sixteen will look interesting later.

There was no match worthy of the words "early final" in the 1/8 round. Defending champion Man City is especially lucky to only have to meet Copenhagen, the most underrated team. Real Madrid seems to have the easiest time among the Spanish teams entering the 1/8 round because their opponent is Leipzig, which is not the strongest in Germany and not a significant force in the European arena. Meanwhile, PSG was fortunate to avoid big opponents and clash with Sociedad. PSG was very lucky to get through the group stage, including a draw with Newcastle at home that they almost lost.
Overall, in this round, the wins belong to the big teams. The next quarter-finals are the "early finals" worth watching.

[shinratensei_]

I'm interested in the match between Napoli and Barcelona. I think it's hard to say which team will pass this round. Napoli are far from last season's performance but they are still a very good team. Other than that, I think the other matches have favorite teams. Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund are the favorites. The excitement in the Champions League will be more in the next round. Of course it is a bit early to talk about it but I don't expect too many surprises in this round.

 i just saw a meme in twitter or x said that if barcelona prayed to get copenhagen as its opponent. Real madrid got leipzig as its next opponent, which was very good. Interimlan is going to face a tough team and im sure atletico will not let inter to win all of legs easily. The important thing if lautaro martinez is still on fire right now. The chance for intermilan to win the game becomes even bigger since lautaro keeps show amazing performance with the club. Barcelona has got difficult opponents to be beaten.
The chance of barcelona to pass the last 16 is quite small at this moment consider the performance of barcelona was also declining a lot. This is the most interesting match from the round of 16.

It's caused by we will be seeing the winner of la liga to face serie a winner last season. There will be a very interesting duel between both of clubs. Manchester city and rela madrid were getting easy opponents which are very good.
Bayern is going to face lazio. Lazio's performance is not that good in the serie a. I can take this as an easy match for bayern but if the club will make a blunder, then it may be a different thing to happen with the club.,