UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Season

[ndutndut]

As one of the biggest and best matches is going to take place tonight, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid face one of the most interesting ones. Although currently we don't consider Bayern Munich to be strong, they haven't performed very well in the German league but they have reached the semi-finals in the Champions League. However Bayan Munich may not be able to win with Madrid now that they will be overwhelmed by their strength. Real Madrid's current players are all good stars and they have enough performance to lead the team to victory level. However, Bayan Munich's defensive line is weaker than that of Real Madrid, which means that the goalkeeper may not be able to defend the goal well if the Madrid team attacks strongly. As today's match will be played at Bayern Munich's home ground, they are ready to launch a strong attack. But Real Madrid won't give up so easily at the Bayan field, but with their powerful attack, they will win the first leg in the semi-finals.

If you look at the head to head meetings between the two teams, there are only slight differences. So the second match is predicted to be fierce and full of surprises. Even though Bayern Munich is not performing well, Bayern Munich is still one of the clubs that has UCL DNA. So Bayern Munich might be able to make things difficult for Real Madrid. It's not impossible that Bayern Munich can beat Real Madrid, especially playing at home, of course they have more motivation.

So Real Madrid must not underestimate Bayern Munich, they still have to face this match with good preparation and take advantage of Bayern Munich's weaknesses because it is true as you said that Bayern Munich's weakness this season is in defense. But for me the dream final is Real Madrid vs PSG at Wembley. I also believe that Real Madrid's dream final is wide open, but they have to work hard to reach the final.

[Hirose UK]

I partially agree with you. Bayern Munich's performances have been erratic this season. Despite having a strong squad, Bayern Munich is not able to consistently perform well. The team's performance in the Bundesliga was also very poor. And this is why the Munich team failed to win the Bundesliga title.

Real Madrid is very strong and experienced. The bonding between the players is very good. Real Madrid qualified for the semi-finals by defeating a strong team like Manchester City. Real Madrid team will be considered favorites against Bayern Munich. But the Munich team is strong enough. There is no doubt that the match will be very competitive.

The odds for Bayern decreased slightly on the last day, now according to bookmakers, they have a slight advantage, 2.37 versus 3.05 for Real. I think this is because it will be a home match for Bayern, since despite the bad season they play relatively well at home. I agree that Real are strong because they were able to beat City, but Real never beat them, it was two draws and the winner was only determined in a penalty. It will be difficult for Bayern to beat Real Madrid, but if they want to do it, they need to do it today.

This first leg match will take place at home to Bayern Munich and their last meeting in the UCL only ended in 2 - 2 draw but this time it will be much different.
Maybe if Bayern Munich can play well and really take advantage of the home game then it could end in draw but for victory I think the chances are quite small considering that Real Madrid is strong team at the moment.
It will be difficult for Bayern Munich to beat Real Madrid even though they have home advantage, we can see that in the quarter-final match when Real Madrid vs Manchester City.
This will be fairly effective assessment in predicting the results of Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid today.

I myself have prediction that this match will be won by Real Madrid and if there is surprise it will end in draw.

[Google+]

After Man City was knocked out, Real Madrid may be the favorites in the Champions League this season. But if they have to play at home to Bayern Munich, I think this will be a tough match for Real Madrid. Bayern Munich has not really had an impressive performance this season but when they played in the Champions League they seemed to have a fairly consistent performance. I hope this will be an interesting spectacle and that both teams will tend to play open and offensive games. I also feel that this will be a match that will probably end in a draw.

The two teams met too soon in the quarter-finals so we seem to have seen the Champions League final this season too soon, with Madrid still holding on of course they are favourites to win this season on the condition that they must beat Bayern Munich today, maybe PSG we can say one of the teams that has a greater chance of reaching the final than Dortmund,  Although actually PSG may be difficult to beat Dortmund, but if later PSG can reach the final of course there will be no doubt if PSG will not be able to beat Madrid later, although PSG is indeed a team full of stars but for now their mentality to play in the Champions League is still very doubtful in my opinion in winning the Champions League trophy.

Talking about the semi-final between Bayern Munich and Madrid, of course it will be an interesting spectacle, especially since both teams have a very good mentality and experience in the Champions League, for now indeed both teams have inversely proportional performance in the domestic league but for the Champions League, of course both will have the same performance and mentality to be able to win the game later in order to reach the final round.

[len01]

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While we're getting close to the game between Bayern Munch and Real Madrid it seems there is going to be a piece of bad news for Bayern Munich before this match. Real Madrid is in the good form and they have the first chance to win the game and even to win the Champions League but it seems Bayern MUnich's situation is not good at all because they lost the Bundesliga title. Other than this Matthijs de Ligt the player of Bayern Munich is not in a good situation and he is injured in the game against Frankfurt and this can make Matthijs de Ligt to be absent from this match.

very valuable information bro.
this will make us as bettors and Real Madrid fans a little more confident about how strong Bayern Munich is. If currently there are several players injured, it will definitely greatly affect the strength of their performance in today's match.
meanwhile, Matthijs de Ligt is one of the best defenders that Munich currently has and if he is absent from today's match, it is a sign that Munich defensive strength is getting weaker and Madrid's opportunity to get a higher aggregate score than a win in the first leg could happen.
it looks like after getting this information I have to bet again with a different option.

[mamesso]

~Snip~

The two teams met too soon in the quarter-finals so we seem to have seen the Champions League final this season too soon, with Madrid still holding on of course they are favourites to win this season on the condition that they must beat Bayern Munich today, maybe PSG we can say one of the teams that has a greater chance of reaching the final than Dortmund,  Although actually PSG may be difficult to beat Dortmund, but if later PSG can reach the final of course there will be no doubt if PSG will not be able to beat Madrid later, although PSG is indeed a team full of stars but for now their mentality to play in the Champions League is still very doubtful in my opinion in winning the Champions League trophy.

Talking about the semi-final between Bayern Munich and Madrid, of course it will be an interesting spectacle, especially since both teams have a very good mentality and experience in the Champions League, for now indeed both teams have inversely proportional performance in the domestic league but for the Champions League, of course both will have the same performance and mentality to be able to win the game later in order to reach the final round.

The meeting of these two teams in the quarter finals was very profitable for the team that managed to qualify for the semifinals, Real Madrid, who managed to get rid of Manchester City, became the team most favored to win this season. On paper, Real Madrid can win the match over Bayern Munich, but no one can predict what happens on the field because there are always surprises in it. Bayern Munich will not let Real Madrid win the easy way from them, their motivation to get to the final is also very high, especially since they have just failed to win the Bundesliga title.

In another match, PSG will face Dortmund to compete for a place in the final round, I prefer PSG to qualify for the final because the quality of players and depth of the team is superior to Dortmund. Luis Enrique who was appointed as PSG coach at the start of the season, will not waste this opportunity to bring his team through to the final as well as present PSG first UCL trophy. This team always qualifies for the Champions League every season and is considered a challenger for the trophy, but so far it has always failed to provide competition.

The presence of Enrique, who has experience in the Champions League, can give encouragement to the players in carrying out their plans to win this championship like Manchester City did last season. I really hope that Real Madrid and PSG qualify for the final because the teams are almost evenly matched and this match will allow Mbappe to face his new club if he officially moves to Real Madrid next season.

[3meek]

As one of the biggest and best matches is going to take place tonight, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid face one of the most interesting ones. Although currently we don't consider Bayern Munich to be strong, they haven't performed very well in the German league but they have reached the semi-finals in the Champions League. However Bayan Munich may not be able to win with Madrid now that they will be overwhelmed by their strength. Real Madrid's current players are all good stars and they have enough performance to lead the team to victory level. However, Bayan Munich's defensive line is weaker than that of Real Madrid, which means that the goalkeeper may not be able to defend the goal well if the Madrid team attacks strongly. As today's match will be played at Bayern Munich's home ground, they are ready to launch a strong attack. But Real Madrid won't give up so easily at the Bayan field, but with their powerful attack, they will win the first leg in the semi-finals.

If you look at the head to head meetings between the two teams, there are only slight differences. So the second match is predicted to be fierce and full of surprises. Even though Bayern Munich is not performing well, Bayern Munich is still one of the clubs that has UCL DNA. So Bayern Munich might be able to make things difficult for Real Madrid. It's not impossible that Bayern Munich can beat Real Madrid, especially playing at home, of course they have more motivation.

So Real Madrid must not underestimate Bayern Munich, they still have to face this match with good preparation and take advantage of Bayern Munich's weaknesses because it is true as you said that Bayern Munich's weakness this season is in defense. But for me the dream final is Real Madrid vs PSG at Wembley. I also believe that Real Madrid's dream final is wide open, but they have to work hard to reach the final.

I think Bayern got to the semi-finals by luck... If we consider previous opponents, Man City are much stronger than Arsenal... After Real Madrid managed to beat Man City, I think Bayern will have no chance of winning... Probably Real will win today and leave Bayern no chance in the return game...

[Luzin]

Realistically, Bayern has just slim chance of winning over Madrid even at their own play ground but nothing is actually certain for now. We are making assumptions based on the recent performance of each team but placing a direct winning bet on the game is not ideal for me, goal markets will probably favor more because I am having the feeling that many goals will be score in the match.

I don't expect much for Real Madrid to win, a draw is a pretty good result when tomorrow's first leg is held at the Alianz Arena. Of course Ancelotti has prepared all. Against Sociedad in La Liga, Ancelotti played a lot of substitutes players. So Ancelotti has prepared for this Semi-final with full preparation. Munich will not give up easily, Tuchel wants to give Munich memories and proof with him just needs time to adjust. So Tuchel wants to prove to the management that he's a good coach.

[Chikito]

I just bet real Madrid at the moment, because that club more confident and solid than Bayern who loose one the bundesliga, DFL-Supercup dan DFB-Pokal. I know, this is the last one chance for Bayern but when we talk about Madrid, The Champions League is their place to get champions. Real Madrid also got trophy Supercopa de Espana, most closed to la liga trophy, so tonight is a place to prove it.

[Fausto Arta]

As one of the biggest and best matches is going to take place tonight, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid face one of the most interesting ones. Although currently we don't consider Bayern Munich to be strong, they haven't performed very well in the German league but they have reached the semi-finals in the Champions League. However Bayan Munich may not be able to win with Madrid now that they will be overwhelmed by their strength. Real Madrid's current players are all good stars and they have enough performance to lead the team to victory level. However, Bayan Munich's defensive line is weaker than that of Real Madrid, which means that the goalkeeper may not be able to defend the goal well if the Madrid team attacks strongly. As today's match will be played at Bayern Munich's home ground, they are ready to launch a strong attack. But Real Madrid won't give up so easily at the Bayan field, but with their powerful attack, they will win the first leg in the semi-finals.

I would say, we will see a draw in this match.

Real Madrid has better form, but since the match held in Allianz Arena, this will be an advantage for Bayern Munich. So it make me think both of them equal, don't forget with the match Bayern Munich vs Arsenal and Real Madrid vs Manchester City in the first leg. People predict both Arsenal and Manchester City will win, but it ends in draw.

For a safer bet, you can bet both teams will score or double chance "draw or Real Madrid".

Tuchel is still missing Konrad Laimer and Matthijs de Ligt, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Dayot Upamecano and Kingsley Coman. Bayern Munich's situation is still being hit by a storm of injuries. The conditions are different for Real Madrid players, only Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy are still doubtful. Meanwhile Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba are still absent for a long time and Dani Carvajal received an accumulated yellow card.

[Cryptmuster]

I don't expect much for Real Madrid to win, a draw is a pretty good result when tomorrow's first leg is held at the Alianz Arena. Of course Ancelotti has prepared all. Against Sociedad in La Liga, Ancelotti played a lot of substitutes players. So Ancelotti has prepared for this Semi-final with full preparation. Munich will not give up easily, Tuchel wants to give Munich memories and proof with him just needs time to adjust. So Tuchel wants to prove to the management that he's a good coach.

Bayern also prepared for this match, for them the Champions League is a priority tournament to which Tuchel will focus all his attention. A draw for Real would be a good result, maybe Ancelotti even expects to win this match, but this will be seen during the match. For Tuchel in Bayern, everything is also determined, he will leave the team in the summer, and there is no such option as for Xavi, it is unlikely that he will be asked to stay in the team, but he can try to win the Champions League and leave the team as a top coach.

[RaltcoinsB]

As one of the biggest and best matches is going to take place tonight, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid face one of the most interesting ones. Although currently we don't consider Bayern Munich to be strong, they haven't performed very well in the German league but they have reached the semi-finals in the Champions League. However Bayan Munich may not be able to win with Madrid now that they will be overwhelmed by their strength. Real Madrid's current players are all good stars and they have enough performance to lead the team to victory level. However, Bayan Munich's defensive line is weaker than that of Real Madrid, which means that the goalkeeper may not be able to defend the goal well if the Madrid team attacks strongly. As today's match will be played at Bayern Munich's home ground, they are ready to launch a strong attack. But Real Madrid won't give up so easily at the Bayan field, but with their powerful attack, they will win the first leg in the semi-finals.

If you look at the head to head meetings between the two teams, there are only slight differences. So the second match is predicted to be fierce and full of surprises. Even though Bayern Munich is not performing well, Bayern Munich is still one of the clubs that has UCL DNA. So Bayern Munich might be able to make things difficult for Real Madrid. It's not impossible that Bayern Munich can beat Real Madrid, especially playing at home, of course they have more motivation.

So Real Madrid must not underestimate Bayern Munich, they still have to face this match with good preparation and take advantage of Bayern Munich's weaknesses because it is true as you said that Bayern Munich's weakness this season is in defense. But for me the dream final is Real Madrid vs PSG at Wembley. I also believe that Real Madrid's dream final is wide open, but they have to work hard to reach the final.

I think Bayern got to the semi-finals by luck... If we consider previous opponents, Man City are much stronger than Arsenal... After Real Madrid managed to beat Man City, I think Bayern will have no chance of winning... Probably Real will win today and leave Bayern no chance in the return game...

Predictions in football may not always be accurate, but I agree that Real Madrid has a higher chance of winning today. The only thing that motivates Bayern is the possibility of winning the Champions League. They lost the league to Leverkusen. I'm sure they will be extra motivated by the only cup they have left. It will not be an easy elimination for Real. Bayern will be on the field with all its strength.

[QueenVera]

If PSG actually wins against Dortmund and somehow they also win the Champions League competition, Mbappé will have to carry the whole team on his back. Otherwise, I do not think they will actually win the Champions League. I don't think he will be able to do it by himself. Because football is definitely not a one-man show. all the players have to perfectly play their role. Without doing so, it is hard for them to actually win.

Maybe they will be able to win against Dortmund. That is probably expected from them. But after reaching the finals, they will most probably face Real Madrid and I am pretty sure they are not going to win that match if they are depending on a single player. we also have seen how good players can miss at crucial times. I am talking about how Haaland missed easy chances against Real Madrid in the Champions League match. But I also agree that all the teams are actually really good and the performance which is expected from them is also going to be competitive.

Well it’s long past the days when a club’s victory or success is vested on the shoulders of an individual. Now we now have to see a top notch performance from at least all the team members and including the fans for the club to be able to succeed especially in Elite competition like the UCL.

 ⁠A team’s success needs all 11 players to be very proactive whilst on the pitch of play meanwhile an individual can stand out, this doesn’t mean because he standsout, the team gets the success. Football is a team game and not a one man show , hence the need for high team spirit for success to be attained.

 ⁠Mbappe since his time at psg has majorly been the main man in the show for the club and yes a lot think he’s capable of helping them win the UCL this season. Well the chances are slim because of course they’ll meet a team as formidable like Real Madrid in the final, the team work from Real Madrid team is scary.

 ⁠PSG will need to work as a team and not leave everything for Kylian and probably Dembele because Real Madrid are a strong force that work together and to defeat them you’ve got to be stronger. Football success is now crested on team work and I wish clubs understands now whilst going forward.

[kro55]

As one of the biggest and best matches is going to take place tonight, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid face one of the most interesting ones. Although currently we don't consider Bayern Munich to be strong, they haven't performed very well in the German league but they have reached the semi-finals in the Champions League. However Bayan Munich may not be able to win with Madrid now that they will be overwhelmed by their strength. Real Madrid's current players are all good stars and they have enough performance to lead the team to victory level. However, Bayan Munich's defensive line is weaker than that of Real Madrid, which means that the goalkeeper may not be able to defend the goal well if the Madrid team attacks strongly. As today's match will be played at Bayern Munich's home ground, they are ready to launch a strong attack. But Real Madrid won't give up so easily at the Bayan field, but with their powerful attack, they will win the first leg in the semi-finals.

If you look at the head to head meetings between the two teams, there are only slight differences. So the second match is predicted to be fierce and full of surprises. Even though Bayern Munich is not performing well, Bayern Munich is still one of the clubs that has UCL DNA. So Bayern Munich might be able to make things difficult for Real Madrid. It's not impossible that Bayern Munich can beat Real Madrid, especially playing at home, of course they have more motivation.
So Real Madrid must not underestimate Bayern Munich, they still have to face this match with good preparation and take advantage of Bayern Munich's weaknesses because it is true as you said that Bayern Munich's weakness this season is in defense. But for me the dream final is Real Madrid vs PSG at Wembley. I also believe that Real Madrid's dream final is wide open, but they have to work hard to reach the final.

I think Bayern got to the semi-finals by luck... If we consider previous opponents, Man City are much stronger than Arsenal... After Real Madrid managed to beat Man City, I think Bayern will have no chance of winning... Probably Real will win today and leave Bayern no chance in the return game...

Predictions in football may not always be accurate, but I agree that Real Madrid has a higher chance of winning today. The only thing that motivates Bayern is the possibility of winning the Champions League. They lost the league to Leverkusen. I'm sure they will be extra motivated by the only cup they have left. It will not be an easy elimination for Real. Bayern will be on the field with all its strength.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid both have strong teams. Here we cannot consider any team as weak. Both have the ability to win the Champions League title. It is very difficult to make predictions about these matches.

However, comparing the recent performance of these two teams, Real Madrid team has to be considered as the favorite. Real Madrid's performance is stable. And the bonding between the players in this team is very strong. This is mainly the reason why I consider Madrid to be more likely to win against Bayern Munich. However, since Munich is a very strong team. The chances of them winning are also not low. Both the teams will play to win.

[bitLeap]

It will be difficult for Bayern Munich to beat Real Madrid even though they have home advantage, we can see that in the quarter-final match when Real Madrid vs Manchester City.
This will be fairly effective assessment in predicting the results of Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid today.

I myself have prediction that this match will be won by Real Madrid and if there is surprise it will end in draw.

I agree that Leg 1 could end in a draw and then at home to Madrid it would be a proper deciding game. Ancelotti would definitely prefer a draw rather than losing at home to Bayern Munich, because in terms of chances, Bayern Munich could be superior if they played at home. It seems that each team has prepared the best strategy for each other, because they have enough time and Madrid players are in top condition, especially Vinicius and Rodrygo.

As usual, Bayern Munich front line focuses on Kane, so far Kane contribution has been very influential. If Madrid is able to control Kane' movements, it might be more profitable for the visitors. Rudiger is one of the people who is ready to provide tight security for Harry Kane.

[Marvelockg]

I just bet real Madrid at the moment, because that club more confident and solid than Bayern who loose one the bundesliga, DFL-Supercup dan DFB-Pokal. I know, this is the last one chance for Bayern but when we talk about Madrid, The Champions League is their place to get champions. Real Madrid also got trophy Supercopa de Espana, most closed to la liga trophy, so tonight is a place to prove it.

halla Madrid all the way🏆
I can't wait for the kick off ⚽
The boys are ready to show that they are the UCL champions
I love Harry Kane but with vini jr and Jude Bellingham on the Madrid side, we're definitely kicking Bayern off our front.

Bring it on champs🏆

[yudi09]

I just bet real Madrid at the moment, because that club more confident and solid than Bayern who loose one the bundesliga, DFL-Supercup dan DFB-Pokal. I know, this is the last one chance for Bayern but when we talk about Madrid, The Champions League is their place to get champions. Real Madrid also got trophy Supercopa de Espana, most closed to la liga trophy, so tonight is a place to prove it.

3.05 odds are great. Make it easy for your bets to win. I believe more in a draw for this match.
The Champions League competition, Real Madrid is very different and needs to be paid attention to, but in my opinion the worst case scenario is a more convincing draw.
I believe that Bayern Munich is not a weak team for Real Madrid to beat, even though Real Madrid will definitely be more dominant.
This cannot be separated from what you said that the Champions League is the only proof or last chance for Bayern Munich.

[Moreno233]

I myself have prediction that this match will be won by Real Madrid and if there is surprise it will end in draw.

The match is not easy to predict because at this stage of the competition, any side can win. Both teams are former champions of the same competition so by all standards they know how to win and qualify for the finals. This make the match a tough one that I am sure will be filled with lots of entertainment. When I see the lineup towards the beginning of the match, the aura will show which side might win. This is one way I use in knowing the direction of the energy of the match and the possible direction it can go.

[Lida93]

As one of the biggest and best matches is going to take place tonight, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid face one of the most interesting ones. Although currently we don't consider Bayern Munich to be strong, they haven't performed very well in the German league but they have reached the semi-finals in the Champions League. However Bayan Munich may not be able to win with Madrid now that they will be overwhelmed by their strength. Real Madrid's current players are all good stars and they have enough performance to lead the team to victory level. However, Bayan Munich's defensive line is weaker than that of Real Madrid, which means that the goalkeeper may not be able to defend the goal well if the Madrid team attacks strongly. As today's match will be played at Bayern Munich's home ground, they are ready to launch a strong attack. But Real Madrid won't give up so easily at the Bayan field, but with their powerful attack, they will win the first leg in the semi-finals.

If you look at the head to head meetings between the two teams, there are only slight differences. So the second match is predicted to be fierce and full of surprises. Even though Bayern Munich is not performing well, Bayern Munich is still one of the clubs that has UCL DNA. So Bayern Munich might be able to make things difficult for Real Madrid. It's not impossible that Bayern Munich can beat Real Madrid, especially playing at home, of course they have more motivation.

@ndutndut, it is not impossible that Bayern Munich can beat Real Madrid in this match as both teams are known to have reached this stage of the champions league competition many times which mean non is lacking of experience but present form Madrid has higher chances of winning the match of which Bayern Munich can only try in obstructing that from happening because from the look of things the pressure will be on Bayern Munich tonight despite playing as a home team. There is nothing spectacular about Bayern Munich this season and I don't also expect any surprises from them seeing how poorly they played against Arsenal it was all by luck of experience that they got to this stage, and unfortunately for them Real Madrid have same experience in this competition so far.

[onecall123]

I just bet real Madrid at the moment, because that club more confident and solid than Bayern who loose one the bundesliga, DFL-Supercup dan DFB-Pokal. I know, this is the last one chance for Bayern but when we talk about Madrid, The Champions League is their place to get champions. Real Madrid also got trophy Supercopa de Espana, most closed to la liga trophy, so tonight is a place to prove it.

Agree! moreover their recent stats between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich tell the same story. In the last 5 matches, there's been 1 draw and 4 wins for Madrid. Madrid triumphed in all 3 games at Allianz Arena. Real Madrid aims to continue their winning streak. A victory against Bayern Munich tonight would be a strong start to the Champions League. Additionally, Madrid appears more threatening than Bayern this time after summarizing their league performance. So, it's possible that Real Madrid will once again defeat Bayern at their home ground.

[uchegod-21]

I myself have prediction that this match will be won by Real Madrid and if there is surprise it will end in draw.

The match is not easy to predict because at this stage of the competition, any side can win. Both teams are former champions of the same competition so by all standards they know how to win and qualify for the finals. This make the match a tough one that I am sure will be filled with lots of entertainment. When I see the lineup towards the beginning of the match, the aura will show which side might win. This is one way I use in knowing the direction of the energy of the match and the possible direction it can go.

The Champions League match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich might appear difficult for people to predict as you have said but personally I believe it is not a difficult match to predict. I acknowledge the fact that any team that qualifies through the round 16 of the Champions League should not be underrated. Having known this I give all the teams in this stage their flowers but then Real Madrid currently is no match to Bayern Munich. Considering the quality of players, the squad depth and also the ability of the coaches of the two teams you will understand that Real Madrid is ahead in every aspect. If Mikel Arteta and his boys we are very much committed they would have exited Tuchel and his boys. The major problem of the Arsenal boys was that they don't have the fighting Spirit of the Champions League. They played as if they were playing the every weekend English Premier League matches and the result didn't surprise me. A little more effort and determination would have taken them to the next round.