UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Season

[Pandorak]

[...]

So far AC Milan's performance has been inconsistent in their domestic league and in the UCL they were humiliated by Liverpool at home, although we agree that every team that competes has a chance, we also have to look at the team that will be faced in this second match, Milan will visit Leverkusen's home, of course Xabi Alonso's team is not an opponent that can be defeated easily. I agree that the chance feels small for Fonseca's squad, I will not expect much from Milan in this match.

After i saw AC Milan match in Serie A yesterday, i think i should think twice about saying that AC Milan will definitely lose to Leverkusen. They managed to beat Lecce & get a clean sheet in that match. Bayer Leverkusen still has the biggest opportunity, but we shouldn't underestimate AC Milan, what happened to AC Milan in the first Champions League match could also happen to Bayer Leverkusen who are playing at home.

[Fiatless]

I was eagerly thinking that Bayern Leverkusen next meeting would be against Barcelona in the Champions League. I am just surprised to see that they are going against AC Milan. I have high hopes for Bayern Leverkusen and yet I did not underrate AC Milan. With the nature of outing that AC Milan had against Liverpool in the first round, I do not expect that they will out perform Bayern Leverkusen. Xavi Alonso and his boys have more hands in this match and I think the bookmakers are aware of this and it is glaring evident in the odds shown.

After the loss against Liverpool in the Champions League, they have had two convincing wins in the Italian Seria A. They won an important game against Inter Milan and yesterday defeated Leece by their goals to nothing. Xabi Alonso boys have not drawn or lost any game in the Bundesliga, making them favourites to win the game, but we shouldn't underrate the experience of AC Milan. Paulo Fonseca has more experience and some players who have played in the UCL, so the game will be balanced. I will bet on the game to end in a draw.

[Odohu]

Atalanta's performance in the Champion's League so far has been commendable, especially considering they are the defending Europa League champions. Their chances of advancing to the last 16 are indeed promising, given they need to face only Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, and they have already secured a point against Arsenal.

Only need to face Real Madrid and Barcelona? did you not realize that you mentioned the word "only" to the two strong clubs? they are strong candidates for the Champions League so I doubt Atalanta can beat both clubs even though they previously drew with Arsenal but Real Madrid and Barcelona are different Atalanta may lose points when facing them but I think to secure a place in the last 16 they must be in the top 8 currently Atalanta is in 17th place if they are not consistent they will have a rematch in the knockout round to enter the last 16.

Atalanta is no match to the Spanish giants of Real Madrid and Barcelona when UCL is being discussed. Both in terms of experience, current form and everything, they are miles ahead of them so I don't think we should encourage them to dream too big. That they got a point against Arsenal is no proof that they are now fit and ready to confront the big boys. Although it is a good start for them and only time will tell if they will be able to eliminate the Gunners before nursing the ambition of facing Real Madrid. Barcelona too is in a tight corner in the hands of Monaco that won them in the first leg so it is not still clear if they will also scale through.

[Velvet78]

I think both home teams are clear favourites, possibly the odds for Milan to win and for PSG to win are quite generous. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of those games is a draw. Leverkusen do concede goals, their last minute winners will not continue forever, logic says so.

Arsenal have no real pedigree in the CL so maybe PSG have a surprise for them, although no Mbappe has lessened their attacking threat.

Milan are normally one of the best Champions League teams. Considering their history I mean. They follow Real Madrid with the 2nd most number of titles here. However the problem is they are far away from those good old days...    Recently they are trying to recover in the Serie A. Will they do the same here too? Let's see...

PSG don't have Mbappe maybe but the current team really impress me. They have been storming through their opponents. They started with a win here too but their struggle made me doubtful. Let's see what they do in a big game. 

[babo]

Milan are normally one of the best Champions League teams. Considering their history I mean. They follow Real Madrid with the 2nd most number of titles here. However the problem is they are far away from those good old days...    Recently they are trying to recover in the Serie A. Will they do the same here too? Let's see...

PSG don't have Mbappe maybe but the current team really impress me. They have been storming through their opponents. They started with a win here too but their struggle made me doubtful. Let's see what they do in a big game. 

It's true that PSG no longer has Mbappe, but they have many other good players, so they shouldn't have any problems whatsoever in managing to get to the bottom of the Champions League.
The problem is that all these talents have to play together, this is the difficult part of the whole thing: making sure they can play together.
It's no coincidence that Brazil doesn't play very well.

[dzungmobile]

It's true that PSG no longer has Mbappe, but they have many other good players, so they shouldn't have any problems whatsoever in managing to get to the bottom of the Champions League.
The problem is that all these talents have to play together, this is the difficult part of the whole thing: making sure they can play together.
It's no coincidence that Brazil doesn't play very well.

PSG spent a lot of money in many years and they don't have only Mbappe as star players. Mbappe used to be their biggest star player because in their club, only Mbappe reaches to a super star player level. The free transfer of Mbappe to Real Madrid is a big loss for PSG in player resource to finance but with many star players left, PSG can continue to play well.

In Champions League, they can play well too but between playing well and winning Champions League title is very different. From winning one or some matches to winning a big title like Champions League, it's not the same. PSG can win Champions League with players they have now, if the coach can maximize their player ability and always needs to get luck too.

[Sg4j1n3ll0]

It's true that PSG no longer has Mbappe, but they have many other good players, so they shouldn't have any problems whatsoever in managing to get to the bottom of the Champions League.
The problem is that all these talents have to play together, this is the difficult part of the whole thing: making sure they can play together.
It's no coincidence that Brazil doesn't play very well.

PSG spent a lot of money in many years and they don't have only Mbappe as star players. Mbappe used to be their biggest star player because in their club, only Mbappe reaches to a super star player level. The free transfer of Mbappe to Real Madrid is a big loss for PSG in player resource to finance but with many star players left, PSG can continue to play well.

In Champions League, they can play well too but between playing well and winning Champions League title is very different. From winning one or some matches to winning a big title like Champions League, it's not the same. PSG can win Champions League with players they have now, if the coach can maximize their player ability and always needs to get luck too.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) indeed spent hefty amounts over the years to have more star players besides Mbappe. The departure of Mbappe to Real Madrid undeniably is a significant loss to the club. However, PSG still maintains a wealth of talent, allowing them to continue with strong performances.

You've accurately highlighted that, in the Champions League, performing well doesn't equate to securing the title. It requires strategy, maximizing player abilities, teamwork, and a fair bit of luck. The coach's role is crucial here, as how effectively he harnesses the potential of all players will determine the team's success. Winning matches isn't the same as winning a prestigious title like the Champions League, and PSG must strive to bridge that gap.

[Weawant]

I was eagerly thinking that Bayern Leverkusen next meeting would be against Barcelona in the Champions League. I am just surprised to see that they are going against AC Milan. I have high hopes for Bayern Leverkusen and yet I did not underrate AC Milan. With the nature of outing that AC Milan had against Liverpool in the first round, I do not expect that they will out perform Bayern Leverkusen. Xavi Alonso and his boys have more hands in this match and I think the bookmakers are aware of this and it is glaring evident in the odds shown.

After the loss against Liverpool in the Champions League, they have had two convincing wins in the Italian Seria A. They won an important game against Inter Milan and yesterday defeated Leece by their goals to nothing. Xabi Alonso boys have not drawn or lost any game in the Bundesliga, making them favourites to win the game, but we shouldn't underrate the experience of AC Milan. Paulo Fonseca has more experience and some players who have played in the UCL, so the game will be balanced. I will bet on the game to end in a draw.

With AC Milan its not going to be an easy game looking at the recent performance of AC MILAN in their domestic league and their last champions league performance wasn't a bad one, meanwhile Leverkusen isn't really stable yet in their performance and their productivity have dropped a little so much isn't expected of them from this game maybe a draw as they have done mostly in recent games but with Milan the morale is quiet high and their confidence may be at same level so it will cause them to face Leverkusen fiercely knowing well about their prowess exercised last season so now they could be considered a big team and playing against them will be with such mindset.

[Pokapoka124]

If we look deeper into comparing Arsenal and Man City, it's not actually a problem that Arsenal must have a striker like Haaland.
Now let's look at it logically and take examples from other league teams like Bayern Munich and Leverkusen.
Last season we all know that Munich had Kane with his scoring machine achievements and made a big contribution to the team. We even have predictions that Munich will be stronger last season. But the facts say that Leverkusen won the bundesliga title. While Leverkusen does not have a player like Kane.

Well, the conclusion is that Arsenal does not need a player like Haaland because Arsenal performance is actually very good. But what Arsenal needs is strong consistency.
If we look at Arsenal at the beginning of the season, they always give extraordinary performances both domestically and in the UCL. But at the end of the season they lose their energy and their performances are inconsistent.

Arsenal needs a striker urgently, Gabriel Jesus is not reliable enough and cannot guarantee Arteta the goals needed every season to compete for silverware. This season and even the previous seasons, we saw on different occasions where Arsenal played well and just needed the goals to get a win but failed to accomplish that. A striker like Osimhen can guarantee more goals, you can agree that goals win you games no matter how tough the opponent is.

In my opinion, Arsenal do not need a new striker. Bringing such a player into the system would require some changes to Arteta's formation.
Anyway, Arteta still has very good players in his hands from last season, the job now is to find a way to get people like Saka, Martinelli, and Ødegaard to fire again. And Arteta knows full well that Havertz can play as a striker. After a slow start, Havertz gradually adapted to the role of a "number 9" in the second half of last season. The fact that Havertz continues to take on this role in the opening match of the 2024-2025 Premier League shows that he can do it. I believe in Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard have played in that position. So Arteta has different options and the best thing to do is to trust the players they have and try to improve them. They are very good, very ready and that is what Arsenal should focus on.

Yes we know that Kai Harvertz has made impact playing for the team as a number 9 on many occasions and has scored a couple of important goals for the team but the fact remains that Kai Harvertz is not a natural number 9. Arteta sold Nketiah, and Gabriel Jesus has not scored a goal since God knows when so I know what I’m saying about Arsenal needing a pure number 9, a player like Gyökeres to lead their attacking line and deliver goals in good numbers per season.

[Lidger]

There are still many opportunities for Atalanta to advance to the last 16 because there are still seven more matches to gain points before going to the next round and of the seven matches that Atalanta will face, the toughest are probably only when they face Real Madrid and Barcelona. In addition, there are no opponents who can make it difficult for Atalanta to get full points in this round because apart from Barcelona and Real Madrid, I think the other five teams that Atalanta will face are fairly easy teams for them.

Currently each team has only played 1 match. I think we can't measure the performance of each team because there are still 7 matches. But if we look at the next opponent I agree with you. Atalanta has a chance to qualify for the round of 16 by being in the top 8 in the standings. But there are many other strong teams who will compete for the top 8 positions to qualify for the round of 16 and this is a challenge for Atalanta. So far only Real Madrid and Barcelona are their toughest opponents. But if we talk about Atalanta's chances of qualifying for the next round through the play-offs I am sure they can get it.

The new season of Champions League has just started and each team has played only one match so it is not possible to predict any team by performance in this one match but those who will perform well in the first matches will be far ahead. The winning teams have already earned 3 points, but the losing teams have zero points, meaning they will have to work extra hard in the next matches. When there is extra pressure, it will be seen that they are not able to perform at their best. There is no doubt about the performance of the teams who are hot favorites for the Champions League, but for the middle category teams, every match is difficult and every match is important for them. Having barely played one match each but when these teams complete two or three matches each, a rough idea of which teams are ahead of the next round and which teams are likely to be eliminated will be available.

[Palakka]

It's true that PSG no longer has Mbappe, but they have many other good players, so they shouldn't have any problems whatsoever in managing to get to the bottom of the Champions League.
The problem is that all these talents have to play together, this is the difficult part of the whole thing: making sure they can play together.
It's no coincidence that Brazil doesn't play very well.

PSG spent a lot of money in many years and they don't have only Mbappe as star players. Mbappe used to be their biggest star player because in their club, only Mbappe reaches to a super star player level. The free transfer of Mbappe to Real Madrid is a big loss for PSG in player resource to finance but with many star players left, PSG can continue to play well.

In Champions League, they can play well too but between playing well and winning Champions League title is very different. From winning one or some matches to winning a big title like Champions League, it's not the same. PSG can win Champions League with players they have now, if the coach can maximize their player ability and always needs to get luck too.

I think no one will doubt if Neymar, Mbappe, Donnarumma and Messi are the best players in the world, so the joining of these players certainly forms a team composition like an undefeated avenger, but in fact PSG is still unable to conquer the Champions League when they are still playing together, so what should we expect with the current PSG squad without them?
To be honest, if you look at their current squad of course we can't deny that they are the favorites to win in ligue 1, but I'm sorry I personally doubt that if they will perform better in the current Champions League, indeed PSG was able to win over Girona in their first match but if you look at their play in that match of course we will think about the small possibility that PSG can go far in the Champions League this season this, when facing Girona who is currently in poor condition in la liga, When facing Girona who are currently in poor condition, PSG is very difficulty and needs luck to win, then what when they have to face strong teams such as Munich, Arsenal, Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid in next match?

[junder]

[...]

[...]

After i saw AC Milan match in Serie A yesterday, i think i should think twice about saying that AC Milan will definitely lose to Leverkusen. They managed to beat Lecce & get a clean sheet in that match. Bayer Leverkusen still has the biggest opportunity, but we shouldn't underestimate AC Milan, what happened to AC Milan in the first Champions League match could also happen to Bayer Leverkusen who are playing at home.

Yes, to be honest, if you look at Milan's last domestic league match, there was indeed an improvement when they beat Lecce with a fairly convincing score, but in my opinion that is still not a definite sign that Milan has truly recovered, from the head to head of the two teams, the Rossoneri are indeed superior.
Regarding the UCL match, I agree that Fonseca's squad also has a chance when visiting Leverkusen's headquarters, it is possible to steal points, but on paper the home team is more favored and I remain convinced of that,
football always presents unexpected things so nothing should be underestimated.

[hahay]

Milan are normally one of the best Champions League teams. Considering their history I mean. They follow Real Madrid with the 2nd most number of titles here. However the problem is they are far away from those good old days...    Recently they are trying to recover in the Serie A. Will they do the same here too? Let's see...

PSG don't have Mbappe maybe but the current team really impress me. They have been storming through their opponents. They started with a win here too but their struggle made me doubtful. Let's see what they do in a big game. 

It's true that PSG no longer has Mbappe, but they have many other good players, so they shouldn't have any problems whatsoever in managing to get to the bottom of the Champions League.
The problem is that all these talents have to play together, this is the difficult part of the whole thing: making sure they can play together.
It's no coincidence that Brazil doesn't play very well.

About Milan, I think it is still difficult to have good results in Serie A and in the Champions League because anyway, that Milan also does not have the capacity to get good and perfect results in all competitions. Because clearly, Milan is still in a recovery process to regain its glory days as in the past, because in this era the big teams with good finances have a better chance of having good results too. Although, basically Milan also has  good finances and efforts, but the reality is that it is still difficult  for Milan to get good results here.

About PSG, although in Ligue 1 they still show their dominance, but the fact is that PSG still always struggles to get good results in the Champion League. Although indeed, PSG has everything about the squad, coach and finances that are in the good category, but PSG still needs time to be able to enter the title candidate team in the Champion League. Therefore,  basically PSG still needs time to make the team's performance good and  consistent in all competitions so that it is not only good in the domestic league.

[Webetcoins]

With AC Milan its not going to be an easy game looking at the recent performance of AC MILAN in their domestic league and their last champions league performance wasn't a bad one, meanwhile Leverkusen isn't really stable yet in their performance and their productivity have dropped a little so much isn't expected of them from this game maybe a draw as they have done mostly in recent games but with Milan the morale is quiet high and their confidence may be at same level so it will cause them to face Leverkusen fiercely knowing well about their prowess exercised last season so now they could be considered a big team and playing against them will be with such mindset.

I think losing to Liverpool was fine and not a shocking thing, I understand the love that Milan is getting right now because beating Inter is already a huge deal, and then Lecce was a simple win and nothing is as crazy as beating Liverpool which would have been awesome but it's clear that they failed to do that which is fine.

What Milan needs to do is just keep on winning the games they should win, that's fine, if they have like 4 wins that would be enough, and there are 4 teams that they should be able to win, and then they will be between 9-24 place and will play an extra game, I don't know who they will face there so I can't say much about it but I think it is going to be easy for Milan to be in the top 24, but it would be near impossible to be in the top 8, that would be for teams that will win more than 5, and that is just the top elite teams.

While Milan is a great team, they are not an elite team and I think it's clear that we are seeing a good team revival. Inter has been great for a while but I think Inter is losing some attention these days and we are seeing Milan getting a lot better results, if they end up winning the title this season I wouldn't be really that much shocked, it looks like it's a possibility.

[ILuckyGuyI]

Arsenal - PSG... I'm definitely watching that one.    I just hope it doesn't become a boring game. You know how Arteta defends against big teams. We have just watched it against Manchester City. It is the same as Guardiola style.

But I don't feel like they are coming to this game to play cautiously. PSG would play all-out-attack which is for sure. Since Mbappe left, the players are playing freely also and they are much better as for team effort. Arsenal have only 2 days for rest while PSG has one more. What do you think about both teams to score for this? I don't think it will end in a boring 0-0 draw again just as the Atalanta game.  

[Jaycoinz]

Atalanta's performance in the Champion's League so far has been commendable, especially considering they are the defending Europa League champions. Their chances of advancing to the last 16 are indeed promising, given they need to face only Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, and they have already secured a point against Arsenal.

Only need to face Real Madrid and Barcelona? did you not realize that you mentioned the word "only" to the two strong clubs? they are strong candidates for the Champions League so I doubt Atalanta can beat both clubs even though they previously drew with Arsenal but Real Madrid and Barcelona are different Atalanta may lose points when facing them but I think to secure a place in the last 16 they must be in the top 8 currently Atalanta is in 17th place if they are not consistent they will have a rematch in the knockout round to enter the last 16.

Atalanta is no match to the Spanish giants of Real Madrid and Barcelona when UCL is being discussed. Both in terms of experience, current form and everything, they are miles ahead of them so I don't think we should encourage them to dream too big. That they got a point against Arsenal is no proof that they are now fit and ready to confront the big boys. Although it is a good start for them and only time will tell if they will be able to eliminate the Gunners before nursing the ambition of facing Real Madrid. Barcelona too is in a tight corner in the hands of Monaco that won them in the first leg so it is not still clear if they will also scale through.

Barcelona will definitely scale through, I believe that their first loss was just due to the red card they suffered although Monaco actually played some good football but not without doubt that Barcelona this time around will win them or any team that they bound playing with. As for Atlanta to face Real Madrid, the los blancos will definitely come out Victorious especially when it comes to the champions league games, Real Madrid are just another team entirely when they play champions league football.

[beerlover]

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) indeed spent hefty amounts over the years to have more star players besides Mbappe. The departure of Mbappe to Real Madrid undeniably is a significant loss to the club. However, PSG still maintains a wealth of talent, allowing them to continue with strong performances.

You've accurately highlighted that, in the Champions League, performing well doesn't equate to securing the title. It requires strategy, maximizing player abilities, teamwork, and a fair bit of luck. The coach's role is crucial here, as how effectively he harnesses the potential of all players will determine the team's success. Winning matches isn't the same as winning a prestigious title like the Champions League, and PSG must strive to bridge that gap.

There is the luck factor at drawing other teams, but there is luck in games too. Remember the game PSG had against Dortmund last year? I mean PSG shot time and time and time again, went out by an inch, woodwork, hit the players, like so many almost goals happened in that game and it was definitely pure luck that PSG couldn't win that game, it was so easy for PSG to win normally, they were the better team without a doubt but PSG became very unlucky that day and missed so many chances that they do not normally miss. They are trying the same thing again, no matter how great one player is, you can't just have one player and trust that player will make you win everything.

I understand that prime Messi and prime Ronaldo was like that, they were so good that they would carry teams to UCL finals all by themselves, but NOBODY in history of football is like them, even the current stars can't do that, you need a whole team, so PSG could still be doing fine, they just need to keep on grinding. They are lacking Mbappe compared to last season, but they got some great talents and been winning so far, I think they will have what it takes this year, it's possible to win, and that would be a great story too, winning without Mbappe.

[Weawant]

I think no one will doubt if Neymar, Mbappe, Donnarumma and Messi are the best players in the world, so the joining of these players certainly forms a team composition like an undefeated avenger, but in fact PSG is still unable to conquer the Champions League when they are still playing together, so what should we expect with the current PSG squad without them?
To be honest, if you look at their current squad of course we can't deny that they are the favorites to win in ligue 1, but I'm sorry I personally doubt that if they will perform better in the current Champions League, indeed PSG was able to win over Girona in their first match but if you look at their play in that match of course we will think about the small possibility that PSG can go far in the Champions League this season this, when facing Girona who is currently in poor condition in la liga, When facing Girona who are currently in poor condition, PSG is very difficulty and needs luck to win, then what when they have to face strong teams such as Munich, Arsenal, Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid in next match?

The champions league continue to be the biggest challenge PSG continues to encounter in the history of their chase to winning the champions league title, they have actually conquered their domestic league but have been unable to do that with the champions league such that even with the super trio they couldn't get the trophy that was to show that that wasn't the problem is it may be that the trio didn't blend well enough and so they weren't getting what they were supposed to get from their combination, in fact after their exit PSG made it to the finals once something they coudlnt get in there presence

[CLS63]

It wasn't the best start for the biggest title contender Manchester City on the first week. However their opponent was a really tough one. You know these 2 teams played a Champions League final against each other not long ago. Inter still have a really fierce defending. But next time it is going to be against Slovan Bratislava for Manchester City. I guess we would see them putting a good show.

Arsenal - PSG is indeed one of the biggest events of this match week. I can't trust Arsenal here as much as I do in the Premier League. That's all I can say.

[imamusma]

Arsenal - PSG... I'm definitely watching that one.    I just hope it doesn't become a boring game. You know how Arteta defends against big teams. We have just watched it against Manchester City. It is the same as Guardiola style.

But I don't feel like they are coming to this game to play cautiously. PSG would play all-out-attack which is for sure. Since Mbappe left, the players are playing freely also and they are much better as for team effort. Arsenal have only 2 days for rest while PSG has one more. What do you think about both teams to score for this? I don't think it will end in a boring 0-0 draw again just as the Atalanta game.  

Arsenal are more worthy of being the favorites, besides playing at home they are at their best level. This match brings together teams to be counted in the Champions League, but they have never won a trophy. In terms of squad depth, the two are actually not much different, but Arsenal are arguably stronger because they play in the Premier League. Of course, we hope that the match will not be boring, with both playing aggressively from the start.
At first glance, Luis Enrique managed to transform PSG into a collective team after Mbappe left, but in the first match against Girona, they looked very troubled to score goals. There is a possibility that PSG will experience the same thing, because Arsenal now has a very solid defense line, which even Manchester City finds it difficult to penetrate.
Arteta is ambitious to bring his team to their first win after being held to a draw by Atalanta. Regardless of the background of the ambitions of both teams, I agree that this match will most likely not end in a draw.