UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Season

[bitLeap]

Two giants had to be clowns last night... They were humiliated away from home, not that we know these two teams are many people's favorites including the bettors... The reality is that they lost... It's unlucky.

Bayern Munich had so many ways to find a goal last night Aston Villa's defense was so strong, this is Emery's tactic which is quite effective in making Bayern Munich frustrated.

Lille's only goal was from a penalty... This is really fortunate.

Look at the losing bets... how about you, who chose Real Madrid and Bayern Munich?

LOL we are in the same boat, I don't know, I'm quite fed up because 2 big teams were defeated with a narrow score beyond prediction because I also bet on Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to win. After what happened, I assume that the new format of the Champions League will have a big impact on other big teams, not only Bayern and Madrid. Atletico Madrid was also made helpless by Benfica tight game, not only that because Benfica 2 goals came from Gallagher mistakes. Benfica players played very openly, many attacks were carried out almost without tight guard.

[Jatiluhung]

Football is full of surprises and last night games were full of surprises and a lot of gamblers lost their bet because no one will ever believe that Lille will win Real Madrid the defending champion and Benefica will humiliate Atletico Madrid to that extent.

Bayern who has never been beaten since Kompany took over a manager was defeated yesterday by an average English Club Aston Villa. It was a memorable day for Aston Villa as they were able to win Bayern who they have not being able to win in the past 46 years ago. I think the new Champions League format is kicking some clubs off their feet until they get adapted to it.

Lille was actually very lucky in that match because they were able to get 1 goal through a penalty which they got after one of the Real Madrid players got a hand ball in the penalty box. Real Madrid fought well in that match. It's just that Real Madrid became quite bad at completing their attacks. Vini Jr even shot very weakly. And yes, the results were beyond everyone's expectations.
 
But Atletico Madrid actually suffered a much embarrassing defeat because they lost by a big score of 4-0. Benfica really destroyed Atletico Madrid in that match. I almost couldn't believe that it was actually Atletico Madrid who played in that match.

[coinlocket$]

My prediction is
17+ points to be in the top 8 and avoid the playoff
11 to 16 points to be in the playoff, from 9th to 24th position

Under 11 points no playoff, and ofcourse no Europa League like the past years.

Milan is in a critical position right now with 0 points in 2 games.

[junder]

Football is full of surprises and last night games were full of surprises and a lot of gamblers lost their bet because no one will ever believe that Lille will win Real Madrid the defending champion and Benefica will humiliate Atletico Madrid to that extent.

Bayern who has never been beaten since Kompany took over a manager was defeated yesterday by an average English Club Aston Villa. It was a memorable day for Aston Villa as they were able to win Bayern who they have not being able to win in the past 46 years ago. I think the new Champions League format is kicking some clubs off their feet until they get adapted to it.

Lille was actually very lucky in that match because they were able to get 1 goal through a penalty which they got after one of the Real Madrid players got a hand ball in the penalty box. Real Madrid fought well in that match. It's just that Real Madrid became quite bad at completing their attacks. Vini Jr even shot very weakly. And yes, the results were beyond everyone's expectations.
 
But Atletico Madrid actually suffered a much embarrassing defeat because they lost by a big score of 4-0. Benfica really destroyed Atletico Madrid in that match. I almost couldn't believe that it was actually Atletico Madrid who played in that match.

Lille's goalkeeper last night performed very well by making many saves. Real Madrid players were frustrated because they were unable to score goals. In addition, I thought the entry of Mbappe who already has experience in Ligue 1 would change Real Madrid's game and change the scoreboard, but in reality it was not so and the narrow score of 1-0 was maintained well by Lille.

On the other hand, I was surprised by Atletico's performance, they were helpless in front of Benfica, as if showing a very large difference in strength. Benfica really dominated the game. 4-0 is a bad result for a club like ATM.
And the funny thing is, Atletico were unable to create a single shot on target.

[legendbtc]

Dembele has already apologized to Enrique and settled the matter with the club's management. He will play in the next round of Ligue 1 (and apparently in the next round of the Champions League). I didn't go into the details of the conflict, but I can say that Enrique was consistent (he benched Messi for indiscipline), but Dembele's absence was very much felt. But there is no need to make a big problem out of this game - Arsenal is stronger than PSG on paper, so this is a normal result.

Oh I didn't know. It is good news then. Dembele is really crucial for PSG as you know. His goal contribution until this moment has been at high level.  

I see then. Luis Enrique must really be the main reason behind this benching decisions. He must be really adamant with his rules which is why he left Mbappe out of squad also.

Well, anyway, luckily for PSG now, after the defeat against Arsenal, the "hot heads" seem to have cooled down. Dembele has publicly admitted his mistake and coach Luis Enrique has also publicly admitted it.
There has long been talk of coach Luis Enrique's coldness, even cruelty, in dealing with his team's stars, including tense confrontations with Kylian Mbappe last season. By not allowing Dembele to accompany the team to London this time, coach Luis Enrique seems to want to affirm that showing off and even imposing power at PSG is natural. But Dembele's absence will likely leave a significant void in the PSG squad. Since Mbappe's move to Real Madrid in the summer, Dembele has taken on a more important role in Enrique's side. Coach Luis Enrique should not be too consistent. Dembele's talent and experience are the difference in Enrique's system full of young players. Coach Luis Enrique should learn to be soft on the stars.

[Antotena]

Football is full of surprises and last night games were full of surprises and a lot of gamblers lost their bet because no one will ever believe that Lille will win Real Madrid the defending champion and Benefica will humiliate Atletico Madrid to that extent.

Bayern who has never been beaten since Kompany took over a manager was defeated yesterday by an average English Club Aston Villa. It was a memorable day for Aston Villa as they were able to win Bayern who they have not being able to win in the past 46 years ago. I think the new Champions League format is kicking some clubs off their feet until they get adapted to it.

You have just said it all and there is no additional word or phrase I can construct to the matches that were played yesterday. I never expected Atletico Madrid to lose to Benfica after what they made Real Madrid to go through and for Real Madrid toose to Lille as a result of foul the referee awarded as penalty. Two Madrid that were tough to each other loss match they could have use to move faster on the table are now stuck, I'm a bit satisfied about Benfica but not Lille.

Bayern just made me opened my Jaw, they wasted my ticket because I gave them either team to win half and they couldn't win any of the half. I never saw it coming they are going to lose that match to Aston Villa. Same Aston that was struggling against IPswitch town made Bayern to crawl on their legs begging for a goal but they never make a single goal yesterday. My long multiple bet has been shattered by their incompetency.

[dzungmobile]

Lille's goalkeeper last night performed very well by making many saves. Real Madrid players were frustrated because they were unable to score goals. In addition, I thought the entry of Mbappe who already has experience in Ligue 1 would change Real Madrid's game and change the scoreboard, but in reality it was not so and the narrow score of 1-0 was maintained well by Lille.

Real Madrid made 19 shots, 10 shots on target, it's not too bad but Lille's goalkeeper did his job excellently. Mbappe was sent in but you can not expect him to do too much when he was not too ready for this match. Real Madrid and Ancelotti hoped that Mbappe can help them if he has an opportunity, he can score a goal with his skills and experience, but life does not always work rosy as expected.

Lille made a big shock and this win also helps them increasing own chance in group phase with good ending after this phase. From a draw with Atletico Madrid in La Liga to this defeat with Lille in Champions League, Mbappe absence actually affected Real Madrid attacking power.

[Juse14]

I didn't expect Real Madrid defeat by Lille a League 1 club, even though Lille is not a strong enough club for Madrid and of course many people don't believe that Madrid could experience a defeat like this.
Lille made it difficult for Madrid even though Madrid tried to make many shots but none of them were successful. Lille really kept their defense tight and they were lucky to get a penalty so they could excel over Madrid and win.

Madrid was indeed more favored in the match, but Lille played very well. Madrid did not press Lille's game completely. and that resulted in Lille's game also being able to develop. even Lille was quite confident in playing the ball in their own defense when getting pressure from Madrid players.

It was surprising that Madrid could not chase the 1 goal after trying to play Mbappe, Modric, and also Arda Guler. I thought at least they would play with both of them to score. but that didn't happen. a pretty bad result for Madrid.

I was very confident that, at the end of the day, Madrid would win against LOSC Lille. When they even let in a goal in the first half, I still thought Madrid would come back now and hush their rivals with a big score because, usually, they do exactly this. They have extraordinary star players.

But until the match ended, as it emerged, Lille had played with a lot of confidence even under pressure. Not only did they defend, but they also developed their game starting it back in their line. What's most surprising is, after having key players returning in the second half, Madrid still couldn't capitalize on their chances. It was disappointing to see them not manage to turn the results in a game, actually, of all games in this one Madrid usually leads at the end. A poor result, and unanticipated.

[Pokapoka124]

I wish Arsenal could continue to keep their defense so strong and tight like they did yesterday against the PSG side, they would have achieved more than they did last year at the Premier League and Champions League tournament. The defense was tight enough to stop the French club from penetrating the 18 box yard to score goals, even though PSG had hit the post twice, that could not be transferred to a goal for the French side.

I loved the opening goal netted by Kai Havertz after Trossard had serviced him..with a powerful cross which saw Havertz, winning a header goal against the PSG players. Deyemi Saka also did well to compliment the first goal scored by Havertz with a second goal which further made the PSG guys look more wary and weak to equalize.

Arsenal were so impressive on the Champions League night, I was so impressed by how well they controlled the game and defended with calm heads. The duo Saliba and Gabriel they have formed a partnership that is so solid and hard to break through. Kai Harvertz has done so well to prove critics wrong with good performances and consistency which I believe has been so important and a key figure in his improvement. Saka has also grown over the years and is so confident to face any team at all in the world. All thanks to the genius of Mikel Arteta

[dezoel]

I also didn't expect that Real Madrid and Bayern Munich would suffer defeat. Real Madrid with all their star players could not do much when they visited Lille, and I think the worst thing is their clumsy defensive line, as if there is no coordination there. I think if Ancelotti doesn't pay attention to that hole, it could be a serious problem.

In UEFA Champions League usually we are having too many surprises as we have in first round when Barcelona lost against Monaco now another French club give surprise as the Lille beats defending champions Real Madrid which is surely upset but still it's part of the game and here veteran Carlos Ancelotti done mistake as he brings teenager Endrick at the start which is surely not good decision, and they face consequences as well for this because here they needed an experienced player who can give them good start.

Aston Villa doing impressive job and having dream start of their new season in Premier League and Champions League as well with breaking unbeaten streak of Bayern Munich is huge success for them.

What do you mean? Real Madrid got conceded with penalty kick, it's not because Real Madrid's defenders are bad. I would say better for them to look at their attacking line, both Endrick and Vinicius are really selfish, they go alone dribbling and shooting. Maybe, they thought that they're Brazilian with high talent, but there are no more Brazilian striker that can do that except Neymar.

Endrick is too young, better to let Mbappe or Rodrygo to be in starting line up.

Real Madrid is now surely having some mess-up which is bringing problems for them even experienced Ancelotti not able to handle team which is surely going to have problem for them bringing Endrick in starting lineup was wrong, and they fail to score any goal in presence of most lethal attack of UEFA Champions League is surely wired but now hopefully they will learn from these mistakes and having better strategy in coming matches because they needed to be at his best for having better results.

[Sexylizzy2813]

What is really happening to these teams who we thought can bring their best in the Champions league this season, Madrid have never been brilliant since this season, ATH that spent almost £400 (if I'm not mistaken) can't even get things together, losing 4nil against Benfica, Bayern Munich who have been one of the consistent clubs when you talk about clubs that don't miss out for years in the UCL, you mention them but they (Bayern Munich) could not get their second win in the champions league, losing 1nil to Aston Villa was a shocker and nobody expected that to happen.
This very season's champions league is fun I must say and if care if not taken some of these big teams won't make it to the next round. What's happening to those teams mentioned? What's your take on what happened in the champions league games on Tuesday and Wednesday, who's going to get hold of the trophy this season?

The defeat of Real and Bayern were definitely big surprises, but I think they will go to the playoffs in any case, just because of the losses the question will be in which stage they will go to, 1/16 or 1/8 finals. Maybe Real had quite a few matches where they had difficult games, but I did not notice this for Bayern, they were in great shape, but could not score and because of a very big mistake by Neuer they missed an annoying goal. But if these matches ended 1-0, which can be considered an accident, then how to perceive the 4-0 defeat for Atletico, it is too strange.

Talking of Bayern they have every right to end that game right from the beginning but it seems they were over confidence in that game and they lost focus. The goals Duran scored is never Neuer's fault, we know Bayern to be playing a very high style of football just like Manchester City were everyone will be at the half and it went wrong for them even if they're good this season but a little mistake can cost a team the game. For Madrid I think they're good at playing poorly from the start of the campaign and when it matters you see them getting serious, I'm speaking from what I saw last season but this time around they're not even high spirited in any way. ATM's problem is something they always have inside which is play to draw a game they know they can't win and you see them defending like it's the finals, I think Benfica took advantage of the fact that they're always going to defend and it ended up in their (Benfica) favor.

[Pulsar77]

Real Madrid might really have serious difficulties in retaining their title in the CL this season. Don't you think the same? 

I mean it is early I know but their game doesn't look convincing. Because in one match they look really good but in another they struggle to score a lot. Just like it happened in the Lille match. Maybe it might be Manchester City's turn after a break of 1 year. It is just an assumption but we will see.

I'm aware of another truth like Real Madrid can win a CL title in even a season they don't look fascinating. Last season was really like that. But doing this twice won't be easy at all.

[Mame89]

Football is full of surprises and last night games were full of surprises and a lot of gamblers lost their bet because no one will ever believe that Lille will win Real Madrid the defending champion and Benefica will humiliate Atletico Madrid to that extent.

yes that's right. football is indeed full of surprises, who would have thought that the favorite teams in the UCL league this season each lost in their second match and I am also sure that many gamblers lost their bets in the second match including me. Especially Real Madrid who have the status of defending champions actually lost to a weak team, but if you look at this match Madrid deserved to lose and Lille deserved to win. Because they got quite a lot of chances besides penalties. Especially the wingers played very well in this match which managed to put a lot of pressure on Real Madrid's defense line. Indeed Madrid started to rise in the second half in the final minutes after Arda came in (after Modric and Mbappe came in). But still couldn't penetrate Lille's defense. Especially the Lille goalkeeper in my opinion was quite good in this match.

Bayern who has never been beaten since Kompany took over a manager was defeated yesterday by an average English Club Aston Villa. It was a memorable day for Aston Villa as they were able to win Bayern who they have not being able to win in the past 46 years ago. I think the new Champions League format is kicking some clubs off their feet until they get adapted to it.

This is the most interesting and according to the facts Bayern Munich last experienced a defeat in the UCL League group stage in 2017, at that time Bayern Munich lost 3-0 to PSG coached by Unai Emery. But after Bayern Munich's 41 matches in the group stage without ever losing, who would have thought that Bayern Munich's record was stopped by the same person, Unai Emery with Aston Villa. I don't think this is a coincidence.

[KTChampions]

Strange results today and I smell there is crying across board among gamblers. Aston Villa beating Bayern Munic and Lille beating Real Madrid were the worst thing that happened to gamblers tonight because no one say that coming. Even Benfica trashing Athletico Madrid four zero is another shocker that no one could imagine. I never knew that Angel Di Maria is still in form as he played exceptionally well tonight. Now it has become very difficult predicting these European championships because there is no small team anymore as all the teams are doing their best to secure their spot.

Literally everyone expected such results (if we are talking not about specific games but about the situation as a whole). Even bookmakers give quite generous odds for favorites and modest ones for outsiders, but not because the outsiders have supposedly become stronger, but because these are group stage games and the favorites have almost no motivation to play at full strength. And it seems to me that many people hit the jackpot yesterday when they bet against the favorites. This move looked profitable, it's a pity that I made my bets against the favorites on the first day.

[Palakka]

I wish Arsenal could continue to keep their defense so strong and tight like they did yesterday against the PSG side, they would have achieved more than they did last year at the Premier League and Champions League tournament. The defense was tight enough to stop the French club from penetrating the 18 box yard to score goals, even though PSG had hit the post twice, that could not be transferred to a goal for the French side.

I loved the opening goal netted by Kai Havertz after Trossard had serviced him..with a powerful cross which saw Havertz, winning a header goal against the PSG players. Deyemi Saka also did well to compliment the first goal scored by Havertz with a second goal which further made the PSG guys look more wary and weak to equalize.

Arsenal were so impressive on the Champions League night, I was so impressed by how well they controlled the game and defended with calm heads. The duo Saliba and Gabriel they have formed a partnership that is so solid and hard to break through. Kai Harvertz has done so well to prove critics wrong with good performances and consistency which I believe has been so important and a key figure in his improvement. Saka has also grown over the years and is so confident to face any team at all in the world. All thanks to the genius of Mikel Arteta

In the last few seasons we can see how Arsenal have developed quite rapidly, this is none other than because Arteta knows that all this time defense has been their main problem, that is why since his arrival at Arsenal he has continued to focus on improving their defense, in the last two seasons Arsenal have become a team that has a very small conceded ratio in the Premier League and this proves that they are one of the teams with defense best in the Premier League.
The match against PSG in the Champions League yesterday, previously raised my doubts if they can win considering PSG still has a very impressive attacking line at the moment in Ligue 1, but after seeing Arsenal game, especially their defense which is able to make it difficult for PSG, it is clear that Arsenal have great hopes to qualify for the round of 16 later,  there are still some tough games for Arsenal to go through in the UCL and I think if their defence can remain as solid as it is now, of course it is very likely that those games are not a barrier for Arsenal to go far in the Champions League this season.

[Ruttoshi]

Strange results today and I smell there is crying across board among gamblers. Aston Villa beating Bayern Munic and Lille beating Real Madrid were the worst thing that happened to gamblers tonight because no one say that coming. Even Benfica trashing Athletico Madrid four zero is another shocker that no one could imagine. I never knew that Angel Di Maria is still in form as he played exceptionally well tonight. Now it has become very difficult predicting these European championships because there is no small team anymore as all the teams are doing their best to secure their spot.

Literally everyone expected such results (if we are talking not about specific games but about the situation as a whole). Even bookmakers give quite generous odds for favorites and modest ones for outsiders, but not because the outsiders have supposedly become stronger, but because these are group stage games and the favorites have almost no motivation to play at full strength. And it seems to me that many people hit the jackpot yesterday when they bet against the favorites. This move looked profitable, it's a pity that I made my bets against the favorites on the first day.

This is why it is called gambling because you cannot predict the future. If I had known that all these big clubs who are well experienced in Champions League would lose the matches, I would have used a big amount of money to bet on the weak clubs to hit it big.

It is impossible to know and most times gamblers always bet on big teams because it is a norm for them to win the small ones, but as you can see it is not a guarantee that big clubs must win small clybs. This is why sports are used for gambling.

[Weawant]

Two giants had to be clowns last night... They were humiliated away from home, not that we know these two teams are many people's favorites including the bettors... The reality is that they lost... It's unlucky.

Bayern Munich had so many ways to find a goal last night Aston Villa's defense was so strong, this is Emery's tactic which is quite effective in making Bayern Munich frustrated.

Lille's only goal was from a penalty... This is really fortunate.

Look at the losing bets... how about you, who chose Real Madrid and Bayern Munich?

Bayern Munich was playing an all attack game and wasn't even minding their defense enough because they taught probably by forcing the attack so well they were going to be able to take a lead and stay ahead in the game but it turned out they weren't able to penetrate the defense of Aston villa enough to get a goal from them because its been locked tight and solid defense, it wasn't away game but wining was something i believe they anticipated and couldn't get at the end of the day. Bayern will learn from this game that the build up should probably not be one sided, as much as possible, every aspect of paly should be covered especially defense so they don't concede too many goals.

[stompix]

This round definitely proved that whatever you take from the national leagues has really no effect on the outcome of the matches.  In Spain, Barcelona just got a 4-2 defeat and everyone was saying this was the end of their domination when faced with a batter tram they couldn't perform,  they scored 5 goals, while Madrid despite touting their unbeaten record got a defeat nobody, but really nobody saw coming.
Same as the Bundesliga, I wonder what tiny percentage didn't have Bayern on their card or who thought that Ac Milan finally picking up their game in Serie A would manage to get at least one point.

Well, I guess all eyes are on the next round, we have the moment of truth for Real against Dortmund and Barcelona versus Bayer, and by the time those play we can figure for real what their form is and what was a total fluke.

What do you mean? Real Madrid got conceded with penalty kick, it's not because Real Madrid's defenders are bad. I would say better for them to look at their attacking line, both Endrick and Vinicius are really selfish, they go alone dribbling and shooting. Maybe, they thought that they're Brazilian with high talent, but there are no more Brazilian striker that can do that except Neymar.

Endrick is too young, better to let Mbappe or Rodrygo to be in starting line up.

The defense was indeed ok, what is obvious is that the made-up attack line without Mbappe doesn't work, and when this guy finally enters and is obviously not having his day, probably due to injury, things won't be better either, they need to find a solution so they are not forced to play a single line-up with a single tactic that goes south the moment a key player is injured.

[Zaguru12]

My prediction is
17+ points to be in the top 8 and avoid the playoff
11 to 16 points to be in the playoff, from 9th to 24th position

Under 11 points no playoff, and ofcourse no Europa League like the past years.

Milan is in a critical position right now with 0 points in 2 games.

You don’t need that much of a 17 points, while the new champions league format was formed many football agregrators ran simulations then and most of them got it that 15 points was ok to finish in the top 8 and at least 11 also ok to get into the playoffs. That means a five wins will get any team there or combination of draws to get the 15 points. Right now it is worrying for Milan but their remaining fixtures looks like they could go a long all the way to even qualify for the round of 16.

AC Milan remaining fixtures are; Club Brugge, Real Madrid, Sparta Bratislava, Crvena Zvezda, Girona and Dinamo GNK. This six fixtures with the exception of Real Madrid should be a three point matches for the Milan club, although if they don’t buckle up I see upset from matches like Girona and Club Brugge, so it is still in their grasp to get at least a playoff place

[Lafu]

Bayern Munich was playing an all attack game and wasn't even minding their defense enough because they taught probably by forcing the attack so well they were going to be able to take a lead.
Bayern will learn from this game that the build up should probably not be one sided, as much as possible, every aspect of paly should be covered especially defense so they don't concede too many goals.

To be honest Bayern Munich played very well but was very unlucky in front of the goal and the Goalkeeper from Aston Villa got was awesome in this game.
For sure or hopefully Munich will be learn from the match and making it better in the future in there next game.
But from all the games it shows that also the big Clubs like , Munich or Real Madrid can be beaten every other team even they have so much star players.
Looking forward to the next game between Dortmund against Real Madrid.