UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[m4r1o]

Barcelona are strong but they are stronger in La Liga while weaker in Champions League. In their domestic league, they can make strong comeback even against very strong opponent like Real Madrid but in Champions League, since the last season, Barcelona players have shown weaker mentality and they must improve their mentality in coming months. Their quality is clear but with weak mentality, it's really hard for Barcelona to succeed in Champions League.

PSG are different and they have improved their mentality a lot since the past season when they won the title and they have maintained it in this season too. How they equalized and beat Barcelona down is very strong evidence of their both quality and mentality.

PSG beating Barcelona convincingly and are ready to defend their title by this impressive performance. The season is long and PSG have many matches ahead to win a title again but by strongly beat Barcelona in this match, PSG actually shown their solid quality that can help them beating other strong competitors in Champions League too.
Saying Barcelona are only dominant in the league is not true and also saying PSG beat them convincingly is also false. They only won by a goal so it's normal.
That is why the current UCL format is good unlike the other format. If it were to be the old format I don't think PSG would have won that match. 

It must be said that they are unable to do much in the Champions League, due to the high number of good challengers they find in their path, I understand that by going out they meet teams like PSG but they have to do more if they want to go forward, this is not enough, perhaps they are only aiming for the championship

[Moreno233]

Meanwhile, Barcelona remains the top favorite to win the Champions League, this time alongside PSG. I still think this team is clearly overrated:

FC Barcelona - 6.50

Paris Saint-Germain FC - 6.50

Arsenal FC - 7.00

Liverpool FC - 7.50

Real Madrid CF - 9.50

FC Bayern München - 10.00

Manchester City FC - 11.00

Although it is worth admitting that a whole bunch of teams have very close odds.

I don't follow these ratings because they don't work in champions league which is a very different game all together with a lot of factors determining the performance of a team and the outcome of the match. How will you convince me that Liverpool that was beaten by Galatasaray have higher chances of winning the champions league than Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munic? We shall see how realistic these ratings are and if care is not taken, both Barcelona and PSG that are rated highest, may not even go far in the tournament.

[Akbarkoe]

It's not even about Dembele and other first team players being injured. Last season even before Inter Milan knocked them off, they thought they would be in the finals. The fans had even thought of how they were going to beat PSG in the finals, I was just laughing because I knew they won't and can't beat the PSG team of last season. The game yesterday was supposed to give Barcelona an upper hand beaded on the fact that PSG doesn't have 5 first team players due to injuries.

I think that this absence of some key players in PSG team should be the actual shocking part for most persons who are expressing surprise at the defeat Barcelona met in the hands of PSG in their own home. But Luis Enrique has made it obvious that he's not building his team on any particular set of player(s) and with the result they got with Barcelona it's an evidence  of impactful change Enrique has done to the French club and their readinw to defend their UCL title.

Previously Barcelona was very confident because the PSG core players could not enter, it's just that we could not guess Luis Enrique really had prepared it well, even though without the core players they could play a very good game with Barcelona, ​​even Lamine Yamal could not be able to move a lot in this match, I always waited for him to play the ball beautifully but not for this match.
The funny thing is the French League is not competitive in LaLiga which is full of a strong team that can beat each other, still PSG is different, even though he as a domintor in the long run can still compete with teams outside the league very crazy.

The question in my mind is, is Barcelona experiencing a setback? Or did PSG have that strong this season?

[Ahli38]

Considering Real Madrid's history and its strength, there could not have been any other ending.
i am also noticing, correct me if i am wrong, that Xabi Alonso is getting along very well with the team and is able to talk to and motivate the players, since they now respect him.

Team motivation after a lose is very important. Madrid was lucky to face an underdog in the UCL, so they can able to win the match. However, winning a UCL match by five goals isn't easy and i will not say if kairat too easy to Madrid. although I don't understand what motivation Xabi gave to his team in the locker room to forget the big lose to Atletico in La Liga, i think Xabi success to bring team confidence before the match.

Xabi Alonso has some kind of formula for motivating his team. And Xabi Alonso's calm attitude coupled with his positive thinking keeps him optimistic about their plans and he even says that his team has good chemistry (Source). So I think those are some of the reasons why Xabi and his teammates seemed to forget their previous defeat in the derby match. In addition, Xabi also said that they need to handle everything in order to improve their performance and he even said that they will never forget their defeat but must not fall deeper into despair (Source). These things show how good their attitude is in improving the team's performance accompanied by strong motivation to continue giving their best.

[AprilioMP]

?

Well, Chelsea still deserves praise. After all, just seeing them in the Champions League is strong evidence that this team has truly returned to being a strong team. And further proof is that Chelsea also won the Club World Cup. So, Chelsea is no longer a team to be underestimated.

One win and once lost to 2 matches in the UEFA Champions League that Chelsea got with only two goals, one own goal in the face facing Benfica, I thought it could not get praise.
Status as a team that is able to win the inter -club world cup, they should be productive. But that is not a measure.

Earlier this season until the last match they played against Benfica, Chelsea were still in the phase to rise.
Tomorrow they will have a strong team arrival in Premier Legaue, Liverpool. What a tough challenge for Marsa.

[Nheer]

It seems like you missed something mate, because the match is over and Chelsea managed to secure 3 points in this match even though it was thanks to an own goal in the first 20 minutes but a win is still a win.
However, looking at what actually happened the match wasn't as exciting as others, it was quite monotonous. There wasn't much to see in terms of attacking exchanges, and opportunities felt scarce as both clubs seemed to hold back.

The main focus for Chelsea is how their matches have unfolded across all competitions they've participated in. In their last 4 matches, 3 of them saw Chelsea players receive red cards. This situation needs to be addressed, as continuing this way could lead to tangible losses.

For now I think the fans have to be patient with Chelsea because the team is struggling to be on their feet at the moment as they have lost most of their key players to injury. The likes of Palmer, Colwill, Delap and Fofana are all out and these players play a huge role in the team success that's why they are currently struggling. I know it shouldn't be an excuse and they should find a way to adapt and play without these players. Chelsea's attack is not as effective again because of palmer's absence, the team really miss their star man. I believe when palmer is back there will be changes and they will go back to winning ways again.

Yes, in fact, things have to be said as they are, Chelsea won regardless and therefore we must recognize that the team deserves a compliment even if they need to change their approach to the match and ensure that they can do much more, there is still a lot of work to do.

I doubt if anything can be changed now, they just need to manage themselves untill Palmer is back because no player can step up and take responsibilities as he does.

[Spaceman1000$]

So Nuno Mendes literally win man of the match award twice in a row against a Yamal based team and in each of the occasion the dude is in fire. He contained Yamal so well that he couldn't play almost anything in the second half. How can a LB be winning man of the match when there are other high profile players on the pitch, it simply tells us how coordinated and exceptional he was on the pitch. He doesn't talk on social media, his talks are all on the pitch.

At the same time, Mendes (who, in addition to the treble, won the Nations League) is at the bottom of the Ballon d'Or rankings relative to Yamal. Such is the power of PR. Imagine what would have happened if Portugal hadn't won the Nations League?  
Meanwhile, Barcelona remains the top favorite to win the Champions League, this time alongside PSG. I still think this team is clearly overrated:

FC Barcelona - 6.50

Paris Saint-Germain FC - 6.50

Arsenal FC - 7.00

Liverpool FC - 7.50

Real Madrid CF - 9.50

FC Bayern München - 10.00

Manchester City FC - 11.00

Although it is worth admitting that a whole bunch of teams have very close odds.

Funny enough, this rating might just be another predictions gone wrong, most times, the winner of the champions League can really be unpredictable, PSG that won it the last time, have tried several attempts before finally winning it last season, at this time last season, nobody thought it will be PSG.

One thing that Yamal enjoys is PR, I didn't even know that Nuno mendes won Man of that match in that encounter, trust me if it was Yamal, it would have gone more viral. Although Nuno mendes is one simple guy that avoids media attention, but he is very loud on the field of play.

[MArsland]

That night,  few minutes I was praising Barcola,  the next 15 minutes,  I am insulting him for not being good enough when it comes to the final third and also taking killer decisions in front of goal. I will tell you this, Barcola is a different player in front of goal and a different player on the wing, but how can you transform into a killer player for yourself and your club if you're not good enough in final third. Barcelona did well but Paris Saint Germany showed up when it mattered most.

I agree that I was also disappointed with his slow performance, his unwillingness to chase the ball, and Barcola lack of maximum effort in the match. Perhaps he wasn't in top form, so I didn't see Barcola playing as well as usual. He is a good player, but the absence of Dembele and Kvaratskhelia made PSG attacking combination less sharp.

[Dump3er]

At the same time, Mendes (who, in addition to the treble, won the Nations League) is at the bottom of the Ballon d'Or rankings relative to Yamal. Such is the power of PR. Imagine what would have happened if Portugal hadn't won the Nations League? 
Meanwhile, Barcelona remains the top favorite to win the Champions League, this time alongside PSG. I still think this team is clearly overrated:

FC Barcelona - 6.50

Paris Saint-Germain FC - 6.50

Arsenal FC - 7.00

Liverpool FC - 7.50

Real Madrid CF - 9.50

FC Bayern München - 10.00

Manchester City FC - 11.00

Although it is worth admitting that a whole bunch of teams have very close odds.

Whether it is overrated, I don't know, but the game against PSG demonstrated that Barcelona is not simply outcompeting every other team. It was quite the opposite and PSG had chances to score more goals. That is why I would not agree that Barcelona is put first here. That game was of importance and PSG didn't have their full team available because of injuries. Once PSG has everyone of their players available, I think they are stronger than Barcelona. By the way, Barcelona is extremely dependent on Yamal. If he gets an injury, Barcelona has a problem. PSG has proven that they can compensate for that.

[KTChampions]

At the same time, Mendes (who, in addition to the treble, won the Nations League) is at the bottom of the Ballon d'Or rankings relative to Yamal. Such is the power of PR. Imagine what would have happened if Portugal hadn't won the Nations League?  
Meanwhile, Barcelona remains the top favorite to win the Champions League, this time alongside PSG. I still think this team is clearly overrated:

FC Barcelona - 6.50

Paris Saint-Germain FC - 6.50

Arsenal FC - 7.00

Liverpool FC - 7.50

Real Madrid CF - 9.50

FC Bayern München - 10.00

Manchester City FC - 11.00

Although it is worth admitting that a whole bunch of teams have very close odds.

Funny enough, this rating might just be another predictions gone wrong, most times, the winner of the champions League can really be unpredictable, PSG that won it the last time, have tried several attempts before finally winning it last season, at this time last season, nobody thought it will be PSG.

One thing that Yamal enjoys is PR, I didn't even know that Nuno mendes won Man of that match in that encounter, trust me if it was Yamal, it would have gone more viral. Although Nuno mendes is one simple guy that avoids media attention, but he is very loud on the field of play.

If Yamal had won the MOM, Barcelona prostitute Fabricio Romano would have trumpeted it with all his might, but as it is, we learn news about Mendes, so to speak, by chance.
Yes, thank goodness odds don't influence the final result, and Real Madrid won all their titles as underdogs. Back then, City was always the favorite, and Real Madrid almost always humiliated them in head-to-head matches.

[DiMarxist]

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Xabi Alonso has some kind of formula for motivating his team. And Xabi Alonso's calm attitude coupled with his positive thinking keeps him optimistic about their plans and he even says that his team has good chemistry (Source). So I think those are some of the reasons why Xabi and his teammates seemed to forget their previous defeat in the derby match. In addition, Xabi also said that they need to handle everything in order to improve their performance and he even said that they will never forget their defeat but must not fall deeper into despair (Source). These things show how good their attitude is in improving the team's performance accompanied by strong motivation to continue giving their best.

 Alonso is one coach that has a strong mental strength and he has been able to successfully pass it to his players. We could see that, right from his day's in Leverkusen when he did the unthinkable by winning the bundesliga I don't think that the defeat to atletico madrid will have any negative effects on them and we could see that in the way that, Madrid played in the champions League even though that the team they ment was not a strong team.

[Franctoshi]

Yes, in fact, things have to be said as they are, Chelsea won regardless and therefore we must recognize that the team deserves a compliment even if they need to change their approach to the match and ensure that they can do much more, there is still a lot of work to do.

Well, Chelsea still deserves praise. After all, just seeing them in the Champions League is strong evidence that this team has truly returned to being a strong team. And further proof is that Chelsea also won the Club World Cup. So, Chelsea is no longer a team to be underestimated.

And what's interesting about Chelsea is that this team previously received a lot of criticism for bringing in too many young players and continually releasing their senior players. Well, that was about two years ago, if I remember correctly. But since then, it turns out that this team has succeeded with their strategy of consistently acquiring young players. And now the results are starting to show.

Chelsea's recruitment of younger players was a very strategic move to getting Chelsea football team back on track after series of season that they had a very poor performance result, and we've seen how that strategy of buying recruiting very young players have worked out for them perfectly. And it's important that Chelsea get back on track immediately in order to be in contest with other big team in this season's competition.

[boltz]

Yes, in fact, things have to be said as they are, Chelsea won regardless and therefore we must recognize that the team deserves a compliment even if they need to change their approach to the match and ensure that they can do much more, there is still a lot of work to do.

Well, Chelsea still deserves praise. After all, just seeing them in the Champions League is strong evidence that this team has truly returned to being a strong team. And further proof is that Chelsea also won the Club World Cup. So, Chelsea is no longer a team to be underestimated.

And what's interesting about Chelsea is that this team previously received a lot of criticism for bringing in too many young players and continually releasing their senior players. Well, that was about two years ago, if I remember correctly. But since then, it turns out that this team has succeeded with their strategy of consistently acquiring young players. And now the results are starting to show.

Chelsea's recruitment of younger players was a very strategic move to getting Chelsea football team back on track after series of season that they had a very poor performance result, and we've seen how that strategy of buying recruiting very young players have worked out for them perfectly. And it's important that Chelsea get back on track immediately in order to be in contest with other big team in this competition.

They have so many talented players and so many young talents as well that I cannot exclude Chelsea for UCL and EPL fight and we all know this team tends to win major trophies every 5-6 years and it's been more than 6 since they won UCL or EPL. However , like you said above , they are not in a great shape in both competitions but with the bench they have , it's just a matter of time until this team will start a winning streak in both competitions. 

[banana33]

Let's not exaggerate by even sending him away, no, two games can be made mistakes if his style of play has always worked, you can't do it like this because of one mistake.
So what do they think they're going to fix? They'll only make the season worse, i speak from experience.

Modern football is very fast, it consumes everything from players and coaches and above all the fans don't realise how much they sometimes expect things quickly, things that can't be achieved.
After playing well for a long time, i am not even willing to tolerate just two defeats, this is not good.
They should understand that fixing problems takes a little time.

[Pandorak]

So Nuno Mendes literally win man of the match award twice in a row against a Yamal based team and in each of the occasion the dude is in fire. He contained Yamal so well that he couldn't play almost anything in the second half. How can a LB be winning man of the match when there are other high profile players on the pitch, it simply tells us how coordinated and exceptional he was on the pitch. He doesn't talk on social media, his talks are all on the pitch.

This was an extraordinary match, which made it thrilling to focus on this player, Nuno Mendes.
He performed brilliantly, boldly advancing to assist in attacks, with his speed and skill enabling him to close down space for Barcelona's wingers, while also putting pressure on Barcelona's defense. It's no surprise that his performance attracted attention, especially considering the many other star players on the field. The key highlight is proof of how effective and solid Mendes' play was in that match. He doesn't say much on social media, but his performance is clear evidence of his professionalism and high dedication.

If he can maintain this level of consistency, it won't just be his club PSG, that benefits greatly, but also the Portuguese national team, which will soon be competing in the upcoming World Cup. Hopefully, Nuno Mendes can showcase his best performance to help Portugal win the World Cup. Honestly, i hope their national team becomes the champion, that would be the most beautiful gift for Cristiano Ronaldo as he approaches retirement.

[Frankolala]

So Nuno Mendes literally win man of the match award twice in a row against a Yamal based team and in each of the occasion the dude is in fire. He contained Yamal so well that he couldn't play almost anything in the second half. How can a LB be winning man of the match when there are other high profile players on the pitch, it simply tells us how coordinated and exceptional he was on the pitch. He doesn't talk on social media, his talks are all on the pitch.

At the same time, Mendes (who, in addition to the treble, won the Nations League) is at the bottom of the Ballon d'Or rankings relative to Yamal. Such is the power of PR. Imagine what would have happened if Portugal hadn't won the Nations League? 
Meanwhile, Barcelona remains the top favorite to win the Champions League, this time alongside PSG. I still think this team is clearly overrated:

FC Barcelona - 6.50

Paris Saint-Germain FC - 6.50

Arsenal FC - 7.00

Liverpool FC - 7.50

Real Madrid CF - 9.50

FC Bayern München - 10.00

Manchester City FC - 11.00

Although it is worth admitting that a whole bunch of teams have very close odds.

I don't believe on the bookies odd anymore because they cannot be correct in their predictions all the time. So don't be decieved by the bookies odd, that Barcelona is one of the favorite club to win the Champions League. I believe that if Barcelona clash with Bayern, they might as well as lose to Bayern. The bookies made Real Madrid the favorite and PSG was the leaat favorite last season. Alas, PSG won the competition.

[RockBell]

Yes, in fact, things have to be said as they are, Chelsea won regardless and therefore we must recognize that the team deserves a compliment even if they need to change their approach to the match and ensure that they can do much more, there is still a lot of work to do.

Well, Chelsea still deserves praise. After all, just seeing them in the Champions League is strong evidence that this team has truly returned to being a strong team. And further proof is that Chelsea also won the Club World Cup. So, Chelsea is no longer a team to be underestimated.

And what's interesting about Chelsea is that this team previously received a lot of criticism for bringing in too many young players and continually releasing their senior players. Well, that was about two years ago, if I remember correctly. But since then, it turns out that this team has succeeded with their strategy of consistently acquiring young players. And now the results are starting to show.

Chelsea's recruitment of younger players was a very strategic move to getting Chelsea football team back on track after series of season that they had a very poor performance result, and we've seen how that strategy of buying recruiting very young players have worked out for them perfectly. And it's important that Chelsea get back on track immediately in order to be in contest with other big team in this season's competition.

Even with th fact that they have gotten new players to improve the performance of the club I don't see any new changes that is reflecting change maybe we need to give them more time bringing in young players is different from bringing in quality players and I see funny talks like Chelsea winning the champions league how do you know how competitive the champions league is and just because they are able to win the Fifa world cup does not mean that  they have the privileges to the champions league. And we know that the season is just starting so we should expect a lot of surprises this season because madrid ain't joking this season.

[rachael9385]

I come across a post where someone was saying that Benfica might win or draw Chelsea because of the fact that, Chelsea former coach Mourinho is Benfica's coach and the person give some reasons why but it didn't happen as the person thought because Chelsea have a good team but initially before the game started I was also reasoning what the person said but Chelsea proved everyone wrong and I believe or feel that Chelsea will still win Benfica in their home but it is going to be tougher and if Chelsea won't concede a red card they will win.

The Chelsea-Benfica match was indeed very close, and the only goal in the match was an own goal, which slightly favored the home team, Chelsea. The red card received by one of Chelsea's players was in the final minutes of the match, so it no longer had any impact on Chelsea's overall performance. Benfica did put pressure on Chelsea, but they were unlucky enough to get a point in the match because Chelsea were also starting to work hard to avoid losing at home and were also trying to get all three points.

If we are being honest in the Chelsea Vs Benfica game I think it wasn't the best result for Benfica because despite the own goal they scored in their own post they made some good attempts that I was expecting them to score because at some point Chelsea wasn't doing well in the game, Chelsea became very cautious when it was almost over and one of their players was sent off following his red card offense but the away side should have gotten a point because they were better than Chelsea in the game.

That's a fact, if it wasnt for the own goal then none of those teams would have scored a single goal, benfica made some attempts but it wasn't enough because chelsea were just playing defense and not even to win that game, at some point Chelsea started making some attempts but to no avail. I don't really know what is going on with both teams but they are no longer in the same form as when they started the season

[Stormisover]

So Nuno Mendes literally win man of the match award twice in a row against a Yamal based team and in each of the occasion the dude is in fire. He contained Yamal so well that he couldn't play almost anything in the second half. How can a LB be winning man of the match when there are other high profile players on the pitch, it simply tells us how coordinated and exceptional he was on the pitch. He doesn't talk on social media, his talks are all on the pitch.

At the same time, Mendes (who, in addition to the treble, won the Nations League) is at the bottom of the Ballon d'Or rankings relative to Yamal. Such is the power of PR. Imagine what would have happened if Portugal hadn't won the Nations League? 
Meanwhile, Barcelona remains the top favorite to win the Champions League, this time alongside PSG. I still think this team is clearly overrated:

FC Barcelona - 6.50

Paris Saint-Germain FC - 6.50

Arsenal FC - 7.00

Liverpool FC - 7.50

Real Madrid CF - 9.50

FC Bayern München - 10.00

Manchester City FC - 11.00

Although it is worth admitting that a whole bunch of teams have very close odds.

Pride always come before the down fall of a man, if time not taken this lamine yamal's career might end sooner than most people expect because of pride , before the match against Portugal in the just concluded UEFA nations league he made some certain comments when he was interviewed then lost the game later and people used it against him in terms of taunt, now before the kick off against Paris Saint Germain in the champions League he still made some unpleasant comments too without being sure of winning, but was pocket by Mendes, and right under his knows Mendes won man of the match award back to back, yet he won't bring himself to his level, this will end him sooner than he expects.

[silpersurfer]

That's a fact, if it wasnt for the own goal then none of those teams would have scored a single goal, benfica made some attempts but it wasn't enough because chelsea were just playing defense and not even to win that game, at some point Chelsea started making some attempts but to no avail. I don't really know what is going on with both teams but they are no longer in the same form as when they started the season

For the first few minutes of the match, Jose Mourinho's team performed exceptionally, continuously trying to pressure Chelsea's defense and penetrate to be able to create an early lead. But unfortunately, their finishing was still poor enough to be able to rip Chelsea's goal, and unfortunately they had to make a mistake that led to an own goal. Meanwhile, in the second half, the team's performance really decreased, with only a few attacks made, and tended to play more safely. This defeat was truly a heavy blow for Benfica, who had to suffer defeat in two consecutive matches. For the third round of the Champions League, they had to face a fairly tough opponent, where they will fly to England to face Newcastle United.