UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[Mallampue]

PSG performance this season seems to have declined slightly, but they are still on the right track to retain the trophy. The journey to defend the Champions League trophy is not as easy as imagined, historically, only a few teams have ever succeeded in doing so. PSG certainly needs to work harder, as the competition this season is much more competitive.

yes it was definitely a growing phase for the team that started to do its best only halfway through the championship, at the beginning it was a team that started off very slowly and went very slowly but then when,, it started there was no one to match, and then they achieved the treble

Will they repeat it this season? Last season, they were the same: they were slow to win games in the early stages. They recovered through the downhill stretch and reached the top after a more difficult path than most champions. That's what they showed last season. This season looks the same, they've performed well in every game, but that's no reason to conclude they can't do it again. The plan could be the same as last season.

However, what happened is very difficult to repeat, but let's see together.

[CryptoBuds]

PSG's chances of retaining the title this season will be slightly more difficult even if Real Madrid, Liverpool, or Manchester City also experience a decline in performance.
On the other hand, Arsenal and Bayern Munich are perhaps slightly more favored because they have both performed consistently so far, apart from Bayern Munich's defeat against Arsenal. This season, it's difficult to predict which team has a greater chance of winning the Champions League because it's still the group stage, so there are still many matches to play.
Despite their consistent performance so far in the Champions League, doesn't necessarily guarantee they will reach the final, as they still have many challenges to overcome after the group stage ends.

It is not possible to predict which team will win the champions league title based on the results of the first round. Liverpool , who were at the top of the table last season , were eliminated from the champions league after losing in the  round of 16. So even with an average gameplay in the first round, it is possible to win the champions league title. I would not say that Arsenal and Munich are more likely to win the title just because they are at the top of the table. Real madrid, barcelona and City are  also in good form now. Everyone's performance has been gradually getting stronger since the beginning of the season. So these three teams also have a chance of winning the title.

[Baki202]

As long as Xabi Alonso doesn't give up on the problems he's facing now, I'm still confident he can bring about significant changes for Real Madrid, although turning around a struggling team is no easy feat, as improving in the current season is always more difficult for anyone. Now Florentino Perez will see if Xabi Alonso can still be relied upon this season, because firing a coach in such a precarious situation also carries significant risks for Real Madrid itself. So Florentino Perez will still give Xabi Alonso time before another decision is made.

Which plans does Xabi Alonso have? Because no matter the chances of solving the problem, I don't think there will be any difference, because those guys are not even ready to compare with him. Xabi Alonso came with a good intention to make the club better, but everything is just not working in his favor because the club is suffering from a lot of damage. and now have thought of every possible way Xabi Alonso will want to make Real Madrid better in a very short time.

And i dont think Xabi Alonso can be relied on because the club is not doing any better. Because of their performance, this is something we are going to know, and the management is even trying to give Xabi Alonso this time for him to work and make things better instead of wasting a lot of opportunities this season. Even in La Liga, they are not doing any better over there, so in which league is even Real Madrid playing well?

[Fara Chan]

Will they repeat it this season? Last season, they were the same: they were slow to win games in the early stages. They recovered through the downhill stretch and reached the top after a more difficult path than most champions. That's what they showed last season. This season looks the same, they've performed well in every game, but that's no reason to conclude they can't do it again. The plan could be the same as last season.

However, what happened is very difficult to repeat, but let's see together.

PSG has begun to develop a winning strategy for competing in the Champions League, so their performance is significantly different from last season's standings. I have no doubt that PSG will qualify automatically for the next round without going through qualifying to reach the round of 16 like most other teams outside the top eight. And I'm quite certain that PSG will also be prepared for their next match at Sporting CP in January, because this month PSG doesn't have to think about the Champions League yet, as there are several other competitions that should be their main focus for the rest of the year.

[changaa]

As long as Xabi Alonso doesn't give up on the problems he's facing now, I'm still confident he can bring about significant changes for Real Madrid, although turning around a struggling team is no easy feat, as improving in the current season is always more difficult for anyone. Now Florentino Perez will see if Xabi Alonso can still be relied upon this season, because firing a coach in such a precarious situation also carries significant risks for Real Madrid itself. So Florentino Perez will still give Xabi Alonso time before another decision is made.

He's not the type to give up, that's for sure, the fans row against him and his strategy but he continues in his way of acting and thinking for the best of Real Madrid.
Sacking Xabi right now would be a serious mistake, personally i would at least wait until the end of the season before taking stock, changing an important figure for the team during the process is like starting a path from the beginning.
Maybe i am wrong, but looking at the results in the standings, Real Madrid isn't in a bad position.

[capokmerah]

As long as Xabi Alonso doesn't give up on the problems he's facing now, I'm still confident he can bring about significant changes for Real Madrid, although turning around a struggling team is no easy feat, as improving in the current season is always more difficult for anyone. Now Florentino Perez will see if Xabi Alonso can still be relied upon this season, because firing a coach in such a precarious situation also carries significant risks for Real Madrid itself. So Florentino Perez will still give Xabi Alonso time before another decision is made.

Which plans does Xabi Alonso have? Because no matter the chances of solving the problem, I don't think there will be any difference, because those guys are not even ready to compare with him. Xabi Alonso came with a good intention to make the club better, but everything is just not working in his favor because the club is suffering from a lot of damage. and now have thought of every possible way Xabi Alonso will want to make Real Madrid better in a very short time.

And i dont think Xabi Alonso can be relied on because the club is not doing any better. Because of their performance, this is something we are going to know, and the management is even trying to give Xabi Alonso this time for him to work and make things better instead of wasting a lot of opportunities this season. Even in La Liga, they are not doing any better over there, so in which league is even Real Madrid playing well?

Currently, Real Madrid are not performing well in both La Liga and the Champions League.
The facts show that Real Madrid is inconsistent in both leagues.
In La Liga, Real Madrid had to cede the top spot to Barcelona.
Meanwhile, in the Champions League this season, Real Madrid's results have been WWWLL.
The only decent wins came against Juventus.
I'm not disparaging Marseille or Kairat Almaty, but the fact is, neither team is on the same level as Real Madrid.
But against Liverpool and Manchester City? Real Madrid lost!

[m4r1o]

Currently talking about any clubs is too early because mostly clubs are facing problems or new players need time to adjust now it's real show down is going to be on rampage Arsenal done good job, but they still needed consistency while Real Madrid is having internal issues but Manchester City and Bayern Munich are looking amazing these clubs can give surprises in this second half and go through.

In reality, the Champions League and the Premiere have already been fierce for a few weeks, certainly in the second half of the Championship we hope to see the teams that have the chances of obtaining results push hard.
i am curious about Arsenal's performance, whether they can maintain their positions in the second half.

[verdinio]

The actual fact is that the hierarchy of real madrid a bit skeptical on retaining the services of xabi Alonso because his real madrid team is not doing enough to compete for the league title, because right now it's just four points that separate them with Barcelona, but if they do not improve the gap may even be wider, and that is what the hierarchies of real madrid is trying to avoid, that's why the future of xabi Alonso at the club is in questioned, and he might be sacked if result does not improve to the better in the next couple of games.
I am a big fan of xabi Alonso at Bayern Leverkusen, but i don't think that he has what it takes to succeed at real madrid since the pressure he is facing is quite overwhelming to him, or it's better to say that the job is bigger than him, not that he is a bad coach.

I think there is more behind it than a simple decision from the upper floors, but i forget that there are some people in cahoots even within the team even against him

i know he seems very conspiratorial but i think there is this thing, i perceive it from some players and from the choices he is making

[Olatundespo]

As long as Xabi Alonso doesn't give up on the problems he's facing now, I'm still confident he can bring about significant changes for Real Madrid, although turning around a struggling team is no easy feat, as improving in the current season is always more difficult for anyone. Now Florentino Perez will see if Xabi Alonso can still be relied upon this season, because firing a coach in such a precarious situation also carries significant risks for Real Madrid itself. So Florentino Perez will still give Xabi Alonso time before another decision is made.

He's not the type to give up, that's for sure, the fans row against him and his strategy but he continues in his way of acting and thinking for the best of Real Madrid.
Sacking Xabi right now would be a serious mistake, personally i would at least wait until the end of the season before taking stock, changing an important figure for the team during the process is like starting a path from the beginning.
Maybe i am wrong, but looking at the results in the standings, Real Madrid isn't in a bad position.

To solve the problem, you need to understand what the problem is. If you don't know the root cause of the problem, you will never be able to solve it. The current level of Real Madrid in terms of points may satisfy you, but in reality, their performance makes it very unlikely that they will win the trophy. Individually, Kylian Mbappé is in the best form among the players, and no other player is able to maintain good performance. As a team, they need to be more active to get to the best position. Carlo Ancelotti was fired last season due to poor performance, even though he was an experienced coach. Although Xabi Alonso started well after taking charge this season, Real Madrid position does not seem strong at the moment. Firing Alonso may be easy for the team management but it will not be easy to quickly bring the players back to form.

[giorgione]

You are right, Xabi faced a lot of pressure in Madrid, but he should have been able to get support for the development of his team. Indeed, Xabi faced different situations in Leverkusen and Madrid. Because Madrid not only wants progress in improving performance, but they also need results with clear goals to achieve. If these were just ordinary teams, I think Xabi would still be considered to continue coaching and building his team. But Madrid surely has a different assessment.

We are not talking about a team that is trying to grow but is coaching a top club that wants to win all and is there to spend the bestt to do it and there are no excuses, unfortunately when you coach teams of this caliber the excuses are zero and you have to squeeze the squad until the end

[Akbarkoe]

The match that I will be waiting for after the new year is Arsenal vs Inter Milan, why am I waiting for it because I see that Arsenal are starting to lose their consistency, they seem to be easy to break down in defense at the moment, in the previous match they had quite a hard time scoring goals and it is a big question whether Arsenal will remain consistent, we know the doubts of many people speculating about Arsenal are always about their consistency. On the other hand, Inter Milan is also struggling to improve themselves gradually, this will be my match to question Arsenal, even though in fact if they lose it won't be a problem because it has already happened. will definitely qualify for the next round, just testing his unbeaten match in the Champions League.

[mv1986]

I really want to see at least one more round b efore the end of the year from the Champions League but we have to wait until january for the last 2 ones.

For me is the best stage of the season were the teams have to do their maximum to reach the spots of qualification plus every goal counts so nobody play for less aside of how much points they have.

Who is gonna be the cinderella? Qarabag? USG? Pafos?

You could perhaps give UEFA a call and ask them to have one more game before the break?

You are right, Xabi faced a lot of pressure in Madrid, but he should have been able to get support for the development of his team. Indeed, Xabi faced different situations in Leverkusen and Madrid. Because Madrid not only wants progress in improving performance, but they also need results with clear goals to achieve. If these were just ordinary teams, I think Xabi would still be considered to continue coaching and building his team. But Madrid surely has a different assessment.

For the development of his team... Look at the squad, all the names like Vinicius Junior, Bellingham, Mbappe, Rodrygo etc... Do you really think you get ample of time to develop a squad like Real Madrid? The team with the highest player value in the world (€1.38 billion). There is no time for any coach if they take over Real Madrid.

[SquallLeonhart]

Give me an alarming word, it's only 4 points, it's not a gap of 7 or 10 points, in that case i would also say alarming but 4 points are negligible.

Real Madrid's performances haven't been convincing since the start of the season, they aren't shining in every game, they don't play aggressively all the time and often suffer.

Xabi is the first one accused by the fans and by what everyone is complaining they want to throw him out, but why not try to see what happens in the second half of the championship yet?

The reason people are making this much noise is not because of four points, but because of nine points. You have to remember they were leading with five points at some time during the season after they beat Barcelona, not sure if the gap was even higher at anytime but I am sure five was there, maybe even more.

So going from five point ahead to four point down is a nine point difference, and not like Barcelona won every single game during this period neither. This means Real Madrid lost a ton of points during this period and people are reacting to that. If the gap was like lets say 13 points and they dropped it to four points then everyone would be cheering. It is not the gap, it is the momentum they are on at the moment that looks bad.

[W Jr.]

You are right, Xabi faced a lot of pressure in Madrid, but he should have been able to get support for the development of his team. Indeed, Xabi faced different situations in Leverkusen and Madrid. Because Madrid not only wants progress in improving performance, but they also need results with clear goals to achieve. If these were just ordinary teams, I think Xabi would still be considered to continue coaching and building his team. But Madrid surely has a different assessment.

We are not talking about a team that is trying to grow but is coaching a top club that wants to win all and is there to spend the bestt to do it and there are no excuses, unfortunately when you coach teams of this caliber the excuses are zero and you have to squeeze the squad until the end

Xabi is currently in the same situation as Ancelotti was last year. Ancelotti suffered from injuries last year, and Xabi is experiencing something similar this year. Xabi's situation in the league and the Champions League has been worse than expected due to injuries. His appointment as Real Madrid's manager had raised expectations, yet football is unpredictable; sometimes things go so far that you can't achieve what you want.

[Distraction]

I really want to see at least one more round b efore the end of the year from the Champions League but we have to wait until january for the last 2 ones.

I also wanted to see it but there is nothing we can do. The scheduling is ridiculous. There has never been such a long interval between 2 matches in the group stage era.

But things have changed in league phase format... Now we have to wait around one and a half month! 

For me is the best stage of the season were the teams have to do their maximum to reach the spots of qualification plus every goal counts so nobody play for less aside of how much points they have.

Who is gonna be the cinderella? Qarabag? USG? Pafos?

Qarabag have been a more capable team than the other two so far. I think they are normally one step ahead. But looking at the remaining fixtures, Pafos are the only team to play a more winnable match in one of them. So let's wait and see.

[sana54210]

I think that the big leap that Xabi has made is very difficult compared to where he played before and this thing about freedom is certainly true, but it must be said that it could also be a constraint in the sense that he may not have all the freedoms he had before and therefore prevents him from being himself,  i agree with you

This is exactly the reason! I was always considering why Xabi didn't just be great right away, and this is it. The reason why I expected Xabi to be great was because if he can win the Bundesliga title with Leverkusen over Bayern Munich, he should be able to beat everyone while managing Real Madrid right? After all he is given a better team.

But you are right, he made a huge jump, going from a team that nobody expected to do anything, to a team that everyone expects him to win everything, is a huge jump for him.

[Wake Up]

I think that the big leap that Xabi has made is very difficult compared to where he played before and this thing about freedom is certainly true, but it must be said that it could also be a constraint in the sense that he may not have all the freedoms he had before and therefore prevents him from being himself,  i agree with you

This is exactly the reason! I was always considering why Xabi didn't just be great right away, and this is it. The reason why I expected Xabi to be great was because if he can win the Bundesliga title with Leverkusen over Bayern Munich, he should be able to beat everyone while managing Real Madrid right? After all he is given a better team.

But you are right, he made a huge jump, going from a team that nobody expected to do anything, to a team that everyone expects him to win everything, is a huge jump for him.

There has been a huge shift in terms of expectations. Because there are very high expectations at Real Madrid. Bayer Leverkusen didn't have similar expectations, and the biggest reason for their success was playing without stress. Right now, I think Xabi is managing Real Madrid well, considering his first season, but some injured players are disrupting all his plans. I'm sure he didn't have this much trouble assembling a squad when he was managing Leverkusen.

[Jewan420]

I think that the big leap that Xabi has made is very difficult compared to where he played before and this thing about freedom is certainly true, but it must be said that it could also be a constraint in the sense that he may not have all the freedoms he had before and therefore prevents him from being himself,  i agree with you

This is exactly the reason! I was always considering why Xabi didn't just be great right away, and this is it. The reason why I expected Xabi to be great was because if he can win the Bundesliga title with Leverkusen over Bayern Munich, he should be able to beat everyone while managing Real Madrid right? After all he is given a better team.

But you are right, he made a huge jump, going from a team that nobody expected to do anything, to a team that everyone expects him to win everything, is a huge jump for him.

This could be a big reason behind his failure. When he won the title with Leverkusen, he was completely independent, there were no big expectations for him, especially to win the Bundesliga by beating Bayern Munich. But at Real Madrid, he has lost some of his freedom due to the high expectations of the fans. He is not able to adapt his tactics to the high-quality players. Even the pressure of high expectations from the Real Madrid management is affecting him a bit.

Xabi Alonso should be given some free time which he can use to make Real Madrid a strong team. Another significant reason could be Kylian Mbappe, although he is a great player, the rest of the players cannot perform in his presence. We saw this problem at PSG, I think this could be a problem that needs to be eliminated.

[ndutndut]

yes it was definitely a growing phase for the team that started to do its best only halfway through the championship, at the beginning it was a team that started off very slowly and went very slowly but then when,, it started there was no one to match, and then they achieved the treble

Will they repeat it this season? Last season, they were the same: they were slow to win games in the early stages. They recovered through the downhill stretch and reached the top after a more difficult path than most champions. That's what they showed last season. This season looks the same, they've performed well in every game, but that's no reason to conclude they can't do it again. The plan could be the same as last season.

However, what happened is very difficult to repeat, but let's see together.

It's difficult to repeat what happened last season for PSG especially since defending a title is incredibly difficult not as easy as defending the Ligue 1 trophy. As far as I know, the only team in the modern era to have successfully defended the UCL title is Real Madrid, and they even managed to do it three times in a row. No other team has been able to do so.

Even during Manchester City's glory days when they won the UCL trophy they failed the following season. Furthermore with PSG currently facing injuries to many key players, this will undoubtedly make it difficult for them in this season's UCL competition. Furthermore PSG is also in second place in the domestic league, forcing them to focus on these two competitions. Unlike last season PSG which lacked injuries was also very secure in the domestic league, allowing them to focus on the UCL.

[Ale88]

PSG can surprise us this season, that was exactly how they performed last season. PSG has a tough start last season, but in the end, they won it against all odds and they can actually win it again for a second time. I can be certain if it could happen again since this season is fiercer and tougher than last but PSG is a team that shouldn't be undestimated. This time,PSG will qualify for the round of 16, then we might guess who wins it in the end.

PSG are not on the same level like they were last season, their performance dropped some meters away. Predicting on the winner right away is a tough prediction to put on the line, all the teams at the top are looking favorable, this league phase isn't were we decide who is more capable or better opportuned to win the title, round of 16 has so much to tell, at this level, the smallest team that made it, might be the team to knock out any of the big clubs that seem to be a lot favorable as the Champions League winners.

My guess for the Champions isn't on PSG, although they stand a chance to compete, but Bayern Munich and Arsenal are ahead, not because they are top of the table but they have a better team work than other clubs, Arsenal with the best defense and Bayern having a better attack, that makes them seem kind of unstoppable for the title.

Last year PSG had a (almost) perfect season but sometimes they had the luck on their side, and that helped to hide some mistakes they made. And there is nothing wrong with that, you also need to be lucky in order to win. I would also add that Donnarumma incredibly helped the team because if it wasn't for him, especially in the Champions League, they would have been eliminated. And yet they chose to get rid of him.