UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[Fiatless]

They looked for another striker as soon as Xabi Alonso arrived at the team and signed Gonzalo Garcia, who in the World Cup games seemed like he would be a great help to the team, but as soon as La Liga started, he simply didn't produce the same good results that Mbappé produced.

Real Madrid also had Rodrygo and Endrick at that time, but the coach left these two players on the bench in every game, causing them to become out of shape and unhappy.

Until Endrick left the team on loan and is playing better than Gonzalo Garcia in my opinion, and Rodrygo is injured, and we're talking about a prolonged injury. When he played 90 minutes in every game, he rarely got injured. Unfortunately, Real Madrid didn't manage its players well.

The club wouldn't have let Endrick leave on loan to Lyon. That young lad would have been a good option since Mbappe is injured. Now he is doing just fine in the French League and I know that Real Madrid will want him to return at the end of the season.

In the case of Gonzalo Garcia, he has not been given enough playing time to showcase his potentials. The club seems to be relying solely on Mbappe that other players don't have the time to play. Gonzalo needs more time to improve.

[AnisEverRise]

we can start the speculations and what will be our favorite teams for next season
What do you think about it?


thanks to x-ray

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the thread will be updated and closed after the end of UCL of course

Previous season:
- UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Season - winner PSG
- UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Season - winner Real Madrid
- UEFA Champions League 2022/23 Season - winner Manchester City

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- Real Madrid is the last winner of the cup.
- UEFA Champions League is the first cup of Europe. After Europa League and Conference League.
- There are 80 teams total, 32 in group stage in 8 group.
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League

Los Rojiblancos    AUPA ATLETI  


Olé Olé Olé Cholo Simeone 

[Alpha Marine]

Probably because of these victories they thought they could winning anyway, so instead of buying actual Real Madrid players they began buying too many youngster. This is a mistake, luck has nothing to do with what is happening to Real Madrid.

I don't think buying youngsters is what caused Madrid's problem. They don't have any youngster who is an undisputed starter in their team. They don't have any youngerster who doesn't have somebody older playing that same position.

Madrid's problem, in my opinio,n was not replacing their outgoing players accordingly. When Casimiro, Kroos and Modric startedshowing signs of decline, they bought Bellingham, Camavinga and Tchouaméni to join Valverde. Look at these 4 midfielders; none of them can do the job of Kroo,s and none can do the job of Modric. But because they won the UCL with these players, they thought they could lead their midfield, forgetting that both Modric and Kroos were still in the team with these players.

Then you look at the attack. On the right, you have Rodygo, whose natural position is a RW (who, in my opinion, is not even that good), on the left, you have Vini, who is playing in his natural position. They needed a striker, and they couldn't think of anyone lese than Mbappe, who is naturally a RW. So you three attackers who are naturally RWs playing an attack, how do you expect them to play? They needed a natural number 9, but the idea of Mbappe was too good to pass on. And I don't blame them for getting Mbappe, I would be heartbroken if my club rejected Mbappe, but now they ave to make the attack work by force. They are not clickin, there is no chemistry.

So you have a midfield that can control game, they can keep hold of the ball comfortably under pressure and they can'c comfortable create chances and attack that have three right winger up front and only one being a prolific goal scorer and none of them works hard when the team is without the ball.

For the defence, they simply refused to replace Militao despite having ACL on both legs. When they finally did, they got Hujsen who wasnt proven.Till this day, I dont understand how Lyon was able to scam madrid to pay €52 million for Mendy. He has never been good in a Madrid shirt. Asension had a purple patch and they felt he was good. Rudiger plays football like a mad man sometimes.

When you put all these together, you see that Madrid has a great team of players who do not fit the system or the role and that is why they struggle. At this point, with these set of players, they need a manager like Klopp to make something out of them. If they go with another inexperienced manager, they will still struggle.
For this season, ive written them off. They will fininsh the season without a trophy except Barcelona messes up and hands them the league.

[bitLeap]

They looked for another striker as soon as Xabi Alonso arrived at the team and signed Gonzalo Garcia, who in the World Cup games seemed like he would be a great help to the team, but as soon as La Liga started, he simply didn't produce the same good results that Mbappé produced.

Real Madrid also had Rodrygo and Endrick at that time, but the coach left these two players on the bench in every game, causing them to become out of shape and unhappy.

Until Endrick left the team on loan and is playing better than Gonzalo Garcia in my opinion, and Rodrygo is injured, and we're talking about a prolonged injury. When he played 90 minutes in every game, he rarely got injured. Unfortunately, Real Madrid didn't manage its players well.

The club wouldn't have let Endrick leave on loan to Lyon. That young lad would have been a good option since Mbappe is injured. Now he is doing just fine in the French League and I know that Real Madrid will want him to return at the end of the season.

In the case of Gonzalo Garcia, he has not been given enough playing time to showcase his potentials. The club seems to be relying solely on Mbappe that other players don't have the time to play. Gonzalo needs more time to improve.

For Real Madrid, Endrick is a player who needs to be invested in for the future, so he must convince the club that his career is secure. The time will come for Endrick to be recalled to fill a position that suits his abilities in the forward line. That will happen eventually, but it will take time, as Madrid now needs to focus on the squad at hand. Gonzalo, like Endrick, shares a similarity: his future at Madrid is secure as long as they patiently wait for the right time. Some senior players will leave, and younger players will be called upon when they are ready.

[Felicity_Tide]

In the round of 16,, Barcelona will face Newcastle. I think it won't be too difficult for Barcelona to win. Even though Newcastle's performance in the Champions League is quite good, compared to Barcelona,  I think Barcelona will clearly be superior in this match. But perhaps what will make Barcelona have to play better in this first leg is because the match will be played at Newcastle's home ground,, which will certainly make Newcastle's players play a little better.

On paper, Barce should be winning this game, but judging by what premier league teams has done in the UCL this season, we should rather be prepared to watch an exciting game instead. Personally, I think it's going to be a tough one... Like a really tough. If you know Newcastle too well, they're are the aggressive type that played physical football. And a ground like St James Park is not a place to be especially in the first leg. Another positive side for Newcastle is that they had a couple of their plays back from injury. This year's RO16 is going to be full of surprises, but the team that takes more chances are definitely going to advance to the next round.

[Bigjoe33]

If Mbappe is out for the next game of Real Madrid on Champions League we can alla gree they are out of the Champions League is impossible to see them beating Manchester City without Mbappe, no matter how much they try they are not a good team and they relly so much on the stars they have and without the top one they are gonna be cooked.

Even if there is Mbappe, I doubt that Real Madrid can beat Man City. I don't think Real Madrid is favored this season because, in my opinion, the Real Madrid team this season under Arbeloa's coaching is really very poor, and this has been allowed to continue without any improvements, so I really have doubts about them, especially when they will face Man City. Honestly, I think there is no big chance for Real Madrid to advance.

Never underestimate Real Madrid in the Champions League. Just look at the second leg against Benfica. Mbappé was also absent due to injury, but Real Madrid managed to defeat Benfica. I believe Real Madrid can also beat Manchester City without Mbappé, as they will be playing at home in the first leg and Manchester City's performance not as strong as in previous seasons. Therefore, I predict that Real Madrid will be able to eliminate Manchester City and advance to the next round.

I think it's safe to say that Mbappé's absence will significantly affect Real Madrid. However, I also agree that Manchester City isn't what they used to be. Both teams have their downturns. While it's difficult to predict who will win, Real Madrid has a slight advantage. They will be playing at home and are accustomed to the challenging atmosphere of the Champions League.

With the current form of both teams, man city stand a more better chance of winning this tie against Real Madrid. The injury situation at Real Madrid is going to affect the team, most of their key players are missing due to injuries, an almost first eleven squad players of Real Madrid team is injured. Man city on the other side is doing very well in the champions league qualifying out rightly in this round of 16 fixtures meanwhile Real Madrid have to qualify through the playoffs after beating Benfica in the playoffs. Their form this season in the champions leagues isn’t as it was before. But again this is the champions league and anything is possible, Real Madrid is known for the champions league as the most successful team in the champions league and they still have the same hunger of winning, but let’s see how it goes for both team

Surely, just like you mentioned at the end of your statement, it's the champions league, and anything can still happen, even though Madrid is not too good presently, football can still happen and man city would not relent till they hear the final whistle. If you ask me, I wouldn't mention that man city will win it, or Madrid will win, I will just wait for the end of the match, because despite the poor form of any of the teams, things can actually turn and any team can take the day, so we can just await the match to see how it plays out

[Rockson1]

In the round of 16,, Barcelona will face Newcastle. I think it won't be too difficult for Barcelona to win. Even though Newcastle's performance in the Champions League is quite good, compared to Barcelona,  I think Barcelona will clearly be superior in this match. But perhaps what will make Barcelona have to play better in this first leg is because the match will be played at Newcastle's home ground,, which will certainly make Newcastle's players play a little better.

But even so,, I'm quite optimistic that Barcelona can win this match, because this time I'm quite optimistic about Barcelona at the moment. Because their performance can be said to be very good. So, therefore, I hope that Barcelona's players don't get injured, because if Barcelona's main players get injured,, it will definitely be a disaster for Barcelona,  because their performance often declines if any of their main players are injured.

Image source: Google

With your sentiment above, it looks like you are underrating or looking down on this Newcastle team, because they might be poor in the English premier league, but in the uefa champions league, they are a different animal all together.
Yes it's true that Barcelona are the favourite since they have a lot of rich history in the competition, added with their level, but this Newcastle team has proven to be capable of winning most top teams that comes their way in the uefa champions league, so Barcelona will be doing themselves a bad thing by looking down on this Newcastle team because they might be shocked if they ever approach this game with complacency.
Though Barcelona's form has greatly improved recently, but it guarantees nothing because this is the uefa champions league where anything can happen if they are not in their best form on the day.

Even if I do not underestimate any team, what will you have to say as you view about the recent unimpressive performance of Newcastle United, lets put every other things aside, I understand that English premier League teams do not give up easily in the UEFA champions League but as football enthusiast what will be your advice to bettors in this regard, be sincere will you advice anyone to bet on Newcastle on a straight in a match that involves them with Barcelona at this critical time, I call it critical time because Barcelona at this point will not take it easy on them especially when they know how weak they are at the present times, i wil not shy away from the reality that football is full of uncertainties but I want to know your sincere opinion about this match in particular.

[Not your key not your BTC]

They looked for another striker as soon as Xabi Alonso arrived at the team and signed Gonzalo Garcia, who in the World Cup games seemed like he would be a great help to the team, but as soon as La Liga started, he simply didn't produce the same good results that Mbappé produced.

Gonzalo Garcia was only prepared as a backup striker because it was impossible for him to replace Mbappé as the main striker, given that Mbappé's quality is superior to his, and Mbappé is a star player with an extraordinary reputation. It's reasonable that Gonzalo Garcia hasn't been able to perform as expected in La Liga due to his lack of playing time.

[Pandu Geddon]

Let's just see how they will develop and improve their performance. We know they are not in their best condition. But they have not lost hope. Today, Madrid will face Celta before preparing to face the first leg of the Champions League against Man City. A tough opponent that will definitely require the best tactics to beat them. I'm not thinking too much about this match; a draw comes to mind. Or Madrid could possibly lose by one goal.

Real Madrid is the best team ever and all the players dream of playing there one day, history is made there and it is written year after year, but this one in particular, despite being full of champions like Mbappe and others, does not seem to me to be particularly prolific, it makes me think that it is no longer the Real Madrid of the past.

Yes, the situation of the Madrid team has clearly changed. The coach has changed and the players have also changed. But Madrid is still a big team; they are still considered for major European competitions like the Champions League. Although we know that right now, many will favor other teams more because of Madrid's declining performance. Regardless of how they are now, Madrid is still Madrid. They are a big team.

[Localhostspeed]

The club wouldn't have let Endrick leave on loan to Lyon. That young lad would have been a good option since Mbappe is injured. Now he is doing just fine in the French League and I know that Real Madrid will want him to return at the end of the season.

In the case of Gonzalo Garcia, he has not been given enough playing time to showcase his potentials. The club seems to be relying solely on Mbappe that other players don't have the time to play. Gonzalo needs more time to improve.

You can't be serious 

Endrick was a striker to Real Madrid but not a good replacement for Mbape, not even a reserved player. I will pick Rodrigo to play Mbape position than for Endrick to be the second guy. Although, the guy is a potential, other players that are doing well today like Vinicious all had heir place in Real Madrid, he would have been better but there is no time for such display of show off and it's better off for him to go for loan than to remain unused in Real Madrid.

There is no any way Real Madrid us getting out of Manchester City claws though, there is something they do call luck but I mean just because you played and win a jack pot one time doesn't mean it will keep happening all the time. There is no way Real Madrid will beat Manchester City in this time of the day even if they had a rough sketch in their domestic league. It's not possible and at the serious scenario they can't win the League, this is sad truth we all must accept.

[Luzin]

Regardless of how they are now, Madrid is still Madrid. They are a big team.

A big team that is sick. Their management does not seem to be very good this season. They made some decisions that may have been wrong and resulted in the Madrid squad not being in good condition, many storms of injuries. Perhaps the rumors that have existed about the nutritionist who demanded the management of Madrid are true. So we can see the current condition of many Madrid players who have been injured. But indeed the news is no longer visible at this time. Indeed, the condition of madrid is still in a reasonable condition not experiencing a great decline, only they may not have any achievements this year. Perhaps for the supporters this is unusual.

[Lida93]

With the number of injuries they have right now coupled with recent poor performances, am a bit worried about how they would cope against Manchester city, Manchester city seem to be in a very good form far more better than Real Madrid but Real Madrid is a traditional champions League side and I believe they would fight dirty against the English side in this fixture but their chances of qualification is what I can't really predict due to their recent decline in performance lately.

This is exactly how Manchester city is in better form than real madrid. We know that Madrid is not in good form. We have not seen a very good performance from them in the last 4/5  matches. Even if they were able  to secure a win in any match, they had  to fight hard to win. More importantly, Mbappe will not be in this match due to injury. Mbappe  is the highest scorer in the champions league so far. And he is the most important player for Madrid. Without Mbappe, it will definitely be difficult for real madrid to resist a strong team like city.

Aside from being the highest goal scorer in the UCL this season, Mbappe also happens to be the most influential figure in the Real Madrid squad and his presence has been very significant and decisive for Real Madrid in almost all his appearances for the club this season.
Apparently it seems as if Real Madrid would have to face Manchester City without Mbappe which I think would be very uncomfortable considering the lack of good form from the Spanish club.

[Republikcoin.com]

Gonzalo Garcia was only prepared as a backup striker because it was impossible for him to replace Mbappé as the main striker, given that Mbappé's quality is superior to his, and Mbappé is a star player with an extraordinary reputation. It's reasonable that Gonzalo Garcia hasn't been able to perform as expected in La Liga due to his lack of playing time.

And for now, it seems Gonzalo Garcia will get more playing time because Mbappé is injured. Gonzalo Garcia must make the most of his playing time so that the coach will pay more attention to him, even if he doesn't directly replace Mbappé in Real Madrid's attack. Furthermore, in the Champions League, Real Madrid must perform better because the opponents they will face in this competition are quite tough, as Manchester City has been relatively consistent in terms of their performances so far.

[paco92x]

Facing Manchester City directly in the knockout stages is quite stressful for Real Madrid in their current form. Because I see many Real Madrid players still recovering from injuries, the level of difficulty Real Madrid will face will be very real in this season's Champions League knockout stages. But Manchester City must also be more serious in facing any opponent, because in the Champions League, it's highly discouraged to underestimate any opponent, regardless of their condition, if you want to survive to the next round.

Real didn't have any luck in the draw, and I think this is a little more than they can bite off. City at the moment is a lot better team than Real, both mentally and in terms of form. Maybe they can manage to escape with a draw at home, but in the away game they will fall and the season will end for them there. La Liga is in Barca's hands, and I also don't see them as a trophy-lifting team there.

[Frankolala]

Probably because of these victories they thought they could winning anyway, so instead of buying actual Real Madrid players they began buying too many youngster. This is a mistake, luck has nothing to do with what is happening to Real Madrid.

I don't think buying youngsters is what caused Madrid's problem. They don't have any youngster who is an undisputed starter in their team. They don't have any youngerster who doesn't have somebody older playing that same position.

Madrid's problem, in my opinio,n was not replacing their outgoing players accordingly. When Casimiro, Kroos and Modric startedshowing signs of decline, they bought Bellingham, Camavinga and Tchouaméni to join Valverde. Look at these 4 midfielders; none of them can do the job of Kroo,s and none can do the job of Modric. But because they won the UCL with these players, they thought they could lead their midfield, forgetting that both Modric and Kroos were still in the team with these players.

Personally, I think Real Madrid problem was sacking Ancelotti without considering if Xabi will meet up to their expectations. I believe that assuming Ancelotti is still their coach, they wouldn't be having an unbalanced performance till this time. It's a norm for injury to ravish a team when they have limited players on the bench. It was Ancelotti that converted Mbappe into a finisher. He understands these players already and knows how to work with them to get the best results.

[$weetne$$]

In the round of 16,, Barcelona will face Newcastle. I think it won't be too difficult for Barcelona to win. Even though Newcastle's performance in the Champions League is quite good, compared to Barcelona,  I think Barcelona will clearly be superior in this match. But perhaps what will make Barcelona have to play better in this first leg is because the match will be played at Newcastle's home ground,, which will certainly make Newcastle's players play a little better.

On paper, Barce should be winning this game, but judging by what premier league teams has done in the UCL this season, we should rather be prepared to watch an exciting game instead. Personally, I think it's going to be a tough one... Like a really tough. If you know Newcastle too well, they're are the aggressive type that played physical football. And a ground like St James Park is not a place to be especially in the first leg. Another positive side for Newcastle is that they had a couple of their plays back from injury. This year's RO16 is going to be full of surprises, but the team that takes more chances are definitely going to advance to the next round.

You are not wrong to say that Barcelona will win this game if we are to judge by their various performances in their various domestic leagues, but again Newcastle do not sleep on home advantage and for them, they make sure to utilise it such that they will want to settle for a draw rather than settle for a loss, so even if Barcelona does look like they are supposed to win here, they should also make sure to put in some extra efforts.

[LUCKMCFLY]

If Real Madrid can sign Haaland, it would be a tremendous achievement. Because after the success of signing Mbappé, the Haaland transfer would be their biggest success. In my opinion, he is currently the best striker in the world. He would be a perfect fit for Real Madrid.

I think it's not just about success anymore, but rather a wise move and a necessity. Now Real Madrid needs the best possible players to lift the team Sometimes they play and don't win, and suddenly the whole system Arbeloa proposes collapses in an impressive way So, in light of this, if Haaland comes in with Mbappe's help, they would have a great attack,They'll need a good midfielder (because they don't have one). They let Kroos and Modric go, there's no one good now, but it would be simpler.

[Derekfunds]

Facing Manchester City directly in the knockout stages is quite stressful for Real Madrid in their current form. Because I see many Real Madrid players still recovering from injuries, the level of difficulty Real Madrid will face will be very real in this season's Champions League knockout stages. But Manchester City must also be more serious in facing any opponent, because in the Champions League, it's highly discouraged to underestimate any opponent, regardless of their condition, if you want to survive to the next round.

Real didn't have any luck in the draw, and I think this is a little more than they can bite off. City at the moment is a lot better team than Real, both mentally and in terms of form. Maybe they can manage to escape with a draw at home, but in the away game they will fall and the season will end for them there. La Liga is in Barca's hands, and I also don't see them as a trophy-lifting team there.

It is always easier said than done, I don't know how people view a team because I believe the way I view mine is totally different meaning that I don't really see Manchester city as better than Real Madrid. Real Madrid losing to some under dogs in La Liga doesn't make them not to be good or it doesn't make them weak and one thing we should know about Real Madrid is that in champions league you can not really judge them based on form because they are always strong in the champions league and unless you are super strong you can not defeat them.

[Loyang]

In the round of 16,, Barcelona will face Newcastle. I think it won't be too difficult for Barcelona to win. Even though Newcastle's performance in the Champions League is quite good, compared to Barcelona,  I think Barcelona will clearly be superior in this match. But perhaps what will make Barcelona have to play better in this first leg is because the match will be played at Newcastle's home ground,, which will certainly make Newcastle's players play a little better.

But even so,, I'm quite optimistic that Barcelona can win this match, because this time I'm quite optimistic about Barcelona at the moment. Because their performance can be said to be very good. So, therefore, I hope that Barcelona's players don't get injured, because if Barcelona's main players get injured,, it will definitely be a disaster for Barcelona,  because their performance often declines if any of their main players are injured.

Image source: Google

With your sentiment above, it looks like you are underrating or looking down on this Newcastle team, because they might be poor in the English premier league, but in the uefa champions league, they are a different animal all together.
Yes it's true that Barcelona are the favourite since they have a lot of rich history in the competition, added with their level, but this Newcastle team has proven to be capable of winning most top teams that comes their way in the uefa champions league, so Barcelona will be doing themselves a bad thing by looking down on this Newcastle team because they might be shocked if they ever approach this game with complacency.
Though Barcelona's form has greatly improved recently, but it guarantees nothing because this is the uefa champions league where anything can happen if they are not in their best form on the day.

Even if I do not underestimate any team, what will you have to say as you view about the recent unimpressive performance of Newcastle United, lets put every other things aside, I understand that English premier League teams do not give up easily in the UEFA champions League but as football enthusiast what will be your advice to bettors in this regard, be sincere will you advice anyone to bet on Newcastle on a straight in a match that involves them with Barcelona at this critical time, I call it critical time because Barcelona at this point will not take it easy on them especially when they know how weak they are at the present times, i wil not shy away from the reality that football is full of uncertainties but I want to know your sincere opinion about this match in particular.

Yes, it is true that all the teams in the English Premier League are performing very well in the UCL but we should not forget another thing that is the game between Barcelona and Newcastle. Barcelona is not a small team at all and Barcelona is in such a strong position that they are in the first place of a league like LaLiga. If we were to consider this match with any other team then we would have criticized a lot about it. But what we are suspecting about such a team is not at all in the midst of this criticism. Barcelona is a very good team and is performing much better than Newcastle in the UCL and if we look at the last few matches then we can see that Barcelona has been consistently passing positions in the last few matches in the UCL.

If someone tells me which team to bet on, I will say without thinking that I will bet on Barcelona. Barcelona has a much higher chance of winning this match.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Real Madrid’s problems are escalating every day, and to me, I don’t think they will find a better solution this season anymore. Just take a look at their performances, they don’t seem to be the Real Madrid that we all knew. They are just playing something different. Still, injuries are affecting them, and they lack coordination, which Arbeloa can’t manage. To me, I will even say Xavi was better than him.

You're right, you can't defend the indefensible. They won the last match, and it was a hard-fought one. I think the players need a lot more desire they must have a lot of problems in the locker room. The situation must be difficult. Now Arbeloa is relying on the youth academy because they're easier to manage than the professionals. He's not doing badly, but I don't think it's the time to experiment. There are a lot of injuries, but even so, if you're playing for Real Madrid, you have to leave everything on the pitch, giving it your all.