The UEFA Champions League (2022/23)

[James]

One of the top club competitions in world football, if not the best of the lot is up & running again.

Please add all CL chat, news, results and views for the season here.

 

[James]

This week’s CL qualifier first leg scores:

 

[James]

Champions League qualifying results:

 

[James]

<b>Rangers roared into the Champions League play-offs after they overcame Union Saint-Gilloise and a two-goal first-leg defeat in a rousing showing.</b>

The hosts had it all to do after losing in Belgium, but goals from James Tavernier, Antonio Colak and Malik Tillman gave Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side a spirited victory at Ibrox.

While blunt in the first leg, Rangers were by far the better team in Glasgow against a Union side who had Lazare Amani sent off late on.

Tavernier's penalty and Colak's close-range header set up a tense finale, before Tillman's fantastic 79th-minute header put Rangers ahead in the tie for the very first time.

They will now face either PSV Eindhoven or Monaco in the play-offs as they bid to return to the group stage for the first time since 2010.

It is the first time Rangers have ever overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit to progress in Europe.

 

[James]

Chelsea are preparing a third bid for Wesley Fofana, although they have other central-defensive targets they are considering should that approach fail.

Chelsea have already seen two offers for the 21-year-old rejected, with Sky Sports News told neither was close to Leicester's valuation of the player.

Leicester do not want to sell Fofana and are confident of keeping him after he signed an extended contract in March which runs for another five years. That resolve is likely to be tested by Chelsea later this week.

SKY

 

[MenInG]

Rangers' hopes of ending their 12-year absence from the Champions League group stage are on a knife-edge after an enthralling draw with PSV Eindhoven.

The Ibrox side fell behind to Ibrahim Sangare's thumping finish, only to hit back swiftly with Antonio Colak's well-crafted equaliser.

Goalkeeper Walter Benitez's howler, spilling a Tom Lawrence free-kick, gifted the hosts a second-half lead.

But they were denied a comeback win by Armando Obispo's 78th-minute header.

Slick PSV then almost snatched victory in a breathless contest, with Jon McLaughlin making a sprawling save from Philipp Max.

The sides meet again in the play-off second leg next Wednesday in Eindhoven to decide who progresses to the lucrative group stage.

Rangers had fed off the intensity of a febrile Ibrox to burn past Union St-Gilloise in the previous round, overcoming a two-goal first-leg deficit for the first time in their history, but talent-laden PSV were a serious step up in quality.

They had Rangers on the ropes for much of the second half as Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side struggled to match the electric home performances of last season's run to the Europa League final.

It's the Champions League top table where Rangers now long to be and they travel to the Netherlands with their dream very much intact having posed PSV's vulnerable defence problems.

Ruud van Nistelrooy - a long-time friend and former Netherlands team-mate of Van Bronckhorst - has begun his managerial career with his PSV team delivering a glut of goals this season.

They wasted little time in showing their threat as Luku de Jong slipped between static defenders to clip a lovely delivery from Ismael Saibari narrowly over. The offside flag had been raised, yet the warning was clear.

Malik Tillman, deployed just off lone striker Colak, tried to get Rangers going, sending a drive skidding straight at Benitez then jinking towards the six-yard box before a heavy touch spoiled his build-up work.

Rangers were screaming for a penalty moments later but their appeals yielded nothing further than a VAR check after Connor Goldson's header hit the outstretched upper arm of Jordan Teze.

PSV continued to look a menace on the counter-attack and after Rangers survived a let-off at a corner, with Tillman slicing an attempted clearance into McLaughlin's arms, the Dutch made their next one count.

The impressive Cody Gakpo's delivery wasn't dealt with by Rangers and when Teze got a toe to the loose ball to tee up Sangare, the midfielder applied a thumping finish.

Rangers' response was rapid and emphatic. Steven Davis' splendid pass sprung James Tavernier down the right and the full-back's cutback was expertly swept first time into the far corner by Colak for the striker's fourth goal in four games.

The goal galvanised Rangers and Tavernier sent a header into Benitez's arms then Colak had a near-post effort parried away by Benitez.

The momentum was soon punctured, though, as PSV began to assert dominance. Ibrox held its collective breath when a simple move cut the hosts open. De Jong's flick-on from a long ball was seized upon by Saibari, whose poked shot ruffled the side-netting on its way past.

Saibari was in the thick of things, rifling a shot too high before darting into the box and forcing a low stop from McLaughlin.

Rangers were hanging in there, and their grit was rewarded with a goal out of nowhere. There looked little danger when Lawrence's free-kick from 30 yards out bobbled towards Benitez, only for the keeper to inexplicably let the ball wriggle out of his grasp and trickle over the line.

PSV did not let the howler prey on their minds, and struck back when Obispo rose to meet a corner and divert his header in off the bar.

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

17th August

 

[MenInG]

The Champions League draw takes place on Thursday at 17:00 BST in Istanbul - so what do you need to know?

The group stage will be played over nine midweeks this season to fit in the World Cup.

So who is in it, who is going to win it, how does it work and how has the Russian invasion of Ukraine affected things?

How does the draw work?

The Champions League takes the same format as always, with four English teams - Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham - going straight into the group stage. Celtic are also in the group stage.

The eight top seeds are the champions of each of Europe's top leagues plus the Europa League winners - Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Manchester City, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Porto and Ajax.

The other pots will not be decided until Wednesday's final three qualifiers between PSV and Rangers, Dinamo Zagreb and Bodo/Glimt, and Trabzonspor and Copenhagen.

The following teams have already qualified...

England: Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham

Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla

Italy: Inter, Juventus, Milan, Napoli

Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, Leipzig, Leverkusen

France: Marseille, Paris St-Germain

Portugal: Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica

Netherlands: Ajax

Belgium: Club Bruges

Austria: Salzburg

Scotland: Celtic

Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk

Czech Republic: Viktoria Plzen

Israel: Maccabi Haifa

Uefa has to fit the Champions League group stage into a smaller period of time because of the Qatar World Cup.

The group stage starts on 6 September and runs to 2 November - a period of nine weeks (compared to 12 weeks normally).

Usually it runs until the second week of December - but the World Cup kicks off on 20 November.

There will only be three weeks without Champions League games between the groups starting and ending. Two of those land during the September international break - and the other in mid-October has a full round of midweek Premier League games.

The knockout stages will be later than usual. The last-16 ties will be played over a month from 14 February to 15 March. The quarter-finals are in April and the semis in May.

The final is at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium on 10 June 2023.

It was initially meant to be the venue for the 2020 final, and then the 2021 showpiece, but both finals were moved to Portugal because of Covid restrictions.

Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski have both left Germany this summer - for Manchester City and Barcelona respectively
Several of the Champions League's top goalscorers of recent years have been on the move this summer.

Robert Lewandowski, the third top scorer in the tournament's history with 86, has moved from Bayern Munich to Barcelona.

Sadio Mane, who netted 10 Champions League goals in 2017-18, has in effect replaced him after making the move from Liverpool.

Darwin Nunez, who scored six goals last season, has in turn moved from Benfica to replace Mane at Anfield.

Erling Haaland, who won the Champions League golden boot in 2020-21, has joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund. He has scored 23 goals in only 19 games in the tournament.

Sebastien Haller, last season's third top scorer with 11 goals with Ajax, took Haaland's place at Dortmund - although is undergoing chemotherapy for a testicular tumour and will be out for a few months.

Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is in the top 10 Champions League scorers ever, is back in the tournament for the first time since 2017 with AC Milan.

Despite the view that the Premier League is currently the top league in the world, only two of the previous 10 Champions Leagues have been won by English teams.

On both occasions they were all-English finals, with Liverpool beating Tottenham in 2019 and Chelsea defeating Manchester City in 2021.

Liverpool have lost two of the past five finals to Real Madrid, including last season at the Stade de France.

Manchester City will hope the addition of Haaland, who averages a Champions League goal every 64 minutes, will get them over the line this season.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are hoping for a fourth final in six years, while Chelsea are bidding to become only the third English team (after Liverpool and Manchester United) to win three European Cups.

Tottenham, finalists in 2019, were guided back into the Champions League last season by Antonio Conte and will hope that the Italian - winner of one Premier League and four Serie A titles as a manager - can lead them to silverware.

There will be no Russian teams in this season's Champions League as part of the Uefa punishment because of the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk will play their group games at Legia Warsaw's Stadion Wojska Polskiego in Poland, almost 1,000 miles from Donetsk.

That will be Shakhtar's fourth different Champions League home ground away from their city since Donetsk was captured by pro-Russian separatists in 2014.

Dynamo Kyiv, who lost to Benfica in the play-offs, also played their qualifiers in Poland, at the LKS Municipal Stadium in Lodz.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

 

[Firebat]

Rangers will play at European football's top table for the first time in more than a decade after stunning PSV Eindhoven to reach the Champions League group stage.

 

[MenInG]

Rangers will play at European football's top table for the first time in more than a decade after stunning PSV Eindhoven to reach the Champions League group stage.

The decisive moment of an absorbing tie finally came on the hour, when Malik Tillman intercepted a PSV pass out from defence and squared for Antonio Colak to find an empty net from six yards.

The Philips Stadion went almost silent and the home side could find no response in the final half hour despite a flurry of chances.

Rangers can now look forward to drawing some of the continent's biggest names in Thursday's draw, where they join rivals Celtic in pot four as the pair play in the group stage in the same season for the first time since 2007/08.

Also vital will be the minimum £25m windfall which will now come their way as the Ibrox side complete the turnaround from playing in Scotland's third division 10 years ago to the Champions League.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

Full draw

Group A: Liverpool, Ajax, Napoli, Rangers

Group B: Atletico Madrid, Porto, Bayer Leverkusen, Bruges

Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Pizen

Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Spurs, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille

Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb

Group F: Leipzig, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic

Group G: Man City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen

Group H: PSG, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa

 

[James]

Full draw

Group A: Liverpool, Ajax, Napoli, Rangers

Group B: Atletico Madrid, Porto, Bayer Leverkusen, Bruges

Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Pizen

Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Spurs, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille

Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb

Group F: Leipzig, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic

Group G: Man City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen

Group H: PSG, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa

Some absolutely brilliant groups as ever! A and C in particular. It’s going to be midweek drama throughout the season.

 

[Firebat]

The Champions League has been on an amazing streak the past few years of consistently delivering the highest-quality football, drama and entertainment. Really hope that this year will be no different.

 

[MenInG]

Champions League fixtures (all times BST)

6 Sep - 17:45 Dinamo Zagreb v Chelsea

6 Sep - 20:00 Celtic v Real Madrid

6 Sep - 20:00 Sevilla v Manchester City

7 Sep - 17:45 Ajax v Rangers

7 Sep - 20:00 Napoli v Liverpool

7 Sep - 20:00 Tottenham Hotspur v Marseille

13 Sep - 17:45 Sporting v Tottenham Hotspur

13 Sep - 20:00 Liverpool v Ajax

13 Sep - 20:00 Rangers v Napoli

14 Sep - 17:45 Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic

14 Sep - 20:00 Chelsea v Salzburg

14 Sep - 20:00 Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund

4 Oct - 20:00 Liverpool v Rangers FC

4 Oct - 20:00 Eintracht Frankfurt v Tottenham Hotspur

5 Oct - 17:45 RB Leipzig v Celtic

5 Oct - 20:00 Chelsea v AC Milan

5 Oct - 20:00 Manchester City v FC Copenhagen

11 Oct - 17:45 FC Copenhagen v Manchester City

11 Oct - 20:00 AC Milan v Chelsea

11 Oct - 20:00 Celtic v RB Leipzig

12 Oct - 20:00 Rangers v Liverpool

12 Oct - 20:00 Tottenham Hotspur v Eintracht Frankfurt

25 Oct - 17:45 Salzburg v Chelsea

25 Oct - 20:00 Celtic v Shakhtar Donetsk

25 Oct - 20:00 Borussia Dortmund v Manchester City

26 Oct - 20:00 Napoli v Rangers

26 Oct - 20:00 Ajax v Liverpool

26 Oct - 20:00 Tottenham Hotspur v Sporting

1 Nov - 20:00 Liverpool v Napoli

1 Nov - 20:00 Rangers v Ajax

1 Nov - 20:00 Marseille v Tottenham Hotspur

2 Nov - 18:45 Real Madrid - Celtic

2 Nov - 20:00 Chelsea - Dinamo Zagreb

2 Nov - 20:00 Manchester City v Sevilla

 

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[MenInG]

 

[KingKhanWC]

Amazing performance by Shaktar. Russian clubs may be banned but this is a Russian town.

Haaland scores again.

Would of loved to be Celtic Park tonight, great atmosphere!

 

[PakLFC]

Chelsea lose despite spending so much money. Holders Real Madrid humble Celtic as expected very easily. I see Man City in the final again this season. Haaland again at the party in Seville with a brace.

 

[Saj]

Tonight's results

 

[Firebat]

Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign by thrashing a dismal Sevilla side 4-0.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris St-Germain began their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Juventus.

Two-time winners Chelsea began their Champions League campaign with a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.

Shakhtar Donetsk, the first Ukrainian side to compete in the Champions League since their country was invaded by Russia, secured a memorable 4-1 victory against German Cup winners RB Leipzig.

Celtic were ultimately outclassed by holders Real Madrid in their Champions League opener, despite a lively and encouraging start in Glasgow.

 

[James]

<b>Ajax 4-0 Rangers

Rangers' celebrated Champions League return descended into disaster as ruthless Ajax ran riot in Amsterdam.</b>

A nightmare first half obliterated hopes of a maiden win in the Dutch capital to mark the end of a 12-year absence from Europe's top tournament.

Instead, the Europa League runners-up were outclassed thanks to goals from Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis, Mohammed Kudus and Steven Bergwijn.

Borna Barisic's second-half strike was ruled out by VAR to top a grim night.

The defeat is Rangers' second 4-0 defeat in the space of a week after their Old Firm slump at Celtic Park on Saturday.

On the eve of battle, manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst did not flinch. The Dutchman fielded questions about potentially changing elements of his team after Saturday's Celtic drubbing. Most notably goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin.

"You keep trusting your players and give them confidence because in the past we have bounced back from heavy defeats and that's what we have to do tomorrow as well."

But given that fewer than 24 hours later his team were 3-0 down at the break and his captain had been substituted, Van Bronckhorst could be forgiven for revaluating the situation.

Even after making it to the Europa League final, graduating to the Champions League was always going to be a step up. Early on, Rangers were defensive but compact, tentative but tight enough. Then the floodgates opened on a torrid night.

Just moments after a reticent Ryan Kent ducked out of a great counter attack opportunity, the ball was in the Rangers net. A corner should have been dealt with. Instead Alvarez made a two-step move to evade a sleeping James Sands and head in.

The waves of red and white attacks kept crashing against an increasingly nervous and sluggish Rangers defence. Devyne Rensch had one effort saved and watched another fly wide, before the second goal arrived just after the half hour.

Berghuis found room on the edge of the Rangers box to shape up a shot. His effort looked as if it was going to be dealt with by the diving McLaughlin, only for a heavy Sands deflection to divert it away from the goalkeeper.

Ajax's F-Side Ultras in the stands were still in full party mode when Kudus crashed in the third, but it was oh so easy.

His close control and spin caught James Tavernier napping, with the Rangers captain failing to make a convincing job of stopping the Ghanaian galloping forward and skelping a thunderous shot across McLaughlin and in off the upright.

Van Bronckhorst made three substitutes at half-time, including removing Tavernier, but it took until 20 minutes before the end before Rangers mustered much of a reaction.

Kent's cutback for Barisic opened the defender up to arc a sumptuous strike into the far corner, but after a lengthy VAR check, it was clear Kent was a good few yards offside in the build up.

But the night would get even worse, Bergwijn pouncing on an ropey Ryan Jack back pass to round McLaughlin and finish.

It is easy to point at Rangers' static defending. As it is to heap praise on a patient Ajax who tied their opponents in knots with intricate triangles, off the ball running and more dropped shoulders than you could shake a stick at.

But the mantra 'defending starts from the front' springs to mind. And Rangers simply weren't at it. Antonio Colak, the Ibrox side's focal point up front, barely touched the ball. Malik Tillman tried but got little support before his removal at the break.

Kent cut a frustrated figure on the left and it's clear to see why with just one goal this calendar year. There were brief flashes late on, but Rangers need more from him.

This team have proven they can dazzle in Europe against clubs of this calibre, and Van Bronckhorst spoke about no knee-jerk reactions pre-match. But with back-to-back 4-0 defeats, a reaction is needed quickly to justify the trust he's put in his team.

BBC

 

[Firebat]

Liverpool were thrashed 4-1 by Napoli in their first Champions League Group A game on a night to forget in Italy.

Robert Lewandowski warmed up for next week's meeting with former club Bayern Munich by scoring a magnificent hat-trick in Barcelona's crushing 5-1 Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen.

Richarlison's first goals for Tottenham broke Marseille's stubborn resistance as Antonio Conte's side made a winning return to the Champions League.

Bayern Munich got their Champions League campaign off to a good start as Leroy Sane inspired the German champions to a 2-0 victory in their opening Group C game at Inter Milan.

 

[MenInG]

Today's schedule

 

[MenInG]

Sporting Lisbon 0-0 Tottenham

 

[MenInG]

HALF-TIME
Sporting Lisbon 0-0 Tottenham

Marcus Edwards did his very best to give us something to rave about at the break.

As it is, it remains goalless in what has been largely a cagey contest.

 

[MenInG]

FT - Sporting Lisbon 2-0 Tottenham

 

[James]

Good away performance by Tottenham until injury time, then they blew it at the end.

 

[James]

 

[James]

Missed chances by Robert Lewandowski on his return to Bayern Munich proved costly as his Barcelona side lost in Germany.

Outplayed in the first half, Bayern blew their Spanish opponents away after the break with goals from Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane.

Hernandez headed in at the near post after 50 minutes, before Sane clipped home to seal the win shortly after.

Lewandowski spurned a number of clear openings in an entertaining match.

BBC

 

[KingKhanWC]

What an atmosphere , what a game!

Ajax are a great side, huge 3 points

 

[MenInG]

 

[Firebat]

Erling Haaland's magnificent strike capped a dramatic Manchester City comeback and condemned former club Borussia Dortmund to a painful 2-1 Champions League defeat at Etihad Stadium.

Real Madrid needed two late goals to beat Leipzig 2-0 as boss Carlo Ancelotti became the second manager to win 100 Champions League games.

Graham Potter began his Chelsea reign with a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg, leaving his side with an uphill task to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.

Ten-man Rangers fell to their third consecutive heavy defeat without scoring despite a more encouraging performance against Napoli on a dramatic night in the Champions League.

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe all scored as Paris St-Germain survived a scare to beat Maccabi Haifa 3-1.

Juventus were beaten at home 2-1 by Benfica in the Champions League to heap more pressure on boss Massimiliano Allegri.

Celtic endured a frustrating night in Warsaw as a resolute Shakhtar Donetsk side held them in a Champions League 1-1 draw.

 

[MenInG]

 

[James]

Tonight’s scores.

 

[PakLFC]

Finally we get a good win against a poor side. Had it not been for the Rangers keeper we would have hammered Rangers. We need Nunez to score a few goals for the sake of confidence.

 

[James]

Champion’s League group tables after Matchday 2.

 

[Firebat]

Liverpool cruised to a confidence-building victory in the Champions League as Rangers were comfortably dismissed 2-0 at Anfield.

Xavi said his Barcelona side suffered "a real injustice" after a 1-0 loss at Inter Milan left them in danger of a second successive group-stage elimination in the Champions League.

Napoli came from behind to demolish Ajax 6-1 in the Champions League and continue their sensational start to the season.

Antonio Conte was pleased to see his side creating chances against Eintracht Frankfurt but accepts they need to become more clinical after they were held to a goalless draw in the Champions League Group D game.

Club Bruges took a big step towards a place in the Champions League knockout stages as they beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 to claim nine points from three games.

Bayern Munich continued their perfect start to Champions League Group C with a routine 5-0 win over Czech side Viktoria Plzen.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Judging by how the Champions league is going so far there could be a few tricky Teams dropping into Europa league to Join Arsenal (we should get there) in later stages (possible - things can obviously change)

Ajax/rangers
Porto/leverkusen/Athletico Madrid
Inter / Barca
Spurs / Frankurt
Chelsea
Celtic / Leipzig
Sevilla
Juve

Might end up one of strongest later stage line ups in europa for a while.

 

[Firebat]

Tonight's results:



Updated standings for Groups E-H:

 

[Firebat]

Erling Haaland continued his incredible scoring form with two more goals as Manchester City swept Copenhagen aside 5-0 to make it three wins out of three in Champions League Group G.

Chelsea's Champions League campaign kicked into gear with an emphatic and fully deserved 3-0 win over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge.

A superb Lionel Messi goal was cancelled out as Paris St-Germain and Benfica maintained their unbeaten Champions League records in an entertaining 1-1 draw in Portugal.

Real Madrid made it three wins from three in this season's Champions League with a narrow 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Santiago Bernabeu.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham scored one and set up another as Borussia Dortmund eased past Sevilla 4-1 to tighten their grip on second place in Champions League Group G.

Celtic's hopes of progressing in the Champions League were dented after RB Leipzig eventually triumphed 3-1 in a frantic and entertaining contest.

 

[MenInG]

 

[Firebat]

Today's scores:

 

[Firebat]

Chelsea enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 victory at AC Milan after former Blues defender Fikayo Tomori received an early red card.

Ten-man Manchester City missed a penalty and had a goal ruled out in a VAR-dominated goalless draw at Copenhagen, but still reached the last 16 of the Champions League.

Celtic's hopes of Champions League progress are over after their profligacy was punished in a frustrating 2-0 home defeat by RB Leipzig.

Paris St-Germain missed a chance to secure qualification for the Champions League last 16 as they drew 1-1 at home with Benfica.

Antonio Rudiger's brave late header earned Real Madrid a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk and took last year's winners into the Champions League last 16.

Juventus face a tough task if they are to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League after suffering a shock 2-0 loss away to Maccabi Haifa.

 

[MenInG]

KICK-OFF
Rangers 0-0 Liverpool

points so far

 

[James]

Tonight’s half time scores — Tottenham winning convincingly and Rangers doing well against Liverpool:

 

[James]

2-1 LFC
Firmino scores once again!

 

[James]

So erm… it’s 7-1 to Liverpool now.

Woah!

 

[James]

Full time scores!

It’s been raining goals!

 

[Waleed93]

Barcelona on their way to another Europa League spot.

Great to see that joke of a club in this mess.

 

[Firebat]

Barcelona are on the brink of a group-stage Champions League exit for the second successive season after being held to a 3-3 draw by Inter Milan in a breathless and high-octane game at the Nou Camp.

Mohamed Salah came off the bench to score an incredible six-minute hat-trick as Liverpool obliterated Rangers 7-1 in the Champions League.

Son Heung-min scored twice as Tottenham beat 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 to move top of Champions League Group D.

Free-scoring Napoli moved into the knockout stages of the Champions League with an entertaining 4-2 win over Ajax.

Bayern Munich progressed to the Champions League knockout stage for the 15th successive season with a 4-2 victory at Viktoria Plzen in Group C.

Club Bruges reached the Champions League knockout stage for the first time with a 0-0 draw at Atletico Madrid.

 

[Firebat]

The group tables after Matchweek 4:

 

[Firebat]

The 8 UCL teams currently in 3rd place:

Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, AC Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla, Juventus.

Should it stay that way and they drop down to the Europa League to join the likes of Arsenal, Man United, Roma, Monaco then it could be the most entertaining Europa League season ever...

 

[PakLFC]

Great to see Barca getting humiliated. For years they have been taking the best players of other clubs by force or using underhand tactics like tapping them. Over the years we have given them or were forced to give them Couts, Suarez and Mascherano. They would probably come after Salah iif they had the money.

As for my Liverpool we smashed Rangers tonight as if there is no tomorrow. The boys looked angry and hungry after a few poor results. The front three were brilliant and even the defence looked decent for a change. Although the league is gone we can still get the top four for sure especially if we bring in some class in January. Those fans criticizing Jurgen Klopp even wanting him out are nuts. As Bill Shankly once said "If you can't support us when we lose, don't support us when we win".

 

[MenInG]

 

[Firebat]

Final scores:



Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both scored two goals as Paris St-Germain thrashed Maccabi Haifa 7-2 to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

Graham Potter says his Chelsea players have produced a "fantastic effort" after bouncing back from defeat in their opening game to advance to the last 16 of the Champions League as group winners with one game to spare.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits they have a "problem" with penalties as they sealed top spot in their Champions League group with a 0-0 draw at Borussia Dortmund despite Riyad Mahrez failing from the spot.

European champions Real Madrid suffered a first defeat of the season as RB Leipzig strengthened their hopes of making the Champions League last 16.

A wonder strike from Shakhtar Donetsk's precocious forward Mykhaylo Mudryk denied Celtic a first Champions League win this term and ended their hopes of European football after Christmas.

 

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[MenInG]

 

[Amjid Javed]

Only 2 Argentinian players have scored 4 goals in their first 4 matches in Champions League:

- Giovanni Simeone
- Diego Simeone.

Keeping it in the family

 

[James]

Liverpool hammering Ajax in Amsterdam.

Rangers losing again.

 

[James]

<b>Inter Milan secured their place in the Champions League knockout stage and sent Barcelona into the Europa League with victory against Viktoria Plzen.</b>

Substitute Romelu Lukaku marked his return from injury with a late goal as Inter comfortably secured the win they needed to reach the last 16.

Edin Dzeko scored twice after Henrikh Mkhitaryan's opener.

Inter's final opponents Bayern Munich will secure top spot in Group C if they beat Barcelona later on Wednesday.

Barcelona, who host Bayern at 20:00 BST, are guaranteed to finish third and compete in Europe's second-tier competition for the second successive season.

Simone Inzaghi's Inter, who kept their fate in their own hands with a 3-3 draw at Barcelona a fortnight ago, are two points behind Bayern after taking 10 points from five games.

With Inzaghi serving a touchline ban, Federico Dimarco was denied at close range by Plzen goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek as Inter dominated from the start at the San Siro.

Midfielder Mkhitaryan headed in Alessandro Bastoni's cross from the left as Inter broke the deadlock with their 10th attempt after 35 minutes.

Dzeko slotted in from Dimarco's pass to double the lead over the Czech champions before the interval.

Mkhitaryan struck the post 10 minutes into the second half, but Dzeko's second from a Lautaro Martinez assist put the result beyond doubt.

Lukaku added a fourth within four minutes of coming off the bench in his first appearance since August because of a hamstring injury.

BBC

 

[James]

Barcelona out of the Champions League.

How are they now going to afford to pay for all those players who they recently “bought” (with loans and bonds / in instalments) ?

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Beautiful Tottenham :

 

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Final scores:



Liverpool put their domestic woes behind them by reaching the Champions League knockout stage with a clinical second-half display against Ajax in Amsterdam.

Inter Milan secured their place in the Champions League knockout stage and sent Barcelona into the Europa League with a 4-0 victory against Viktoria Plzen.

Tottenham will need at least a draw in Marseille in their final Champions League group game to secure a place in the knockout phase after being denied victory in a dramatic finale against Sporting Lisbon.

Rangers suffered a fifth consecutive Champions League defeat at the hands of an accomplished Napoli, but escaped without any significant damage to their brittle confidence.

 

[PakLFC]

Easy work for Liverpool taking care of Ajax. We're blowing hot and cold this season. All the big boys are through where as small teams like Rangers, Celtic and now Barcelona have been eliminated

 

[Amjid Javed]

Barcelona out of the Champions League.

How are they now going to afford to pay for all those players who they recently “bought” (with loans and bonds / in instalments) ?

They cant afford them and will have to sell some players in january.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Barca, juve, Athletico, Sevilla (possible), Ajax (possible), Shaktar all dropping into europa league.

 

[MenInG]

 

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Liverpool ended Napoli's flawless Champions League record with a 2-0 victory at Anfield but still had to settle for second place in Group A.

Tottenham went through to the Champions League last 16 as Group D winners after scoring in stoppage time to beat Marseille 2-1 on a dramatic, frantic evening in France.

A harrowing first Champions League campaign in 12 years for Rangers came to a close with the ignominy of a new pointless record for the group phase.

Atletico Madrid were knocked out of Europe altogether following a 2-1 loss to Porto in the Champions League.

 

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The final results of Groups A-D:



Ajax, Leverkusen, Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon drop down to the Europa League.

 

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Results from the final day of the group stage:



Seventeen-year-old Rico Lewis scored on his full Manchester City debut as the Blues came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-1 in their final Champions League group game.

Denis Zakaria scored on his Chelsea debut as the Blues came from behind to round off their successful Champions League Group E campaign with a 2-1 victory against Dinamo Zagreb at Stamford Bridge.

Benfica pipped Paris St-Germain to top spot in Group H on away goals thanks to a late sixth goal at Maccabi Haifa.

Celtic ended a frustrating Champions League campaign in grim fashion as Real Madrid handed out a rough lesson to claim a 5-1 victory and top Group F.

Olivier Giroud scored twice and created another goal as AC Milan beat Red Bull Salzburg 4-0 at the San Siro to progress to the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in eight years.

RB Leipzig secured their place in the last-16 of the Champions League by beating Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0, who drop into the Europa League.

 

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Final standings of Groups E-H.

 

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The 2 pools from which the fixtures for the next stage will be drawn (each seeded team plays an unseeded team):

 

[PakLFC]

No surprises really with the big boys through to the knock out stages. I feel Liverpool will get an English side in the next round that suits me fine. After the World Cup players will return tired with so much more Football to play. They'll need to catch upon so many matches. Real Madrid thrashed Celtic by only 5-1 when i thought the margin would be much greater.

 

[MenInG]

Liverpool have drawn holders Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League in a repeat of last season's final.

Fourteen-time winners Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in last year's final in Paris thanks to a goal from Vinicius Junior in the 59th minute.

Premier League champions Manchester City face German side RB Leipzig, while Tottenham play Italian giants AC Milan.

Chelsea also have German opposition in Borussia Dortmund.

Elsewhere, French champions Paris St-Germain have drawn Bayern Munich.

The last-16 first legs will take place on 14-15 and 21-22 February, with the second legs on 7-8 and 14-15 March.


A historic rivalry meets again

It is the fourth time in six seasons that six-time winners Liverpool have taken on Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Two of those occasions have been in finals, with Real Madrid winning both in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

The Spanish champions also knocked Liverpool out in the quarter-finals in the 2020-21 season.

Jurgen Klopp's side have been in three of the last five European finals, including last season's in Paris, and only AC Milan and Real Madrid have won the competition more times.

The organisation of the Reds' final defeat in Paris was later described as "an abject failure" by European football's ruling body Uefa after fans were robbed and tear-gassed outside the Stade de France and kick-off was delayed by 36 minutes.

More than 480 testimonies by supporters and journalists at the 28 May final were examined by an independent panel, which included Professor Phil Scraton, who previously led a report into the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster.

In the 2018 final, Gareth Bale scored a sensational goal as Real Madrid won their third successive Champions League title with a 3-1 win over Liverpool.

City favourites to win first European crown
Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola
Manchester City reached the semi-finals of the competition last season
English champions City are still yet to win the Champions League but are favourites to go all the way in this season's competition.

They reached the final in 2020-21 but lost 1-0 to Chelsea before being knocked out by Real Madrid in the semi-finals last year, despite being two goals ahead on aggregate going into the 90th minute.

Their last-16 opponents RB Leipzig failed to progress from the group-stages last season and they currently sit sixth in the German Bundesliga table.

Two-time champions Chelsea also lost to Real Madrid last season in the quarter-finals, while opponents Borussia Dortmund have not gone further than the last eight since reaching the 2012-13 final under former boss Klopp.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who captained Borussia Dortmund in their group-stage win over Sevilla, will face several internationals team-mates at Chelsea.

Tottenham, who lost to Liverpool in the 2018-19 final in Madrid, will take on seven-time European champions AC Milan for the first time in 11 years.

It is a return to Italy for manager Antonio Conte, who managed AC Milan rivals Inter between 2019 and 2021 before joining Spurs.

Paris St-Germain have not lost a competitive game since March and are bidding for a first European crown with stars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe part of the squad.

Italy's Serie A leaders Napoli take on Frankfurt with their only defeat so far this season coming in the final group-stage match against Liverpool.

Portuguese side Benfica, who face Club Bruges, went through as group winners after an injury-time sixth goal over Maccabi Haifa moved them level with Paris St-Germain in all scenarios and they took top spot by scoring more away goals in the group.

Full last-16 draw:

RB Leipzig v Manchester City

Club Bruges v Benfica

Liverpool v Real Madrid

AC Milan v Tottenham

Frankfurt v Napoli

Borussia Dortmund v Chelsea

Inter Milan v Porto

Paris St-Germain v Bayern Munich

 

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The UCL returns tomorrow night!



Kylian Mbappe has returned to training ahead of schedule before Paris St-Germain's Champions League last-16 first-leg tie with Bayern Munich.

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is working on making his players "more resilient under pressure" as he prepares them to face AC Milan in the San Siro on the back of a 4-1 defeat at Leicester.

 

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Kingsley Coman repeated his 2020 Champions League final heroics as Bayern Munich beat Paris St-Germain 1-0 in their last-16 first-leg tie.

Tottenham will have to produce a Champions League comeback after Brahim Diaz gave AC Milan a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the San Siro.

 

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Tomorrow's fixtures:

 

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Karim Adeyemi scored a brilliant solo goal to condemn Chelsea to a 1-0 defeat in their Champions League last-16 first-leg tie at Borussia Dortmund.

Benfica beat Club Bruges 2-0 in Scott Parker's Champions League debut as manager of the Belgian champions.