Champions League Matchday 1

Like every season, I find myself excited and looking forward to the beginning of the group stages of the Champions League. Even in this busy season, Matchday 1 just brings a unique sense of anticipation as European giants take on each other across borders. Here are the six games I am most eager to follow on Matchday 1:

Celtic vs. Real Madrid

PSG vs. Juventus

Salzburg vs. Milan

Inter vs. Bayern Munich

Napoli vs. Liverpool

Tottenham vs. Marseille

Champions League Picks Matchday 4

Wolfsburg vs Salzburg — Home

Malmo vs Chelsea — Away

Bayern vs Benfica — Home

Dynamo Kyiv vs Barca — Away

Atalanta vs United — Home

Villarreal vs Young Boys — Home

Sevilla vs Lille — Home

Juve vs Zenit — Home

City vs Brugge — Home

Leipzig vs PSG — Home

Milan vs Porto — Home

Liverpool vs Atletico — Away

Dortmund vs Ajax — Away

Sporting vs Besiktas — Home

Real vs Shakhtar — Home

Sheriff vs Inter — Away

Last round — 10/16

Season — 22/48

Champions League Picks Matchday 3

Beşiktaş vs Sporting — Away

Ajax vs Dortmund — Home

Brugge vs City — Away

PSG vs Leipzig — Home

Atletico vs Liverpool — Draw

Porto vs Milan — Away

Shakhtar vs Real — Draw

Inter vs Sheriff — Home

Salzburg vs Wolfsburg — Home

Lille vs Sevilla — Draw

Barca vs Dynamo Kyiv — Home

Benfica vs Bayern — Away

United vs Atalanta — Away

Young Boys vs Villarreal — Draw

Zenit vs Juve — Draw

Chelsea vs Malmo — Home

Last round — 7/16

Season — 12/32

Champions League Picks Matchday 2

Shakhtar vs Inter — Away

Real vs Sheriff — Home

Ajax vs Beşiktaş — Home

Dortmund vs Sporting — Home

Milan vs Atletico — Draw

Porto vs Liverpool — Draw

PSG vs City — Away

Leipzig vs Brugge — Home

Atalanta vs Young Boys — Home

United vs Villarreal — Draw

Zenit vs Malmo — Home

Juve vs Chelsea — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Sevilla — Draw

Salzburg vs Lille — Home

Bayern vs Dynamo Kyiv — Home

Benfica vs Barca — Draw

Last round — 5/16

Champions League Picks Matchday 1

Sevilla vs Salzburg — Home

Lille vs Wolfsburg — Draw

Young Boys vs United — Away

Villarreal vs Atalanta — Home

Chelsea vs Zenit — Home

Malmo vs Juve — Draw

Barca vs Bayern — Away

Dynamo Kyiv vs Benfica — Away

Beşiktaş vs Dortmund — Home

Sporting vs Ajax — Draw

Sheriff vs Shakhtar — Draw

Inter vs Real — Home

Atletico vs Porto — Home

Liverpool vs Milan — Draw

Brugge vs PSG — Draw

City vs Leipzig — Home

Champions League Quarterfinal Snap Percentages

The quarterfinals of the Champions League are a few hours away, so I might as well take a shot at percentage chances of teams moving on from some mouth-watering ties.

Real 40—60 Liverpool

City 70—30 Dortmund

Bayern 55—45 PSG

Porto 40—60 Chelsea

Champions League Last 16

Some interesting matchups this year, with a lot of novelty to look forward to. Here are my snap percentages for who goes through to the quarter finals.

Gladbach 20–80 City

Lazio 20–80 Bayern

Atletico 60–40 Chelsea

Leipzig 35–65 Liverpool

Porto 20–80 Juve

Barca 35–65 PSG

Sevilla 55–45 Dortmund

Atalanta 40–60 Real

Champions League Picks Final Tally

Finished the group stages with 7 out of 16 on the last matchday, ending with a total of 52 correct picks out of 96 and a success rate of 54%. ⚽️

Last day decisions

From looking like a procession midway through, some of the results on matchday 5 mean we now have a fair amount at stake on the last round of matches in the Champions League group stages. Six matches in particular stand out because neither protagonist has secured their progress to the knockouts. These are:

Lazio vs Brugge

Leipzig vs United

Real vs Gladbach

Inter vs Shakhtar

Ajax vs Atalanta

Salzburg vs Atletico

Now, it wouldn’t be accurate to call these games direct knockouts. In four of these matches a draw will take a team through — Lazio, United, Atletico and Atalanta. Specifically, when looking at Lazio, United and Atletico, the fact that their opponents will have to chase a win plays directly into their strengths. With Atalanta, one can’t see this team playing for a draw. By common consensus, one of the best games of this stage was the first meeting between Ajax and Atalanta and I for one, wouldn’t be surprised to see the reverse fixture being played out in exactly the same way. That then leaves us with Group A which has thrilled us with its surprises and now on the last day, there are a variety of permutations available. My head tells me that Real and Gladbach will see it through with a draw, but Inter on the last day of group stages are guaranteed drama (Exhibit A 2018-19, Exhibit B 2019-20). I wouldn’t want to be a betting man on these games. After all, even in one of its more mundane seasons, the Champions League has somehow found a way to keep things interesting. Surprises are guaranteed. Let’s see how this pans out.

Champions League Picks Matchday 6

Lazio 1 Brugge 1

Zenit 2 Dortmund 0

Leipzig 2 United 2

PSG 3 Basaksehir 0

Barca 2 Juve 1

Dynamo Kyiv 2 Ferencvaros 1

Rennes 1 Sevilla 1

Chelsea 3 Krasnodar 1

Real 1 Gladbach 1

Inter 2 Shakhtar 0

Ajax 2 Atalanta 1

Midtjylland 1 Liverpool 1

Salzburg 1 Atletico 2

Bayern 2 Lokomotiv 0

City 3 Marseille 1

Olympiacos 2 Porto 0

Last week’s score — 10/16

Season so far — 45/80

Champions League Picks Matchday 5

Shakhtar 2 Real 1

Gladbach 2 Inter 2

Lokomotiv 1 Salzburg 2

Atletico 1 Bayern 1

Marseille 1 Olympiacos 0

Porto 1 City 1

Liverpool 2 Ajax 1

Atalanta 2 Midtjylland 0

Basaksehir 1 Leipzig 2

United 1 PSG 2

Krasnodar 1 Rennes 1

Sevilla 1 Chelsea 1

Dortmund 2 Lazio 0

Brugge 2 Zenit 2

Juve 2 Dynamo Kyiv 1

Ferencvaros 1 Barca 2

Last week’s score — 7/16

Season so far — 35/64

Champions League Picks Matchday 4

Rennes 1 Chelsea 1

Krasnodar 1 Sevilla 2

United 2 Basaksehir 0

PSG 2 Leipzig 2

Dynamo Kyiv 1 Barca 0

Juve 3 Ferencvaros 0

Lazio 2 Zenit 1

Dortmund 2 Brugge 0

Gladbach 3 Shakhtar 1

Inter 2 Real 1

Olympiacos 1 City 1

Marseille 1 Porto 0

Liverpool 2 Atalanta 1

Ajax 2 Midtjylland 0

Bayern 2 Salzburg 2

Atletico 2 Lokomotiv 0

Last round’s score — 9/16

Season so far — 28/48

Atalanta Liverpool Lineups

In a season of heavy rotation it is a bit perplexing that Jurgen Klopp has decided to start Curtis Jones for a second successive game. The youngster will have his chances this season, but his role within Liverpool’s system seems undefined at this moment of time. Whether he will be able to express himself against Atalanta’s fluid ball movers remains to be seen. La Dea themselves have cleared a lot of injury doubts in time for the Reds’ visit and their intent is signalled by both Zapata and Muriel starting. Could be a long night for young Rhys Williams.

Real Inter Lineups

Lucas Vazquez is passed fit for Real Madrid after all. It’s astonishing that a club of Real’s stature were sweating on the fitness of an auxiliary right-back. His battle on the flank with the double-act of Young and Perisic is likely to be crucial, if not decisive. The scoring burden for Inter lies on an off-form Lautauro. Interesting little tussles all over the pitch and of course, in the dugout.

Champions League Picks Matchday 3

Shakhtar 1 Gladbach 2

Lokomotiv 1 Atletico 3

Salzburg 1 Bayern 2

Real 1 Inter 1

City 2 Olympiacos 0

Porto 1 Marseille 0

Midtjylland 1 Ajax 1

Atalanta 2 Liverpool 2

Basaksehir 1 United 3

Zenit 1 Lazio 1

Brugge 1 Dortmund 1

Barca 3 Dynamo Kyiv 0

Ferencvaros 1 Juventus 2

Leipzig 1 PSG 1

Sevilla 2 Krasnodar 0

Chelsea 2 Rennes 0

Last week’s score — 10/16

Season so far — 19/32

Marseille City Lineups

No surprises with what AVB is trying to do against City. Keep it tight and rely on Thauvin to provide the magic and Cuisance to add some guile. Pep starts with one of his more attacking lineups in recent times with KDB, Sterling, Foden and Torres all starting. Mahrez and Payet, two of the best players in the 2015-16 EPL season start on the bench. ⚽️

Gladbach Real Lineups

Lucas Vazquez is Real’s starting right back in the crucial game against Gladbach and it has to be the flank that the home side target. Expect Thuram and Plea to alternate out wide to take on Vazquez.

There is also an interesting battle in midfield where Marco Rose has gone for a diamond against Zidane’s midfield three. The increasingly influential duo of Neuhaus and Hoffman will need to be at their best against Kroos, Casemiro and Valverde. ⚽️

Atalanta Ajax Lineups

Gasperini chooses his best starting eleven in line with the team that did so well to get to the quarterfinals last season. Malinovskyi and Miranchuk are the game changing options off the bench.

Ajax have a different forward line compared to last week’s game with Liverpool. Captain Tadic now playing a deeper role to accommodate the fit again Antony and teenager Lassina Traore who scored five goals on the weekend.

Champions League Picks Matchday 2

Lokomotiv 0 Bayern 3

Shakhtar 1 Inter 2

Gladbach 2 Real 2

Porto 1 Olympiacos 1

Marseille 1 City 2

Liverpool 4 Midtjylland 0

Atalanta 2 Ajax 2

Atletico 2 Salzburg 1

Basaksehir 1 PSG 4

Krasnodar 1 Chelsea 1

Sevilla 1 Rennes 0

Brugge 1 Lazio 1

Dortmund 3 Zenit 1

Ferencvaros 2 Dynamo Kyiv 1

Juve 2 Barca 0

United 1 Leipzig 2

Last week’s score — 9/16 

Bayern Atletico Lineups

It’s been a while since we have seen Bayern play with three in midfield. Hansi Flick has talked about trialling different systems to deal with the cramped season, but this could also be based on a need to keep the team’s shape compact in the face of Atletico’s threat on the counter.

With Diego Costa injured and out for a while, this game should be the beginning of a period that sees Joao Felix and Luis Suarez establish themselves as Diego Simeone’s first choice attacking pair.

Ajax Liverpool Lineups

Jurgen Klopp’s team selection for this game is not only an adjustment to Virgil Van Dijk’s injury, but also to the reality of a cramped football calendar. If needed, Henderson can come off the bench.

For Ajax, all eyes will be on youngsters Mohammed Kudus and Ryan Gravenberch as they make their first Champions League starts.

One senses it’s going to be a tough night for both defences.

PSG United Lineups

A few surprises on both sides. Diallo and Kimpembe starting together in the centre of defence with Kurzawa as left back seems risky, while a midfield trio of Danilo, Herrera and Gueye seems cautious. United start with neither Pogba nor Matic, so Fred and McTominay are tasked with screening a defence featuring Axel Tuanzebe next to Victor Lindelof. Looks like the creative burden in the game will belong to Messrs Neymar, Di Maria and Fernandes.

Champions League Picks Matchday 1

Zenit 2 Brugge 1

Dynamo Kyiv 1 Juve 1

Leipzig 2 Basaksehir 0

Rennes 1 Krasnodar 1

Lazio 2 Dortmund 1

Chelsea 2 Sevilla 1

PSG 3 United 1

Barca 3 Ferencvaros 0

Salzburg 2 Lokomotiv 1

Real 1 Shakhtar 0

Ajax 1 Liverpool 2

City 2 Porto 0

Midtjylland 1 Atalanta 2

Olympiacos 2 Marseille 1

Bayern 1 Atletico 0

Inter 3 Gladbach 1

Champions League Group H

Paris St Germain

Manchester United

RB Leipzig

Istanbul Basaksehir

The best saved for the last. This is unquestionably the group of death, that too with a fair bit of recent history thrown in. PSG were terribly scarred by that spectacular collapse at home against United in 2019, and both teams will be eager to make a statement against each other this time around. It feels like PSG and Leipzig squared off in last season’s semifinals just yesterday! All the good work that Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann did with their teams in those deep runs will be cruelly forgotten if they fail to make it out of the group. The two Germans are considered superior managers to the Norwegian in United’s dugout, though the Red Devils do possess individual quality in the final third that gives them a chance against two defences that aren’t necessarily the best in Europe. Finally, the new Turkish champions have waited a long time to debut in the group stages, but there won’t be much room for romanticism as Basaksehir have started their new campaign terribly and they simply don’t stack up anywhere close to the other three teams in the group.

Champions League Group G

Juventus

Barcelona

Dynamo Kiev

Ferencvaros

The headline as Pedro Pinto alluded to after this draw was made — Messi vs. Ronaldo. It’s the first time that the Argentinian and Portuguese face off since the latter’s departure from Madrid. That’s a clash that we can all get behind, but just as intriguing is the battle in the dugout between Andrea Pirlo and Ronald Koeman as they try to put an imprint on their new teams. Dynamo Kiev had some great nights against both Barca and Juve in their heyday in the 90’s, but are now several leagues below in football’s increasingly stratified hierarchy. It’s great to see Ferencvaros back in the Champions League, though their best hope is probably getting a home win against Kiev to challenge for a Europa League spot.

Champions League Group F

Zenit St Petersburg

Borussia Dortmund

Lazio

Club Brugge

Dortmund are the clear favourites to progress here. They had an exciting round of 16 tie against Zenit in 2013-14, but the Russian champions while solid, don’t possess the same firepower they had back then. I had my reservations about Lazio before the draw, but as things have transpired, the Biancocelesti don’t face any big-hitters, meaning their squad should have enough to finish above Zenit and Brugge. The Belgian champions however do thrive on being underestimated and one can’t rule out their ability to pick up surprise points that could impact the outcome of this group.

Champions League Group E

Sevilla

Chelsea

FC Krasnodar

Rennes

Just like last season, Frank’s Lampard’s Chelsea are drawn in a deceptively tricky group. Despite the Blues’ significant transfer spend, there will be a deficit in European experience against Europa League record winners Sevilla. Julen Lopetegui’s men should be the favourites not only because of their continental history, but also because they are playing some excellent football and are on a long run of good form. Rennes’ debut campaign is going to be interesting amidst their excellent start to the domestic season where they top the table in France. Many of us will also get to see a first global peak at their highly touted midfield sensation, 17-year old Eduardo Camavinga. Finally, Krasnodar have gone through a lot of heartache over the years in trying to get to the promised land, so expect them at the very least to make things difficult when their vaunted opponents visit them in Russia.

Champions League Group D

Liverpool

Ajax

Atalanta

Midtjylland

This is the group that the purists likely most want to see. Liverpool vs Ajax probably should have been the final in 2019, and one can’t help but feel this clash has come at least a season too late as the entertaining Dutch side have inevitably been stripped of some very fine talent. It is Atalanta however who bring the x-factor with their daring approach regardless of opponent. Gasperini vs Klopp sounds mouth-watering and expect to see all sorts of creative attacking combinations when their teams face off. The Reds and La Dea are the favourites to progress, but Ajax’s attacking traditions ensure an element of mystery remains alive in this group.

Champions League Group C

Porto

Manchester City

Olympiacos

Marseille

Outside of City being the clear favourites to progress, this group does possess a lot of European history. I wouldn’t want to be a betting person when it comes to choosing who is going to come second. Andre Villas-Boas comes up against the team where he made his reputation when winning the Europa League with Porto in 2011 — that is if he survives a tumultuous start to the season with Marseille. Olympiacos are always a tricky opponent especially in Greece, making it extremely likely that the battle to finish second will go all the way to the final matchday.

Champions League Group B

Real Madrid

Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter Milan

Borussia Monchengladbach

While not quite the group of death Inter have been in recent seasons, they still managed to draw the strongest team from pot 4 in Gladbach. It has been a long time since we saw Real and Inter play each other in the Champions League and there are several subplots to look forward to when the European giants face off. Zidane vs Conte is a managerial battle we can all get excited about, and in what seems like a role reversal of tradition, the Spanish champions have the better defence, while Inter have the firepower to score plenty. Marco Rose does possess the nous to pose at least a tactical challenge to both Zidane and Conte, but do Gladbach have the requisite squad quality? Finally, Shakhtar always make for an interesting opponent, and especially in their home away from home have the capacity to take points that could make things tense in this group.

Champions League Group A

Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid

FC Salzburg

Lokomotiv Moscow

Not too much to get excited in this group. Bayern and Atletico faced off at the same stage in 2016-17 and both qualified without much drama then and I expect the same this time around. Salzburg are a much depleted side compared to the team that thrilled neutrals in the group stages last year, but should still have enough to get into the Europa League at the expense of Lokomotiv.

Since returning to the competition in 2018, Inter have provided the drama during the group stages of the Champions League. They have been in tough groups for two consecutive years. In 2018 they were paired with Barca and Spurs, failing to qualify for the last 16 after a last day draw at home to PSV. In 2019 they were paired with Barca and Dortmund, failing to qualify for the last 16 after a last day loss at home to a second string Barca. They’d probably like to avoid Barca for starters this time around and following that, try and seal passage to the next round before the last matchday. ⚽

The Champions League group stage draw almost never results in the kind of pairings we dream of. A lot depends on the teams in pots 3 and 4 if you are looking for a bonafide group of death. For 2020, the danger lies in Inter, Leipzig and Atalanta amongst the pot 3 teams. I am not so sure about Lazio with this being their first season back after quite a while. As for pot 4, you really have to stretch — Gladbach, maybe? Rennes are leading Ligue 1 right now with an exciting team but its their first foray into the Champions League, while Marseille have the history but are unlikely to strike fear amongst the favourites.

Werner moving in July

It’s now confirmed that Werner will be joining Chelsea in July meaning he won’t play for Leipzig in what remains of their Champions League campaign. I don’t blame Werner for looking after his best interests, but it is frustrating that Leipzig won’t have him in a format that really gives underdogs their best shot at the trophy unlike other years.

I expected both Pep and Zidane to surprise, but still caught off guard by Aguero and Kroos not starting. Depending on the result, I can see very convenient narratives on both managers already forming.

Midfields in the Champions League

Arsene Wenger speaking on Bein Sports during Chelsea vs Bayern:

They make you run too much and you cannot survive for 90 minutes. In the Champions League, if you lose the midfield, you’re in trouble. That’s rule number one because you play against such good teams. If they can feed their strikers, you will pay for it. We’ve all gone through that.

I agree with Wenger, which makes the last five years of the Champions League a fascinating exercise in analysis. Why have midfield dominant teams not been winning as much as they should have in the knockout stages? It just goes to show that the competition is so difficult and random, that even having the most important core ingredient can’t guarantee you success in it.

While not quite on the level of Leipzig’s dominance of Spurs, Bayern deserve their lead at Chelsea. No surprise that Thiago had a role to play in the goal. The Spaniard has been in control of the centre of the park.⚽️

Finishes don’t come any more stupendous than that. Couldn’t have asked for something better to become the club’s all time leading scorer. Mertens is a legend unlike few others. ⚽️

On the flip side, not sure that a side with Napoli’s quality on the ball have to sit back so much against Barca at home. At some point, probably in the second half, I expect Napoli to be more adventurous. ⚽️

Big night for Barca’s midfield at Napoli. Valverde’s Barca had many UCL demons on the road, but the fact that his midfield was poor with possession in those ties at Anfield and Rome isn’t talked about much. I am intrigued to see if Setien can get his midfield to play better.

Interestingly Frank Lampard has named the same eleven that beat Spurs for the Bayern tie. We’ll soon find out if Chelsea were genuinely attacking on the weekend. Gnabry and Coman are likely to occupy James and Alonso more than any threat offered by Spurs.⚽

Champions League Picks Round of 16 First Leg Pt. 2

My picks are based purely on the principle that away ties are still extremely difficult in Europe, especially in the knockout stages. There seemed to be little consciousness of this last week and I sense the same underestimating of home advantage this week as well. Hence, these are my picks.

Chelsea 1 Bayern 2

Napoli 2 Barca 2

Lyon 1 Juve 1

Madrid 1 City 1

Riyad Mahrez has been an underrated cog in Pep’s machine since joining City last season. There have been times where Pep hasn’t trusted him in big games. For my money he has to start at the Bernabeu in midweek. ⚽️

Champions League Picks Round of 16 First Leg Pt. 1

I had put in quite a bit of work to produce some pieces in detail ahead of the resumption of the Champions League, but life got in the way and stuff happens. So quickly, my picks for the four knockout matches this week.

Atletico 1 Liverpool 1

I agree with many who predict Liverpool to win the tie on aggregate. Liverpool are the superior team, but I think Atletico have it in them to still produce a performance above themselves and display resilience at home. While Diego Simeone’s allure has reduced, he still hasn’t lost a home knockout tie with Atletico in the Champions League.

Dortmund 2 PSG 2

Deep in my heart, I actually believe this could even be 4-4! Such is the attacking power on display here. For me, the defining battle is how PSG’s defence will cope with the threat of Haaland, Sancho and Hakimi. I can say with confidence that Neymar, Mbappe and co. will score against this Dortmund defence.

Spurs 2 Leipzig 1

I think Leipzig are better as a team, but one of the truths of Champions League knockout ties is that there is a lot of scope for the lesser side to win and history is evidence of that. It is after all Leipzig’s first knockout tie in this competition. Going back a couple of years Spurs played Juventus off the park and still lost. I get the feeling Spurs might do the reverse of that to Leipzig.

Atalanta 1 Valencia 1

This is a head over heart prediction. At their best, I do believe Atalanta can play Valencia off the park. But Valencia qualified for the last 16 with a win away at Ajax, which is no mean feat. As glorious as Atalanta’s attack is, they can miss chances and misfire in random games. Valencia, despite being average for most of the season, have actually shown up in most of their big games. 

PSG's Fantastic Four

Julien Laurens with an interesting piece on PSG’s front four:

Maybe the key for Tuchel is actually in the midfield and finding the right combination of players to back the all-star quartet. Marquinhos and Verratti? Idrissa Gueye and Verratti? Gueye and Marquinhos? Room for Leandro Paredes, even? Against Monaco, the pairing of Verratti and Gueye showed its limitations. Neither of them is a natural holding midfielder, and to protect the Paris back four, Tuchel needs a player who stays deep and sits in front of the defence. In the first meeting with Saint-Etienne game, Marquinhos and Paredes were the two defensive midfielders, and they certainly have a more defensive profile than both Verratti and Gueye. The better balance of defensive discipline and playmaking is probably Verratti with Marquinhos, but whoever plays there will need some help from the front four tracking back.

This is a unique perspective from Laurens. Rather than debate whether all four should start, why not play the best combination of midfielders who can protect the defence without sacrificing the potency of the attack. My only rebuttal to this point is that PSG’s opponents in the Champions League round of 16 are Borussia Dortmund. Lucien Favre’s men have been so defensively poor this season, that even lower half teams in the Bundesliga have been able to score against them easily. If Tuchel wants to put winning first, any three out of four should be more than a handful for Dortmund’s troubled defence. Playing an open system unnecessarily gives Dortmund a greater chance, and if PSG’s recent European history is anything to go by, even the whiff of a chance for their opponents could derail them.

All sorts of disintegration

How does one react to two nights of Champions League football defined by mayhem? Wasim Parkar gives kudos to those who pulled off the miracles amidst the bedlam, but also wonders whether these matches were defined by the flaws of the vanquished moreso than the virtues of the winners.

State of Mind

To many, the second legs of this week’s Champions League ties seem done and dusted. Wasim disagrees and outlines why the matches have a lot to offer and ponders whether the state of mind of the protagonists involved may prove to be decisive.

Atletico 2 Juventus 0 Review

Atletico Madrid rolled back the years as Diego Simeone’s men delivered on a night of passion and electricity at the Wanda. Wasim analyzes the key factors in Atleti’s win while trying to understand why Juve were so poor.

Schalke 2 City 3 Review

City may have already their used their get out of jail free card in the first leg of their round of 16 clash with Schalke. Wasim finds himself agreeing with Pep’s words and tries to come up with a solution for City’s genuine problem position.

Lyon 0 Barcelona 0 Review

After a game that flattered to deceive, Wasim gives his thoughts on Lyon and Barcelona and wonders whether the Spanish champions have a midfield problem.

Liverpool 0 Bayern 0 Review

It may not have lived upto expectations, but Wasim still shares plenty of thoughts on the stalemate at Anfield.

Lyon vs Barcelona 1st Leg Preview

It’s probably overshadowed by the more illustrious ties in the Champions League Round of 16, but Wasim thinks there is a lot to be excited by the clash between a dangerous Lyon side and an off-colour Barcelona.

Liverpool vs Bayern 1st Leg Preview

Liverpool take on Bayern Munich for the first time in the modern era of the Champions League. Wasim looks at the tactics, form and key influences in this mouth-watering European tie.

Spurs 3 Dortmund 0 Review

Spurs ended up convincing winners against Dortmund at Wembley in a match that provided plenty of talking points. Wasim debates Lucien Favre’s team selection and analyzes how some of Tottenham’s seasoned campaigners made subtle adjustments in the second half to lead their team to a famous victory.

Ajax 1 Real 2 Review

A clash between European aristocrats lived up to the billing as Ajax Amsterdam and Real Madrid delivered a compelling tie. Wasim looks back at Ajax’s enterprising approach while also praising the defending champions for their unnerving ability to ride out a storm and rise to the occasion.

Roma 2 Porto 1 Review

Nicolo Zaniolo announced his arrival on the big stage as he highlighted Roma’s 2-1 win over Porto in a nervy Champions League Round of 16 first leg tie. Wasim analyzes the tactics from the game and wonders if there is room for both teams to do better when the tie heads to the Dragao in three weeks time.

United 0 PSG 2 Review

Wasim looks back on PSG’s commanding 2-0 win at Old Trafford. In analyzing the decisive factors, there is praise for Marco Verratti, Marquinhos and Thiago Silva. Could United have done anything different, or was there simply too big a chasm in quality and European experience between the two teams?

Spurs vs Dortmund 1st Leg Preview

Two teams with a progressive style of football that provide ample opportunites to youth. Two teams that can take your breath away with outstanding attacking football, yet equally capable of shooting themselves in the foot with unpredictable errors. Wasim looks at tactics and other factors ahead of the enthralling clash between Tottenham Hotspurs and Borussia Dortmund.

Ajax vs Real Madrid 1st Leg Preview

A match filled with European history has the neutrals enticed. Wasim looks at how Ajax Amsterdam and Real Madrid are shaping up ahed of their round of 16 clash. Can the young upstarts of Ajax cause a stir, or are Real peaking just in time for the business end of their favourite competition?

United vs PSG 1st Leg Preview

If ever there was a tie that epitomized the difference in narrative between December’s round of 16 draw and February’s resumption of Champions League action, it is United vs PSG. Can Solskjaer’s Red Devils carry their confident form on to the European stage against the injury-ravaged French champions? Wasim looks ahead to a fascinating game.

Roma vs Porto 1st Leg Preview

Roma and Porto have recent history in the Champions League. Wasim Parkar analyzes the form of both teams while identifying the tactics and personnel that may prove decisive in the first leg. Will Zaniolo shine on the biggest stage? Can Brahimi provide Porto the opportunites to get something in Rome?

Champions League Round of 16 Draw Analysis

Reaction to a truly fantastic round of 16 draw in the Champions League. Some ties have the sense of immense history, while others have sheer unpredictability. I analyze how the teams stack up against each other, look at the mental and tactical battles, all, while somehow trying to pick the winners.