Analysis

Confidence in the Liverpool camp will be low after recent disappointing results. The Reds were sent crashing out of the FA Cup after a 4-0 drubbing by Manchester City earlier this month. Liverpool were then knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain for the second season in a row. The Merseyside titans were […]

Carragher no longer believes Arsenal can win the Champions League having named their biggest weakness, while a high-profile journalist believes more trophy failures will cost Arteta his job

Disastrous form has seen Spurs drop into in the relegation zone. Our writers analyse each team's chances dropping into the Championship

None of Spurs' players want to play second-tier football. They will think they are elite players with international careers, image rights and sponsor deals to protect. Agents will be in overdrive.

Atletico Madrid will take on Arsenal in the semifinals, while reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain will face Bayern Munich

Despite being eliminated by Bayern Munich, Kylian Mbappe eclipsed Lionel Messi’s personal best but fell short of matching Cristiano Ronaldo's record for goals in a single UEFA Champions League season. Kylian Mbappe‘s 2025-26 UEFA Champions League campaign came to a crashing halt Wednesday following Real Madrid’s 6-4 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich in the quarterfinal second leg. While the Frenchman managed to surpass Lionel Messi’s personal best, he ultimately fell short of matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s gold standard for goals in a single UCL season. Despite being sidelined for three matches, Mbappe enjoyed a prolific run in European play, netting a staggering 13 goals in just seven games during the league phase. Those historic numbers immediately put the Frenchman on a trajectory to shatter every existing record had Real Madrid managed a deeper run toward the final. His availability in the knockout stages was limited, featuring only in the first leg of the playoff round against Benfica and the second leg of the Round of 16 against Manchester City after missing time with a knee sprain. After going scoreless in those earlier rounds, Mbappe regained his form in the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich, scoring once in each leg of the series. His 42nd-minute strike at the Allianz Arena, assisted by Vinicius Junior, brought his tournament total to 15 goals. Although he shattered his previous personal bests of eight goals in the 2020-21 and 2023-24 campaigns, the premature exit effectively clipped Mbappe’s wings in his pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ultimate milestone. Messi left in the rearview When it comes to pure finishing, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain the competition’s historical benchmarks. However, Mbappe’s 2025-26 output has already eclipsed the greatest single-season effort produced by the Argentine and Barcelona legend. By finding the net 15 times in 11 appearances, Mbappe surpassed Messi’s career-high for a single Champions League campaign. Messi’s most productive season came in 2011-12, when he scored 14 goals before Barcelona was eliminated by Chelsea in the semifinal stage. Remarkably, Mbappe now joins an elite club alongside Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski, who both reached the 15-goal mark in a single season. Benzema achieved the feat in 12 matches during the 2021-22 campaign, while Lewandowski hit the number in just 10 games in 2019-20; notably, Mbappe is the first to do so under the competition’s revamped format. Cristiano Ronaldo’s record remains safe While Mbappe was on a torrid pace, the quarterfinal exit preserves both of the high-water marks set by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese icon still holds the record for the most goals in a single Champions League edition, having scored 17 times in 11 games during the 2013-14 season. Furthermore, Ronaldo also maintains the second-best mark in history, a 16-goal barrage across 12 games in 2015-16. Mbappe’s mid-season fitness issues, which saw him sidelined for three matches, proved to be missed opportunities to catch Ronaldo, whose records will remain untouched for at least one more year.

A statement win over Real Madrid, despite a shaky start, has the Bavarian club as the team to beat in UCL

Champions League analysts Stephen Warnock and Nedum Onuoha feel Arne Slot's Liverpool do not have a definitive starting XI and style of play like other clubs around Europe, following their elimination from the competition at the hands of PSG.

Champions League analysts Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onouha and Julien Laurens believe Mikel Arteta is trying to "convince" the Arsenal fanbase that concerns around his team's form are overblown, after Arsenal qualified for the semi-finals in nervy fashion against Sporting.

Champions League analysts Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onuoha and Julien Laurens look at how Michael Olise and Luis Diaz caused Real Madrid's defence constant problems after they helped Bayern Munich reach the semi-finals.

Questions remain of Arsenal ahead of massive showdown against Man City, but Eberechi Eze offers hope on his return to the team

Tim Howard and Landon Donovan discuss if Manchester City will catch Arsenal in the race fro the Premier League title.

Bellingham was superb but Camavinga helped to expose Mbappe as an 85-goal fraud as Bayern squeezed through to the Champions League semi-finals after a wonderful game of football.

The Bayern striker has brought up a half-century of club goals for 2025-26. So where does his campaign sit in an historical context?

BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has suggested that Arsenal star William Saliba is no longer performing at the world-class level that saw him dubbed the rock of Mikel Arteta’s backline. The comments were made during a tense Champions League quarter-final second leg against Sporting CP. Sutton argued that the individual aura and reliability of the […] The post Chris Sutton singles out Arsenal star with brutal ‘not the same player’ verdict appeared first on CaughtOffside.

There’s a serious question hanging over Liverpool now, and it’s one that would’ve sounded faintly ridiculous a year ago: does it make any sense to part ways with Arne Slot at the end of this season? On the surface, the case for change is easy enough to understand. Liverpool are the defending champions, yet by… The post Liverpool’s Slot Machine Quandary first appeared on Breaking The Lines.

Focus sul Ranking UEFA, utile a capire quali saranno i due Paesi ad avere cinque posti nella prossima Champions League: classifica aggiornata e regolamento, tutto quello che c'è da sapere.

Eddie Howe is past his sell by date. According to some. Me? I doubted the bloke when he first arrived on the scene in the Autumn of 2021 (would have... You can click here to read the full article.

The Premier League relegation fight is hotting up and it looks like a high points total could be needed for survival

By: Oliver Fisher All of AC Milan’s previous certainties went up in smoke inside 37 first-half minutes in their damaging defeat to Udinese. The build-up to the game was dominated by the attacking struggles that Milan are enduring, which then gave rise to the news that Massimiliano Allegri was considering a switch to playing with three forwards, removing […] The post Evolution not revolution: The tweaks Allegri must make to get Milan over the line appeared first on SempreMilan.

Hayes: 'If we're solely looking at the result ... we lost. But you can't look at it like that when you're trying to develop players to be prepared for the highest level"

Jonathan David, Lois Openda, and Edon Zhegrova all arrived at Juventus at the beginning of the season, yet their… The post Pundit says Spalletti would never have signed three struggling Juventus stars appeared first on Juvefc.com.

Tutti i giocatori in diffida nella formazione di Massimiliano Allegri.

Roberto De Zerbi has warned Tottenham are not too big to go down and must adopt a positive approach if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship. Spurs face De Zerbi’s former club Brighton on Saturday, having dropped into the relegation zone following a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland in their first game under the […] The post Tottenham are not too big to go down, De Zerbi warns ahead of Brighton reunion appeared first on Soccer News.

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS claims Tottenham’s relegation woes are due to sacking too many managers and using “totally different methods”. Spurs are 18th in the Premier League with six matches left and in danger of going down for the first time since 1977. Since AVB left the club in December 2013, there have been eight permanent managers...

With only the team finishing top of the group gaining automatic qualification to the World Cup, could Spain miss out on Brazil 2027?

After losing 1-2 to Bayern Munich, Real Madrid are looking to stage a comeback in the second leg of the 2025–26 Champions League quarterfinals. However, los Blancos do not only need a win, but are also forced into a specific scenario. Here, we will analyze the three possible outcomes. While Real Madrid did not deliver a standout performance in the first leg, they managed to stay alive against Bayern Munich thanks to Kylian Mbappé and his late goal. Needing to overturn the scoreline, Los Blancos could opt for an offensive approach in search of making the difference. Despite this, they require a specific scenario to secure their place in the semifinals of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich have proven to be one of the best teams in the world. Led by Harry Kane and Manuel Neuer, they have dominated their opponents throughout the season. In addition, coach Vincent Kompany welcomes back Serge Gnabry, who claims to be in peak physical condition and will be key to organizing the offense. However, they will face a tough challenge defensively, as los Blancos already exploited their spaces in the first leg with Vinícius Jr. and Mbappé. The German side dominated much of the first leg, but they suffered a drop in performance after substituting Serge Gnabry and Konrad Laimer, as they were the ones leading and supporting the attack. As a result, both are expected to start and play key roles in pressing Real Madrid, who will be without Aurélien Tchouaméni—forcing coach Álvaro Arbeloa to adjust the midfield, a very tough challenge for the second leg. Los Blancos will have to make changes to their starting lineup, as Tchouaméni’s absence is significant. Therefore, coach Arbeloa is reportedly set to deploy Federico Valverde as a defensive midfielder, as Eduardo Camavinga did not fully convince with his performance against Girona FC. In addition, Jude Bellingham could play a crucial role, as he impressed in the first leg and appears to be back in top form after his physical issues. Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid controls the ball while under pressure from Jonathan Tah of FC Bayern Munich. How could Real Madrid’s win against Bayern affect the UEFA Champions League bracket? In case Real Madrid secure a victory over Bayern Munich, they would not immediately guarantee a place in the 2025–26 Champions League semifinals. Trailing by just one goal in the aggregate score, Los Blancos need to win by a two-goal margin against the German side to advance. Should they accomplish this, they would face PSG, another top contender for the title, as they pursue their second consecutive Champions League victory. How could Real Madrid’s draw against Bayern affect the UEFA Champions League bracket? Holding just one-goal margin in the overall score, Real Madrid would be directly eliminated of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League in case they draw against Bayern Munich. For that reason, the German side would be getting a ticket for the semifinals, for a second consecutive season, facing PSG in one of the best clashes, as both have been dominating. If Los Blancos clinch a victory by a one-goal margin, they would level the aggregate score, opening the door to compete for a place in the next round of the tournament. As this is the second leg, a winner would have to be decided in extra time, with two periods of 15 minutes each. If there is still no winner, the match would go to a penalty shootout, where a definitive winner would to face PSG. How could Real Madrid’s defeat against Bayern affect the UEFA Champions League bracket? Having failed to secure a decisive victory in the first leg, Real Madrid would be eliminated from the 2025-26 Champions League if they lose to Bayern Munich. For that reason, los Blancos would go two seasons without reaching the tournament’s semifinals—something that hasn’t happened since 2020, when they were eliminated in the round of 16 for two consecutive seasons. Meanwhile, the German side returns to this stage after a two-year absence.

Return of Alexander Isak is all well and good, but it will not redeem a season of sustained underperformance “The failure is big,” said Ryan Gravenberch as he digested the Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain that ensured Liverpool’s season will finish trophyless. It was a more appropriate description of the team’s plight than Arne Slot’s insistence the future looks bright and a reality the head coach cannot avoid whether Champions League qualification for next season is secured or not. As it must be. Failure is unthinkable for a club whose business model depends on its lucrative revenue streams and a team that 12 months ago was about to win the Premier League title at a canter and then remodelled to the tune of almost £450m. With the top five all qualifying, Chelsea fading from the conversation under Liam Rosenior and a five-point advantage over Brentford and Everton with six games to play, it would be a humiliating final blow for Liverpool to miss out. Slot’s defence for getting a third season to manage Liverpool’s transition would be holed.

By: Ben Dixon Throughout this season, AC Milan have been a more defensive team than an offensive outfit. However, it feels more like they have been forced into this than by choice. Put simply, Milan are not a goalscoring team currently. Since the start of the season, their output infront of goal has slowed dramatically and now they […] The post ‘Fewer options, fewer solutions’ – Ambrosini suggests Milan would even struggle with 6,000 attackers appeared first on SempreMilan.

Thierry Henry has told Sporting how they can beat his beloved Arsenal after the Gunners “didn’t have an answer” to a tactic used by Man City and Bournemouth.

MATCH OF THE DAY presenter Gabby Logan believes Mikel Arteta has become more "maniacal" in recent weeks - due to Pep Guardiola. The legendary broadcaster, 52, has claimed that Guardiola is deep in his rival's head at the most important part of the season. Arsenal have lost three of their last four games - including...

By: Oliver Fisher AC Milan’s attack is certainly not experiencing its best moment, and the data lays bare the struggles of all five forwards. La Gazzetta dello Sport have the numbers to hand which demonstrate just how bad the crisis is. Milan’s forwards in 2026 have needed on average three shots to hit the goal (register a shot […] The post GdS: 13.5 shots needed to score – Milan’s misfiring attack bleak in comparison with rivals appeared first on SempreMilan.

By: Oliver Fisher AC Milan’s problems when it comes to finding the right striker have been well documented, but the numbers further illuminate the issue. It is no secret that Massimiliano Allegri is pushing hard with the management to bring a quality centre-forward to Milanello who can be decisive in both Serie A and the Champions League. Yet […] The post None since Bacca: Milan’s striker problem brutally exposed in comparison with Inter appeared first on SempreMilan.

Wayne Rooney has criticised Liverpool players after their Champions League elimination by PSG, claiming some aren't motivated under Arne Slot ahead of the Merseyside derby

By Martin Graham For yet another time this season, a Premier League manager reacted angrily to a dismissal for pulling an opponent’s hair. This time it was Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, who labelled Lisandro Martinez’s red card against Leeds United as a “shocking decision.” Earlier in the campaign, Everton manager David Moyes had […]

Tottenham are stranded in the relegation zone with just six games to go, and the prospect of playing Championship football next season is becoming a daunting reality

By: Oliver Fisher Sky journalist Peppe Di Stefano believes that big changes are coming if AC Milan fail to qualify for the Champions League. It has been a strange few weeks for Milan. Back on Easter Monday fans and the media were talking about the dream of the Scudetto, and yet two games later they are talking about […] The post Sky journalist claims Milan will undergo another ‘revolution’ without top four: “You dismantled everything” appeared first on SempreMilan.

Liverpool's exit from the Champions League was hastened by a VAR intervention. BBC Sport analyses the key refereeing decisions in their season.

Today in TAFC: What now for USMNT after Crocker exit ahead of the World Cup? Plus: All the Champions League fallout.

By: Oliver Fisher Massimiliano Allegri seems to be ready to confine the 4-3-3 used against Udinese to being a failed one-game experiment. Allegri tried to reshape his Milan side in order to fix the attacking department, but it did not work. The 3-0 home defeat against the Zebre may not have been due solely to a mistake in […] The post CorSport: Allegri reverts to three-man defence after failed experiment – the added piece appeared first on SempreMilan.

In this clip from The Final Word, Chloe, John and Chris discuss Arne Slot's post match comments after Liverpool 0-2 PSG (AGG 0-4) in the Champions League Quarter-Final, during which he says Liverpool must sell to buy this summer transfer window. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How the Barcelona media have reacted to Marcus Rashford’s performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Simon Jordan believes Leeds have all but guaranteed their status in the Premier League, having picked which of West Ham, Forest or Spurs will go down to the Championship.

The league’s emphasis on youth development has seen its place in the careers of US national team players shift dramatically Sign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletter When the United States men’s national team traveled to France for the 1998 World Cup, they did so with 16 Major League Soccer players on their 22-man roster. This was very much by design. MLS had kicked off in 1996 as a fulfilled promise made to Fifa by US Soccer for the right to host the 1994 World Cup. The new league then set about hoarding as many national team players as it could. In a winless and mirthless tournament in 1998, fraught by a fractious camp, the Americans started an MLS player 21 times in their three group-stage matches, for an average of seven per starting lineup. That number has trended down ever since. In the 2002 run to the World Cup quarter-finals, setting the program’s modern high-water mark, an average of 5.4 MLS players made a start in the USA’s five matches. In 2006, it was 3.33. By 2010, that number had sunk to two; and in 2022, it was only one. In Qatar, the USMNT’s final group stage match against Iran was, in fact, the first time the team had started no MLS players at all at a World Cup since the league’s founding.

Modern football likes to celebrate managers. When a team plays well, improves players, and competes above its level, the credit usually goes straight to the manager. But at clubs like... You can click here to read the full article.

L'ex numero 10 della Juventus parla dopo i match di Champions di martedì sera

Milan, Allegri deve centrare la Champions League per non depotenziare il progetto: ecco cosa rischia