The halfway mark is here! The table is starting to settle and we can really see who means business and who isn’t quite living up the hype. With a precious automatic place in the Round of 16 on offer, who will stake their claim as top 8 contenders?
Just two weeks after the last lot, here we go again! Another round of Champions League action for you this week as the first half of the League Phase draws to a close. The fight for the top 8 positions is crucial, but last season’s champions PSG hadn’t even sealed a spot in the play-offs until the gameweek eight, so anyone is still in with a chance.
Arsenal have been in imperious form domestically and look the favourites to lift a first Premier League title in over 20 years, will their push for league glory distract them from their Champions League campaign? And how will the recently-shaky Liverpool navigate hosting a Real Madrid side who have won 13 out of 14 games this season? A fascinating week with plenty of goals, red cards and drama. As per.
The Results:
Tuesday 4th November
Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal
They’re the real deal. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal look more than capable of winning everything in their path this season at the rate they’re going at. Defensively immaculate, rarely conceding shots on target, never mind goals. Going forward, they have goals all over the pitch and are the most menacing side from set-pieces I’ve ever seen. Truly, if anyone is going to stop them winning the lot this season it’ll have to be themselves. Be it an injury crisis or a mental block, they could still find a way to throw this away. They maintained their perfect European record here and are yet to let in a goal in the competition, Slavia provided little resistance to The Gunners’ relentless onslaught. The Czech side are yet to register a victory and can see a place in the knockouts slipping away, they have semi-winnable fixtures against Atheltic Club, Spurs and Pafos to come but I struggle to see them making it to the next round.
Napoli 0-0 Frankfurt
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the Champions League so far, Frankfurt kept a clean sheet! They’d tightened things up in recent weeks, following up on their 5-1 loss to Liverpool with a 2-0 win and two 1-1 draws as opposed to their usual 8 goal bonanzas. The hosts probably should’ve come away with a win, Frankfurt ‘keeper Michael Zetterer and some suspect finishing denying the Italian side of a goal on this occasion. The visitors had a few chances and probably should’ve put one away if not for some fantastic goalkeeping, but it would’ve been an unjust victory if they had. Both sides have a solid 4 points to build on in the latter half of the League Phase, and both are capable of picking up more points in the coming fixtures so seal a place in the next round.
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Union St. Gilloise
So close yet so far for the Belgians in Madrid. The visitors had an amazing chance to level it rights at the death but the header was straight at Jan Oblak, Atleti then went up the other end and sealed a victory that looks a lot more comfortable on paper than the reality of it. The Madrid side desperately needed a win here, it’s their second of the campaign and puts them in position to kick on and secure a play-off spot in the second half of the league. USG are still just a point outside the play-off spots, but have suffered three losses on the bounce now. With a tough fixture list ahead I think it’s too much too soon for USG and we won’t be seeing them play knockout Champions League football just yet.
Bodø/Glimt 0-1 Monaco
Oh, Bodø. It’s heartbreak after heartbreak for the Norwegian debutants this year, they again dominated this game and have again come away with nothing to show for it. They should’ve beat Spurs but only managed a draw, and they piled the pressure on in the second half here against Monaco but just couldn’t find a goal. All hope of a comeback was killed off in the 81st minute when substitute Jostein Gundersen was dismissed for a crunching challenge. Juventus, Dortmund, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid await Bodø in the second half, they will rue their missed chances in these opening games as the tough fixtures stack up. Monaco picked up a first Champions League win of the season, and will be delighted with how they held onto their lead. A trip to Pafos is up next, a win there and who knows where they could finish? Play-offs is definitely a possibility for the Ligue 1 club.
Juventus 1-1 Sporting CP
Dusan Vlahovic continued his strong start to the Champions League, grabbing the equaliser for the Old Lady at home to Sporting. The opener for the Portuguese side ended up being their only shot on target all night, but Juventus were unable to capitalise on their dominance and had to settle for a third draw as they search for a first Champions League victory of the season. Sporting have started impressively and have games against Brugge and Atheltic Club to look forward to either side of a serious test against Bayern and PSG. If they get another win and a draw or two under their belts I’d say the knockouts are all but guaranteed. Juve have been well short of their own lofty standards domestically and on the continent this year so far, but with relatively tame fixtures against Bodø, Pafos, Benfica and Monaco to come we could still definitely see the Italian giants reach the knockout stage.
Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid
There’s something about this game. Two of the Champions League’s most successful ever sides dulling it out under the lights, it just always delivers. Liverpool fully deserved their win, Dominik Szoboszlai would’ve had 4 goals and 3 assists if big mad Thibaut Courtois wasn’t up to his usual tricks. A special mention for Conor Bradley too, for the second time against Real Madrid in his young career, he pocketed Vinicius excellently and refused to allow him into the game even for a second. Mac Allister eventually got the goal, a tidy header from a Szoboszlai free-kick that Courtois had no time to react to for once. Liverpool looked back to their brilliant best, maybe Slot is closer to finding out his best team and gelling the new lads in. Frightening. Both sit on 9 points, just inside the top eight and well on their way to the knockouts, but you wouldn’t expect anything less.
Olympiacos 1-1 PSV
American Ricardo Pepi rescued a point at the death for the travelling Dutchmen, denying their hosts a first win of the campaign and keeping them firmly out of play-off contention. PSV currently occupy a play-off place, but they have Liverpool, Atelti, Newcastle and Bayern left to play so it will be tricky to maintain their position. I’d be surprised to see either of these sides make it to a knockout match, the Greeks have marginally easier fixtures but have struggled to beat sides like Pafos already.
PSG 1-2 Bayern Munich
The biggest game of the round, probably the biggest of the competition so far, and it was Bayern who came out on top. Summer arrival Luis Diaz scored a first-half brace before receiving his marching orders on the stroke of half-time, some evening for the Colombian. The Parisians dominated possession and had plenty of shots, but failed to break down the steadfast Bayern defence other than substitute Joao Neves’ back-post header after 74 minutes. The result leaves Bayern top of the tree at the midway point, one of three remaining sides with perfect records. This is the first stain on PSG’s Champions League season so far, and not one to worry about. Bayern are probably the best team in the world right now, and PSG will still certainly qualify for the knockouts and go deep once again.
Tottenham 4-0 FC København
Micky. Van. De. Ven. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. It’s the best goal of the season, it’s one of the best Champions League goals of all time. Screamer aside, this was exactly the result Spurs needed. They’ve been hit-and-miss under Thomas Frank and have scraped good results in this competition without being outstanding against inferior opposition. Even down to 10 men, Spurs were marauding forwards at pace and dominating the ball and the chances. Carry on like this, and they’ll sail through with ease. The Danes have one point after four games and I’d say that’s their European campaign over for another year, the financial disparity makes it hard to compete but they’ve been miles off it this time out.
Wednesday 5th November
Pafos 1–0 Villareal
You love to see it. Pafos have their first ever win in Champions League history, and a great win it was. Villareal had a flurry of chances early on but failed to capitalise, and then a minute after half-time Pafos scored from their first corner of the match. The Cypriot side have been a breath of fresh air this year, with 5 points to their name already they’re in with a real chance of professing, if only they’d managed to convert their draw to a win at Kairat last time out. Villareal’s fantastic domestic form has not translated continentally. They sit on just one point and on the verge of crashing out already, with winnable fixtures coming up they could sneak into the play-offs but would need a remarkable turnaround for that to be the case.
Qarabag 2-2 Chelsea
An amazing result for the hosts, and it was so nearly so much more. Qarabag were great value for the point, soaking up Chelsea pressure well and launching devastating counter attacks. The vast chasm between the value of the two sides didn’t translate to the pitch, the mammoth away day clearly had the Chelsea dream-team a little jaded. Oleksii Kashchuk spurned a golden opportunity for the hosts in the last breaths of the game, meeting a cross but only managing to direct the ball into the hands of Robert Sanchez. Both sides sit on 7 points, a remarkable return for the Azerbaijani side. They have Napoli, Ajax, Frankfurt and Liverpool to come. Difficult, but not impossible. A win against Ajax and a point elsewhere could see them reach the play-offs, nonetheless a heroic performance even if they fall short.
Ajax 0-3 Galatasaray
Last week, I said Galatasaray were the best side in the competition outside of the traditional top five leagues. Not only do I stand by that, but I’m doubling down. Victor Osimhen is the best player outside of the big leagues and one of the best centre-forwards in the world. The Nigerian leads the goalscoring charts with six goals in the Champions League already, a hat-trick this time out enough to condemn Ajax to a fourth consecutive European defeat. As good as Galatasaray and Osimhen are, Ajax are just as woeful. One goal scored and fourteen conceded in their four games so far without a singular point. They’re a huge side and there will always be a seat reserved for them at the Champions League table, but if they’re going to keep turning up hammered they won’t be invited back.
Benfica 0-1 Leverkusen
Speaking of big teams that have massively disappointed, Benfica are the only other side without a point at this stage in the competition. Leverkusen have shaken off the Ten Hag curse and have won 5 from their last 7, only failing to beat Bayern and PSG in that time. You can probably let them off for those. They have a couple of winnable games on the horizon, I’d expect them to end the league phase in the play-off spots as long as things go smoothly. Benfica? They may as well not bother showing up to the rest of the games, save on travel and the hotels.
Club Brugge 3-3 Barcelona
Two goals and an assist in this game earned Carlos Forbs his first senior Portugal call up this week. I, like most regular football fans, first became aware of the winger after his hat-trick for Manchester City U21s against Derby County in the Papa Johns Trophy. Safe to say his career peaked at Pride Park, but this might be a tight second. The hosts had a 91st minute goal agonisingly ruled out by VAR to save Barca blushes and keep it to a point apiece, a great day for the Belgians and one to sweep under the carpet for their visitors. Brugge have some winnable fixtures coming up, it would be nice to see them make a knockout appearance. Barcelona will be fine, obviously, but they need to get a wiggle on or the top eight could slip from their grasp as those teams continue to pile on the points.
Inter 2-1 Kairat Almaty
Of course, the first team to inflict a goal on this stoic Inter side is this years’ Kazakhstani representatives. Inter were in control through the game but Kairat certainly made them work to maintain their perfect record. Still just the solitary point for the visitors, but it could be worse, they could be Ajax. Inter look likely to go far once again, can they go one further than runners-up this time out?
Manchester City 4-1 Dortmund
Erling Haaland has 18 in 14 for Manchester City this season. Blimey. Foden looked back to his dazzling best with a brace as City swept aside their German opposition with typical Pep-style efficiency. The Citizens are well-poised to make it to the top eight this time around and Dortmund are only a few points behind. Both will make knockout football with ease.
Marseille 0-1 Atalanta
Atalanta left it late, but they snatched a vital three points at the death in France. A missed penalty and a goal disallowed for offside set the tone that it just wouldn’t be the Italians’ day, but Lazar Samardzic popped up with a late winner. The goal was seriously controversial, the ball bounced and hit an Atalanta player in the arm in their area before being cleared to Samardzic, he then ran the length of the pitch and bent a beauty into the top corner from 25 yards out. The officials deemed the goal was legitimate and no penalty was awarded to Marseille, the result keeps Atalanta firmly in position to qualify while their hosts slip into the elimination zone.
Newcastle 2-0 Athletic Club
Two wonderful headers were the difference between the two sides on the night, the first from Dan Burn was a physics-defying beauty that bent its way into the far corner. That being said, you should probably at least mark the 6’7 monster from set pieces if you’re Athletic Club. The game played out fairly evenly, but the result leaves Newcastle just behind PSG in the top eight and cruising towards a spot in the knockouts. Both of these sides have been hot and cold domestically, but Newcastle are pulling it out of the bag where it counts on the big stage. Athletic Club beat high-flying Qarabag but have lost their other three matches, they’ll need to turn their continental form around if they’re to qualify for the next round, and indeed their domestic form if they’re to make an appearance at next years’ tournament at all.
Game of the Round:
Club Brugge 3-3 Barcelona
It was a night to remember for the Belgian side, they only had 24% of the ball but managed to go toe-to-toe with Barcelona in chance creation and be devastating on the break.
If not for VAR’s intervention, they may have even snatched a winner at the death to cap off a famous night.
Carlos Forbs deservedly collected all the plaudits post-match, not least from his national team as he received a maiden Portugal call-up on the back of this performance.
Barca are still well in contention for a knockout place but will have to work a little harder if they’re to seal a top 8 spot. They were excellent in attacking play but defensively looked all over the place and their midfielders failed to take control of the game in any meaningful way.
Player of the Round:
There were lots of great team performances this week, and a few individuals stood out above the rest. Brugge forward Carlos Forbs certainly earned a mention but my pick this week is the Nigerian hitman in Türkiye, Victor Osimhen.
He leads the way in the Champions League goalscoring charts at this early stage, beating his record for goals in a single Champions League campaign already after just three games.
The Nigerian is a player brimming with confidence, his first few attempts were equalled by the Ajax ‘keeper before he finally got his goal just before the hour mark. Nineteen minutes and two penalties later, the match ball was coming home with him.
The star forward is exactly the sort of player Galatasaray, or any teams from the fringe leagues around Europe, needed to be taken seriously at the top table. He is a lethal finisher capable of crafting his own chances as well as dispatching any that fall his way. Every club in the world was linked with him in the summer of 2024 and many were shocked to see him make the loan switch to Türkiye. Equally, many were even more shocked when the move became permanent this year after he netted 37 goals in 41 games for his new club.
In Gala, Osimhen has found a home and a fanbase that will adore and worship him like a God. In Osimhen, Galatasary have a world-class talent entering the prime of his career to help them make that step up into regular contenders in big European knockout fixtures once more. It’s a match made in heaven.
Table:
Newcastle are holding their own amongst Europe’s elite in the top 8 so far – Eddie Howe will be a very happy man at this stage. Turns out being owned and controlled by a trillionaire nation/state can help you become a better football team.
Qarabag and Pafos are the heroes of the completion so far, if both or either of them can remain in the knockout spaces come game 8 it will be a huge statement from their nations as a whole. In a time where football seems more separated into haves and have nots than ever, the little guys can still hang in there on the big stage.
Four down, four to go. Plenty more twists and turns along the way, and we’ll be here for every moment.
White Noise 