The Pulse of Football

Oct

2025

Harry Kane is embracing a new all-round role for Bayern Munich

Harry Kane is transitioning into a different role as Bayern Munich’s creator-in-chief as well as being the Bundesliga’s top scorer.

By Graham Ruthven

Harry Kane’s numbers do enough to highlight his brilliance. Indeed, the 32-year-old has scored 24 goals for club and country this season, a tally that is bettered only by Erling Haaland in Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues. And yet this still doesn’t fully quantify Kane’s growing importance to Bayern Munich.

Kane’s performance in Saturday’s Der Klassiker was a showcase of everything he offers. Not only did the Englishman score the opening goal of the game from a corner kick, sending Bayern Munich on their way to a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, he orchestrated the Bavarians’ second goal, and their attacking display as a whole.

Deployed as a number 10 behind Nicolas Jackson, Kane took it upon himself to be Bayern Munich’s quarter-back. It’s a role he has embraced in other matches this season, but Vincent Kompany fully leaned into Kane as his primary playmaker against Dortmund, allowing the Englishman to drift wherever he could find space.

The highlight of Kane’s performance was the cross-field pass that led to Bayern Munich’s second goal. He wasn’t even looking in the direction of Luis Díaz when he angled a 40-yard ball out to the Colombian winger from inside his own half, opening up the space for Díaz to get into the final third.

This wasn’t the only Tom Brady-esque pass played by Kane in the game. Only Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich completed more long balls than the 32-year-old with Díaz, Jackson and Michael Olise all benefiting from the natural creativity of their English teammate.

Of course, Tottenham Hotspur fans grew accustomed to Kane playing in a similar way for them. Over time, Kane became a one-man attacking hub for the North London side, frequently dropping deep to pick up the ball and move Spurs forward, either through carrying possession or finding space with a long pass.

*Kane’s shooting stats, Bundesliga 2025/26*

Kane’s all-round game has been apparent for some time, but until this season Kompany hadn’t afforded the freedom to make full use of it for Bayern Munich. In fact, Kane faced some criticism last season for not playing a larger role in the Bavarians’ overall possession play. While still putting up numbers, he was a peripheral figure in a lot of matches.

This season, though, Kompany has built around Kane as someone who can offer a lot more than just goals. No Bayern Munich player has created more Big Chances than Kane (five) this season with only Olise and Kimmich ahead of the forward in Expected Assists (xA). He’s a playmaker as much as he’s a finisher.

“Harry Kane can of course still improve, even though he has been more than brilliant so far for us,” said Kompany after the win in Der Klassiker. “I think Messi and Ronaldo have set the bar so high that you feel like scoring in the manner Kane is scoring right now should be normal, but what he is doing is really outstanding. He worked so hard for the team tonight and was once again very important for us.”

*Kane’s passing stats, Bundesliga 2025/26*

Despite playing in the Club World Cup, the summer break appears to have revitalised Kane. He is covering more ground and playing with greater intensity. This might fade as the season progresses, and next summer’s World Cup starts to come into view, but on current form Kane might be the best player in the world.

Haaland is putting up serious numbers having notched an incredible 20 goals in his last 10 games for Manchester City and Norway, but he isn’t conducting play like Kane is for Bayern Munich right now. The same could be said about Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman is on fire in front of goal, but isn’t an all-round threat in the way Kane is.

Bayern Munich look to have taken a step forward this season. Díaz has given them greater energy in the forward line with the Colombian registering nine goal contributions in just seven Bundesliga games. Olise also looks to have improved further, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

In central midfield, Bayern haven’t been so open in defensive transition while the summer addition of Jonathan Tah has steadied things at the back. Kompany is building more on top of the foundations he put in place last season and the Bavarians look stronger for it. They could be Champions League contenders.

Some eyebrows were raised when Bayern Munich paid £86m for a 30-year-old Kane. Many saw the signing as a short-term measure with the Englishman entering the twilight of his career. For that money, though, the Bavarians landed an attacking focal point who can do it all. The current version of Kane is the best there has ever been.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayern Munich game on FotMob this season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2025

Alexander Isak’s struggle to get going part of a wider issue at Liverpool

Liverpool’s dream summer transfer window has turned into a bit of a nightmare.

By Sam McGuire

The Premier League champions trail leaders Arsenal by four points following their third successive loss in the English top-flight. The Reds suffered a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday in a game that loosely followed their previous two losses. Arne Slot’s side start off poorly in the first half, change things in the second half and score an equaliser. However, having thrown on so many attackers and completely disregarding the balance of the team, the Reds are then left exposed and succumb to a late winner.

There are so many similarities between the goals conceded against Crystal Palace and Man United. The Reds failed to properly clear a long throw against the Eagles while against the Red Devils it was a corner. On both occasions, the back post is exploited. Interestingly though, in all three defeats, Alexander Isak has started for Liverpool.

This can’t have been why the 26-year-old forced a move to the Merseyside club. It can’t have been what the reigning champions had expected when they agreed to pay a British record £125million to pry the centre-forward away from Newcastle United.

*Isak player traits comparison against other strikers in top five leagues*

The Liverpool No. 9 is yet to get off the mark for his new club and in each of these starts, he’s missed at least one big chance. He was signed to be the difference-maker in the final third. He was earmarked as the man to spearhead Slot’s forward line because of how ruthless he’d been for Newcastle over the years.

He was the complete opposite of Darwin Nũńez and, to some extent, Luis Díaz. Whereas the former No. 9 was erratic in the final third and unreliable in the penalty area, Isak was as close to a guarantee as you could get. His confidence was borderline arrogance, but he was calm and composed when it mattered for the Magpies.

The champions are yet to see that player in red. His four missed big chances see him rank fourth for this metric behind Jean-Philippe Mateta (10), Erling Haaland (eight), and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (five).

*Isak’s shooting numbers in the Premier League so far*

Granted, Isak is having to feed off of scraps right now with Liverpool having trouble to really get going. The Reds had the best attacking numbers in the Premier League last term, averaging 2.3 goals per game with an Expected Goals per 90 average of 2.2. This term, they rank joint fourth for goals scored per game (1.8) and their Expected Goals per 90 total is down at 1.72.

For added context here, Slot’s side are on course to finish with an xG total of 65, significantly down from the 83.5 they finished with last season. While the sample size isn’t the largest, we are almost 25% into the 2025/26 campaign now.

Isak isn’t the sole reason for these struggles but he’s not helping right now, and there’s no escaping that. He’s missing opportunities and failing to make the most of the moments he’s presented with. A close range header against Chelsea was spurned and then he fired an effort almost straight at Senne Lammens from a good position against Manchester United. The most galling thing about the effort against the Red Devils was he scored against Liverpool from an almost identical position during his time with Newcastle.

The Sweden international was signed to be the difference-maker during those big moments. So far, he’s not managed to turn chances into goals. Perhaps a larger issue at play here though is that he’s not getting many chances at all.

The following needs to be caveated by saying he’s only made three starts, but Isak is averaging just 2.13 shots per 90 and his Expected Goals per 90 average is 0.34 with his Expected Goals on Target per 90 average coming in at 0.1 To top it all off, he’s averaging just 3.91 touches in the opposition box.

These numbers are considerably down on what he was posting for Newcastle prior to his £125million move to Anfield.

*Isak’s shot map at Newcastle United, Premier League 2024/25*

For Eddie Howe’s side last term, Isak had an xG per 90 of 0.66 and he was fairly accurate with his finishing with an xG On Target average of 0.65 from his 3.22 shots. He was also averaging almost seven touches in the opposition box on a per 90 basis.

Liverpool spent big money on him but, so far at least, don’t really know how to get him firing like he was at Newcastle.

What hasn’t helped the No. 9 is the fact he’s been having to play his way to fitness due to the nature of his transfer being drawn out. It’s something manager Arne Slot referenced ahead of the United game.

“I think he’s now had his five or six weeks of preseason, which is normal after being out for three or four months.

“Fitness-wise, he’s close to the level he should be, and now we can judge him fairly. If he plays twice for Sweden and doesn’t score, that’s not what you hope for, but I think his preseason is finished now.

“He’s played several games of 70, 80, and 90 minutes. Let’s see where he is in the coming weeks.”

Liverpool need the ruthless Isak who was feared by the Premier League last season. Isak needs a Liverpool team that has a clear way of playing. The sooner the latter happens, the sooner the former will make an appearance for the champions.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Liverpool game with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2025

Preview: Spurs visit Monaco in the Principality

Spurs travel to the Mediterranean for a Champions League fixture against a Monaco side who’ve already spun the managerial roulette wheel this season.

By Matt Smith

Both Monaco and Spurs arrive for this fixture in a slightly out-of-sorts condition

Both Monaco and Spurs have been under par, of late. Spurs’ 2-1 home defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday seemed to indicate that Thomas Frank’s plans for his team aren’t quite going according to plan, but he’s not alone in being in this position. Their Champions League performances so far have been underwhelming but more or less effective, with a 2-2 draw against Bodø/Glimt and a 1-0 home win against Villarreal.

Like Spurs, Monaco started their season pretty well, but also like Spurs, they’ve tailed off in recent weeks. They’re three games without a win in Ligue 1, and their Champions League performances so far have hardly set the world alight either, with a 4-1 defeat at Club Brugge in their opening match followed up by a more respectable 2–2 home draw against Manchester City.

Monaco have a 100% competitive record against Spurs in the Champions League

These two clubs have only been drawn together once in the Champions League. This came in the 2016-17 group stage, and Monaco won both meetings 2-1. They ended that stage at the top of the group – they were eventually eliminated in the semi-finals by Juventus – while Spurs finished third and were transferred into the Europa League, where they were promptly knocked out in the Round of 32 by Belgian side Gent.

There was happier news for Spurs a season prior to this, when they met in the group stages of the Europa League. The two sides drew 1-1 in Monaco, but Spurs won the return match at White Hart Lane 4-1. On that occasion, Spurs won the group – and were beaten in the Round of 16 by Borussia Dortmund – while Monaco finished third and were eliminated.

Fati is back on form, Johnson needs to rediscover his

There is one particular goal threat for which the Spurs defence will need to be especially prepared. Ansu Fati has had a stop-start career so far. The young forward remains a Barcelona player, and following a mixed time on loan in the Premier League at Brighton during the 2023-24 season he returned to Catalunya. Having failed to establish himself there, he was loaned out to Monaco for the 2025-26 season, where he’s found his shooting boots again, with six goals in six games in all competitions.

One Spurs player with a point to prove is forward Brennan Johnson. He scored in Spurs’ first two Premier League matches of the season but hasn’t done so again since, and with only a goal against Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup to show for the last couple of months, his recent form in front of goal has become a bit of a concern.

Monaco have changed manager, while Spurs have further injury doubts

There have been two big pieces of team news from Monaco in the last couple of weeks. One concerns the man who’ll be picking the team. Adi Hutter was sacked during the international break and has been replaced by the former West Bromwich Albion left-back Sebastien Pocognoli. Pocognoli was at Union Saint-Gilloise last season, taking them to their first-ever Jupiler League title and their first ever appearance in the Champions League group stage.

Their big injury news concerns Eric Dier, who was at Spurs for a decade before going to Bayern Munich and then on to Monaco this summer. Dier will have been looking forward to locking horns with his former club, but a muscle injury has rendered him injured for a few weeks and he will not be taking part in this fixture. They will also be missing Lamine Kamara, Denis Zakaria, Lukas Hradecky, Christian Mawissa, Paul Pogba and Vanderson.

Spurs have further injury concerns, with Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies all doubtful, to add to their list of longer-term injuries, which still consists of James Maddison, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Yves Bissouma and Kota Takai.

Monaco and Spurs seem likely to cancel each other out

In seventh and sixth place in their domestic league respectively, Monaco and Spurs have both seen promising starts to their seasons tail off in recent weeks. Monaco have been in transition, with their managerial replacement, and they have a proven goalscorer leading their line. This could create problems for a Spurs defence which hasn’t kept a clean sheet since the 24th September.

The financial advantages conferred by being in the Premier League should hand a considerable advantage to Spurs for a fixture such as this, but seasoned Tottenham observers will already know that they just don’t seem to work in a logical sense, much of the time. Monaco need a win if they’re to kick-start their Champions League campaign and Spurs need a result following a very disappointing home defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend. These two teams seem likely to cancel each other out, so I’m going for a 1-1 draw.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, physical metrics, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2025

Preview: Los Blancos take on the Old Lady in clash of European royalty

Juventus coach Igor Tudor is hoping to wake up the Old Lady’s misfiring attack as they visit Real Madrid in the Champions League.

By Filip Mishov

The in-form LaLiga leaders welcome underperforming Juve

Allan Nyom’s ridiculous red card set Real Madrid on course to secure a late win at Getafe and return to the top of LaLiga ahead of an important week in Madrid featuring this blockbuster clash against Juventus in the Champions League, followed by Sunday’s highly-anticipated edition of El Clásico.

Even though the Whites’ performances have rarely been eye-catching this season, their results are, as Xabi Alonso‘s squad are currently on a three-match winning streak and remain undefeated at the Bernabéu, and have enjoyed a flawless start to their Champions League campaign.

The Italian club’s trip to Madrid comes at a difficult time with Juventus winless in six consecutive matches and fresh from losing to Como in Serie A, inviting pressure on Igor Tudor to inspire a change of fortunes.

Furthermore, the under-fire Croat already suffered at the hands of Xabi Alonso’s sides in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup over the summer, and although the Turin-based club’s last visit to Bernabéu ended in a victory (1-3) back in 2018, Real Madrid ultimately progressed in the tie and also beat them in the Champions League final the year before.

Key players

Arda Güler has established himself as one of Real Madrid’s most efficient players this season, alongside their star men up front, as the Turkish prodigy is the squad’s joint-top assists maker (4) as well as leading chance creator (23) in LaLiga. Also, the attacking midfielder has started in all but two matches this campaign and is averaging a FotMob rating of 7.87, which puts him only behind Vinícius Júnior (7.92) and Kylian Mbappé (8.62).

Another Turkish rising star is currently holding court in Turin and Kenan Yıldız‘s influence is growing exponentially, with the 20-year-old even finishing the last match wearing the captain’s armband. Just like his compatriot, the tricky forward is the top assist provider (3) and best chance creator (18) for Juventus in Serie A, earning him a FotMob rating of (7.39), the best of any forward in the team.

Team news

Xabi Alonso welcomed back captain Daniel Carvajal to first-team training, and although the 33-year-old is suspended for the Juventus showdown, it is a much-needed boost after losing David Alaba to an injury, while Ferland Mendy and Trent Alexander-Arnold are nearing returns on the pitch and might be involved on Wednesday. Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen and Dani Ceballos remain absent and will most likely miss El Clásico as well.

For Juve, Fabio Miretti and Edon Zhegrova were involved in the final training session ahead of this match, but Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal remain sidelined, while it will be interesting to see whether Igor Tudor will switch back to 3-4-2-1 after failing to outsmart Cesc Fàbregas‘ Como with a 4-3-3.

Prediction

Real Madrid have won all but one match this season (10 from 11) and are averaging three goals per game over their past five, making them inevitable favourites against a Juventus side who are struggling. I expect Xabi Alonso’s squad to come out on top and head into El Clásico high on confidence.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2025

Preview: Liverpool look to snap winless run at Eintracht Frankfurt

Wednesday evening sees two sides in dire need of a win facing off against one another in the Champions League as Eintracht Frankfurt host Liverpool.

By Sam McGuire

The story so far

Dino Toppmöller’s side might be one of the most entertaining teams in Europe. Eintracht Frankfurt are the second top scorers in the Bundesliga with 19 in their seven matches. However, they’ve got the worst defensive record in the German top-flight having conceded on 18 occasions. It’s why they find themselves in seventh position.

In the Champions League, it’s been just as manic. Die Adler kicked off their European campaign with an undeserved 5-1 win over Galatasaray before losing to Atlético Madrid by the same scoreline.

Liverpool, meanwhile, started the season with seven successive wins across all competitions. Arne Slot takes his side to Germany in a poor run of form though having lost four on the bounce across all competitions.

The Reds have failed to score more than one goal in a game since the Carabao Cup win over Southampton almost one month ago and though they started their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win over Atlético Madrid, they lost to Galatasaray in Istanbul last time out.

Not only do the Premier League champions need a win to boost their chances of a good finish in the Champions League, they need one to help with confidence.

Recent form

This clash puts two struggling sides against one another.

Eintracht Frankfurt have one win across their last five matches and have conceded 18 goals in the process. Even in their win against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Toppmöller’s side conceded four goals. In fact, their 2-2 draw against Freiburg over the weekend was the first time in five matches that they haven’t conceded a minimum of three in a game.

Liverpool aren’t as bad defensively but the Reds are struggling. Their last clean sheet was against Burnley in mid-September and the goals have now dried up. Slot’s side have managed just five goals in their last five outings across all competitions.

If they can’t get amongst the goals against this Eintracht Frankfurt team, there are problems.

Key Players

For the hosts, Can Uzun has caught the eye this term. The 19-year-old, rumoured to be a Liverpool transfer target, has five goals and three assists in seven Bundesliga outings and scored in the win over Galatasaray.

The Turkish international is a bit of a shot monster from attacking midfield, averaging over three shots per 90 in the league. He’ll see this as an opportunity to impress, not just the Reds but any potential suitors across Europe.

For the visitors, the difference-maker could well be former Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. The France international will likely start the game after Alexander Isak started in the loss against Manchester United.

Ekitike has been the form forward for a misfiring Liverpool and given he’s playing in the stadium he used to call home, it might be the perfect storm for him to make his mark and claim the centre-forward position as his own moving forward.

Team News

Liverpool are without Alisson Becker and Giovanni Leoni while Ryan Gravenberch is an injury doubt after sustaining an injury against United on Sunday, as Slot confirmed: “I took him [Gravenberch] off because he twisted his ankle. Is he an injury concern? That’s what we have to wait and see.”

Eintracht Frankfurt have an almost clean bill of health with Elias Baum being the only injury issue for the German side.

Prediction

With Toppmöller’s team conceding so many chances, it has to be a Liverpool win. However, with the Reds lacking confidence, we can’t see it being a big victory for the visitors, so let’s go with a 2-1 win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2025

Preview: Chelsea take on Ajax in the Champions League

The Dutch giants travel to West London in pursuit of their first Champions League win of the season while Chelsea seek to build upon their edgy 1-0 win over José Mourinho’s Benfica in the previous round.

By Alex Roberts

Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday cost Ange Postecoglou his job just over a month after being appointed. With Ajax boss Johnny Heitinga also under pressure, could they make it two for two?

Josh Acheampong is the future

The 19-year-old followed his assured performance in the 2-1 win over Liverpool up with an even better one in the victory of Forest. At a time when Chelsea’s defensive injury crisis looked to be their undoing, Acheampong grasped his chance with both hands.

Enzo Maresca took him off after 81 minutes to help get some minutes in Tosin Adarabioyo’s legs following the veteran (in terms of Chelsea) defender’s recent setback, having won 100% of his aerial duels, made six recoveries, and four interceptions.

Fellow Cobham graduate Reece James has said that the best thing for his development is to play games, and with centre-back arguably Chelsea’s weakest position, perhaps he could nail his spot down.

In desperate need of a result

Heitinga is a certified Ajax favourite, but even he will know he’s teetering dangerously close to his overdraft as his credit starts to run low. Their recent 4-0 defeat to Marseille was their worst ever in the Champions League.

Only Kazakhstani side Kairat Almaty sit below them, but at least they’ve managed to score a goal, while Ajax are one of two teams yet to register. The four-time champions look destined to fall at the first hurdle.

Domestically, it’s not going any better. Sitting in fourth, already nine points behind arch-rivals Feyenoord at the summit of the Eredivisie table and an impotent 2-0 home defeat to AZ Alkmaar on Saturday, leave little hope.

Team news

Wesley Fofana should now be available to play after picking up a concussion in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Lincoln a few weeks back, while questions remain over whether Enzo Fernández could feature due to the knee injury he picked up while on international duty.

However, the hosts are still missing Cole Palmer (groin), Levi Colwill (ACL), Dário Essugo (thigh), Benoît Badiashile (muscle), Liam Delap (hamstring), and João Pedro (suspension).

Moisés Caicedo was brought on at half time in the win over Forest and could be called upon instead of injury-prone midfielder Roméo Lavia, meanwhile Jorrel Hato, who joined Chelsea from Ajax in the summer, will likely have to settle for a spot on the bench against his former club.

As for Ajax, left-back Owen Wijndal was taken off with a muscular problem in his side’s defeat to Marseille, with midfielder Branco van den Boomen a major doubt due to a back injury.

Striker Kasper Dolberg will also be forced to sit out with a stomach injury, meaning former Man United striker Wout Weghorst will likely start up top for the visitors.

Prediction

Long gone are the days when Ajax could compete against Europe’s best. Last time these two sides met all the way back in 2019 it ended 4-4, this time, it shouldn’t be so close. We’re going with a 2-0 Chelsea win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2025

Preview: Manchester City visit the Yellow Submarine

It all looks rather ominous again for those opposing Manchester City: Erling Haaland free-scoring, new signings settled and eight unbeaten since an early-season stumble. But is their Champions League path just as clear-cut?

By Karl Matchett

Last year’s struggles won’t be forgotten

Autumn time a year ago was a tough patch for Pep Guardiola’s side, as they fell out of contention for the domestic title with a series of defeats – and in Europe it was almost a similar story. They eventually rescued themselves late on in the eight league phase fixtures but for a time it looked like they might even struggle to make it into the top 24. No letting up the pressure this time around in the search for early points, you can be sure – and with a trip to Real Madrid on the horizon, this first visit to Spain to face Villarreal looks an easier chance to pick up a victory.

Two German visitors – Dortmund and Leverkusen – are potentially tough in name but perhaps not quite so much in reality, but Man City won’t want to take any chances and, having taken four points already, should really be eyeing up a top-eight finish for automatic progression to the last 16.

Marcelino magic back in town

Villarreal head coach Marcelino must be one of the most underrated bosses in Europe – consistently able to shape his teams to play good football, be solid defensively and progress in the cups. He has made three Copa del Rey finals in his time – two with Athletic Club and one with Valencia – and this is his second spell with Villarreal, having earlier taken them to touching distance of the Europa League final, losing a semi-final second leg to Liverpool. Now he has the Yellow Submarine back in the Champions League and third in the table domestically, early though it is – his 4-4-2 template is compact, quick in transitions and happy to counter-attack bigger teams and inflict serious damage along the way.

Recent form

The Spanish team had won three in a row before a recent sequence of no wins in three – but they’ve come against Juventus, Real Madrid and Real Betis, to be fair. Earlier in the season they lost at Tottenham in gameweek one. Man City are very much in form, unbeaten in eight – though they haven’t yet won three in a row since the season started. They beat Brentford and Everton in their most recent two.

Team news

Juan Foyth is a doubt and a big loss for Villarreal. Georges Mikautadze should return to the XI in attack.

For City, Rodri and Rayan Aït-Nouri are the notable absentees.

Key player

If it feels obvious, it’s because he’s so key. Erling Haaland is in relentless mode: 14 goals in ten games across league and Europe. He’s top-ranked in the Premier League for everything shooting related: xG, on target efforts and goals of course, but he’s also top for strikers in final third possession wins, aerial duels won and touches in the box.

Prediction

Manchester City should have too much in attack to worry about dropping points again – Villarreal 1-2 Man City.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2025

Preview: Arsenal looking to maintain 100% start against Atletico Madrid

Arsenal host Atlético Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night as the Gunners look to continue their perfect record in the Champions League. If the North London outfit secure the three points, it will be their 100th win in the competition.

By Matt Smith

The last meeting between the two sides in Europe came back in 2018, when they faced each other twice in the Europa League. A draw was played out in the first leg, before Atlético secured a 1-0 victory at home to advance into the final of the competition.

Team news

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was unable to call upon Piero Hincapié at the weekend against Fulham, but he confirmed in the media on Monday afternoon that he is available for selection against Atlético. The Gunners will be without Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Martin Ødegaard, but they should have no fresh injury concerns.

Diego Simeone’s side will be without Johnny Cardoso, but Nico González has been named in the squad, despite coming off injured in their previous game.

Arsenal’s almost impenetrable defence

Arteta has built his side on solid foundations, and despite bringing in a host of new attacking talent this season, their most impressive trait remains their defensive solidity. The Gunners are yet to concede in the Champions League, letting in just three goals in the Premier League.

No side has conceded fewer expected goals in the Premier League this season either, and that is the same story in the Champions League too. Although the likes of Viktor Gyökeres might not be firing on all cylinders in attack, it’s not overly necessary due to their ridiculous defensive levels.

Atlético struggling to get over the line

It’s been an inconsistent start to the campaign for Simeone’s side, despite losing just once in LaLiga so far. Atlético have, however, drawn four of their opening nine league games, with three of those coming away from home.

The Spanish side are just struggling to get over the line in games, but they are showing resilience in being difficult to beat. They did secure an emphatic 5-2 victory over their Madrid rivals Real back in September, before comfortably beating Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 a few days later.

Julián Alvarez in fine form

Arsenal haven’t had a standout star this season, but they’ve undoubtedly been one of the best-performing sides in Europe. They’ve come up against some tricky attackers so far this term, but they don’t get much more difficult than Julián Alvarez.

*Alvarez’s player traits comparison against similar players in top 5 leagues*

This season, the Argentinian forward has hit 11 goals and assists combined in all competitions for Atlético, with three of those coming in one game against Frankfurt in the Champions League. He’ll know all about the Gunners’ defence, having faced them on multiple occasions during his time in England.

Prediction

There isn’t likely to be too many goals in this one considering Arsenal’s defensive record and Atlético’s usual setup away from home. We’re going for a 1-0 win to Arteta’s side.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, physical metrics, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2025

Preview: Barcelona aim to get back on track in the Champions League

Barcelona can climb the Champions League table by beating Olympiacos at their temporary home on Tuesday evening.

By Graham Ruthven

Home away from home

The hope was that Barcelona would return to their spiritual home at the Camp Nou for Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Olympiacos. This could have been their long-awaited homecoming.

Instead, Barca will play another game at Montjuïc where they lost their last Champions League match to Paris Saint-Germain, putting Hansi Flick’s side on the back foot in the League Phase.

Barcelona can return to winning aways by beating an Olympiacos side that has drawn to Pafos and lost against Arsenal in this season’s Champions League. The Catalans are firm favourites.

Flick’s team needed a stoppage time goal to overcome Girona at home on Saturday, highlighting how fragile Barca continue to be in certain matches. Their high defensive line will be targeted by the Greek champions.

Nonetheless, Barcelona will fancy their chances of beating Olympiacos as they have done in every home meeting with the club from Piraeus.

Key players

Pedri scored the opener for Barcelona against Girona on Saturday and is expected to start on Tuesday as the midfielder through which so much of the Catalans’ attacking play flows.

Lamine Yamal played over an hour in the same match. Barca are clearly a stronger team with the teenager on the pitch, but with El Clásico looming this weekend there’s no guarantee he will start again on Tuesday.

Marcus Rashford is a good bet to keep his starting spot on the left side with the on-loan Manchester United attacker firmly in his groove after a slow start to life at Barca.

*Barca’s top rated players in LaLiga this season*

Ayoub El Kaabi bagged a brace in the league win over AEL at the weekend and will pose a threat as Olympiacos’ attacking focal point against Barcelona. Daniel Podence and Chiquinho could also trouble the Catalans.

Realistically, though, the Greek champions will need their defensive figures to be solid in order to achieve a positive result, meaning goalkeeper Alexandros Paschalakis and centre back Panagiotis Retsos must stay focused.

Team news

Robert Lewandowski will miss out again after sustaining a hamstring injury while on international duty with Raphinha still a doubt having missed the last four Barcelona games.

Joan García and Marc-André Ter Stegen are both sidelined, meaning Wojciech Szczesny will continue in goal, while Gavi and Dani Olmo will also be missing for the visit of Olympiacos to Montjuïc.

In an ideal world, Flick might have chosen to rest some of his most important players before Sunday’s Clásico against Real Madrid. However, injuries could restrict his freedom in that regard.

Gabriel Strefezza and Rodinei are both expected to miss Tuesday’s match for Olympiacos. The latter’s injury means Costinha is likely to step up on the right side of the Greek outfit’s defence.

Otherwise, José Luis Mendilibar has a fully fit and available squad to choose from for his return to Spain to face an opponent he came up against many times in LaLiga.

Prediction

Form suggests that this will be the game that Barca use to get back on track in the Champions League, but as always, you can’t always count on Flick’s side keeping a clean sheet, so we’ll go with a confidence building home win: Barcelona 3-1 Olympiacos.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2025

Preview: Frank’s Spurs meet Emery’s Villa

Spurs look decent from a results perspective but performances have been underwhelming, while Aston VIlla seem to have turned a corner. Who will prevail at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday?

By Ian King

Are Spurs flattering to deceive, and are Villa hitting their stride?

The biggest question facing Spurs as they return from the international break is whether they have been flattering to deceive or not. They’re unbeaten in all competitions since the 30th August, but performances haven’t been particularly inspiring since then. After Saturday’s results, they now sit fifth in the table.

One of the bigger mysteries of the first two months of this season in the Premier League was what had happened to Aston Villa. But just as the lengthy think-pieces started to appear explaining why this should be, they kicked into gear. They’re also unbeaten in all competitions since the end of August, and come into this fixture off the back of two straight League wins, against Fulham and Burnley.

Spurs won the corresponding fixture last season, but Villa have the better overall record

Spurs have scored four goals on each of the last three times that they’ve beaten Aston Villa, including a 4-1 win against them in the corresponding fixture between the two last season, but Villa beat them twice last season after this match, in both the Premier League and the FA Cup. Villa have won five of the last seven meetings between the two teams.

Kolo Muani and Rogers are players with a point to prove

There have already been rumours that Randal Kolo Muani could be on his way from Spurs in the January transfer window, even though injury has restricted him to just 13 minutes on the pitch for them so far. If fit and selected for this one, he should have a point to prove ahead of any January move.

Another player subject to transfer speculation is Villa’s Morgan Rogers, who’s attracting the interest of numerous clubs. Rogers scored his first goal of the season for England against Wales last week, and we can see the upswing in his performance from his player ratings. If he wants what would almost certainly be a very big money move indeed, he needs to start demonstrating that he’s worth that expenditure again on a week-in-week-out basis.

Bissouma and Watkins injuries cast doubt over their availability

The Spurs injury list remains very much as it has been, although talk of a return for Yves Bissouma has been stifled by being stretchered off just six minutes after coming on while playing for Mali against Madagascar during the international break. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin all remain injured, though there is a possibility that they will start to appear in the Spurs matchday squads from this weekend on.

Youri Tielemans will definitely be missing for Aston Villa, but any of Emi Buendia, Andres Garcia, Tyrone Mings and Jadon Sancho could return. Their big question mark hangs over Ollie Watkins, who got injured playing for England against Wales and faces a race against time to be fit for this match.

Spurs & Aston Villa are long overdue a draw

The big question ahead of this game is whether Spurs have been pulling out results that have belied their performances and whether Villa’s corner-turning exercise is now complete. If both the former and latter are true, then you’d fancy Villa to win this game. But Villa won’t have wanted the international break to have come when it did, while Spurs, who’ve had a packed schedule so far, may well have welcomed the pause.

It is certainly a curiosity of this fixture that these two teams haven’t drawn a match in 13 and half years, despite having met 23 times in all competitions since then. Yet on this occasion a draw does actually feel like the most likely outcome. I’ll say 1-1, and for the question marks hanging over both of these teams to remain unanswered, for now.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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