Stuttgart make their return to the Champions League this week following an absence of 15 years, and they couldn’t have been handed a more daunting place to do so.
They return to European football’s premier competition with a trip to the Bernabéu to play Real Madrid in the first round of ‘Swiss model’ matches which have replaced the group stages from this year on.
But should they be considered callow just because they haven’t played in this competition for some years? They ended last season in the Bundesliga above Bayern Munich as the runners-up to Bayer Leverkusen with a run of just one defeat in their last sixteen league matches and while this season started poorly, with a point from their first two matches, they’ve recovered since by easing through the first round of the DFB-Pokal and recording a convincing 3-1 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach last Saturday.
Coached by Sebastian Hoeneß, who’s the son of the former Stuttgart player Dieter Hoeneß and the nephew of the legendary Uli, this is no team of superstars, with the most familiar name being Deniz Undav, who signed a season-long loan from Brighton last summer, scored 18 goals in the Bundesliga, and made his signing permanent in August. They’re only in 10th place in the current table, but with only three games played so far that doesn’t necessarily tell us very much.
The array of platinum-plated superstars facing them is, following the arrival of Kylian Mbappé during the summer, more daunting than ever, but that’s not to say that Real Madrid have been particularly glittering so far. They’ve already picked up their first piece of silverware of the season by comfortably beating Atalanta to win the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw last month, but their form in La Liga has been a little patchier.
They’ve only won three of their opening five games, with disappointing draws at Mallorca and Las Palmas in their first two away games. They’ve won their last two league matches, but that took two penalty kicks to get past Real Sociedad last Sunday; indeed, their last three goals have all come from the penalty spot. Almost entirely predictably, there have already been stories about the problems in combining Mbappé with Vinícius Júnior, but there’s a reason why Real are almost always favourites or second favourites to win this competition, and there have been few signs of that balance of power shifting.
(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.
The new format for the competition won’t impact Matchday One. Every single team will want to start with a win.
And this is an intriguing match-up.
These two sides have a storied history in this competition. They are juggernauts of European football, but right now, both are a bit of an unknown. Both are under new management. Both are looking to bed in a new style of play. Both have had disappointing results this season. Both will want to make a good first impression in the Champions League with their new managers at the helm.
The Reds suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday. They conceded their first goal of the Arne Slot era as Nottingham Forest rocked up to Anfield and claimed all three points. It brought Liverpool’s 100% record in the Premier League to an abrupt halt and, having seen how Slot struggled to manage the game, has heaped the first bit of pressure onto the Dutch tactician.
It doesn’t necessarily make this game a must-win but it is now very much a must-not lose match.
Milan, meanwhile, come into this game on the back of a 4-0 win over Venezia. It was their first win of the season. They have five points in Serie A having lost to Parma while drawing against Lazio and Torino. Interestingly, they are the joint-highest goalscorers in the Italian top flight under new boss Paulo Fonseca. The former-Lille manager was also believed to be on Liverpool’s shortlist as they assessed options following Jürgen Klopp’s departure. The Reds opted for Slot and Milan moved to bring him to Italy to replace Stefano Pioli.
They’re scoring goals but they’re also conceding goals. They have been breached on six occasions this term having conceded two goals in three of their four outings. They aren’t resolute defensively and they’ll have to be wary of this against a Liverpool side with seven goals in four games.
The Rossoneri had a good home record in Serie A last term, winning 12 of their 19 matches and losing on just three occasions. They were unlucky not to escape the Champions League group stage having finished level on points with PSG in a group containing the French giants, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United.
Both teams will want a good start in Europe and both managers will want to kick off their campaigns in the Champions League with a win. The pressure is on Liverpool but Milan have home advantage at the San Siro, let’s see if they can make it count.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every Champions League game with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
The development of football talent is an inexact science. We like to believe that prospects will progress in a linear manner and go from strength-to-strength each year, but the reality is that’s not always the case.
The development of young players can go in different directions, including periods of stagnation. Despite this, football clubs have become more and more aggressive in recent years towards acquiring youngsters in the hope that they’ll make the leap into stardom, at times paying a premium for any hint of potential during their early years.
In Bradley Barcola, we have an example of someone who might be having something of a meteoric rise. He’s had a fascinating start to his career for someone who only recently turned 22-years-old. Rewind the clock back to January 2023, and he was barely getting playing time for Olympique Lyonnais, to the point of reportedly seeking a loan move away from the club. In less than two years, he’s gone from an interesting young talent to a budding star who might be on the verge of making that vaunted leap into superstardom, something that could turn around both the fortunes of himself, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcola looks the part of the modern-day winger, largely operating on the touchline and looking to stretch the opposition’s backline. He’s a heavy volume dribbler at a decent success rate, with 2.95 dribbles per 90 in Ligue 1 in 2023-24 at a 50.5% success rate. Barcola’s style of dribbling is fascinating, because while he’s an impressive athlete, he doesn’t have an overwhelming first step. Rather, he utilizes feints and quick ball rolls in combination to get his opponent off balance. It’s the 2nd and 3rd step where the explosion really shows itself. One could classify his dribbling style as more of a reactive style than proactive. His goal vs Le Havre as a substitute was a nice example of how effective his style of dribbling can be, especially during transitions.
Barcola’s dribbling helps him get access to dangerous areas for creating chances, including those valuable cut-backs which the best clubs regularly manufacture. The output is quite impressive, whether it be assists (0.38 per 90 in 23-24) or expected assists (0.25 per 90). Some of that is boosted through taking advantage of transition opportunities. He makes the basic reads you’d expect from him against a low block, but the high-end inventive passes aren’t quite there yet in his repertoire. In that sense, it’s fair to argue that his output perhaps overstates how good of a playmaker he is right now.
Passing stats, Ligue 1 2023/24
Without the ball, Barcola shows some inventive moments despite his wide positioning. He’s comfortable utilising quick 1-2 combinations to take advantage of aggressive man-marking. His recent goals vs Montpellier and Lille showed how impactful that type of movement can be, especially during transitions. On occasion, he can attempt diagonal runs towards the middle against the blindside of the fullback. When moving into the left half-space, he could be more aggressive at making straight-line runs.
Looking at Barcola’s shot chart from last season, it somewhat resembles what you would expect from a touchline winger. Most of his shots come from the wide left zone of the box, which tend not to be of the highest quality unless it’s during fast breaks. In those tight areas, he has different finishes he’ll attempt, including toe punt shots and the trademark Thierry Henry-like finish. Some of his off-ball strengths, along with playing for a super team, means he doesn’t have to resort to a ton of long-range opportunities. 27 of his 33 shots in Ligue 1 last season were inside the box, although the lack of shots in the central zone led to having an expected goal per 90 rate of 0.25, a good but not great rate compared to others at his position.
Shot map, Ligue 1 2023/24
It’s been fascinating to see Barcola assume a larger role in attack this season. His shots per 90 have nearly doubled to over four at a non-penalty xG of 0.94, although the sample size is quite small at just over 200 minutes. There was a lot of intrigue around how PSG would look like in the post-Kylian Mbappé era, and so far, they’ve won all four of their league matches with a +13 goal differential. The next few matches will bring a stiffer test for this remodeled PSG side, particularly with Champions League bouts vs Girona and Arsenal. Barcola maintaining this level of production will be key to whether they’re seen as real contenders for the European crown.
Since the calendar turned to 2024, Barcola has nine goals and seven assists in just over 1800 minutes of competitive action, an impressive return for almost any player, let alone one at his age. He’s seemingly growing in confidence with every match, and is continuing to evolve physically. The early 20s is where we expect young attackers to make the leap, and Barcola looks to be right on schedule. If this form continues, it won’t be long before we start talking about him as one of the better players in European football.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from Ligue 1 and the Champions League live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Our Major League Soccer expert James Nalton picks the standout players from the latest round of games in MLS, including his two votes for the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) MLS Player of the Matchday.
Major League Soccer’s marquee player had not played a game in the league since June 1.
A call-up to the Argentina squad for the Copa America and an ankle injury suffered during that tournament kept Messi out for the entire Leagues Cup campaign and a run of nine MLS games.
Inter Miami won eight of those nine games without Messi, and he returns to a team cruising to the Supporters’ Shield title even in his absence.
Though Philadelphia Union opened the scoring through Mikael Uhre, Messi went on to score twice and assist another in a 3-1 win that maintained Miami’s dominance at the top of the points table and the Eastern Conference.
A right-footed finish to equalise, an effortless left-footed goal after he somehow managed to find space on the penalty spot, and an assist for Luis Suárez marked his return in style.
Inter Miami will now be looking to break the regular season points record in MLS which currently stands at 73, achieved by New England Revolution in 2021. Win four of their last five games, and they will break it.
With Messi returning to a team that was already in good form, it could be a formality.
9.6 FotMob rating: Riqui Puig, LA Galaxy
The Los Angeles derby, El Tráfico, rarely disappoints. This weekend’s edition was no exception as a goal-filled game saw LA Galaxy run out 4-2 winners against LAFC.
LAFC had taken a 2-0 lead within 15 minutes, but it led to a convincing second-half comeback for the home side that made the win even sweeter for Galaxy fans.
Along with two-goal hero Dejan Joveljić, Riqui Puig was the standout player in the comeback, taking control of the game from midfield.
He finished it having had 140 touches — more than double that of any LAFC player.
Within all of this were two assists and a goal. Although the first assist was more about the brilliant strike from Edwin Cerrillo and the second may have been a shot turned in by Joveljić, he still made things happen.
Puig completed 104 of 119 passes (87%), created seven chances, completed three dribbles, and won 9/12 ground duels.
His goal was aptly passed into the net from the edge of the area, just inside the post.
LA Galaxy’s win was not an isolated derby success. It also affects the league table and it consolidated their place at the top of the Western Conference ahead of their local rivals.
Three more standout performers
9.1 FotMob rating: Ryan Gauld, Vancouver Whitecaps
Gauld is regularly among the best players in MLS on any given weekend and features once again in Matchday 32 with a FotMob rating over nine.
Only the Galaxy’s Riqui Puig and Evander of Portland Timbers have higher average ratings than Gauld in MLS this season (Messi will be top once he plays enough games to qualify for the list).
In Vancouver Whitecaps’ solid 2-0 win against San Jose Earthquakes, Gauld assisted both goals, created six chances, and completed 44 of 48 attempted passes (92%).
The first assist came via a corner kick for Fafà Picault to head home, while Vancouver’s final goal was a work of art in open play.
Colorado Rapids have emerged from a successful Leagues Cup campaign as one of the form teams in MLS.
Rather than be a mid-season distraction, Leagues Cup triumphs against Mexican opposition and qualification for the Concacaf Champions Cup by winning the third-place game has given momentum to Chris Armas’s side.
They have won both games since the return of MLS, including this latest one by two goals to one against Portland Timbers.
There is a tight race in the West below LA Galaxy, and this win against another team in the mix moved the Rapids up to third in the table.
In Mihailović they have their star Designated Player. He assisted both goals and created a total of six chances.
The Rapids hope this kind of creativity will continue in open play and from set pieces for the remainder of the season.
“We know it’s tight and we’re well aware of what’s behind us, but we’re looking forward and in the standings, we’re looking up,” said Armas.
“We cannot operate in a way where we play fearfully and play not to lose. We have a lot of belief.”
8.7 FotMob rating: Facundo Torres, Orlando City
A theme of several of these standout performances has been attacking players completing passes with precision in difficult areas.
Torres was among the best in this regard, only misplacing two passes all game for a pass success of 95%. This included completing three out of three long balls.
He then emphatically dispatched a penalty at the end of the first half which made sure of the win for his team.
Orlando went on to score a third through Duncan McGuire in the second half, in which Torres also played a part earlier in the move.
It was a statement win for Orlando as they are among several teams fighting for that fourth spot for some home advantage going into the Eastern Conference playoffs, behind the top three of Miami, Columbus Crew, and FC Cincinnati.
Torres roaming from the right wing to the centre, was at the heart of it.
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from MLS live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
The Manchester City forward is, once again, in the FotMob Team of the Week following his goalscoring exploits for the reigning champions. They’re now the only team in the English top-flight with a 100% record and it is largely because of his many, many goals this season.
But who joins the powerhouse No. 9 in the XI and why?
Goalkeeper: Arijanet Muric
The Ipswich Town shot-stopper was put to work against Brighton. The 25-year-old, who signed from Burnley in the summer, made six saves as the Tractor Boys picked up a point away to the high-flying Seagulls. Muric faced shots with an Expected Goals value of 2.45 as the hosts peppered the away side’s goal. His exploits between the sticks earned him a FotMob rating of 9.3.
Centre-Back: Fabian Schär
The Newcastle United centre-back scored an important goal against Wolves, netting an equaliser late on. The Magpies then used this as a platform to go on and win the game. The Swiss defender completed 86% of his passes, made seven clearances and won five of his eight duels.
Centre-Back: Matthijs De Ligt
After a forgettable international break away with the Netherlands, De Ligt bounced back with Manchester United, putting in an impressive display away at Southampton. The 25-year-old scored the opener for the Red Devils to set Erik Ten Hag’s side on their way. He also completed 92% of his passes, cleared a shot off of the line and won 100% of his aerial duels.
Centre-Back: Gabriel
The Arsenal centre-back scored the winning goal in the North London derby. Gabriel escaped Cristian Romero to power home a header in the second half in what was the only goal of the game. He was at his resolute best, making eight clearances and winning two of his three ground duels. The Brazil defender was dribbled past on just one occasion as the Gunners secured all three points to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League this term.
Midfield: Tyrick Mitchell
The Crystal Palace wing-back caught the eye against Leicester City. He claimed an assist with one of four chances that he created. Of those, two were classed as big chances. The 25-year-old attempted three dribbles and completed 49 of his 63 attempted passes. He also won 100% of his aerial duels to round off a solid performance for the Eagles.
Midfield: Wilfred Ndidi
Ndidi starred for the Foxes in their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. The 27-year-old midfielder claimed two assists having carved out four chances. He finished with three big chances to his name. Ndidi didn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either, recovering the ball on seven occasions while involving himself in 19 duels on the day.
Midfield: Dwight McNeil
McNeil, somehow, ended up on the losing side on Saturday evening. The Everton midfielder finished with two goal involvements having scored the opener and assisted the second for the Toffees, putting in an unbelievable cross for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to nod home. He created the most chances (four) of any player on the pitch and finished with two big chances created. The 24-year-old completed 100% of his tackles but struggled in duels, winning just one of four. His offensive output played a big part in his 8.3 FotMob rating.
Midfield: Mario Lemina
Lemina put in a Player of the Match showing for Wolves but also ended up on the losing side. The 31-year-old skipper scored the opener, carved out two chances and one big chance as the hosts let a 1-0 lead slip against Newcastle United. Lemina completed 100% of his dribbles, 100% of his tackles, made two interceptions, six recoveries and came out on top in five of seven duels.
Attack: Ollie Watkins
Watkins played 84 minutes for Villa in their 3-2 win over Everton. The England international scored two goals and carved out one chance for the Villans. What makes this output even more remarkable is the fact he attempted just six passes and had 19 touches. He was barely involved in the game but he made it count when he did get the ball. To go with his two goals, the 28-year-old missed two big chances. His performance at Villa Park earned him an 8.9 rating.
Attack: Erling Haaland
Another game, another two goals for Haaland. The two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner scored twice to make it nine goals in four outings this term. The 24-year-old was the match-winner for City, scoring what turned out to be the winner for the champions as early as the 32nd minute. The No. 9 had as many shots (six) as he had completed passes. It was yet another quintessential Haaland showing. He wasn’t involved much in the build-up but he was the difference-maker in the final third for the reigning champions.
Attack: Amad
Amad Diallo got the nod ahead of Alejandro Garnacho for Manchester United’s game against Southampton and he made the most of it. The versatile attacker assisted a goal and carved out six chances for the Red Devils in the 3-0 win. The 22-year-old won three of his four tackles, won four of his seven ground duels and had a 100% success rate in aerial duels. It was an utterly devastating display and one that should see him retain his place in the starting XI next time out.
(Images from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the Premier League live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Both sides return to action after the international break still smarting from their latest results in the league. Arsenal dropped points to Brighton a couple of weekends ago and Spurs lost to a late-ish Alexander Isak goal at Newcastle United despite putting in a decent performance in attack.
It is off-field suspensions and injuries that will certainly encourage Spurs, as Arsenal will be without the injured Martin Ødegaard and the suspended Declan Rice. Mikel Merino is also ruled out and it remains to be seen whether Riccardo Calafiori will be fully fit after picking up an injury for Italy during the international break.
Another positive for the Lilywhites is that Dominic Solanke will be back in action after an injury lay-off and he will be looking to get himself off the mark for his new club. Micky van de Ven did pick up a knock in the loss on Tyneside but he has been passed fit for the derby.
Barring that, recent history does favour Arsenal and they will take confidence from that.
Mikel Arteta‘s side have won the last two derbies at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and are unbeaten in four games against their rivals. Postecoglou is also yet to win against Arsenal but he did see his side put in a decent performance in the 2-2 draw at the Emirates last season.
One big red flag for Spurs is their transitional defending, which was a problem against Newcastle and caused many issues last season, as teams could get at them on the counterattack.
Arsenal will look at that aspect keenly, as they may cede possession to Spurs whenever they can due to the injuries and absences in the matchday squad. This could play out well for in the Gunners, who can then expose their rivals on the break.
Having said that, Spurs do typically create a lot of chances in each game – they’ve missed seven from 10 chances categorised as ‘Big Chances’ so far this season. The lack of a finishing touch has let them down, something they’ll be looking to correct in what is one of the biggest games of the campaign.
All that, though, is simply the on-paper talk and as is often the case on Derby day, things tend to happen on instinct and momentum dictates results. Both teams will likely create their fair share of chances and it will all be about who can convert the most on the day.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
It has been a perfect start to the 24/25 campaign for Hansi Flick, his short stint at Barcelona so far suggesting that he is rather more suited to club coaching than sporadic international involvement with his players.
Moving on from his debacle at Germany, the new Camp Nou boss has won four from four in LaLiga this term to sit four points clear already – but an intriguing next test awaits.
While it’s after the October international break that Barcelona’s fixture list really cranks into high gear – they’ll face Sevilla, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and the derby against Espanyol in a row following that – they return to domestic action now against last season’s surprise package Girona, who finished third, only a handful of points behind the Catalan club themselves.
For Girona, as expected, they lost a few players over summer and the start to this term has been a little fragmented as a result: last year’s goal machine Artem Dovbyk has gone to Roma, midfielder Aleix García to Bayer Leverkusen and their on-loan winger Savinho is now with Man City. Even so, despite defeat at Atlético Madrid they have looked strong, hammering Osasuna and winning at Sevilla in impressive fashion.
Head coach Míchel Sánchez has them playing a familiar way and when Yangel Herrera is back to full fitness, they retain a strong, mobile, technically excellent midfield. Even so, and while they can cause problems of their own, early-season Barcelona looks a slick machine which might be too strong for them going forward.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have started the campaign well. Dani Olmo, now in the lineup and central to their buildup play, is immense – he could be set to be one of the league’s very best this season, his first back in his home nation since leaving at 16 years old. And while Robert Lewandowski is clearly past his peak, he may be rejuvenated with better buildup behind him and a manager who knows him well – four in four so far for the Pole.
Yet opportunity for Girona comes in Barcelona’s absentees, particularly in midfield. Olmo got a knock with Spain last week and though he could still play, Gavi remains out and Marc Bernal will miss the season. Frenkie de Jong, Fermín López and Andreas Christensen are all still missing, too.
There’s not too much scope for rest and rotation in the centre as the matches start to come thick and fast for Barcelona in Europe this coming week – but Girona’s success last year means they must deal with that additional load, too. It’s fascinatingly poised to reveal where both these sides really are.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Alexander Isak has already made his mark in the Premier League at Newcastle United but with his stock continuing to rise, this season could be the most important one of his career so far.
In a way, Alexander Isak was destined to come this far in his career. Even though he crossed the ten-goal mark only once in three seasons at Real Sociedad and found the back of the net only six times in his last campaign at La Real, the Swede always had a raw talent.
The first time he caught the global eye was at EURO 2020 and he did that without even scoring, grabbing two assists in four games and showing glimpses of being a technically gifted forward despite his tall 6’3” frame. He was already showing all of that for Real Sociedad at club level during that period and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before it came to the fore on a consistent basis.
Isak shooting stats per 90, Premier League 2022/23
At Newcastle, that is exactly what has happened. Despite having his first season curtailed due to injury, the Swede got ten goals at the rate of 0.59 goals per 90 minutes.
He bettered that tally last season, when he banged in 21 Premier League goals at the rate of 0.83 goals per 90 for Eddie Howe‘s side, showing exactly how far he had come under the Englishman, whose system seems to bring the best out of the Sweden international.
Isak shooting stats per 90, Premier League 2023/24
It shouldn’t escape our attention that the 24-year-old had arrived at the club for a fee of £63m, which was Newcastle’s record transfer at that point. That pressure never held Isak back and despite the threat of recurring muscle injuries, he has managed to succeed and has become a fan favourite that many other clubs would gladly want in their side.
One thing is for certain though – Isak’s charm doesn’t just lie in goalscoring. Granted, he is very reliable when it comes to finding the net, but he is more than that. He offers an ability on the ball which helps those around him and he is always keen on taking a defender on and beating him. That skillset is quite rare for a forward who is as tall as Isak, but is fairly reminiscent of another ex-Sweden hero – Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Isak player traits
Howe’s system relies on pressing high up the pitch and Isak keenly does that, while also showing an incisive nature in the wide channels, where he links up with teammates very well and makes the runs that stretch the opposition.
He is constantly prowling around the final third and that benefits him a lot, making sure that he is regularly amongst the goals. Having said that, a strong case can be made of the fact that Isak offers way more in and out of possession than the likes of Ivan Toney or even Tottenham’s big-money signing Dominic Solanke. He probably offers more than Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus and if not for Erling Haaland, he could probably walk into the current Manchester City setup as well.
Players of this ilk offer incredible value to all kinds of systems and considering how Isak has overperformed on his xG reliably in his two seasons at St James Park, referring to him as a pretty good finisher is a safe assumption to make.
He scored against Tottenham in Newcastle’s last game before the international break, while impressing once again with his overall approach, then added three goals in two appearances for Sweden in the Nations League. And that tally will only increase as the weeks go by and the season wears on. In the long run, that might spell danger for Newcastle, especially if they fail to make qualify for Europe and their well-documented PSR issues come to the fore again.
Isak’s international break
Isak could easily fetch close to or over €100m for Newcastle and help them make a solid capital gain on what they initially signed him for. And the club have a recruitment structure in place which would ensure a suitable replacement is found.
Another impressive season will catapult Isak’s reputation into the orbit, showing how he has now adapted to four different countries in what is a pretty young career. He won’t just solve a side’s problems in the present but would also guarantee them goals for the next few years as well.
Injuries might be a bit of an issue but if the ex-Borussia Dortmund man can stay away from those, nothing really can stop him from flying.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.
After finally fulfilling football’s worst kept secret over the summer with the signing of star forward Kylian Mbappé, from PSG, many would have been expecting Real Madrid to instantly becomean even more formidable outfit.
Instead, the reigning LaLiga champions have found the going tough and even though they remain unbeaten across their opening four domestic matchdays, their supporters would have been hoping for much more.
Disappointing 1-1 draws with both Mallorca and Las Palmas have hamstrung their tally to this point, and as such, Real have picked up their lowest points haul through the opening four matches of a season since 2019/20. With both of those stalemates coming on the road too, confidence won’t exactly be flowing ahead of this latest away day – one that takes them to Real Sociedad, arguably much tougher opponents, as they look to hunt down rivals Barcelona at the top of the standings.
Despite that, the recent head-to-head form between these two sides in LaLiga still points towards likely success for Carlo Ancelotti and his side, as Madrid have lost just three of their last 17 away games against Real Sociedad in a run dating back to 2004. They’ve also enjoyed playing in this part of Spain of late, winning each of their last three away league games against Basque sides without conceding a goal in the process.
There’s also the additional boost that the side from San Sebastián have hardly started their own league campaign on a strong footing. Saturday’s hosts limped into the first international break of the new season by drawing 0-0 with Getafe, a result which made it just one win from their opening four games.
In that run of games, both of their home matches have ended in 2-1 defeats against Rayo Vallecano and Alavés – both sides with much less quality at their disposal than Madrid. Consequently, the home faithful at the Anoeta will likely be concerned ahead of this weekend’s fixture.
They’ll therefore have their collective fingers crossed that the aforementioned Mbappé forgets his shooting boots again for this match. No player in LaLiga, to this point, has underperformed their xG as much as the French international, though you’d still have to be a bit daft to not back him in potentially sending Real Sociedad crashing to a fourth consecutive home league defeat for the first time since 2007.
Mbappé shot map, LaLiga 2024/25
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
From the moment Zlatan Ibrahimović bagged a brace on his LA Galaxy debut in the first ever meeting between the two Californian rivals, this has been the most exciting and consistently dramatic derby in Major League Soccer and Saturday’s clash promises to be just as gripping as any other.
Four points is all that divides the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC at the top of the Western Conference. The latter holds two games in-hand over their rivals and could close the gap on Greg Vanney’s team by claiming three points at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday. Equally, the Galaxy could widen the gap with a victory of their own.
Olivier Giroud will get his first taste of El Tráfico since joining LAFC from AC Milan in the summer and the same goes for Marco Reus following his transfer to the LA Galaxy from Borussia Dortmund. Giroud is still searching for his first goal in MLS, but Reus has registered one goal and one assist in just two games.
The LA Galaxy boast the strongest home record in the Western Conference having lost just once in 14 league games at Dignity Health Sports Park. However, that one home loss came against LAFC. In fact, the Galaxy haven’t beaten their rivals at home since a win in the US Open Cup back in 2022.
In an attacking sense, the Galaxy have the firepower to overcome anyone in MLS at this moment in time. Between them, Dejan Joveljić, Gabriel Pec, Riqui Puig and Joseph Paintsil have combined for 40 goals this season. Defensively, though, the Carson outfit have their weaknesses having conceded more than one goal in half of the 28 league matches they have played this season.
Los Angeles FC have been something of a force on the road since going winless over their first five away matches of the season. Since then, Steve Cherundolo’s team have gone unbeaten in seven away games and will fancy their chances of leaving Carson with another positive result this weekend.
Most recently, the Black and Golds have dominated El Tráfico having won their last three games against the LA Galaxy. There has been 95 goals in the previous 23 derby meetings between the LA Galaxy and LAFC. Saturday’s match could swing either way, but it’s almost guaranteed that there will be something to talk about.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from MLS with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
