Page 53 – The Pulse of Football

Oct

2024

Christian Benteke has claimed the MLS Golden Boot but could he also be this year’s MVP?

Christian Benteke has been one of the standout players in Major League Soccer this season, winning the Golden Boot award after topping the regular season goalscoring charts with 23, but should the DC United centre-forward also be considered for the league’s top individual honour in 2024?

By James Nalton

Many of the debates around who should win the MLS Most Valuable Player award stem from different ideas of what the award means.

No definition is provided by the league itself, so voters are left to make up their own minds as to what MVP represents, and what kind of individual qualities are being rewarded.

“Most valuable” can suggest many things, from the value a player brings to a franchise in a wider sense to a more specific focus on what they bring on the field.

In terms of on-field performance, is the most valuable player equivalent to the best player in the league, or is it the player who is the most indispensable to their team? These two things are often one and the same, but not always.

Many media members have already announced their voting intentions publicly. Taking these into account, the two front runners appear to be Lionel Messi of Inter Miami and Cucho Hernández of Columbus Crew.

Few would dispute that these are the two best players in the league, and if “MVP” is equal to “best player”, then they are the obvious candidates.

It just so happens that their teams are the best in the league, too. Inter Miami won the Supporters’ Shield in record-breaking fashion, while Columbus Crew play some of the best football MLS has seen, under the tutelage of French head coach Wilfried Nancy.

Both of these teams have been mostly fine when their MVPs have been unavailable, though. Inter Miami have won ten games, drawn two and lost three in Messi’s absence, while the Crew have won four, drawn two and lost one without Cucho.

*Messi vs. Hernández stats comparison, MLS 2024*

There is no doubt these teams are better with their star players, but they don’t miss them massively when they are not there, at least in terms of results.

Christian Benteke, on the other hand, is DC United. He’s their game plan, their goalscorer and undoubtedly their most valuable player. As the top goalscorer in MLS in 2024, you could then also argue that he is the league-wide MVP this year.

The Belgian has scored 44% of DC United’s goals in MLS this season, and the next in line for goals scored for Troy Lesesne’s team this season, behind Benteke’s 23, was Gabriel Pirani with just six. No other DC United player scored more than three.

Benteke’s value is also demonstrated by his extraordinary stats for aerial duels and heading.

He topped the league for headed shots (40), headed goals (9), aerial duels contested (436) and aerial duels won (314). 43% of his shots taken were headers.

Those figures for aerial duels are the highest in MLS history, eclipsing his own from 2023 when he contested 367 aerial duels and won 244 – the second highest in MLS history. C.J. Sapong is third in MLS history for aerial duels contested with 268 for Chicago Fire in 2019, while Steve Birnbaum is third for aerial duels won with 177 for DC United in 2019 – both of which demonstrate how far ahead Benteke has been in this area of the game.

*Benteke shot map, headers only, MLS 2024*

It’s perhaps unfair to say DC United are just Benteke, after all, someone needs to provide assists for his goals and the crosses from which he heads those shots on goal.

And in the four games Benteke missed this season, the team scored six goals but failed to pick up a win, drawing three and losing one.

With overall performance in mind, Benteke also wins his fair share of headers when helping out in defence at set pieces – this is not just an attacking weapon.

DC United are also an active pressing team, which is no surprise given this has been a feature of head coach Lesesne’s favoured style of play since his time with New Mexico United, and this is combined with a directness in possession.

Benteke is once again a key part of that direct play, though, able to hold the ball up well, receiving it to feet as well as in the air, and can act as an outlet to retain possession once the ball has been won back.

Despite these other team traits, Benteke is very much the player relied upon, as his goalscoring record shows, especially compared to the lack of goals scored by his teammates.

The 2024 MLS MVP is likely to go to one of Cucho or Messi, most likely the latter given his overall profile and value to the league, but in terms of importance to a team, they don’t get much more valuable than Benteke.

(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.

Oct

2024

Russell Martin needs his Southampton side to turn performances into points

Only four teams in Premier League history have picked up just one point from their opening nine matches. That figure could soon rise to six.

By Sam McGuire

Wolves and Southampton are winless in the English top-flight this term, and both teams have picked up just a single point.

Gary O’Neil takes his side to Brighton this weekend, and that will be a struggle but the Seagulls have been a little erratic at times this term, so maybe Wolves can spring a surprise. Southampton, by comparison, make the trip up north to take on champions Manchester City. A much tougher proposition for Russell Martin and his players.

The pressure is mounting on the Southampton boss after a disappointing start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign. A heavy loss against Pep Guardiola’s side might be difficult to ignore. The former Swansea City tactician is being scrutinised for his decision to stick to his playing style principles despite the fact the Saints are struggling. For now, the 38-year-old isn’t fearing the sack.

Martin was asked about his short-term future after the recent loss to Leicester City, a game in which Southampton held a 2-0 lead before losing 3-2, and replied: “No. I had a brilliant chat with Dragan [Solak, Saints owner] and the guys yesterday. We had a board meeting.

“It was planned, so you can relax. I wouldn’t give you any details if we were sitting top of the Premier League.”

Football is a results business but Martin, if queried, will point to performances. Southampton are unlucky not to have recorded a win this term. In fact, when looking at Expected Points, the Saints, per the FotMob Expected Goals table, should be on seven. They’re playing like a team that should be in a relegation fight but who, at the time of writing, would’ve done enough to be outside of the drop zone.

When looking at the underlying numbers, Southampton have been unlucky in attack. They have scored just six goals from an xG haul of 10. This underperformance is quite significant, especially over an eight-game sample size.

For added context, Martin’s team have lost by the odd goal in three of their eight matches this season. Had the opportunities they have carved out been scored, losses could have been draws and draws could have been victories. It wouldn’t be as though it wouldn’t have been deserved either.

Instead, the Saints find themselves with just six goals across their eight outings. They’ve also conceded 18.

To make matters even worse, Martin’s side have given up leads to fellow strugglers Ipswich Town and Leicester City. Southampton conceded a stoppage-time equaliser against the Tractor Boys.

It was a game that the hosts had dominated, carving out chances worth 2.49 Expected Goals while limiting the hosts to chances with an xG value of just 1.69. The Saints had four big chances to the two created by Ipswich.

Against Leicester, it was a fairly even game when looking at the Non-Penalty Expected Goals totals. The Foxes edged it 2.42 to 2.15 but Southampton were the better finishers on the day with an Expected Goals on Target haul of 2.62 to Leicester’s 2.53. Again, it was a case of bad luck rather than a bad performance.

The same thing happened in their season-opener against Newcastle United. The hosts had Fabian Schär sent off early on which no doubt impacted their game plan and tactics, but Southampton racked up 19 shots to three and finished with an Expected Goals total of 1.77. The hosts carved out chances worth just 0.25 Expected Goals. The performance should’ve resulted in a comfortable win for the Saints. Instead, they lost 1-0. If that game was replayed, Southampton, with an identical performance, would win it more often than not.

For Martin and his players this term, it feels like a case of once they manage to get over the line for a win in one game, more positive results will follow. The issue is they’re struggling to turn good performances into wins right now.

The fixture list isn’t getting any easier either. After the trip to the Etihad, Southampton face a resurgent Everton team looking to create a greater gap between themselves and the dropzone. They then travel to Molineux for a six-pointer against Wolves before hosting current league leaders Liverpool.

Martin might be under no pressure internally right now but the longer this winless streak goes on, the more likely it is his time as manager of Southampton will be cut short.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Oct

2024

Analysis: Normal service is resuming for Bayern Munich under Vincent Kompany

After their record-breaking run of 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles was brought to a dramatic halt by the invincible Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24, Bayern Munich found themselves in the very unfamiliar position of starting a season without being clear title favourites. Nevertheless, new head coach Vincent Kompany seems to have brought them back on the right track in the early days of his tenure.

By Neel Shelat

Bayern Munich have lost just one of their ten competitive matches so far this season and find themselves back at the top of the Bundesliga standings after an extremely surprising trophyless 2023/24 campaign. New head coach Vincent Kompany seems to have had an instant impact which few anticipated at the time of his arrival from Burnley, though he did have a promising track record in charge of league-leading teams.

At the current rate, Bayern are on course to win the league fairly comfortably. While they are level on points with RB Leipzig at the moment, the underlying numbers already show that they are a cut above the rest.

*Bundesliga xG table, based on xG for and xG conceded*

So, let us take a look at how Kompany has brought Bayern Munich right back to where they expect to be.

Star-studded squad

Before diving into the tactics, it is worth emphasising the fact that Bayern Munich still have by far the best squad in the Bundesliga. Their drop to third place last season was a clear underperformance, but it stemmed from tactical and structural issues more than anything else. Crucially, Die Roten had absolutely no problems holding on to their stars in the summer, and they even managed to make a couple of noteworthy additions.

The defensive department is perhaps the weakest relative to the rest of the squad, but it is by no means shabby. Manuel Neuer remains an exceptionally well-rounded goalkeeper despite his age and injury issues, while Sven Ulreich is a very well tried and tested backup. Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano, Eric Dier and Hiroki Ito are sufficiently solid centre-back options if nothing else – certainly when compared to their peers around Germany. Alphonso Davies and Sacha Boey are a pair of good attack-minded full-backs, while the versatile skillsets of Raphaël Guerreiro and Josip Stanišić can afford a good deal of flexibility in terms of build-up structures.

Defensive midfield was one of the pain points for Bayern last season, but it seems to have been internally resolved. Aleksandar Pavlović, arguably among the very best young talents in world football at the moment, has slotted into a regular first-team role at the perfect time. His exceptional maturity and understanding of the game mean that he can be partnered by anyone from Joshua Kimmich to João Palhinha. The €50 million or so spent on the latter might seem a bit excessive at the moment, though his presence should prove valuable at times like this when Pavlović is unavailable.

Further up the field, a couple of other youngsters have shone brightest in Bayern’s attack. Jamal Musiala is a well-established attacking midfielder now with over 170 appearances for his club, which makes it easy to forget that he is still only 21 years old. Alongside him, summer signing Michael Olise has instantly showcased his outstanding on-ball qualities and registered six goal involvements in the league so far. Besides them, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sané are all potent wingers who the other young talents can learn from. The experience of Thomas Müller can also prove valuable in certain fixtures, while Harry Kane remains a world-class striker as evidenced by his hat-trick last weekend.

*Harry Kane Bundesliga summary, 2024/25 season*

Dominant style of play reimposed

One of the issues for Bayern Munich last season was that they could get too rushed too quickly in possession. The pressure of Bayer Leverkusen’s title challengers and their inexperience as chasers seemed to get the better of them, as the record champions failed to finish the season with the highest possession average for the first time since FotMob has been keeping records.

In the early days of the new season, Bayern have gotten right back on track. They have averaged nearly 70% of possession after seven league fixtures as Kompany has made the most of the versatile ball-players in his squad to devise a fluid build-up structure that has been uncluttered by all opposition presses so far.

In fact, Bayern have even dominated proceedings in all the three matches they have failed to win so far this season, so it was only their lack of clinicality in front of goal that has cost them. Unlike last season, contenders in the Bundesliga have not at all been able to go toe-to-toe with the record champions.

For the most part, Bayern’s attack has been on fire as well. The flexible build-up structure has enabled them to consistently feed their attackers in dangerous positions, from where their individual qualities can shine through. Kompany’s side handed out a few thrashings in September as they hit Holstein Kiel for six, smashed nine goals against Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener and scored five at Werder Bremen.

Such dominance naturally means that Bayern’s defence is hardly even tested, so they have the lowest xG conceded tally in the league by some margin. In fact, all potential challengers in the league such as Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart have not been at their very best in the early days of the season, so Die Roten could well cruise through the campaign without really being troubled.

If they manage to build up a significant points lead by the turn of the year, Bayern will be able to prioritise the Champions League knockouts more than most of their rivals. The only real question mark is how well their defence will hold up against the best sides in Europe, and we should get some idea about that when they face the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in the next month. Either way, Kompany’s side are absolutely on course to challenge for titles on all fronts once again.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayern Munich game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2024

Preview: Manchester City looking for an improved performance against Sparta

Can Haaland rediscover his goalscoring instinct without De Bruyne’s help?

By Filip Mishov

Even though the Cityzens snatched a last-gasp win (1-2) at Molineux through John Stones‘ clinical header over the weekend, Pep Guardiola surely is not too happy with his squad’s overall performance and especially the offensive line as the defenders stole the goalscoring show. Additionally, Erling Haaland was isolated in attack, barely touching the ball, and extended his personal goalscoring drought to a couple of matches.

Something which speaks volumes about Kevin De Bruyne‘s importance and the flamboyant Belgian is back in training ahead of Sparta Prague’s visit to Etihad, although it is difficult to see him go straight into the starting XI given his recent injury record.

With Sparta, the reigning Czech champions coming to Manchester as complete strangers but boasting an identical European record (1W, 1D) in the Champions League this season as the hosts, City might need a creative spark in this, the first-ever meeting between the two clubs. And for Pep, actions speak louder than words, and Jérémy Doku and Savinho‘s unconvincing performances might sprung the Spaniard into making changes with Jack Grealish and Phil Foden coming into the side.

*Possible Man City starting XI, made with the FotMob lineup builder*

Unlike the Blues’ forwards as of late, their versatile centre-backs are flourishing on both sides of the pitch as Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol, and John Stones all registered a shot on target against Wolverhampton Wanderers and furthermore, Manchester City’s defence has yet to concede a goal in Europe, being one of only six clubs to keep consecutive clean sheets. The Croatian defender, Gvardiol is at the heart of everything City do, both defensively as well as offensively and the ever-improving 22-year-old scored another scorcher from distance with his weaker foot at Molineux.

On the other side, the Iron Sparta(ns) are travelling to England on the back off a 1. Liga win after the international break, sitting in second place in the standings, just like Manchester City in the Premier League.

The Lars Friis-led squad upset the odds in Europe as they recorded a home win (3-0) against Salzburg and a respectable away draw (1-1) against VfB Stuttgart in the opening two rounds of the Champions League. Kaan Kairinen is one Sparta’s main trump cards and the Finish midfielder is their top goalscorer in the Champions League with two goals scored.

Obviously, Manchester City’s undefeated start this season is more likely to be extended than cut short, but Pep Guardiola is fully aware that the Cityzens’ performances must improve and Sparta Prague have already shown resilience to secure positive results on the European stage. Lastly, don’t be surprised if the loud Czechs outsing the home supporters at Etihad as the visitors enjoy passionate support from the stands as their loyal fans follow their team everywhere.

(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

2024

Preview: Liverpool defence set for Leipzig test

It has been a tale of two competitions for RB Leipzig this season.

By Sam McGuire

Die Roten Bullen are currently joint-top of the Bundesliga alongside Bayern Munich with an identical record to the German juggernauts. Marco Rose’s men have taken 17 points from their opening seven matches.

They have the best defensive record in the German top-flight having conceded two goals while keeping six clean sheets.

*Leipzig keeping pace in the Bundesliga*

It is a completely different story in the Champions League.

RB Leipzig have lost both of their outings in Europe this term.

Against Atlético Madrid, the German side scored after four minutes but conceded a 90th minute goal to lose 2-1. Against Juventus, they, again, took the lead before ultimately suffering a 3-2 loss.

In-demand forward Benjamin Šeško is the only player to score in the competition for Rose’s men. He’s on three goals across his two outings. Only Harry Kane (four) has found the back of the net with greater regularity in the Champions League this term.

Rose and his team welcome Liverpool to the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday hoping to kickstart their European adventure.

They’re up against one of the most in-form sides in Europe this term. The Reds are just one of seven teams to have a 100% record in the Champions League this term having picked up wins over AC Milan and Bologna.

Arne Slot’s men have also won seven of their eight games in the Premier League. Unlike RB Leipzig, Liverpool’s impressive defensive record extends beyond their domestic league. The Reds have conceded just five goals across 11 matches in all competitions this term.

They are yet to concede more than one goal in a game.

*Liverpool sitting pretty in the Premier League*

Liverpool are potent in the final third too, scoring 25 goals in their 11 outings. For added context, this term, RB Leipzig have 17 goals in 10 outings.

On paper, this should be a routine win for the Reds. But this is the sort of game that could cause Liverpool problems, especially if Slot looks to rotate to keep things fresh ahead of the high profile trip to the Emirates on Sunday.

The greatest threat to Liverpool’s 100% record in the Champions League could well be Liverpool. RB Leipzig could take advantage of Slot and his team potentially having one eye on Arsenal.

(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.

Oct

2024

Preview: Hansi Flick faces former club as Barca and Bayern go head-to-head

Headline-makers are storylines from yesteryear are everywhere in the Champions League this midweek, as Barcelona host Bayern Munich in the third matchday.

By Karl Matchett

Both teams are looking dominant domestically, but with matters to prove on the continent. The biggest factor is set to be in the dugout, though, with Hansi Flick facing his former club having shown a capacity to deal with setbacks at his new side already – as well as make them look a formidable attacking outfit once more.

Flick has Barcelona top of LaLiga, free-scoring as a team but led by a re-energised Robert Lewandowski. The Pole already has two in two in Europe, but also 12 in ten domestically. He has his killer touch in front of goal back, but the buildup play around him is arguably the biggest improvement Flick has made on the team.

*Follow @FotMobapp on IG for more like this*

Despite a host of injuries to contend with, a string of youngsters and rejuvenated senior players have raised their game considerably – perhaps none more so than Raphinha. The Brazilian has even worn the captain’s armband this term, such has been his impact: only Lewandowski has scored more, only Lamine Yamal has assisted more than him. He has created a team-high 13 big chances – nobody in the Bayern side has fashioned more than four in the Bundesliga, albeit they’ve played fewer matches thus far.

Bayern themselves have been attacking at will and scoring plenty – 3.4 per league game is slightly above Barca’s 3.3 – but it’s still hard to see them troubling Barcelona quite as frequently, if nothing else because of how they struggled to really break down Aston Villa last time out in Europe.

Vincent Kompany has yet to prove himself on a tactical level as being among the game’s finest, and Flick will be backed to come up with a game plan to keep the best of Bayern away from dangerous areas. The returning Gavi and Frenkie de Jong give the Catalan outfit more options to control the game in midfield, and if it turns into a shootout…well, Bayern are scoring lots, but they’ve created 26 big chances so far in the league – 3.7 a game. Barcelona are at 50, equating to five a match.

*Bayern are back dominating the Bundesliga*

Ultimately, this new format is set up so that the biggest and best teams – certainly the best attacks – have all the chance in the world of progression, be it in the top eight or with a playoff later. Both sides will surely then progress – but Flick might be looking to put a marker down now for later in the competition regardless.

(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.

Oct

2024

Premier League Team of the Week: Matchday Eight

Erling Haaland’s longest run without a Premier League goal is four. After failing to find the back of the net this weekend, the Manchester City No. 9 is currently three games without a goal in the English top-flight. Thankfully for him, others stepped up. Both goalscorers for the champions find themselves in the FotMob Team of the Week. But who joins John Stones and Joško Gvardiol in the XI?

By Sam McGuire

Goalkeeper: Bart Verbruggen

The Brighton shot-stopper put in a Man of the Match performance for the Seagulls against Newcastle United this weekend. The 22-year-old kept a clean sheet having made six saves. The Magpies racked up an Expected Goals total of 2.02 but just couldn’t find a way past the Dutch goalkeeper. His performance earned him a FotMob rating of 8.7.

Right-Back: Ashley Young

Young rolled back the years for Everton in their win over Ipswich Town. The 39-year-old completed 79% of his passes at Portman Road while also creating two chances for the Toffees. The right-back attempted four tackles, two dribbles, recovered the ball on six occasions, and won six of his nine duels.

Centre-Back: John Stones

For the second time this season, Stones has scored a late goal to turn a game around for Manchester City. He netted the equaliser against Arsenal a few weeks back and he powered home a header against Wolves on Sunday to complete the turnaround for the champions. It capped off a fairly dominant showing with Stones winning 100% of his ground duels, 67% of his aerial duels and completing 86% of his 92 attempted passes.

Centre-Back: Ethan Pinnock

Pinnock made it two goals in his last two Premier League appearances for Brentford. He opened the scoring for the Bees against Manchester United, though Thomas Frank’s side conceded two second half goals to lose the match. Pinnock was impressive though. The 31-year-old completed 95% of his passes, made a last man tackle, won 100% of his ground duels and was involved in seven aerial duels.

Left-Back: Joško Gvardiol

The Manchester City full-back scored his second goal of the season this weekend, finding the back of the net against Wolves with a right footed effort from outside of the box. He was busy at Molineux, attempting 119 passes, carving out three chances and winning 100% of his tackles and ground duels. His showing earned him an 8.6 FotMob.

Midfield: Curtis Jones

Jones started back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since February. He got the nod against Chelsea with Alexis Mac Allister only fit enough for the bench. He made the most of the opportunity. The versatile midfielder won Liverpool’s penalty and scored what turned out to be the winner. He also completed 90% of his passes, won two of his three tackles and six of his eight ground duels.

Midfield: Youri Tielemans

Tielemans was a class above for Aston Villa in their win over Fulham. The 27-year-old completed 91% of his passes while also carving out four chances for Unai Emery’s men, the most of any player on the pitch. He finished with an assist and an 8.4 FotMob rating. The Belgium international also completed 100% of his dribbles, won one of his two attempted tackles, recovered the ball on six occasions and won six of his nine duels.

Attack: Mohamed Salah

Another game, another two goal involvements for Salah. The Liverpool attacker now has five goals and five assists for the Reds in the Premier League this season following his goal and assist in the win over Chelsea. He put in a strong showing against his former employees, completing three of four dribbles and winning five of his nine ground duels. His 8.6 rating was well deserved.

*Premier League Goals + Assists, 2024/25*

Attack: Bruno Fernandes

Fernandes was influential for Manchester United in their comeback victory over Brentford. The 30-year-old carved out two chances, one of which was classed as a big chance. He claimed an assist and had a total of five shots on Saturday afternoon. The United skipper won 100% of his aerial duels, 57% of his ground duels and made seven ball recoveries. He was busy with and without the ball, putting in a real captain’s performance.

Attack: Alejandro Garnacho

Garnacho was almost like a one-man attack for Manchester United against Brentford. The 20-year-old had eight shots and created two chances for the Red Devils. He scored the equaliser just after the break. The Argentine also attempted four dribbles, won 100% of his tackles and was involved in 15 duels.

*Garnacho’s shot map vs. Brentford, Oct 2024*

Attack: Jamie Vardy

The 37-year-old put in a quintessential Vardy performance in Leicester’s comeback win over Southampton. He was barely involved, having just 12 touches, the fewest of any outfield player, and he managed just five passes. He had a total of four shots though. He won the penalty and scored from the spot.

(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.

Oct

2024

Preview: Madrid take on Dortmund in a re-run of last season’s Champions League Final

The nature of the new group stage in this year’s Champions League means that this likely won’t stay the same for long, but Real Madrid will take to the pitch for their third match of the series against Borussia Dortmund in an unfamiliarly low position in the table.

By Ian King

Few were anticipating defeat in their second group match in Lille, but having comfortably beaten Stuttgart in their first match they came unstuck in the north-west tip of France, losing to a penalty converted by Jonathan David in first half stoppage-time.

It was their first defeat of the season in any competition and it left them in 17th place in the Champions league table, but there hasn’t been a slump since, with two wins in LaLiga – against Villareal and Celta Vigo – keeping them on the coat-tails of Barcelona’s explosive start to the season.

Kylian Mbappé returned from injury at the end of last month and is expected to start. Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Brahim Díaz will all be absent. Mid-table is not where they’ll have expected to be after two games, though the six remaining games offer plenty of opportunity to set that straight.

Of course, Real beat Dortmund 2-0 in last year’s final and there is a case for saying that their opponents haven’t quite recovered from that yet. They’re currently 7th in the Bundesliga having already been beaten 5-1 by Stuttgart and 2-1 by Union Berlin.

They arrive in Madrid off the back of a nervy 2-1 against St-Pauli with injury worries. Karim Adeyemi scored a hat-trick in their last Champions League match against Celtic, but he suffered a severe hamstring injury at the start of the second half and won’t be back until the end of next month.

Other injuries Julien Duranville, Giovanni Reyna and Yan Couto, while Pascal Gross and Niklas Süle are both doubtful. Gross was replaced at half-time in the St-Pauli game, and it is not clear whether he will be fit to play. Süle missed the game ill and will be travelling, though it’s also doubtful he’ll be in a condition to play.

With such players missing and form patchy, there’s little to indicate that Dortmund will pose more of a threat to Real than they did on the 1st June, but a lot of people wrote off Lille’s chances against them too. This is their chance to get back on track and maintain their lofty top spot in the Champions League.

(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

2024

Preview: Arsenal look to put the weekend behind them when they take on Shakhtar

With four points from two tricky opening games in the Champions League, Arsenal have had a decent start to their campaign, but they will arrive at The Emirates for their third match against Shakhtar Donetsk in a tetchy frame of mind.

By Ian King

Because regardless of the debate over the sending off of William Saliba during the match, there was little question that losing 2-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday was both their worst result and worst performance of the season so far. It was, considering that they’d just come back from an international break, a surprisingly tired looking performance from the title-chasers.

Saliba will start against Shakhtar (his one game suspension comes against Liverpool at the weekend), but Arsenal’s list of absentees remains long. Martin Ødegaard is unlikely to return until the end of the month and Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber will both face fitness tests before the match.

Shakhtar Donetsk have had a slightly troubled start to the season, both in this competition and domestically. In the Champions League they started off with a reasonable goalless draw away to Bologna, but their second game ended in a 3-0 ‘home’ defeat to Atalanta (they’re playing their home matches in Lviv, 1200 kilometres from home, at the moment due to Russia’s invasion). For what it’s worth, they are currently in 27th place out of 36 in UEFA’s new, byzantine Swiss Model group stage.

Their league season got off to a surprisingly weak start, losing two of their first three matches, but they’ve recovered since then, with a five match unbeaten run having lifted them back up to fourth place in the Ukrainian Premier League behind Dynamo Kyiv, Oleksandriya and Polissya Zhytomyr, and six points off the top of the table. Despite the obstacles being thrown in their way, Shakhtar are expected to be pretty much at full strength.

These two sides have met four times before, stretched across two Champions League groups a decade apart. In 2000/01 Arsenal won 3-2 at Highbury but lost the return match 3-0. A decade later, and by this time at The Emirates, they won 5-1 but then lost the return match 2-1. The Gunners will start this match as strong favourites to win, especially since the nature of their defeat on the south coast of England and the weekend surely demands one. Mikel Arteta surely knows that he needs a big performance in this match.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

The top performances in MLS on Decision Day, Matchday 38

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.

By James Nalton

The Top Two

9.7 FotMob rating: Luis Suárez, Inter Miami

Lionel Messi will likely take the plaudits for the impact he had off the bench and his brilliant hat-trick, but Suárez was just as good, if not better, for Inter Miami in their 6-2 dismantling of New England Revolution.

The win saw Inter Miami break Major League Soccer’s regular season points record, edging the previous record of 73 set by Saturday’s opponents New England in 2021.

This version of New England looks a far cry from that one as they finished 14th in the Eastern Conference in 2024, but at the same time, Inter Miami are a far cry from the one who themselves finished 14th in 2023.

Suárez, as much as Messi, has epitomised their turnaround and scored twice in the first half to get Miami back in the game having gone two goals down.

He set the platform for Messi’s magic hat-trick and assisted two of those three goals himself.

Suárez finished the season with the same number of goals as Messi on 20, and just one assist fewer than his teammate for the season, with nine. Six of those assists were for Messi goals.

If Messi wins the 2024 MLS MVP award as expected, it will be Suárez’s biggest assist of the season.

9.6 FotMob rating: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami

And now to Messi himself. He came off the bench in the 58th minute against New England and immediately made an impact, sending Jordi Alba through to assist the go-ahead goal for Benjamin Cremaschi.

That was just the starter though. The main course came in the form of a hat-trick – his first in MLS. It feels like he does this kind of thing every time he plays.

Despite starting just 15 games in the 34-game MLS regular season, he still has a case to be named its best player.

This hat-trick, scored in the space of 11 minutes, was a good example of why.

It put him on 1.21 goals per 90 in MLS this season, a single-season league record for players who have played more than 300 minutes.

Three more standout performers

8.9 FotMob rating: Daniel Steres, Houston Dynamo

It was a goal that changed the outlook at the top of the Western Conference, not just for the Dynamo themselves as they moved into a more favourable playoff spot, but especially for their opponents, LA Galaxy.

The Galaxy had led the Western Conference standings since July and needed a win or a draw to claim top spot and with it home advantage for the majority of the playoffs.

They went behind when Steres, himself a former Galaxy player, glanced a free-kick from Héctor Herrera to assist a goal for Ezequiel Ponce just before halftime.

A Gabriel Pec penalty in the 6th minute of added time in the second half looked to have done enough for the Galaxy to achieve their aims, but the drama was not over.

In the 11th minute of added time, Steres got in front of his marker to score a great header from Griffin Dorsey’s cross to defeat the Galaxy.

It meant LAFC’s 3-1 win against San Jose Earthquakes was enough to see them overtake the Galaxy to claim top spot in the West by a single goal on goal difference.

8.9 FotMob rating: Elliot Panicco, Nashville SC

Goalkeepers being among the top performers has been a feature of the season, and this week was the turn of Panicco, of Nashville.

He was making just his sixth start of the season in place of usual No. 1 Joe Willis, and he certainly made an impact.

He helped his side keep a clean sheet in a 3-0 win, facing an xG on target figure of 1.78.

There were good saves from Chris Mueller, Georgios Koutsias, Brian Gutierrez, and Hugo Cuypers, with six saves in total.

There was no chance of playoff qualification on Decision Day for Nashville, but they will nevertheless be pleased to end the season on a high, and Panicco will be pushing to make more appearances next season.

8.1 FotMob rating: Eduard Atuesta, Los Angeles FC

While Steres’ late goal for Houston against LA Galaxy was one part of the equation that could see LAFC finish top of the Western Conference, they still needed to win their own game by a two-goal margin.

Having gone behind to a goal from San Jose’s Jackson Yueill, this was not as simple a task as it might have been.

Denis Bouanga levelled the scores, but it was substitute Atuesta whose contributions made the difference, scoring a great goal of his own before assisting the vital third, sending in a free kick for Marlon to head home in the 90th minute.

It all made for a dramatic final day at the top of the Western Conference table, and a turnaround that saw LAFC finish as the top seed on that side of the league.

(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.