Preview

Mar

2025

Preview: Spurs looking for a response against Europe-chasing Cherries

A couple of wins seemed to have lifted the gloom over The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Bournemouth are plenty capable of upsetting their applecart again.

By Ian King

Midweek wobbles and wavering form

Three steps forward, two steps back. It looked as though Spurs had turned a corner with three straight Premier League wins, but supine defeats to Manchester City and AZ have thoroughly eliminated that brittle optimism. What was most concerning about their performance in Alkmaar was how passive they were in a match of such clear significance for their season.

So this is not an ideal time to be playing highish-flying Bournemouth, although they too have had a little wobble recently. They booked a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend with a penalty shootout win against Wolves, though this came off the back of consecutive League defeats against Wolves and Brighton. They’re still in touch with a Champions League place, and European football for next season remains an entirely achievable ambition.

History

Prior to Bournemouth’s first promotion into the Premier League in 2015, these two clubs had only ever met once before. That came such a long time ago – February 1957, to be precise – that AFC Bournemouth were still called Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, and Bournemouth won 3-1 in the FA Cup Fifth Round. Spurs have won ten of their 15 meetings since 2015, but Bournemouth won 1-0 when they met earlier this season.

Key players

Arguably the most worrying thing about Spurs’ recent dip is that they’ve gone two games without scoring, when this team hasn’t previously had too much of a problem scoring goals for much of the season. The lack of creativity against both Manchester City and AZ was clearly evident. Heung Min Son seemed furious following the AZ match, but the team needs his goals if they’re to get through this encounter unscathed. Bournemouth’s fluidity has impressed all season, and Justin Kluivert has been a critical cog in their engine. His pace, movement and intelligence is an obvious threat to a Spurs defence which has looked rickety at times this season.

*Kluivert shot map, Premier League 2024/25*

Team News

Spurs may have thought that their injury issues were resolving themselves, but the sight of former-Bournemouth man Dominic Solanke walking off against AZ in pain and clutching his back is an obvious concern. Dejan Kulusevski will also be missing, though Richarlison, Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven could return. For Bournemouth, Adam Smith, Marcos Senesi and Enes Ünal are all injured, while Illia Zabarnyi remains suspended after being sent off in their Premier League game against Wolves.

Prediction

Following a couple of insipid performances, Spurs need to get back to winning ways. They’ve lost a lot of the momentum they were starting to build. And although Bournemouth have lost three of their last four Premier League games, they’re only four points off a Champions League place so arguably have more to play for than the home side in this particular fixture. I’m going for a 2-1 Bournemouth win which everyone will think was a huge surprise but which wasn’t, really.

(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.

Mar

2025

Preview: Maresca welcomes former club Leicester to Stamford Bridge

Chelsea and Leicester City go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League as both sides look to turn things around after tricky spells.

By Matt Smith

Enzo Maresca will be hosting his former club, who helped get promoted to England’s top flight, while the Foxes are looking for just their second league win of 2025.

When the two sides met earlier in the campaign, Maresca’s side secured a 2-1 victory at the King Power Stadium thanks to goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernández. Leicester haven’t won at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League since 2018.

Chelsea receive Lavia boost

Roméo Lavia hasn’t featured in the Premier League since January 14 and has struggled with injuries since arriving in West London from Southampton. The Belgian midfielder was signed in a big-money move, but hasn’t had the impact many would have expected.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Maresca has confirmed that Lavia has trained all week and should be included in the squad to face Leicester at the weekend.

Reece James deployed further forward

Against FC København in the Europe Conference League, Reece James was deployed in midfield as Maresca looked to experiment with his side in Europe. After the game, the Chelsea boss stressed how much he believes James can play in this role, and his performance certainly backed it up.

It’s no surprise Maresca is looking to experiment after a tricky run of form, and James was a standout in the middle of the park against Copenhagen. James scored the opening goal for Chelsea, produced more passes into the final third than any other player, and won 100% of his tackles.

Coulibaly back in the fold

Speaking to the media ahead of the trip down to London, Ruud van Nistelrooy confirmed that January transfer window signing Woyo Coulibaly is back and available after missing the game against West Ham United last time out.

The Foxes have enjoyed a 10-day break due to not being involved in the FA Cup last weekend and could have an almost fully fit squad available. Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawu are long-term absentees.

Jamie Vardy the threat on the counter

Leicester are unlikely to see too much of the ball against Chelsea. Van Nistelrooy’s side have averaged just 45.6% possession in the Premier League this season, while only Manchester City have seen more of the ball than Chelsea.

*Vardy’s shot map, Premier League 2024/25*

As a result, Leicester will be looking to hit the Blues on the counter-attack, and that’s where Jamie Vardy comes into play. The English forward thrives off balls in behind the defence, and the experienced striker is still a key man for Leicester, providing 10 goals and assists combined this season in a struggling side.

Prediction

Considering Leicester’s form this season, especially away from home where they’ve picked up just eight points, it’s hard to see past a Chelsea victory. Maresca’s side have lost just twice at home in the Premier League, so we’re going for a comfortable 3-0 win.

(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.

Mar

2025

Preview: Man United and Arsenal headline Sunday

Two historic Premier League rivals meet at Old Trafford on Sunday with Manchester United and Arsenal targeting very different things.

By Graham Ruthven

A tale of two rivals

Every clash between Arsenal and Manchester United evokes memories of the days when the two rivals went head-to-head for titles and trophies. Indeed, the era of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger remains a spectre around this fixture.

Of course, a lot has changed since then, certainly in the case of United who are targeting a positive end to the season merely to lift the negativity that has thickened the air at Old Trafford in recent times.

Rúben Amorim’s team have lost five of their last seven league home matches and face a sixth defeat in eight against an Arsenal team that might not win the title this season, but are at least at the right end of the Premier League table.

The Gunners have their own troubles to contend with, namely injuries to a number of key attacking players, but Mikel Arteta’s team put seven past PSV mid-week and will play on the front foot at Old Trafford. They need three points to keep their fading title hopes alive.

Key players

Where would Amorim’s team be without Bruno Fernandes? From a Manchester United perspective, it doesn’t bear thinking about. Indeed, the Portuguese midfielder has frequently been The Red Devils’ saviour this season, most recently scoring against Fulham and Everton.

Alejandro Garnacho is the other attacker United have who consistently provides a spark in the final third, although the Argentine winger is a doubt for Sunday’s match after coming off early against Real Sociedad with a knock.

Diogo Dalot will give the home team a funnel into the attack down the left side while Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro will likely make up the back three. They will be charged with stopping an Arsenal attack that ran rampant against PSV.

Arteta may well re-use the lineup that started in the Netherlands, not least because injuries mean he doesn’t have many other options to make changes.

The onus will be on Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice to join attacks from midfield, although Ethan Nwaneri has impressed recently as Arsenal’s first-choice right-sided forward in the absence of Bukayo Saka.

Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba remain the strongest centre back pairing in the Premier League while David Raya is one of the best goalkeepers. Arsenal’s defensive foundation is as solid as ever.

Team news

Patrick Dorgu is unavailable for Sunday’s match through suspension following his red card against Ipswich Town. This means Dalot will almost certainly start as the left-sided wing back in Amorim’s system.

Maguire and Manuel Ugarte both missed the Europa League draw against Real Sociedad during the week and will be assessed before facing Arsenal. Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martínez, Jonny Evans and Amad Diallo will miss out, but Chido Obi could face his former side.

Arsenal’s recent injury troubles have been well-documented and they won’t ease before Sunday. Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all sidelined.

Prediction

Arsenal to inflict another weekend of misery on United, but only just: Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal

(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.

Mar

2025

Preview: Barcelona looking to stay on top vs. Osasuna

Barcelona are in good form and can stretch their advantage at the top of LaLiga with Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid not playing until Sunday.

By Graham Ruthven

Frontrunners

The pendulum in the Spanish title race has swung back and forth over the course of the season, but Barcelona find themselves back on top of LaLiga.

Hansi Flick’s team are on an unbeaten run of 16 games in all competitions and enter Saturday’s match against Osasuna on the back of a comprehensive 4-0 win over Real Sociedad last weekend followed by a 1-0 away win against Benfica in the Champions League.

With Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid not playing until Sunday, Barca have the opportunity to open up a four-point gap at the top of the standings. This is a chance for them to assert their position as title frontrunners.

Osasuna, meanwhile, need points to push into the top half of the table. Vicente Moreno’s team have won just one of their last 14 league fixtures. A shock win over Barcelona would change the mood around the club.

Key players

Barca’s attack is the most dangerous, and prolific, in LaLiga. No team has scored more goals than the Catalans this season with Robert Lewandowski their best finisher having netted 21 league goals.

Raphinha is also enjoying the season of his life having contributed 20 goal involvements in LaLiga. The Brazilian is fresh from scoring the winner against Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Lamine Yamal is Barcelona’s creator-in-chief and will be the brightest spark in the attacking third for Barca at home to Osasuna this weekend. In central midfield, Pedri is also performing at the peak of his powers.

Only Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappé have scored more goals in La Liga this season than Ante Budimir who has found the back of the net 14 times for Osasuna. If the visitors can get him in behind Barca’s high line, he will pose a threat.

Bryan Zaragoza has struggled for his best form this season, but the on-loan Bayern Munich winger is capable of producing something out of nothing. Barca must be wary of the threat he poses.

Team news

Flick could rotate his squad with next week’s Champions League last 16 second leg against Benfica in mind. However, Barcelona have been made to pay for over-rotating once or twice earlier in the season.

Pau Cubarsí was sent off against Benfica mid-week, but his suspension only applies to the Champions League and so will be available to face Osasuna. He is expected to start in central defence.

Andreas Christensen is fit again, but it might be too soon for the Dane to make the lineup. Gavi could also be available again, although Marc-André Ter Stegen and Marc Bernal will miss out.

Aimar Oroz is a doubt for Osasuna after picking up an injury in last weekend’s 3-3 draw against Valencia while Juan Cruz could come into the lineup to replace Abel Bretones.

Prediction

Barcelona should continue their good form and get the points they want to stay in front in LaLiga: Barcelona 3-1 Osasuna

(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.

Mar

2025

Preview: Forest meet Man City in top four battle

One team strong all season and looking to confirm a Champions League place, one team underperforming, looking short of direction and in need of something of a summer overhaul. Rewind the clock six months and not many would have guessed which of these two teams applied to each.

By Karl Matchett

It’s hard not to be super impressed with what Nottingham Forest have achieved this season. Nuno Espírito Santo has a couple of tactical variations, and the team plays well in both. They’re middle of the road when it comes to scoring goals, but have a clinical, in-form striker playing better than he ever has before. They’re top four defensively, and top three in points terms.

Nuno’s miracle makers

There might only be one place and one point separating themselves and Saturday opponents Manchester City, but there is a gulf between the relative expectations and reality that the clubs have achieved this season. Only last term, Forest were battling relegation, a points deduction and financial uncertainty due to PSR. They had spent two years scattergun buying players, had parted ways with the manager who brought them up and seemed to have plenty of potential, but a lack of consistency.

That’s all changed, with Nuno overcoming a stuttering start to enjoy a brilliant middle third of the season at the City Ground. Now it’s about seeing the job through and the real gap which matters to the Reds is the one down to sixth – currently a buffer of four points. Even if Man City go on to overtake them, staying ahead of one of Chelsea or Newcastle should yield a Champions League place next year.

As for City themselves, there’s nothing left to play for beyond an FA Cup and ensuring they are in the top competition themselves in 2025/26. That isn’t a certainty, even if they should have the firepower to beat enough middling teams in the last 11 matches to stay ahead of two of the aforementioned sides themselves.

Recent form

Forest have only won one of their last four, and that was both in the cup and on penalties. Don’t make the mistake of translating that to poor performances though; they were very good in the second half against Newcastle and lost because of a dismal first 45 minutes defensively, before holding Arsenal to a draw with a typically resilient showing. On home soil, they’re unbeaten since 10 November. Man City have won four and lost four of their last eight. Obviously they are good enough to beat teams, but equally they are fragile enough to keep suffering setbacks when the going gets tough.

Team news

No key players are missing for Forest, while City remain without Rodri, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and now Nathan Aké.

Key players

Erling Haaland has 20 goals from an xG of 19.8, Chris Wood has 18 from just 10.6. They both hit 59 per cent of shots on target and while the Norwegian’s conversion rate is 20%, the New Zealander’s is 37%. In other words, Woods is way more clinical – but Haaland shoots a lot more.

Prediction

No real reason to suspect Forest will crumble, so another creditable draw could be on the cards: Forest 1-1 City.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2025

Preview: Top vs. Bottom as Liverpool face Southampton

Anfield plays host to an intriguing match this weekend as Premier League leaders Liverpool take on bottom-of-the-table Southampton.

By Sam McGuire

At a glance, it might not seem like the case, but this has the potential to be a season-defining clash, for both sides.

What is at stake

Liverpool, the best team in the world right now having beaten the champions of England, Spain, Germany and France, find themselves 13 points clear at the top of the table. They put in a remarkable shit on Wednesday night at the Parc des Princes to claim a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

The second-leg is at Anfield next week. The temptation might be to focus on that tie, but Arne Slot will be determined to keep his players focused on the Premier League.

A win for the Reds here would move them 16 points clear at the summit, albeit having played two more games than their nearest rivals Arsenal. Psychologically though, this could be massive.

It heaps all of the pressure onto the Gunners ahead of their match against Manchester United.

Three points for Liverpool might not win them the league on Saturday afternoon, but it could play a huge role in Arsenal throwing in the towel.

For Southampton, a loss would all but guarantee their return to the Championship. They are the worst team in the Premier League with nine points from 27 games. They will probably get more points than that infamous Derby County team (11) but not by too much.

A win could breathe life into their flailing campaign. And prolong the belief that they can avoid the drop.

Salah farewell tour continues

If this is to be Mohamed Salah’s final season with Liverpool, he’s going out in style.

The three-time Golden Boot winner leads the way in the Premier League for goals (25) and assists (17). He’s on course to shatter the record for most goal involvements. The current record for a 38-game season is 44 while Alan Shearer and Andy Cole finished their 42-game campaigns with 47 goal involvements.

If Salah chips in with six more goal involvements, he steals their crown and becomes the most productive player in Premier League history. The scene is set for him to do it against the worst team in the league too.

Clean sheets

The modern day game is filled with data. One metric that is often overlooked is clean sheets.

Liverpool lead the way with 12 and they’re top of the Premier League table. Southampton have managed just two this season and they’re rooted to the bottom. Only Leicester City (one) have kept fewer shutouts.

It sounds simple, but the more clean sheets you keep, the easier it is to pick up points. Southampton need to find some resiliency, sooner rather than later, if they’re to get anything from this season. Across their last three outings, they have conceded 11 goals. They have conceded the most goals in the entire Premier League (65). They’re up against the team with the most goals (66).

Injuries for both sides

Liverpool could well be without Cody Gakpo again. The Dutchman missed the game against PSG despite travelling with the squad. The Reds are still without Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez, meaning Slot can’t rotate his defence much. This is something that will likely be playing on his mind ahead of the game against PSG.

Southampton, meanwhile, are without former Liverpool player Adam Lallana. Jan Bednarek, Lesley Ugochukwu and Ryan Fraser are also expected to miss out.

Prediction

If Liverpool are serious about getting this Premier League title wrapped up, three points should be a formality against Southampton. So we’re going with a 3-0 win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2025

Preview: Chelsea visit Copenhagen in the Conference League

The odds-on favourites for the Europa Conference League have been struggling domestically, but they should still be too strong for FC København.

By Ian King

Recent form

Losing to Brighton in the FA Cup made the Europa Conference League Chelsea’s only hope of silverware this season, and they’re still the odds-on favourites to win this tournament overall. But recent form has been mixed, with West Ham, Wolves and Southampton (15th, 17th and 20th in the Premier League respectively) the only teams they’ve beaten in the League since before Christmas.

FC København are top of the Superliga by a point and haven’t lost domestically since the 14th September, though it should be added that the Danish season has a two and a half month winter break. They finished 18th in the Europa Conference League megagroup, winning 2, drawing 2 and losing 2.

European pedigree

These two have only met once in European competition before. In the 2010/11 Champions League Round of 16, they played a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge before Chelsea won the return match 2-0 in Copenhagen. FC København got through to the Round of 16 of the Champions League last season too, qualifying alongside Bayern Munchen while eliminating Galatasaray and Manchester United. They were beaten by Manchester City. Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021. How they got from this to being in this competition in the space of four years is a long and complicated story.

Key players

Cole Palmer has been the glue that has held this Chelsea team together this season. He’s their joint-highest scorer, but he was left out of their squad for the group stages. He’s back in now. Christopher Nkunku is the other joint-top scorer with Palmer because he’s scored seven in this very competition. He’s been coming in for a lot of criticism, perhaps a big performance in a higher profile European match might silence some of that.

FC København have an English connection in the form of goalkeeper Nathan Trott, who is on loan from West Ham. He played six games for England’s U20s, and also represented Bermuda at youth level.

Team News

Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile are all close to returning from injury, but may not quite be ready in time. Enzo Maresca may well err on the side of caution for a winnable-looking European match such as this. Their other injuries are longer term.

Andreas Cornelius, Lukas Lerager, Nicolai Boilsen and Roony Bardghji are all injury doubts for FC København, while Jordy ‘Son of Henrik’ Larsson missed their last match at Aalborg, and it’s not known whether he’ll be back for this one.

Prediction

Chelsea have been struggling in the Premier League since before Christmas, but the Europa Conference League has been their happy place. With six wins out of six in the megagroup, they’re clear favourites to win this tournament. FC København beat Manchester United 4-3 at home in last year’s Champions League, but the gulf is huge and the inclusion of Cole Palmer alone a potential game-changer. 2-0 Chelsea, and a reasonably uneventful evening.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Europa Conference League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings, and a new super-intuitive knockout stage bracket. Download the free app here.

Mar

2025

Preview: Manchester United face Real Sociedad in the Basque Country

After losing to Fulham in the FA Cup on penalties, the Europa League means more than ever to Manchester United this season.

By Ian King

Two sides with little else to play for

Elimination from the FA Cup on penalty kicks has hit Manchester United hard. The Europa League is now their only chance of silverware this season, but it’s not just that. They also now need to win this tournament to qualify for any form of European football next season, and considering the state of their finances the revenue from that is something they need more than ever. Real Sociedad have been up and down all season but their recent form hasn’t been great, with five defeats from their last seven matches in LaLiga as well as a recent elimination from the Copa Del Rey against Real Madrid.

Previous Meetings

The good news for Rúben Amorim is that Manchester United have only lost once in six previous matches against Real Sociedad. This was a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford in September 2022. United won the return match in San Sebastian by the same score. That win also marked the only time that Real Sociedad have ever scored in a competitive match against United, with United having won three previous meetings with a clean sheet and two goalless draws.

Key players

Nayef Aguerd has been a rock at the centre of the Real Sociedad defence this season since joining on loan from West Ham They’ve been dependent on this. With just 23 goals in 26 league matches, they’re the third-lowest scorers in the whole of LaLiga despite being 9th in the table. As for Manchester United… is it cheating to mention Bruno Fernandes again? It’s felt as though he’s been the bolt that has stopped them from completely falling apart in recent weeks.

*LaLiga 2024/25 stats – Real Sociedad don’t score many, don’t concede many*

Team News

Harry Maguire is another fresh injury doubt for United after limping off against Fulham. Patrick Dorgu is suspended from domestic competitions after being sent off against Ipswich, but could return for this match. Seventeen-year-old Chido Obi is ineligible after they failed to register him in their revised Europa League squad list that was submitted last month.

Real Sociedad have a number of injuries. Jon Pacheco remains injured and isn’t expected to return until later this month, while Arsen Zakharyan has joined him. Star players Sheraldo Becker, Takefusa Kubo and Aguerd are all available after missing their recent defeat at Barcelona through suspension.

Prediction

Manchester United looked as flaccid as ever against Fulham at the weekend and even their recent wins have looked some distance short of impressive, but they really do need a result from this match to take back to Old Trafford for the second leg. Considering Real Sociedad’s issues in front of goal this season and the fact that they’ve only ever scored once in six previous meetings – which would be no more than a statistical anomaly were it not for the fact that four of these meetings have been in the last four years – a goalless draw and a tense second leg feels realistic.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Europa League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings, and a new super-intuitive knockout stage bracket. Download the free app here.

Mar

2025

Preview: Spurs go to Alkmaar in repeat of League Phase fixture

AZ Alkmaar host Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League Round of 16 first-leg tie at the AFAS Stadion.

By Matt Smith

Ange Postecoglou’s side are facing their final opportunity to win a trophy with the Premier League out of reach and them being out of every other competition. AZ have already reached a domestic final this season, but the Europa League is the real test for them.

Spurs will have confidence heading into this game having faced AZ earlier in the campaign, securing a 1-0 victory thanks to a Richarlison penalty.

Alkmaar without attacking quartet

Alkmaar are expected to be without attacking quartet Mexx Meerdink, Ruben van Bommel, Jayden Addai and Sven Mijnans for the home leg against Tottenham in the Europa League.

Former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott has been in and out of the side over the last few months, but with fewer options going forward, he could cement a regular place in the starting XI for the time being.

Former Spurs man flying for Alkmaar

Tottenham sold young striker Parrott to Alkmaar in the summer transfer window, and they could live to regret that after being drawn against them in this competition. The Republic of Ireland international has struck 17 times in all competitions this season, and he’s been a key provider in the Europa League.

Parrott has struck four times in Europe this term, providing a singular assist, scoring three times in his last four games in the competition. The 23-year-old may have a little extra motivation on Thursday night, looking to prove a point against his former club.

Tottenham dealt Kulusevski blow

Reports emerged earlier this week that Dejan Kulusevski had suffered a foot injury, with Postecoglou dealt yet another blow. Later confirmed by the club, the Swedish international had already posted a picture online wearing a protective boot.

In better news, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Dominic Solanke appear to be edging closer to full fitness, with Postecoglou’s squad starting to get back in better shape overall.

Maddison to step up again

If Kulusevski is unavailable, Tottenham will need James Maddison to step up once again in the attacking midfield position. The England international scored and provided an assist against Hoffenheim in the final League Phase match.

No player has produced more assists than Maddison for Spurs in the Europa League this season, and with Kulusevski potentially unavailable, the pressure will be on him to be the creative option in the middle of the park for Postecoglou’s side.

Prediction

Playing away from home in the opening leg, a draw wouldn’t be the worst for Spurs. The north London outfit have plenty of games to play before the international break, so we could see some rotation.

We’re going for a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Mar

2025

Preview: Heavyweights collide as PSG host Liverpool

Two of the most in-form teams in Europe are set to square off in the UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16 as French champions PSG face Premier League leaders Liverpool.

By Neel Shelat

An entertaining open game in the offing

Especially in recent years, clashes between Europe’s very best teams have often been fairly cagey affairs. However, both Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool’s performances this season suggest that their meeting will really live up to the billing. They are the top scorers in their respective leagues by sizable margins and have also averaged over 2 goals scored per game in the UEFA Champions League.

One of the keys to Liverpool’s success under Arne Slot has been their ability to deal serious damage in transition, so they certainly will not mind an end-to-end affair at the Parc des Princes. Although Luis Enrique is generally thought of as a more control-oriented coach, he too has shown a willingness to let things open up in big games of late, so both sides could well go at it with hammer and tongs.

Dembélé and Salah: two of the world’s most in-form attackers

A big reason why both teams won’t mind letting the game open up is that they will back their star attackers to make the difference when given the opportunity to run at goal. Ousmane Dembélé and Mohamed Salah are arguably the two most in-form players in the world right now, and will surely be competing for the next Ballon d’Or at this rate.

*Domestic league stat comparison, Dembélé vs. Salah*

Although Salah’s numbers look better over the course of the season, the French forward has been on an absolute tear of late after being deployed in a central role as the answer to PSG’s striker issues. He has scored a whopping 21 goals in his last 18 appearances across all competitions, just a few more than the Egyptian international’s 17 in the same period.

PSG’s scintillating form

Paris Saint-Germain are the most in-form team among the Champions League’s last 16. They have won 19 and drawn the other two of their last 21 matches across all competitions, with the list of results including a 4-2 triumph over Manchester City, three wins over Monaco including one in the French Super Cup and a 10-0 aggregate thumping of Brest in the UCL playoff that got them to this tie.

Could this be the season PSG break their UCL curse?

Paris Saint-Germain have famously never won Europe’s premier continental competition despite billions of Euros’ worth of investment in recent years under Qatari ownership. They faltered on the final hurdle in 2020 and subsequently looked to assemble an all-star squad including an attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, but the iconic trophy remained elusive.

With each of those players having now left the club, this season marks the beginning of a new era for PSG. Indeed, Luis Enrique is among many who believe that they are a better team now, but only time can tell whether they will miss some star power in the Champions League knockouts.

Prediction

With little to separate the two sides, this tie should be expected to go down to the wire. A score draw will set up an equally exciting second leg at Anfield.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings, and a new super-intuitive knockout stage bracket. Download the free app here.