Preview

Nov

2025

Preview: Scotland head to Greece for crucial World Cup qualifier

After 27 years of hurt, six failed qualification attempts and 57 games, Scotland have an excellent chance of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

By Ross Kilvington

A trip to Greece is up first on Saturday evening, before a potential winner takes all showdown against Denmark at Hampden on Tuesday night.

For that to happen, Steve Clarke’s men must match Denmark’s result in the penultimate set of matches. If so, whoever wins in Glasgow next week will seal an automatic World Cup place.

Is it now or never for Scotland?

Scotland may have qualified for the previous two European Championship tournaments, yet their displays at said finals posed more questions than answers.

Two underwhelming group stage exits perhaps indicate that this could be Clarke’s final hurray as Scotland boss. Recent results have been more uplifting, losing just two of the previous 11 matches.

Before that, however, the Scots won just once between September 2023 and October 2024. Even so, that was against Gibraltar.

Clarke has a squad brimming with talent. Players such as Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour and Lewis Ferguson are plying their trade in Serie A, while Ben Gannon Doak, Lennon Miller and Kieran Bowie represent the future generation.

This is a golden chance for Scotland to end their near 28-year World Cup exile. Should they reach North America, performances will have to be far better than what was on show at the 2024 European Championship.

Greece haven’t qualified for a major tournament since 2014

Greece’s stunning triumph at the 2004 Euros feels like a very long time ago now. Since then, they have qualified for just four major tournaments.

The last one came at the 2014 World Cup, reaching the knockout stages. Despite having talented youngsters such as Giannis Konstantelias, Konstantinos Karetsas and Stefanos Tzimas, Greece have stumbled during the current campaign, winning just one game.

They may have been the better team when these two sides met last time out at Hampden, yet the Greeks still ended up the receiving end of a 3-1 defeat.

Thoughts now turn to qualifying for the 2028 Euros, which will begin next year.

Team news

Defender Konstantinos Mavropanos and forward Fotis Ioannidis will both be absent for the match against Scotland this Saturday.

Clarke will be without the services of Miller and Ross McCrorie, with the two midfielders pulling out of the squad due to injury issues.

Gilmour will also be missing, but he could return for the crunch tie against Denmark next week.

Goalkeeper Angus Gunn isn’t in the squad either, which could see Clarke bring Craig Gordon into the starting XI for his 82^nd international cap.

Prediction

Despite Greece’s struggles in the group, travelling to Piraeus, knowing that they must match Denmark’s result, is something Clarke would preferred to have avoided.

As such, the clash could turn into a tight affair, with Scotland aiming for the point needed to turn ensure they have the chance to secure qualification at a sold-out Hampden on Tuesday evening.

We at FotMob predict a drab 1-1 draw.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every World Cup qualifier on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Nov

2025

Preview: England meet Serbia at Wembley

Thomas Tuchel could use Thursday’s final home qualifier to experiment with England’s place at the 2026 World Cup already confirmed.

By Graham Ruthven

Time to try new things?

England can play their final two 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the knowledge that their place at next summer’s tournament is already secure. This could give Thomas Tuchel the freedom to experiment.

Bournemouth’s Alex Scott was a surprise call-up to the squad and could be in line to feature as Tuchel’s search for the right balance in central midfield continues. Adam Wharton is another midfielder surely intent on making an impression.

If Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka are nailed on starters, that leaves an open spot on the left wing where a resurgent Marcus Rashford could be given an opportunity.

Jude Bellingham is back in the squad after his omission in October. The Real Madrid star has found form after a staggered start to the season, but there remains a question mark over his role in Tuchel’s team.

Serbia, on the other hand, have no time for experimentation. They desperately need points to climb above Albania into second place in Group K.

Dragan Stojković lost his job after the damaging home loss to Albania last month, making Thursday night Veljko Paunović’s first match as Serbia boss. Will there be a new manager bounce?

Key players

Kane’s relentless pursuit of goals means he is likely to start for England on Thursday even if Bayern Munich would rather the 32-year-old take a seat on the bench.

Saka remains England’s most productive and consistent winger and is expected to start on the right side with Rashford likely to feature on the left after the withdrawal of Anthony Gordon due to injury.

Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice could pick up their partnership in the centre of midfield again with the former now firmly seen as Tuchel’s favoured option at the base of the unit.

With Aleksandar Mitrović currently sidelined, Serbia need Luka Jović and Dušan Vlahović to step up and provide a threat in the final third. Paunović could deploy the pair as a front two.

Filip Kostić will give the visitors a direct outlet on the left wing while Nikola Milenković will attempt to match up physically against Kane as Serbia’s dominant defensive presence.

Team news

Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah and Manchester City keeper James Trafford were called up to the England squad following the withdrawals of Gordon and Nick Pope.

Marc Guéhi is carrying a knock picked up in Crystal Palace’s Conference League win over AZ Alkmaar last week and is a doubt to feature much for The Three Lions in the games against Serbia and Albania.

Jarell Quansah, Nico O’Reilly and Scott are all uncapped and could be given their England debut as Tuchel looks to bulk up his squad before the 2026 World Cup.

Serbia will be without all-time top scorer Mitrović for the trip to Wembley, depriving Paunović of his best and most effective focal point to build around. Mitrović will be a big miss for the visitors.

Prediction

Despite this being a dead rubber for the home side, England have a proud unbeaten record in World Cup qualifiers that dates back to 2009, so they won’t want to lose that here. Which only complicates matters for an away side who really need a result: England 2-0 Serbia.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every qualifier for the 2026 World Cup with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Nov

2025

Preview: Barcelona head to form side Celta Vigo

Celta Vigo and Barcelona go head-to-head at the Estadio Abanca-Balaidos in LaLiga, as Hansi Flick’s side look to close the gap at the top of the table. Celta Vigo are on a run of eight games without defeat, winning their previous five matches in all competitions.

By Matt Smith

It was a thrilling encounter the last time these two sides met, with Raphinha scoring a 98th-minute penalty to secure a 4-3 victory in LaLiga back in April. Borja Iglesias, who has been among the goals for Celta this season, scored a hat-trick that day.

Team news

Celta look set to be without Williot Swedberg, Javi Rueda, Hugo Álvarez, and Ionuț Radu for their game against Barcelona this weekend. Iván Villar should be between the sticks in Radu’s absence.

For Barcelona, Gavi, Marc-André ter Stegen, Raphinha, and Pedri all remain on the treatment table. Andreas Christensen and Joan García have been unavailable of late, but they are edging closer to returning to the squad.

Eric García is the latest player to join the injury list, suffering a potential broken nose last time out.

Celta Vigo’s bizarre home run

Interestingly, both of Celta’s victories in LaLiga this season have come away from home, with Claudio Giráldez’s side struggling on their own turf. At home, in LaLiga, they are still searching for their first victory, and since an opening day defeat, they have drawn all five of their consequent league games by the same 1-1 scoreline.

There’s no doubt they look difficult to beat this season, losing just twice, but they have struggled to get games over the line. In their opening nine games of the league campaign, they failed to win, but they’ve now secured three points in two matches on the bounce.

Barcelona struggling at the back

Scoring goals hasn’t been an issue for Barcelona this season, which is no surprise considering the attacking talent Hansi Flick has at his disposal. Conceding chances has been a real issue, and is a key reason why they are falling behind Real Madrid in the title race.

Barcelona rank eighth in LaLiga for xG conceded, which isn’t at the level a side that want to win the league would expect. Flick’s side average eight shots on target per match and have created 40 big chances this season, more than any other side in both metrics, but they need to tighten up at the back if they want to catch Madrid.

Fermín the man of the moment

The likes of Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal take a lot of the credit in the Barcelona attack, but it’s Fermín López who has been the standout player in the final third over the last few weeks. The Spanish midfielder has provided eight goals and assists combined in his last four games in all competitions, making the number 10 position his own of late.

Fermín is keeping Dani Olmo watching on from the sidelines at the moment, and he’s becoming undroppable for Flick in the attack. He’ll be one of many players for Celta to watch out for in this game.

Prediction

Barcelona should have too much for a side who have struggled to pick up wins this season. We’re going for a 3-1 away victory.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2025

Preview: Rayo meet Real in Madrid

Rayo Vallecano welcome Real Madrid to the Estadio de Vallecas on Sunday afternoon as the leaders look to maintain their advantage at the top of the table.

By Ross Kilvington

Real must bounce back from Liverpool defeat

Until Los Blancos travelled to Anfield on Tuesday night, they had won six successive games, including two in the Champions League.

Xabi Alonso was outdone on his return to Merseyside, however, despite Real dominating possession throughout the match.

They have a five-point lead at the top of the table, which could be stretched to eight should three points be secured on Sunday, as Barcelona don’t play until the evening.

Kylian Mbappé failed to register any shots on target against Liverpool, while Jude Bellingham succeeded with just one dribble and missed a glaring chance.

Remarkably, the Frenchman has scored in all but one of Madrid’s 11 league matches this season, leading the race for the Pichichi award by six goals.

Alonso will be hoping his team can bounce back to winning ways against Rayo Vallecano, extending their lead over Barcelona in the process.

Rayo Vallecano can cause Real Madrid problems

Rayo Vallecano have enjoyed a decent campaign thus far. Four wins from 11 league matches has them 10^th in LaLiga ahead of Saturday’s matches. Furthermore, the club are unbeaten in the Conference League.

So far this season, Rayo have defeated Real Sociedad and drawn against Barcelona domestically, utilising an effective counter-attacking strategy which has worked wonders.

While the recent 4-0 defeat to Villarreal skews the figure, Rayo had conceded only ten goals in as many league matches this season.

As such, Madrid will have to be at their best to break through this stubborn defence on Sunday.

Team news

For this massive tie against the leaders, Rayo will be without the services of Abdul Mumin, who is out with a knee injury. Pep Chavarría is suspended and therefore wont be available for the match, while Luiz Felipe remains a doubt and he will be assessed closer to the match.

Alonso will be missing several key players for the short five-mile trip across Madrid to take on Rayo.

Indeed, Argentinian starlet Franco Mastantuono won’t return until after the international break after suffering a groin injury. He missed the clash against Liverpool in midweek.

Elsewhere, Dani Carvajal is out until 2026, despite making a brief return against Barcelona in October. Defender Antonio Rüdiger could be missing for another few months yet after suffering an injury in September.

David Alaba is a doubt as he aims to make only his fifth appearance of the campaign.

Prediction

Rayo have certainly pushed above their weight recently, backing up an impressive eighth place finish last season by starting the current campaign solidly.

Real should have more than enough quality to seal another three points in the league this weekend, however, especially if Mbappé and Vinicíus Júnior click into gear.

Given Alonso can lead his men further clear at the top of the table, we predict the away side to emerge 2-0 victors.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow all the games from LaLiga on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Nov

2025

Preview: Title chasers Manchester City and Liverpool face off in a pivotal clash

Two of the Premier League’s top three are involved in this weekend’s headline fixture, which could well determine the next twist in the title race.

By Neel Shelat

City returning to full strength

Injury issues were a big part of Manchester City’s problems last season, and they haven’t had a fully clean bill of health so far this term either. Rodri hasn’t been able to hit the ground running on his return, Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush have missed a fair few games each, and a number of defenders have come in and out of the squad.

Going into this game, though, Mateo Kovačić is the only confirmed absentee, so Pep Guardiola will have the opportunity to pick from pretty much all of his options.

Another tough test for Liverpool’s thin defence

While a lot of attention went to Liverpool’s attacking renovation in the transfer window, their lack of investment in defensive depth perhaps did not get as much scrutiny as it deserved. It certainly has come into focus now, as injuries have further limited Arne Slot’s options. Giorgi Mamardashvili has done well enough in place of Alisson, but Giovanni Leoni’s long-term absence has forced Ibrahima Konaté and the 34-year-old Virgil van Dijk to start almost every game together.

Although the Reds are going into this fixture on the back of successive clean sheets, they conceded in each of their 10 matches prior to the win over Aston Villa last weekend. They will definitely need to be on their A game to stop Erling Haaland from adding to his tally of 27 goals in 17 games this season.

Have Liverpool found the formula for their attack?

The quest for balance in the team has been the story of Liverpool’s season so far. They got off to a flying start with seven straight wins, but were soon derailed and lost six of the next seven. The number of attacking options and different full-back profiles have possibly given the coaching staff too many options to pick from, but they might well be hoping to have landed on something successful in the win over Real Madrid this week.

The most noteworthy omission in this lineup is Cody Gakpo, who often looked to be a bright spark in an otherwise faltering attack in that string of defeats. Alexander Isak may be back in the squad after missing the last few games due to a groin injury, but he likely won’t be fit to start.

Can Mohamed Salah deliver on the big stage again?

After enjoying arguably his best-ever season last term, Mohamed Salah has gotten off to a concerningly quiet start this time around. He does have an incredible record against City of 13 goals and eight assists in 23 appearances, so this should be a great opportunity for him to silence the doubters and extend his side’s head-to-head unbeaten run to five games.

Prediction

Liverpool beat Manchester City 2-0 in both of their meetings last season, but the two sides seem much more evenly matched now. A score draw or 2-1 win either way could very much be on the cards.

(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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Arsenal visit fourth placed Sunderland

Few would have had Sunderland hosting Arsenal as a top-four clash at the start of the season, but the Black Cats’ excellent start has them about halfway to safety only 10 games into the campaign.

By Karl Matchett

Tricky road starts now

Régis Le Bris and his team might be preaching about either surviving or thriving behind closed doors, but it’s really only the latter which matters in reality. Two years running, the promoted teams have gone straight back down again but at least one of the trio to come up last year looks capable of bucking that trend. Even with an excellent spine put together – goalkeeper Robin Roefs looks a steal, Omar Alderete has performed well in defence and Granit Xhaka has brought nous and quality on the ball in the centre – there will be an acknowledgement around the club that the early fixture list was kind. Now starts a much bigger test of their top-flight credentials, but Sunderland face it with all the confidence built up over the past three months: Arsenal today, then the other members of the top five – Bournemouth, Liverpool and Man City – within the next four weeks or so. How many points they take in this run, before several stars depart for the AFCON, might be very telling.

*Sunderland’s best rated players this season, led by former-Arsenal and Xhaka*

Back line puts Gunners in all-timer territory

Quite aside from the fact Arsenal are simply a very good team, there’s a key reason they win so many matches. No, not the set pieces – well, yes, that too – but their defensive resolve. José Mourinho’s 04/05 vintage Chelsea conceded 15 goals in a single season, an average of 0.4 per game and the long-standing Premier League record in that regard. Arsenal have currently seen just three in ten get past them – a 0.3 average and, extrapolated over the season it would be just 11 or 12 conceded all year. That same Chelsea team conceded nine away from home; Arsenal have let in only two thus far. Still, you need a title to go with the numbers, which means the emphasis for Mikel Arteta’s men remains on winning, not just not conceding or losing.

Recent form

Sunderland have lost just one of their last eight matches, a superb run pushing them into fourth place. Following a home draw with Everton last time out, they’ve won two of the last three. Arsenal give that some perspective though: ten straight wins in all competitions after an easy Champions League win in midweek.

Team news

Habib Diarra is out and the aforementioned Alderete needs to be assessed following concussion.

For Arsenal, the attacking absences continue to grow with Viktor Gyökeres now sidelined too, in addition to Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Martin Ødegaard.

Key player

With Gyökeres missing, if this isn’t to be a battle between two of the league’s most impressive goalkeepers this term then someone must step up at a key moment. Declan Rice often takes that mantle for the Gunners and with two goals and two assists he’s joint-most productive for Arsenal in the league. He’s above 94% of midfielders for xA per 90 this term and 75% for xG per 90.

*Declan Rice’s passing stats per 90, Premier League 2025/26*

Prediction

A narrow but again solid away win, probably involving a corner: Sunderland 0-2 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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Inter Miami vs. Nashville, the decider

Inter Miami continue their quest for the MLS Cup, but have been taken to a game-three decider by Nashville SC in the first round.

By James Nalton

Having suffered a shock exit at this stage of the playoffs last year, losing a game-three against Atlanta United, they would not have wanted to be in this situation once again in 2025.

After failing to win any of the other competitions they entered this season, everything is on the line for Javier Mascherano’s side as they return to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night.

MLS 2025 Award winners

All of MLS’s individual award winners, bar the MVP, are now known.

Lionel Messi’s presence as the only Inter Miami player to feature anywhere in these shows how reliant they have been on the Argentine star in 2025.

MLS releases the voting results for the top three for each award, and there were no Inter Miami names among them, while Messi was their lone representative in the league’s best XI.

The full list of award winners so far is below:

Defender of the Year – Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Goalkeeper of the Year – Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United)

Coach of the Year – Bradley Carnell (Philadelphia Union)

Young Player of the Year – Alex Freeman (Orlando City)

Newcomer of the Year – Anders Dreyer (San Diego)

Comeback Player of the Year – Nick Hagglund (Cincinnati)

Messi has already claimed the Golden Boot award as the league’s top scorer with 29 goals, and should be a shoo-in for the MVP award, but these results show that Inter Miami’s continued participation in the playoffs will depend heavily on how well Messi performs.

Luis Suárez suspended

It might come as no surprise that Luis Suárez has once again found himself suspended for violent conduct.

On this occasion, he aimed a studs-up kick at Andy Nájar during the 2-1 defeat at Nashville’s Geodis Park last weekend, and didn’t miss.

The incident was not picked up on by the referee or the VAR at the time, but MLS has retrospectively fined Suárez and banned him for one game.

Inter Miami released a strongly worded statement, commenting that: “Inter Miami CF accepts and respects the decision made by the MLS Disciplinary Committee.

“At the same time, the club wishes to express its concern about the precedent set by re-refereeing a play that had already been judged by the match officials and VAR, and its confidence that the same standard will be applied in the future to all on-field situations, in any match and involving any team.”

Opposition watch: Nashville SC

This will be the final edition of Nashville SC watch in 2025, which has become a regular column in Inter Miami coverage thanks to the frequency with which the two teams have met.

It will be the 19th matchup between Nashville and Inter Miami, as the team from Tennessee join Atlanta United as the opponents to have faced Inter Miami the most since they arrived in MLS in 2020.

Nashville created several good chances in game two of this playoff series as they ran out 2-1 winners, only conceding when Lionel Messi scored in the 90th minute.

Striker Sam Surridge had every reason to expect inclusion in the 2025 MLS best XI, having scored 25 goals this season, but didn’t feature — something that may motivate him and his teammates to prove a point this weekend.

Prediction

Inter Miami should get the job done at home, but Nashville will be encouraged by the favourites’ shock defeat to Atlanta at this stage last season.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every MLS game live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Nov

2025

Preview: Spurs looking to continue good run against Manchester United

It’s a repeat of the Europa League final at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday lunchtime as Spurs take on Manchester United, and hopefully it’ll be a better game than that was.

By Ian King

Neither Spurs nor Manchester United are the finished article yet

If there’s one thing that can be said for both Spurs and Manchester United ahead of this match, it’s that both teams are more serious than they were at the end of last season. Neither are the finished article yet. Spurs have done pretty well in terms of results, but have stood accused of flattering to deceive in terms of performances. Manchester United started as weakly as they ended last season but have improved in recent weeks, as though Ruben Amorim’s plan is starting to come together. But it remains the case that neither team are entirely predictable yet.

Spurs set a record against Manchester United in 2024-25

Spurs set an unwelcome record for Manchester United last season in becoming the first team ever to beat them four times in one season; both matches in the League, in the Carabao Cup and in the Europa League final. But their good record against United doesn’t end there. It’s been eight games since United last won this fixture, and that takes us back to October 2022.

Manchester United’s route to success in this game will start with stopping Spurs’ pace

The talk of The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week has, of course, been Micky van de Ven, whose “Run, Forrest, run!” goal against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League was reminiscent of Son Heung-min’s Puskas Award-winning goal against Burnley in December 2019. Van de Ven is an unusual player, injury-prone yet capable of being a cheat code three or four times a season, and he can hurt Manchester United both defensively and when he turns up in attacking positions.

As a Thomas Frank team, Spurs break quickly, so Manchester United’s central defence will need to be on top of their game. As such, United could need to be on their toes and that should mean a busy Saturday lunchtime for Matthijs de Ligt, who’s been accused of being “too slow” in the past but can put in a decent sprint when the mood takes him.

Will this match be time for the grand return of Lisandro Martínez?

Spurs still have an injury list the length of a chimpanzee’s arm, featuring James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray, Kota Takai and Lucas Bergvall, who will all be absent. There’s better news on the Mohammed Kudus front, though. He missed the Copenhagen match after picking up a knock, but should return for this one.

Manchester United’s attention with regard to injury and suspension is focused entirely on one player. Lisandro Martínez hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for them since February, but is due to return imminently, though whether Ruben Amorim decides to give him an extra couple of weeks for fine-tuning over the forthcoming international break remains open to question.

Spurs & Manchester United are improved upon last season, but both remain mildly unpredictable

If the 2025 Europa League final was a demonstration of where these two teams were at that moment in time, so will this match be a test of the progress that both have made since then. Spurs were dismal against Chelsea last weekend, as evinced by the enthusiastic booing they received at the final whistle.

But while FC Copenhagen were hardly the most testing of opponents during the week, a 4-0 home win in the Champions League has quelled much of the steam that was starting to emerge from the ears of Spurs fans following last weekend’s debacle against Chelsea.

Manchester United, meanwhile, are much improved in attacking positions this season. But, as may have been guessed from them spending a ton of money on attacking options during the summer while completely ignoring their defence, they still have a soft underbelly that can be attacked, as Nottingham Forest demonstrated with their two goals in five minutes last weekend.

Spurs and Manchester United have both made progress since the end of last season. They’ve both moved from “predictably bad” to “decent yet slightly unpredictable”, and going into this match in 6th and 8th places in the Premier League respectively is more like where both may realistically expect to end this season.

But on this occasion, the pace that Spurs have in attacking positions is a clear threat to the Manchester United central defence, and that may prove to be the tipping point between the two on this occasion. I’ll go for Spurs to win 2-1, but as remains the case with these two teams, it could really go either way.

(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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Haaland’s former club Dortmund visit Manchester City

It’s second in the Premier League against third in the Bundesliga, as Manchester City welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad in the Champions League on Wednesday.

By Ian King

Manchester City have found their gear-shift, but how one-dimensional is it?

A win against Bournemouth on Saturday put Manchester City second in the Premier League, albeit six points behind Arsenal. They’ve won four of their last five in the England’s top flight, but that nagging question remains; are they over-reliant on Erling Haaland’s goals now, and what happens to their form, should anything happen to him?

Borussia Dortmund have only been beaten once in their nine Bundesliga matches so far, but still sit third, behind Bayern Munich – who were, of course, the only team to beat them so far – and second-placed RB Leipzig.

Both teams have taken seven points from their first three matches of the Megagroup league phase, with Dortmund having scored four goals in each of their first three games and Manchester City having scored two in each of theirs.

City have only lost one in six against Dortmund

There have been six previous meetings between these two sides, all in the Champions League, with three wins for Manchester City, two draws, and just the one win for Dortmund. Neither side has beaten the other by more than a single goal, and all three of City’s wins were by a 2-1 scoreline. The last time they met came in December 2022, when they played out a goalless draw at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund’s goal frenzy in the Champions League is in sharp contrast to their Bundesliga record

The last time that Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund in October 2022, City won 2-1 and Erling Haaland, who’d made his move to Manchester the previous summer, scored a goal against his former team which was later voted UEFA’s Goal of the Tournament. But in the return match, Haaland was subbed out at half-time and the match ended in a goalless draw. He’s scored 13 of their 20 league goals so far this season, and their second-highest goalscorer is Own Goals, on two.

Dortmund’s main goal threat comes from Serhou Guirassy, who scored the winning goals in their last two Bundesliga triumphs, against Augsburg and 1.FC Köln. Curiously, Dortmund’s goal frenzy in the Champions League has been in contrast to their start to their domestic season. They scored three in each of their first two league matches, but have failed to do so since. They’ve only scored three more goals in their nine league matches than they have in their three Champions League matches so far.

Rumours of Mateo Kovačić’s return from injury turned out to have been greatly exaggerated

It’s all clear on the injuries front for Manchester City, with one significant exception. Mateo Kovačić has only played 45 minutes for City so far this season following an achilles tendon injury during the summer. He was subbed on for the closing minutes of their recent win against Everton, following that up with 33 minutes against Villarreal in this competition. But Pep Guardiola has now confirmed that his injury has flared up again and he’ll be out until the latter stages of the season.

Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle should both return for Dortmund after missing their 1-0 win at Augsburg on Friday night. Schlotterbeck had a cold, while Süle had an issue with one of his toes, but head coach Niko Kovač should be able to welcome him back for this match.

Dortmund know what threat awaits them, but whether they can do anything about it is another question

There seems to be a viewpoint that Arsenal have already won the Premier League, but whether that turns out to be true or not, Manchester City have a potential issue in chasing them. With 17 goals in 13 games in all competitions, Erling Haaland has become their most important player this season by such a distance that it’s reasonable to ask what might happen should they lose him.

Against his former club, the expectation that he’ll turn up will be greater than ever. Good job he never seems that bothered by nerves or self-doubt, then. But City’s recent 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa demonstrated that he can be kept at bay, and if Dortmund can find a way of keeping him quiet, they have a chance.

But the harsh reality of Dortmund’s position going into this match is that precious few other teams have found a way of keeping him quiet, so the home win feels more likely on this occasion. I’ll go for the teams to reverse their goalscoring tallies in this tournament so far, City to win 4-2, and yet more superlatives to be thrown in the direction of Norway’s favourite son.

(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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Barcelona go to Club Brugge in the Champions League

One of the competition favourites should take another step towards the last 16 this week with Barcelona aiming to make it three wins from four when they head to Belgian side Club Brugge on Wednesday.

By Karl Matchett

Cruising mode

One of the big talking points around this still-new Champions League format last term was that it allowed some of the bigger teams to essentially get the job done in half the matches: if they weren’t too fussed about final position and only top eight mattered to avoid the playoffs, then five wins was always expected to be about enough. Barcelona managed six and finished second, scoring 28 times along the way – more than anyone else in the league phase. While they’ve not been quite so free-scoring yet, they look well on track for at least that five-win initial benchmark and, with Slavia Prague and FC København still to come, if they win this one they are already all-but-there – despite that defeat to PSG.

Hansi Flick and his squad might want to win the competition, but you don’t do that in the first half of the season. As PSG showed last year, all you need to do at this stage is make sure you remain in the competition. As such, the manager might be tempted to tweak a little, but a strong lineup here goes a long way to ensuring you can rotate more frequently later on – as well as skip those two extra encounters.

Playing for the playoffs

Club Brugge might have looked a little stronger in previous seasons, but they can’t be discounted entirely at home. After all, they thumped Monaco 4-1 and that was after humiliating Rangers in the qualifiers 9-1 on aggregate. But even so, years of selling their stars might be taking a toll. Last season they finished 24th, nicking the final playoff spot with 11 points but a better goal difference than Dinamo Zagreb. It looks a stretch to achieve that again this term – unless they pull off a massive shock in a game like this.

Form

Brugge have won their last five domestically, but chopping up that streak are two defeats in Europe following their opening round win over Monaco. Three wins and three defeats in the last six for the visitors, but they won their only Champions League away game so far at Newcastle.

Team news

The hosts will be without a host of players to make things worse. Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is out, while so too are left-back Bjorn Meijer, holding midfielder Raphael Onyedika and the versatile Ludovit Reis.

Hans Vanaken has to pull the strings for counter-attacks, with Christos Tzolis Brugges’ best outlet to trouble the visitors.

Barcelona are missing even more players, particularly in attack with Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo all out. Joan García is missing in goal, with both Pedri and Gavi missing from midfield.

Key player

It’s a toss up between Fermín López and Marcus Rashford but we’ll opt for the latter – he has four assists and two goals from 2.3 xG in LaLiga, but also four goals and one assist in three matches in Europe. If he can keep producing those numbers the Catalan side will take the points.

Prediction

It might not be such a steamrollering, but if Bayern can beat Brugge by four then it’s likely Barcelona can get the job done too: Club Brugge 1-3 Barcelona.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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