Page 21 – The Pulse of Football

Apr

2026

Is Rayan Cherki the difference maker that City need as the title race comes to a head?

The Premier League title race is back on and Rayan Cherki is doing more than anyone else to drive Manchester City to an unexpected title.

By Graham Ruthven

Rayan Cherki is an anomaly. Both in the current landscape of the Premier League and Pep Guardiola’s highly-regimented Manchester City set-up. He gets away with things no other City player would. Sometimes he doesn’t, as illustrated by the number of times Guardiola is shown shaking his head at the impish Frenchman like a disapproving parent.

Cherki, however, is the sort of natural creator considered to be rare at the elite level of the English game right now. As the Premier League title race continues to tighten, he could be the player who decides the destination of the trophy this season. If City end up catching Arsenal, Cherki might become the symbol of why.

*Cherki’s player traits compared to similar players in Top 5 leagues*

Arsenal’s home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday was Mikel Arteta’s team at their worst. The Gunners created just 0.18 Expected Goals (xG) from open play. They struggled badly to construct attacks with the ball and ultimately succumbed to the nervousness that built inside the Emirates Stadium over the course of the match.

24 hours later, Manchester City made a big statement by dismantling Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Guardiola’s side imposed themselves in every possible way with Cherki at the heart of their performance. The Frenchman registered two assists and was irrepressible as he drifted into space wherever he could find it. Chelsea couldn’t handle him.

In the juxtaposition between the two performances, the difference between the title rivals became clear. Cherki is everything Arsenal are missing. He embodies the cavalier momentum of City’s late title challenge compared to the stiff and stilted form of the frontrunners from North London.

Cherki’s statistics in the Premier League this season make more impressive reading, especially because the 22-year-old has only started 15 games. Only Bruno Fernandes has registered more assists while Cherki ranks above the Manchester United playmaker for Expected Assists per 90. He is also up there for Big Chances created.

“The numbers are incredible and the quality in the first season in the Premier League, he is something unique,” said Guardiola when asked about Cherki’s impact this season. “Rayan has something special. The second goal [against Chelsea], I said choose the pass right and he passed to Marc Guéhi that I could not even see from outside. He is a top talent and again what I said, if Manchester City decide to bring that player in, it is because Manchester City is working really well.”

Guardiola also made comments suggesting he isn’t entirely satisfied with Cherki’s work ethic. The City manager has more than once also slapped the Frenchman on the wrist for showboating at various times this season. Guardiola, however, must be careful not to suppress the natural creativity of his most exciting player.

Arteta might have been guilty of this with Eberechi Eze. Signed for £67.5m from Crystal Palace last summer, the England international was meant to be Arsenal’s Cherki. The creative force capable of producing something out of nothing when his team is struggling to find a way through.

Eze has been that player in a handful of matches, but not enough. Against Bournemouth on Saturday, for example, the 27-year-old came off the bench with 36 minutes still to play, but failed to register a single shot in that time. Eze created one chance and got on the dribble once or twice, yet struggled to make any genuine impact.

Sunday’s top-of-the-table encounter could provide the starkest sign yet of the difference between Arsenal and Manchester City. While the former have a six-point lead to protect, the latter need a win to supercharge their chances of winning a seventh Premier League title in nine years. The stakes could hardly be any greater.

Guardiola’s City remains a work-in-progress. They are still midway through a rebuild that will continue with the exit of Bernardo Silva at the end of the season. There will be further signings made by the Etihad Stadium outfit this summer as they retool the squad for the seasons to come.

Through this process, though, Manchester City have evolved over the course of the campaign. Guardiola has used a variety of different formations and combinations to get to this point. Arsenal, on the other hand, are the same team now they were at the start of the season. They have failed to find an extra dimension.

For Manchester City, Cherki is that extra dimension. The player who sees things others, including his own manager, can’t. The number 10 who is the exception to the rule within Guardiola’s team. The guy who offers something special. Watching him is a joy, unless you’re Arsenal.

(Images from IMAGO)

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

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Apr

2026

The Scottish title race is now a sprint to the finish

Three points separates Hearts, Rangers and Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with just five matches left to play.

By Graham Ruthven

Hearts’ title chances surely flashed before their eyes as the clock ticked closer and closer to full time on Saturday. Anything less than a victory at home to Motherwell would have seen the lead of the Scottish title race change just five games from the end of the season. The Jam Tarts, however, scored two late goals to maintain their advantage.

That advantage stands at just one point heading into The Split – the final stage of the Scottish Premiership season when the table splits into the top six and the bottom six. Rangers and Celtic, to a certain extent, are resurgent, but Hearts are still setting the pace even if their matches are increasingly tense.

*The league table going into the weekend*

Tension is understandable. It’s been 40 years since a non-Old Firm team won the Scottish title. Celtic and Rangers’ duopoly is the strongest of any two sides in Europe yet Hearts have been able to disrupt their dominance. Having come this far, it would be devastating for the Edinburgh outfit were they to be pipped to the post.

Few believed Tony Bloom when he vowed Hearts would challenge for the title this season. The professional gambler had been successful in Belgium and England with his data-driven approach, and few doubted his influence would ultimately improve Hearts, but his pre-season prediction seemed naive.

Five games from the end of Bloom’s first season as Hearts co-owner, he has already delivered on his bullish vow. Derek McInnes’ team have indeed challenged for the title. They have electrified Scottish football at a time when it desperately needed something to shake up the landscape.

For a long time, it appeared Hearts’ only challenge would come from Celtic. Rangers started the season under Russell Martin and struggled for any sort of consistent form. They won just one of their opening eight league fixtures and were humbled by Club Brugge in Champions League qualification.

When Martin was sacked after just 123 days in the job, Rangers hired Danny Röhl to point them in the right direction again. The 2025/26 season already looked to be a write-off, but the charismatic German slowly began to introduce his own ideas to a team that had lacked any sort of coherent identity until then.

With Röhl at the helm, Rangers have played with a stronger defensive footing. Their pressing structure has improved match-by-match over the course of the season while Röhl has managed to get more out of several players including Youssef Chermiti, Mikey Moore and Thelo Aasgaard who had been written off as flops under Martin.

Celtic’s journey to this point of the title race has been even more chaotic. The Hoops have gone through three different managers, hiring Martin O’Neill as interim manager after the sacking of Brenden Rodgers ahead of appointing Wilfried Nancy who lasted just 33 days before bringing back O’Neill.

At 73 years old, O’Neill is merely keeping the seat warm for whoever comes in as Celtic’s next permanent manager this summer. Even still, the legendary Irishman has just about kept the team active in the Scottish title race. O’Neill’s pragmatic style of play hasn’t always been exhilarating to watch, but Celtic are just three points off the top of the table.

“We may be lacking some things as a team, but you could say that about all the teams that are in it. We have a really good spirit and that can carry us through.”

It’s been uttered more than once over the course of the season that this is only the start of Hearts’ rise as a genuine force in Scottish football. That Bloom’s approach will continue to push the Tynecastle side closer and closer to Celtic and Rangers, on and off the field. There’s logic in the argument looking at Bloom’s success at Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise.

However, Bloom’s model will surely see Hearts lose at least one key player this summer. Claudio Braga has been a sensation for the Jam Tarts, scoring 14 league goals. Alexandros Kyziridis is another player who has caught the eye for the Scottish Premiership and could be on the radar of bigger clubs around Europe.

Realistically, Hearts might have to take a step backwards to take another step forward in the seasons to come. Bloom’s model is clearly effective, but would it really be able to immediately replace players like Braga and Kyziridis and the attacking output that would leave with them?

Celtic and Rangers will almost certainly improve too. They surely won’t endure the sort of chaos that saw both sides of the Old Firm shuffle through multiple managers in the same season. This looks like being Hearts’ best chance at becoming the first team since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen to conquer the Scottish game.

(Images from IMAGO)

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

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Apr

2026

History maker Marie-Louise Eta will oversee Union Berlin’s Bundesliga run in

Marie-Louise Eta has made history after being appointed interim head coach of Union Berlin for the rest of 2025-26, the first woman to take charge of a men’s club in Europe’s top five leagues. So, who is she?

By Alex Roberts

Steffen Baumgart’s sacking after their 3-1 Bundesliga defeat to FC Heidenheim came as a bit of a shock. Yes, Union Berlin had won just two of their 14 league games since the turn of the year, but with his side in 11^th, seven points off the relegation play-off spot, it could have been worse.

Still, Union needed to stop the rot, they’re not yet out of the woods, and anything can happen over the final five games of the season. They looked for some continuity, and Marie-Louise Eta, an objectively exciting young coaching talent, was the obvious choice.

Equal parts predictable and nauseating, the basement dwellers hiding behind anonymous accounts on social media came out in force to let the world know why it’s taken so long for a female manager to get such a job.

The club’s social media team deserve a shoutout, they didn’t let anyone get away with their nonsense. Posting “Gambling’s as stupid as sexism” in response to someone that said they’ll bet against Union Berlin in every game was a personal favourite.

Director of football Horst Heldt isn’t taking any of the “nonsense” either, very clearly rebuking the sexist abuse. “I’ve noticed it, but I also refuse to read or even just expose myself to that kind of nonsense, because for me, this is about quality — leadership quality. We have 100 percent confidence in Loui, complete conviction,” he said.

“I find it insane that we have to deal with this in this day and age. We’re talking about a highly competent leader here, and you can be sure that everyone here at Union, whether in the stands or within the club itself, stands 100 percent behind this decision and will do everything in their power to ensure that this doesn’t lead to any further discussion in the future.

“It’s just embarrassing.”

Eta is used to making history, though. In 2023, Union Berlin appointed her as an assistant coach to then manager Marco Grote, becoming the first woman to take on such a role.

Again, in 2024 Eta became the first woman to lead a Bundesliga team from the dugout, when she deputised for Nenad Bjelica, the man who replaced Grote, while he was suspended. Union won that game, in case you were curious.

Since the start of this season, Eta has played a key role as part of Union Berlin’s U19s coaching set up, and she is set to become the manager of their women’s team in the summer. So, it’s not like she has come out of nowhere.

As a player, she’s played at the very top level. Eta, an energetic midfielder, played for Turbine Potsdam, Hamburger SV, Cloppenburg and Werder Bremen, as well as various youth levels with Germany, before being forced into retirement at the end of the 2017/18 season aged 26 due to reoccurring injury issues.

Her time at Turbine Potsdam was by far her best. Eta won the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2010, alongside three Frauen-Bundesliga titles and two DFB-Hallenpokal trophies.

Anyone who has watched any of Union’s U19s has lauded them. Full of energy and a confident presence needed to make it in senior football, they were clearly very well coached by Eta, who has a clear philosophy in playing progressive football.

It’s an appointment that also caught the attention of England women’s manager Sarina Wiegman, who was clearly delighted to have seen the glass ceiling broken while speaking ahead of the game against Spain.

“It’s great,” Wiegman said. “She’s a trailblazer. I think this was only a matter of time anyway. It’s exciting, it shows that, again, football is moving up. There are women in society everywhere and the next step is that it’s also in football, male and female.”

There have been plenty of men to manage women’s sides, it’s taken a little while for the reverse to happen. It’s not unheard of, though. Sabrina Wittmann took charge of German third division side Ingolstadt in the summer of 2024.

Wittmann’s story is similar to Eta’s. They’re both 34-years-old and were appointed after impressive runs within their respective club’s youth set-ups. Wittmann is now on course to celebrate her second season at Ingolstadt.

In France, former national team manager, Corinne Diacre was at the helm of Ligue 2 side Clarmont Foot for three years. Across the Channel, in the UK, no woman is yet to take charge of a competitive men’s game.

Hannah Dingley, now girls’ head of academy at Manchester City, had a brief spell as caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers as they prepared for the 2023/24 season before David Horseman took over. Horseman was sacked six months later.

Current USWNT coach Emma Hayes came close. The former Chelsea women’s manager was linked with an EFL side every season, most notably AFC Wimbledon back in 2021. She didn’t deem coaching in the men’s lower leagues as an “upgrade”, and rightfully so.

“Men’s football isn’t ready for female coaches. I’ve said this a million times over. You can find a female pilot, a female doctor, a female lawyer, a female banker. But you can’t find a female coach working in the men’s game, leading men. It shows you how much work there is to be done,” Hayes once said. In England, she’s probably correct.

The papers are signed, Eta’s time as manager of Union Berlin’s men’s side will only be until the end of the season, then she will head over to the women’s team, currently mid-table in the Frauen Bundesliga. So, plenty of parallels.

Globally, the Bundesliga attracts over one billion viewers a season, that’s roughly two billion eyes, give or take, across more than 200 nations. For the first time in history, no matter how short it may be, aspiring female coaches will be able to see someone who truly represents them in the dugout.

That’s what it’s all about.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Bundesliga on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, xG, and player ratings, where available. Download the free app here.

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Apr

2026

Alex Scott is key to Bournemouth’s push for Europe

Bournemouth finished the 2024/25 campaign ninth in the Premier League, missing out on a European spot by just nine points.

By Ross Kilvington

Andoni Iraola had masterminded the Cherries’ highest ever Premier League finish and while this proved that the club were on the right track, it also set up a summer of uncertainty regarding their key players.

Indeed, Iraola was powerless to prevent stars such as Milos Kerkez, Ilya Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen and Dango Quattara departing for nearly £200m. Add in the fact that Antoine Semenyo was sold in January to Manchester City for £63m, it is incredible to think that Iraola’s men are in a position to challenge for a European spot.

Although draws have been Bournemouth’s kryptonite this season – managing 15 across 32 Premier League matches – only Arsenal and Manchester City have lost more games.

The Cherries have lost just four of their 11 meetings with the current top six (at the time of writing) and sprung a shock last weekend when they dented Arsenal’s title hopes thanks to an impressive 2-1 victory.

Alex Scott netted the winner in the Saturday lunchtime kick off at the Emirates and he has arguably been one of the main reasons why Bournemouth remain firmly in contention for Europe.

Alex Scott powered Bournemouth to win over Arsenal

Arsenal weren’t quite at their fluid best against the Cherries as Iraola’s men took full advantage of the jitters to seal a wonderful victory.

The goal to seal it was a delightful one. With the tie finely poised at 1-1, David Brooks passed to Evanilson, who cushioned the ball directly into the path of Scott with a deft touch.

Scott ghosted into the space left behind by Martin Zubimendi, who failed to match the Englishman for pace, before taking one touch and slotting the winner beyond David Raya.

It was as an aesthetically pleasing goal that you will see all season and it proved that the young Cherries midfielder is more than capable of providing a cutting edge in the final third.

While his goal sealed all three points, his all-round relentlessness throughout the clash demonstrated why he is among one of the finest English talents in the game.

Operating in the heart of the midfield alongside Ryan Christie, Scott was a defensive titan, preventing Arsenal from gaining much success in the final third.

With 13 defensive contributions, Scott led the way. He made three blocks and one tackle, while more importantly, registered eight recoveries during the game.

“He has played for us as a number 10, a number eight; today as a number six and he has added a lot of defensive work and a lot of duel-winning to the ability he has on the ball,” gushed Iraola following the win.

“We know, if we give him good options on the ball, space to carry the ball, arrivals, he will give us this.

“I’m very happy because he is becoming a very, very complete player.”

The Spaniard announced that he would be leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season, but he is clearly counting on Scott to help push the south coast side into Europe for the first time in their history.

With three goals and one assist, the Guernsey-born starlet isn’t known for his proficiency in front of goal, despite scoring against Arsenal, but that shouldn’t deter from just how impressive he has been at the heart of the Bournemouth midfield this term.

When compared to his positional peers in the Premier League since the start of the season, Scott’s statistics across a range of metrics demonstrate his effectiveness.

*Scott’s player traits compared with similar players in Top 5 leagues*

Indeed, the 22-year-old ranks in the top 7% for defensive contributions (322), along with ranking in the top 10% for interceptions (32), recoveries (157) and duels won (158) this campaign.

He has played a part in all 32 league matches for the Cherries so far this season and with just three cautions to his name, Scott has exuded maturity well beyond his years.

While leading his club side into the heady heights of European competition is the priority for Scott, a chance of sealing a place in England’s World Cup squad remains a tantalising incentive over the next few weeks.

The former Bristol City player is doing all he can to make the plane for the tournament according to Iraola.

“He is playing so well, but I understand in this country you have so many good players and sometimes to be at your very best level, it is not enough because there is someone also performing very well,” said the Spaniard.

“I suppose every time Thomas has to make a call-up it is very difficult because there are so many good options, but I am sure he will continue the same way and he will finish the season strongly.”

Scott received his first international call up for the matches against Serbia and Albania last November, yet he failed to make it onto the field.

Despite his excellent performances in the Premier League, Tuchel surprisingly left him out of the 35-man squad for the friendlies against Japan and Uruguay last month.

He faces stiff competition, with the likes of Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and James Garner all in contention for a midfield berth this summer.

By finishing the season strongly, Scott can give himself the best possible chance of securing a seat on the plane.

Could he become only the second player born in the Channel Islands to play for England at a World Cup after Graeme le Saux?

The next few weeks could turn out to be the most important of his career, no doubt about that.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Apr

2026

Preview: Can Sporting find a way to further derail Arsenal’s campaign?

The Portuguese giants visit North London looking to overturn a one goal deficit.

By Filip Mishov

Under-fire Gunners seek a confidence boost ahead of Man City showdown

The pressure is reaching an all-time high at the Emirates following Arsenal’s damning defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League and ahead of this return leg in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Mikel Arteta‘s squad were sloppy in possession and lacked both composure and the belief to inspire a comeback against the Cherries, enabling the away side to inflict a damaging defeat.

However, the fact remains that the Gunners are still in control of the title race in England and hold a hard-earned 1-0 lead from Lisbon going in to what is the most important week of their season to date, and it is up to them to rise from the setback and prove their title-winning credentials, both domestically and in Europe.

Sporting put that first leg’s stoppage-time loss to Arsenal behind them with a victory at Estrela da Amadora over the weekend, a result that keeps them in the Liga Portugal title race.

Now, the focus of the Rui Borges-led squad is on sparking a surprise in London and continuing their fairytale campaign in the Champions League, and judging by their past visits, that might not be so far-fetched.

The reigning Portuguese champions are unbeaten at the Emirates Stadium, as Sporting held the Gunners to a draw both in 2018 and 2023, respectively, before then progressing to the Europa League quarter-finals via a penalty shoot-out on the latter occasion.

Key players

David Raya is a dark horse in the race for Arsenal’s Player of the Season award, with the in-form goalkeeper’s performances becoming increasingly important in recent weeks, as their opponents enjoy more possession and thus more chances to score. The Spaniard is leading the charts for clean sheets, both in the Premier League (15) as well as the Champions League (7), and furthermore, the 30-year-old boasts the highest save percentage (90%) in Europe’s elite competition.

*Key goalkeeper stats in the Champions League*

The free-scoring Luis Suárez might be stealing the headlines, but Pedro Gonçalves‘s importance is as crucial to Sporting this campaign and in recent years as well.

Tasked with the mission impossible of replacing Bruno Fernandes back in 2020, the so-called ‘Pote’ is the Lions’ maestro, and apart from his injury-plagued 2024/25 season, the Portuguese international has scored at least 15 goals across all competitions in five of the past six seasons.

Additionally, the versatile playmaker is the squad’s third-highest-FotMob rated player (7.70) in the league and is ranking second in terms of goals + assists (19) and chances created (45) as well.

It was also Pote who scored the incredible goal from the halfway line during their last visit to London.

Team news

Riccardo Calafiori, Jurriën Timber, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka were all absent from Arsenal’s last training session and their availability remains doubtful, while Mikel Merino is ruled out.

For Sporting, Nuno Santos, Luis Guilherme and Fotis Ioannidis missed the first leg and are not expected to return for the trip to London.

Prediction

Arsenal’s nervous body language is becoming quite telling, and their fragile confidence has been exposed in recent weeks, resulting in both EFL Cup final defeat and exit from the FA Cup. But despite the strength of this Sporting team, I still expect the Gunners to progress to the semi-finals with a win or draw, mainly due to their outstanding defensive stability and individual quality.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Apr

2026

Preview: Bayern Munich host Real Madrid for second leg of blockbuster tie

The 30th competitive meeting between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid promises to be a cracker as both sides are well in with a shout of advancing to the semi-final.

By Neel Shelat

Bayern’s defence to come under scrutiny

Bayern Munich’s attack has been nothing short of spectacular this season. They have already smashed the single-season scoring record in the Bundesliga with five games to spare, having taken their tally to 105 last weekend. They are also the top scorers in the Champions League this season with 34 goals in 11 matches so far.

So, the fact that they built up a two-goal lead against Real Madrid’s subpar defence in the first leg was no surprise, but their subsequent inability to tighten up the game was concerning. Los Blancos created plenty of chances, eventually halved their deficit and could easily have scored another on a different day. Either way, that kept the tie wide open for this second leg.

Winless streak building pressure on Real Madrid

Despite mounting a good fightback in the second half last week, Real Madrid have to be quite disappointed with their recent form and results. That defeat was their first loss to Bayern in nine matches (since 2011), and built up to what is now a three-match winless run.

Los Blancos have only picked up one point in their last two league matches, dropping nine points behind leaders Barcelona. Should they fail to win again in Munich, this will be their longest winless streak since the days of Julen Lopetegui in 2018.

Needless to say, pressure is building on Álvaro Arbeloa. The Champions League is the only competition his side can realistically win, so his job may well be on the line with this tie.

Team news

Bayern Munich significantly rotated their side on the weekend, so their stars will be fit and raring to go for this game. Their only noteworthy absences are teenage starlet Lennart Karl and back-up goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.

Real Madrid will also be without a shot-stopper, but they’ll miss their number one in Thibaut Courtois. Aurélien Tchouaméni is suspended after being booked in the first leg, while Rodrygo remains absent with a long-term injury.

Key players

Harry Kane is on the cusp of reaching the 50-goal mark across all competitions in a single club season for the first time in his career. He’ll surely cross it at some point in the coming weeks to join an exclusive list of just six other men to have achieved this feat in the 21st century.

Kylian Mbappé is among those on the list, but has a mere 39 this term. He’ll be counting on Vinícius Júnior’s support while Michael Olise will be keen to add to his tally of 42 goal involvements this term. Against such big-name attackers, centre-backs Dayot Upamecano and Dean Huijsen will have to put in big shifts for either side.

Prediction

Both teams have scored in the last seven meetings between these sides, and that run should be expected to continue here. In the end, Bayern might just have enough to get over the line.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Apr

2026

Joao Neves is the ball-progressing machine powering PSG’s Champions League title defence

Paris Saint-Germain are well-placed to retain their Champions League crown with João Neves driving the French giants to more success.

By Graham Ruthven

Liverpool have been made to look lifeless more than a few times this season, but Paris Saint-Germain’s performance in last week’s Champions League meeting was especially suffocating. So many of the statistics – possession share, shots, Expected Goals, Big Chances created – illustrated this.

The biggest difference between the two sides, however, was in central midfield where João Neves never stopped. He was everywhere, applying pressure whenever Liverpool had the ball and moving it forward in possession phases for the defending European champions. Liverpool couldn’t get a grip of him.

*Neves heat map vs. Liverpool, first leg*

Of course, Neves has been a key figure for PSG ever since he joined them from Benfica in the 2024 summer transfer window. Signed for a reported €60m, the youngster had his pick of Europe’s biggest clubs, but decided Luis Enrique’s style of play would be a good fit. So it has proved over the last two seasons.

That €60m paid by PSG now represents a bargain. At just 21 years old, Neves is already one of the most accomplished midfielders anywhere in the world. He has the natural rhythm in possession of Xavi and the inherent creativity of Andres Iniesta with the tempo and intensity required for the modern game.

And yet Neves went somewhat underappreciated last season. Even as PSG won the Champions League for the first time, Vitinha was widely highlighted as their most influential player in the centre of the field. Some even pushed him forward as a candidate for the Ballon d’Or such was his level in the big matches.

Vitinha remains a critical cog of the PSG machine, having more touches of the ball than any other player on the pitch against Liverpool last week. He also registered the most passes into the final third and more than played his part in pushing the Premier League outfit deep into their own half for the majority of the match.

Neves, however, was the one collecting possession from deep and moving it forward whenever PSG needed some thrust on the ball. He was the pass before the pass, except when he provided the assist for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goal to make it 2-0 to the French hosts. Neves took on the role of creator-in-chief for that moment.

*Neves’ player traits compared with midfielders in Top 5 leagues*

The reason PSG’s Champions League triumph last season was so ominous for the rest of European football was the age profile of their team. This is a group of players only just getting started at the elite level and nobody embodies this better than Neves who continues to get better and better.

“We did great last year with the players we signed, and João was one of them,” said Enrique when asked about Neves. “He is very young, but we didn’t have any doubts about him because of his intensity and quality on and off the ball. I think he can improve a lot of things. One of them is scoring goals. He has the energy to play at a high level. He is an amazing player and we’re very happy to have him.”

Even as PSG struggled to find their best form earlier this season, there was always a sense that they would eventually put up a strong defence of their Champions League crown. The return of Ousmane Dembélé from injury was the catalyst the defending champions had been waiting for. With Dembélé back in the attack, PSG found coherence again.

*PSG have more possession of the ball than anyone else in the UCL*

Of course, PSG know how to win at Anfield having already done it last season. It was an away victory over Liverpool that truly announced Enrique’s team as Champions League contenders 12 months ago, sending the French outfit on a path that culminated in a 5-0 thumping of Inter Milan in the final.

Since then, PSG have swapped goalkeepers following the departure of Gianluigi Donnarumma to Manchester City and evolved their central defensive unit through the signing of Ilya Zabarnyi from Bournemouth. Otherwise, it’s the same core of players that became European champions in Munich.

Enrique and his coaching staff are always searching for new ways to utilise those players – see how Nuno Mendes was flinging quick throws into the centre of the pitch for PSG to move forward quickly in transition against Liverpool. The French champions might be the most imaginative side in world football right now.

Neves is at the heart of that invention. He is a ball-progressing machine for the most intense team with the clearest idea of how they want to play left in this season’s Champions League. If PSG are to become European champions again, it’ll be in no small part due to the midfielder’s brilliance.

(Images from IMAGO)

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

Apr

2026

Preview: Atletico and Barcelona set for final showdown of epic run

LaLiga leaders Barcelona have it all to do as they head to Atlético Madrid for the Champions League quarter-final second leg and a fixture which has already yielded 16 goals this season alone.

By Karl Matchett

Another meeting of two of Spain’s big three, but this time with the stakes much higher and the context much more intriguing. Barcelona were favourites to make the Champions League final from this side of the draw prior to the first leg – but one red card and one exceptional free-kick later, that all changed. Atleti hold a 2-0 lead and home advantage and are 90 minutes from the semis.

Erratic encounters

This being the sixth encounter of the two clubs in 2025/26 already, it might be reasonable to expect a form guide of sorts to suggest an outcome – but not so. Barcelona beat Atleti 3-1 in LaLiga at home and edged the match 2-1 at the Metropolitano as well – but Atlético trounced Barca 4-0 in the Copa Del Rey first leg as well as emerging victorious in the game last week. The Catalan side hold a 3-2 advantage for the season so far after winning the Copa second leg 3-0, but lost that tie overall – a repeat performance in terms of winning the 90 minutes but going out of the competition is far from off the agenda when it comes to this latest battle.

Nine and ten the crucial calls

Big decisions for Hansi Flick rest on whether to start Ferran Torres or Robert Lewandowski, and Dani Olmo or Fermín López, as the nine and ten respectively. It was a surprise to see no López in particular in the first leg XI, but in attack at least Barca do have strength in depth – whereas at the back and midfield it’s more likely a question of playing those who are fittest.

Recent form

Atlético have lost four and won one of their previous five in all competitions – but had won six in a row at home before losing to this opponent in early April. They haven’t lost at home by two this term.

It’s five wins in the last six for Barcelona – the first-leg defeat the outlier there. Away from home they’ve won two of their last five; and they’ve won by at least two goals away on four occasions since Christmas.

Team news

Marc Pubill is suspended and there’s a doubt over Dávid Hancko in defence for Atlético, with José Giménez likely out too.

Barcelona have Pau Cubarsí suspended after his first-leg red card, with Raphinha still sidelined. Frenkie de Jong has just returned from a layoff so should be a bench option.

Key player

Lamine Yamal was praised for dragging his team on in the first leg. This time Barca need him to have the end product as well as the determination and the maturity in his game. He’ll well capable too – among Europe’s best attackers he’s ahead of 94% for chances created, 97% for goals, 99% for touches and 100% for shot attempts. Stop him if you can.

Prediction

Atlético to score an all-important goal at some stage and it’ll be too much damage for Barcelona to undo: Atlético 1-2 Barcelona (3-2 on aggregate).

(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.

Apr

2026

Preview: European champions PSG out to defend 2-0 lead at Liverpool

It isn’t quite mission impossible for Liverpool but the Reds have a lot to do at Anfield if they’re to knock Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

By Sam McGuire

Comeback required

The story of the season is irrelevant right now. This is a one-off game and Liverpool need to win by three clear goals to progress following their 2-0 loss in Paris last week.

It is as simple as that really.

In truth, the tie should already be a formality. PSG dominated on Wednesday, taking full advantage of Arne Slot’s decision to switch to a 5-2-3 shape. The hosts had 74% possession and racked up 18 shots to Liverpool’s three. They amassed an Expected Goals total of 2.35 and finished with four big chances to their name. With better finishing on the night, this could’ve easily been a 4-0 win for Luis Enrique’s side.

Ousmane Dembélé rattled the woodwork and spurned a glorious chance. Nuno Mendes tried to walk the ball into the net when presented with an opportunity from about eight yards out and Giorgi Mamardashvili was forced into making a number of saves.

Liverpool, by comparison, offered nothing going forward. They finished the game with an xG of 0.17 and Slot admitted in his post-match interview that his side were lucky to have lost 2-0.

The Premier League champions will need to do something completely different on Tuesday if they’re to have any hope of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.

PSG have options at Anfield. They could look to kill the tie off in the first half and go for the jugular or simply bide their time, ride out the Liverpool onslaught early on and pick off their hosts after the break.

The French side have one foot in the semi-final. They don’t even have to win, they just need to manage the game.

*PSG match ratings vs. Liverpool last week*

Key Players

Mohamed Salah missed the first leg with Slot opting to sit him on the bench. The No. 11 needs to start on Tuesday if Liverpool are to have any chance of overturning the 2-0 deficit. He scored over the weekend as the Reds claimed a 2-0 win over Fulham and he was one of the better players. This could be his final game in the Champions League for the Merseyside club, he’ll want to make it memorable.

For PSG, their entire team could qualify for this particular preview slot. The key player for this game, however, could well be Nuno Mendes. Likely up against Salah, if he gets the better of the Egyptian King, he’ll effectively win the game for the away side.

Team News

Liverpool are without Curtis Jones now following the injury he picked up against Fulham. He joins Giovanni Leoni, Alisson Becker and Conor Bradley on the sidelines for the Reds.

PSG are expected to be without Fabián Ruiz and Bradley Barcola. Other than those two absentees, Enrique has a full squad to pick from.

Prediction

We’re going with a 2-1 win for the hosts but PSG will progress.

(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.

Apr

2026

Juan Mata: The ‘humble bloke’ having a huge impact on Melbourne Victory in the A-League

Ask an Australian about football and they might be likely to go on about Rugby League… or Union… or Aussie Rules than they are the beautiful game. Even after all that, the top European leagues might be on their radar before the A-League.

By Alex Roberts

It’s a sport loving nation, and historically Australians have punched WELL above their weight, securing 21.68 medals per million inhabitants between 1896 and 2020, the third highest among nations with populations over 10 million.

Football isn’t always a major part of that consciousness, but that hasn’t stopped some huge names from heading down under. In the early 2010s, it was Alessandro De Piero at Sydney FC, now, Juan Mata is making waves at Melbourne Victory.

The former Chelsea and Man United playmaker didn’t start his Australian odyssey in Melbourne, though. After four months and a single appearance for Japanese side Vissel Kobe, he joined Western Sydney Wanders FC for the 2024/25 season.

Unfortunately, or fortunately if you’re associated with Melbourne Victory, it didn’t work out. Mata scored just one goal and provided three assists in his 23 A League games, and at the end of the season, he once again found himself looking for a new club.

He’s clearly a fan of Australia, and it’s hard to blame him. The sun, the lifestyle, and in Melbourne, the coffee and the food, who wouldn’t want to spend the last years of their career in a place like that?

According to Victory boss Arthur Diles, it was all pretty fortuitous. “I was speaking to his agent about other players,” he told FotMob. “We were looking for the new make-up of the squad for the upcoming season and during that conversation he goes, ‘how about Juan Mata? Would you be interested in Juan?’

“And I said, well, ‘of course I’d be interested in Juan’ but at this point in time we’re not stashed with funds, and I don’t want to be in a position where we’re disrespectful to a player with such a great history, name, and reputation.”

“I made it very clear that financially we had some restraints. And when he said, ‘look, let’s not worry about that. We can always work that out’.

“We play with a traditional number 10, so I said he’d fit our system well. He goes, ‘okay, let’s arrange a Zoom with Juan and have a meeting with him and then we’ll go from there’.

“The next day, Juan and I were on the phone having a chat and he loved what he heard, I loved what I heard, and then we left it to them to make it happen and they did.”

For those of us lucky enough to have watched Mata during his time in the Premier League, his game was characterised by sharp movement, quick passing, and a deceptive burst of pace. With Eden Hazard and Oscar alongside him at Chelsea, he was almost impossible to defend against.

At 37-years-old, Mata may have lost that extra yard of pace he once had, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a creative force to be reckoned with. “He’s got natural ability of making the difficult things look easy and doing the easy things consistently well,” said Diles.

“He’s a creative player who has to take risks on the park in terms of a defence-splitting pass, but his passing percentage, for example, is so high for an attacking midfielder. That’s what I mean by he makes things look so easy when they’re not.

The numbers back that up. Mata is a high-risk passer and Melbourne Victory’s undisputed creative outlet with 13 assists, 856 successful passes at an accuracy rate of 86.9%, and 85 chances created, by far the most in the A-League.

*Mata’s A-League passing stats this season*

Of course, talent only gets you so far. Mata has a World Cup and a Champions League, among plenty of other trophies on his CV. He has every right to be a little egotistical, and his teammates may well have been wary of that when he first joined.

That couldn’t be further from the truth according to Diles. The secret to all of Mata’s success? Being a good bloke. “The most significant thing is how humble he is as a human being,” he said.

“He has not disrupted the changing room with an ego, with entourage, with bells and whistles. He’s fitted into the team so well. He’s so humble that the players half the time, just by rubbing shoulders with him in a changing room, wouldn’t even realise who he actually is and what he’s actually achieved.

“He trains at his maximum effort every single day, which that, for me, is the biggest eye-opener for all his teammates should see and say, wow, this guy, there’s no off day with him.”

Players with the level of experience of Mata are increasingly rare in the A-League. The financial landscape is really bleak, The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) recently decided to drastically reduce central distributions to clubs by almost $1.5 million to $530,000 due to a failed TV deal.

The A-League has an average attendance of 8,218. Clubs are not getting enough bums in seats to help make up for the TV money they’ve lost, so, naturally, they turn to merchandising, and a Melbourne Victory shirt with ‘Mata’ on the back is a big deal.

Next season, clubs will have to deal with a $3 million hard salary cap, introduced to prevent them from engaging in a “player-spend arms race.” Clubs would be allowed to sign one marquee player outside of the cap, however.

Now, there should be one big silver lining from this, and that is the production of young Australian talent. Clubs will likely have to put more reliance on their academies, and Melbourne Victory have one of the best in the country.

Whether those youngsters make the most of their time with Mata, Diles has put the impetuous on them. “He’s very valued and all the players look up to him. So how deep they want to go with him in terms of conversing and asking questions, that’s on them.

“I don’t get too involved in how close they are because I believe in respecting their space as players, but I can see just how much time he spends with every member of the squad, whether it’s a young player, whether it’s a senior player.

“I’m sure he’s very valuable in just passing on information and experiences that are helping these guys on a daily basis because a lot of my players are young. A lot of them are looking to go abroad and have better careers outside of Australia.”

Mata has long been regarded as one of football’s good guys and former teammates are still celebrating his goals. Following his stunning freekick against Sydney FC, a video of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes reacting to it went viral.

Like it or not, we live in the social media age. Likes and views have a major influence on the everyday lives of millions. Diles recognises the value players like Mata have in terms of getting eyes not just on Melbourne Victory, but the A-League as a whole.

“I’d say over the last few years with the financial restraints we’ve had, not being able to sign big marquee players like we used to, the capacity these players have to just bring attention to Australia has been forgotten,” he said.

“It’s been really pleasing and a real injection of attention that the club needed, the league needed. There was probably a month period where the goals he was scoring in the derbies against Sydney FC and Melbourne City where you’re talking millions and millions of shares and views.

“I think we’ve forgotten about how much benefit we can have from players such as Juan and players in the past like Del Piero, what they can actually bring to our league and the noise they can create for us globally.”

Mata brings so much more than just his absurd natural ability. An experienced head, a reliable teammate, but most importantly, a good person in a world where leaders have forgotten how to be just that.

“People are seeing the true value of Juan Mata,” Diles concluded.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the A League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, xG, and player ratings, where available. Download the free app here.