Preview

Mar

2026

Preview: Real host Atletico in crucial Madrid Derby

A big derby clash in LaLiga is always an enjoyable affair but there’s more at stake than usual with Real Madrid chasing a title and Atlético Madrid starting a defining run of five fixtures where they face Real or Barcelona four times.

By Karl Matchett

The familiar twin chase

For Real Madrid there’s nothing unusual about the run-in which starts here: they want to win the Champions League and the Spanish title, they are in the hunt for both and the push for silverware is utterly expected. What’s different is the manager, with Álvaro Arbeloa fewer than 20 games into his senior side managerial career, and the fact that they are not considered favourites for either competition as things stand. To catch Barcelona in LaLiga they’ll need an upturn in consistency, especially at home where they have suffered two defeats this term – but there’s a four-point gap and ten to play, so it’s far from insurmountable.

Simeone caught between ideals?

Atleti were the posterboys for rock solid defences under Diego Simeone during the prime era of Gabi, Koke, Diego Godin and Diego Costa. Koke remains, but the side is very different now, trying to be more expansive but not quite hitting the elite heights of some other teams in attack while also not being as tough to break down as their former selves. There’s little between Atleti and Real these days in defensive terms, with los rojiblancos seeing an xG against them of 30.5 to Real’s 30.8, conceding 25 to Real’s 24 and keeping 12 clean sheets to Real’s 11.

This really shows up as fixture where Atlético have to outperform themselves by a wide margin in the attacking third if they want to complete a league double over their local rivals this term – as they did earlier in the campaign by stomping Real 5-2.

Recent form

Real have won four in a row including two wins over Manchester City recently, while it’s nine wins from ten at home in all competitions. Atlético lost in midweek to Tottenham but won on aggregate, with six victories in their last eight all told – but only three wins in their last ten on the road.

Team news

No Ferland Mendy, Raúl Asencio or Rodrygo for Real Madrid, but Éder Militão is close to a return.

Neither side will have their first choice keeper, with Thibaut Courtois ruled out for Real and Jan Oblak a huge miss for Atlético. Matteo Ruggeri could miss out too.

Key player

It’s tough to second guess Simeone at times but Julián Alvarez must surely play – he’s key to any hopes for Atlético to shock their rivals. Relentless and talented but super creative too; Alvarez is LaLiga’s best forward for expected assists, creates 2.3 chances and 1.3 accurate crosses per 90 minutes. In Europe over the past year, he’s ahead of 99% of all forwards for chances created too – yet he last completed a league 90 minutes on 25 January. Simeone loves to sub him.

*Alvarez’s player traits comparison with other strikers in Top 5 Leagues*

Prediction

Home form will be telling for Los Blancos in the title fight and this one has to start by being three points: Real Madrid 3-1 Atlético Madrid.

(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

2026

Preview: Spurs and Forest clash in vital six-pointer

Sunday’s relegation six-pointer could have a big bearing on the survival chances of Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest.

By Graham Ruthven

Six-pointer

The stakes could hardly be any higher for Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest ahead of Sunday’s encounter. Their status as a Premier League club could be on the line.

One point is all that separates the two teams in the table with Spurs and Forest perched precariously above the relegation zone. Depending on how West Ham fare against Aston Villa, either side could end the weekend in the bottom three.

*The relegation battle – prior to Saturday’s games*

Spurs have reason for optimism after Wednesday’s encouraging showing against Atlético Madrid. While Igor Tudor’s team exited the Champions League, their 3-2 win lifted the mood around the North London club. It might prove to be a turning point.

Forest also found encouragement on the continent during the week, overturning a 1-0 deficit to beat FC Midtjylland on penalties and make the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Tottenham are without a win in their last 12 league outings while Forest are winless in their last seven league games. Sunday’s meeting is a massive match for all concerned. Survival is at stake.

Key players

Xavi Simons produced his best performance as a Spurs shirt against Atlético Madrid, scoring twice and giving Tudor the sort of creative spark he has linked since taking over as the club’s interim manager.

Mathys Tel was also impressive in the Champions League and so Tudor could hand the Frenchman a starting role against Nottingham Forest while Randal Kolo Muani may keep his place as Tottenham’s number nine.

Archie Gray caught the eye against Atleti and could be deployed in central midfield again to get Tottenham on the front-foot. Gray was exceptional at winning the ball in the middle of the pitch in the Champions League. His energy could be useful against Forest.

On their day, Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven are two of the best centre backs in the Premier League. Those days, however, have been too few and far between this season.

Morgan Gibbs-White came close to joining Spurs last summer and is pushing Nottingham Forest away from relegation danger more than any other player, scoring eight times in the league this season.

Box-to-box midfielder Elliot Anderson will be the driving force for the visiting team through the centre of the pitch. Only Omari Hutchison has created more Big Chances than the England international has for Forest this season.

Team news

While Tottenham’s injury woes have eased in recent weeks, Tudor is still without a number of important players for the visit of Nottingham Forest to North London this weekend.

Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert are all unavailable through injury for Spurs with Richarlison ready for selection again following suspension against Atlético Madrid.

Chris Wood, Nicolo Savona, John Victor and Willy Boly are all expected to miss out this weekend. Nikola Milenković could return to the Forest starting lineup after coming off the bench against FC Midtjylland.

Prediction

It’s been a calamitous season for both clubs but we suspect the relegation picture will be no clearer following a result here that helps neither side: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Nottingham Forest.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Preview: Arsenal meet City in Carabao Cup Final

Are Arsenal about to pick up the first leg of a 2025-26 quadruple? Manchester City might have something to say about that in this weekend’s Carabao Cup final.

By Ian King

Arsenal look serene, while Manchester City are having an uncharacteristic wobble

It might have been a chastening week in the Champions League for English clubs, but it wasn’t for Arsenal. A comfortable 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen saw them through to the quarter-finals of the competition to round off a satisfying few days for the Gunners, on top of the previous weekend’s results allowing them to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League still further, to nine points (albeit City have a game in hand).

Manchester City, meanwhile, have continued to wobble. A 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in their Champions League midweek match completed a comprehensive 5-1 aggregate win for Los Madridistas, and they’ve only won one game in five since the start of March, a figure all the more surprising because by this point of the season they’re usually into a relentless rhythm of winning which has, in the past, seen them pick up shedloads of silverware.

Arsenal are unbeaten in six vs City, but their League Cup final record is terrible

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last six games against Manchester City in all competitions, going back to the start of the 2023/24 season. The two clubs still have to play each other at the The Etihad, and their meeting earlier this season ended in a 1-1 draw.

Yet Arsenal’s recent record in the Carabao Cup isn’t good. They’ve won it twice, in 1987 and 1993, but they’ve lost the final six times, to Leeds United in 1968, Swindon Town in 1969, Luton Town in 1988, Chelsea in 2007, Birmingham City in 2011, and Manchester City themselves in 2018.

Manchester City’s record is far better. They’ve won it eight times in total; in 1970, 1976, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, and they’ve only lost the final once, to Wolverhampton Wanderers way back in 1974.

Declan Rice could tip the balance in favour of the Gunners

When looking at the players most likely to win matches for Arsenal this season, it’s difficult to look much further than Declan Rice, who could be on his way to lifting his first piece of silverware since West Ham’s Europa Conference League win in 2023. Rice’s consistently excellent performances for Arsenal this season may just have been the most fundamental difference between them and the rest of the Premier League.

Erling Haaland hasn’t looked like quite as much of a cheat mode in the Premier League season as he has in previous years. He’s still the top goalscorer on 22 in all competitions, but that’s only three ahead of Igor Thiago, and he’s been doing his business for Brentford. His goal against Real Madrid in midweek was his first in five games, and only his fifth in 2026, in all competitions.

Arsenal face late tests for three, but City should be more or less at full strength

Arsenal are definitely missing Mikel Merino, who’s out for the season, while there are question marks surrounding Eberechi Eze, Martin Ødegaard and Jurrien Timber. Eze limped off against Bayer Leverkusen and will likely be subject to a late test, while the same will be the case for the other two, with Timber having picked up an ankle injury against Everton which kept him out of the Leverkusen match and Ødegaard having not played since their North London Derby win against Spurs last month.

Manchester City are relatively light on the injuries front. Joško Gvardiol will be out for the rest of the season, while Marc Guéhi is cup-tied, having played for Crystal Palace in the competition earlier in the season.

Arsenal’s form and quality leave no reason to predict anything but for them to win

If Arsenal are to win this quadruple, this is the day that they have to start. The good news for them on this front is that they couldn’t really be going into it in a much better state of mind, having pulled clear at the top of the Premier League and with their place in the Champions League assured. It’s fair to say that their record in this competition isn’t particularly good, but it’s equally fair to say that this Arsenal team isn’t the same as they’ve had before.

Having dropped four points from what should have been eminently winnable games against Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, and with their elimination from the Champions League having been achieved with some degree of comfort by Real Madrid, the same cannot be said for Manchester City at the moment. Something just hasn’t clicked at The Etihad this season, in the same way that has become so familiar in recent years.

But their record in this competition is good – although it’s been five years since they last reached a final – and one-off matches can see form books go out the window. City’s experience in these finals might prove an effective counterbalance to Arsenal’s squad being stronger on paper.

On this occasion, though, the head says Arsenal. They’re the better team at the moment, and they’re in considerably better form than their opponents. 2-1 to the Arsenal has got a bit of a ring to it.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Preview: Barcelona aim to continue fine form as they welcome Rayo to Camp Nou

Barcelona will be on a massive high following their stunning 7-2 victory over Newcastle in midweek as they host Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga on Sunday.

By Ross Kilvington

Hansi Flick’s side also have the advantage of playing before rivals Real Madrid, which means a victory will see them stretch their advantage at the top to seven points.

Barcelona peaking at precisely the right time

The Spanish title race has been topsy-turvy this season, no doubt about that. At one stage, Real Madrid led the way as Barcelona lost two and drew one of their opening ten matches.

Since then, however, the Catalan outfit have won 16 of the next 18 league matches to overtake their rivals and edge towards yet another LaLiga title.

Loses to Real Sociedad and Girona have been the only blemishes this year, with the club scoring 26 goals across just ten games in 2026.

*The top of the table prior to Saturday’s games*

Hansi Flick wont just be determined to defend the league trophy either, especially given Barcelona’s recent demolition of Newcastle in the Champions League.

An 8-3 aggregate thrashing of the Magpies sets up a quarter-final clash against Atlético Madrid. With Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Fermín López all in superb form, plus the fact Robert Lewandowski looked back to his best in midweek, Flick has plenty of options at his disposal in a quest to win the double.

Rayo Vallecano eyeing an upset

Earlier this season, Fran Pérez scored an equaliser against Barcelona which secured a point for Rayo and they will be hoping for something similar on Sunday.

Rayo enjoyed their own European success in midweek, sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory over Turkish side Samsunspor to move into the quarter-finals of the Conference League.

That result marked just the second time the club have reached the quarter-final stage of a European competition and this should give them confidence heading into the Barcelona clash.

Flick will need to be wary of the threat posed by wingers Álvaro García and Jorge de Frutos, who have each scored 12 goals this season (all comps).

The club haven’t lost in LaLiga since February 1, winning two and drawing four of their last six domestic games, including a 3-0 win over Atlético.

Team news

Frenkie de Jong, Jules Koundé, Andreas Christensen and Alejandro Balde will all miss the clash against Rayo due to injury.

On a more positive note, both Joan García and Eric García should be ready to feature, despite going off against Newcastle.

Diego Méndez is the only injury absentee for the away side this weekend. Elsewhere, Nobel Mendy is suspended and will therefore be unavailable.

Prediction

Rayo showed their mettle when the two clubs met back in August, but Barcelona have been operating on a different level since then.

Buoyed by making it into the Champions League quarter-finals, the home side should seal three point comfortably on Sunday. They must be wary of complacency, however, especially considering the goalscoring threat of both García and De Fruto for Rayo.

(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.

Mar

2026

Preview: Everton host Chelsea in evening kick off

Everton host Chelsea at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday evening, as the Toffees look to take advantage of Liam Rosenior’s side’s recent struggles.

By Matt Smith

Chelsea secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Everton the last time the two sides met earlier in the season under Enzo Maresca, ending a winless run to defeat the Merseyside club.

Everton have lost just once in their previous eight home games against Chelsea, winning five of those meetings.

Team news

Once again, Everton will be without Jack Grealish and Charly Alcaraz due to injury, while Tyrique George will be unable to face his parent club, having signed on loan from Chelsea in the January window.

David Moyes confirmed that Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski could both return after missing the game against Arsenal last time out, but he failed to report any fresh injury concerns.

Chelsea suffered another injury blow in their previous game, with Trevoh Chalobah stretchered off, meaning he misses out this weekend.

Reece James, Filip Jörgensen, and Levi Colwill will all miss out, while Jamie Gittens, Benoît Badiashile, and Malo Gusto are hoping to shake off their recent issues.

Everton’s resolute defence

Everton have conceded just 1.2 goals per game in the Premier League this season, a figure only bettered by Manchester City and Arsenal. Finding the back of the net at the other end of the pitch has been their Achilles’ heel, and they find themselves sitting in eighth place in the Premier League table thanks to their resolute defence.

The Merseyside club will have to improve their home record if they want to qualify for Europe, however, winning just five times on their own turf in the league this term, and securing more victories on the road.

Chelsea devoid of confidence

After a strong start to Rosenior’s tenure, Chelsea have taken a few steps back in recent weeks. The Blues have lost their last three games in all competitions, suffering a hammering 8-2 defeat on aggregate against PSG in the Champions League.

Chelsea need to get back on track as soon as possible if they want to rescue their chances of finishing in the top four. Rosenior’s men sit three points off of fourth heading into the weekend, and they’ll have to put a stop to their disappointing run away at Everton.

Dewsbury-Hall to haunt his former club

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall left Chelsea for Everton in the previous summer transfer window, and it’s a decision he won’t regret. The English midfielder already has nine goals and assists combined for the Toffees, while he struggled for game time during his spell at Stamford Bridge.

Dewsbury-Hall will be out to prove a point against his former club, especially after he suffered a hamstring injury in the first half when the two sides met earlier in the season. This game will mean more to him than most, and he could be the one to watch in this clash.

Prediction

Given Chelsea’s injuries and their record away at Everton, we’re going for a 1-0 home win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Preview: Liverpool head to Brighton for third meeting of the season

A win for Liverpool on Saturday afternoon would, momentarily at least, lift them into fourth spot in the Premier League. A win for Brighton, however, could see the Seagulls leapfrog four teams and move into eighth position. There’s still an outside chance they claim a European place this season.

By Sam McGuire

The game at the Amex is a big one.

The story so far

Liverpool kicked off the campaign in good form, winning five from five and this was before the new-look attack had clicked. Retaining their Premier League crown appeared to be a formality. And then the wheels fell off.

Since then, it’s been a case of being consistently inconsistent. A good performance here and there turned out to be nothing but false dawns. The Reds, now too scared to lose, set up in a way to make the game as boring as possible. The result? A lot more draws than you probably expected.

Despite their inconsistent results, Arne Slot’s side are still well placed to claim a top five finish. But, at some point, they’re going to need to put together a few wins to guarantee this.

Saturday presents them with a good opportunity to get a win on the board before the international break. Brighton also happen to be consistently inconsistent. It’s why they find themselves in 12th position. They’re fifth in the form table right now, though, with three wins and two defeats in their last five outings. Only Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal have taken more points across this period.

Before this turnaround, the Seagulls had a winless run of five in the English top-flight. See, consistently inconsistent.

They’ve lost twice to Liverpool already this season, 2-0 in the Premier League and 3-0 in the FA Cup. However, in both instances, Fabian Hürzeler’s side deserved better. At Anfield in December, the visitors actually finished with a higher xG haul while in the FA Cup loss, it felt more like a 2-1 defeat than a 3-0 one.

Brighton are due some luck against Liverpool. Perhaps they cash in on Saturday.

Key Players

For the hosts, all eyes will be on Yankuba Minteh. He scored the winner against Sunderland last time out and could be up against Joe Gomez this weekend. He’ll fancy his chances against the versatile defender. He’ll also want to impress Liverpool with the Reds reportedly keen on him as a potential successor to Mohamed Salah.

For the Reds, and with Salah now injured after impressing against Galatasaray in the Champions League in mi-week, the focus will be on Hugo Ekitike. The Frenchman also scored in that game but will be looking to break a three-game goalless streak back in England’s top flight.

Team News

Liverpool are still without the services of Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Alexander Isak. Salah was subbed off after 74 minutes on Wednesday and Slot said they’d have to see how the No.11 is, and consequently ruled out his involvement.

Brighton, meanwhile, are without Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas. There are doubts over whether or not Karou Mitoma will be fit for the visit of the champions. The Seagulls will be hopeful of his availability as he has a good record against the Reds.

Prediction

We’re going with a narrow 2-1 win for the away side.

(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

2026

Preview: Bournemouth host a resurgent Manchester United on Friday evening

Bournemouth welcome Manchester United to the Vitality Stadium as they look to end their winless run.

By Ross Kilvington

The Cherries have drawn each of their previous four Premier League matches, with the club currently occupying 10^th place.

United, on the other hand, sit third and are well on course to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Draws have been Bournemouth’s downfall this season

Bournemouth have drawn nearly 50% of their Premier League matches this term (14/30), securing just nine wins in the process.

Indeed, only six clubs have registered fewer victories than the Cherries and they occupy 15^th-20^th in the standings.

Despite that, Andoni Iraola’s side remain only eight points adrift of Liverpool in eighth and a winning run could see them vault up the table.

Bournemouth are unbeaten in 10 league games but haven’t won a league game since February 10, drawing their four subsequent matches heading into this clash.

Having scored just twice during those games, Iraola will need his men to step up in order to break down a stubborn United side.

They did score four at Old Trafford in December, yet, only took a point from the game.

Michael Carrick has Manchester United dreaming of the promised land

Not even the most ardent United supporter would have believed a third place finish was possible a few months ago, but here we are.

Michael Carrick has done a wonderful job since arriving on an interim basis following the sacking of Ruben Amorim.

Seven wins from nine has the Red Devils dreaming of the Champions League. Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham have all been defeated during this wonderful run of form recently.

The loss to Newcastle has been the only blemish, but with just eight matches to go this season, a return to the promised land of Champions League football is looking increasingly likely.

If so, will Carrick be appointed as permanent manager? That remains to be seen.

Team news

Iraola will be without the likes of Justin Kluivert, Lewis Cook, Tyler Adams and Julio Soler for this clash because of injury.

Those are the only four injury issues, however, for the Cherries as they seek a first win since mid-February.

Carrick’s main injury absentees concern the defence. Lisandro Martínez remains out for the foreseeable future due to a calf issue.

Patrick Dorgu and Matthijs De Ligt won’t return until the middle of April due to hamstring and back injuries respectively.

Prediction

United have only won once at the Vitality since 2018, with that victory coming in May 2023.

Incidentally, that was the last time the Red Devils managed to get the better of Bournemouth and Carrick will be keen to end this three-year winless drought against the south coast side.

As such, expect the United boss to unleash a strong starting XI, especially as a win will put pressure on those around them in the table.

Bournemouth will provide a threat and wont want to end their ten-game unbeaten run. Expect the away side to emerge with all three points though.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Preview: Liverpool host Galatasaray for crucial second leg

We aren’t in the realms of Liverpool needing another famous European night at Anfield to make it into the quarterfinals of the Champions League, but the Reds do need a win against Galatasaray on Wednesday night.

By Sam McGuire

They meet again

Assessing the seasons of both teams feels a little redundant right now. This is, for all intents and purposes, a one-off match. What has come before this is, to be blunt, irrelevant.

Liverpool know a win on the night is required if they’re to progress. If they want to progress inside of 90 minutes, their victory needs to be by two clear goals following the 1-0 loss in Istanbul.

The same applies in extra time. To avoid a penalty shootout, the Reds know they need a minimum of two goals. This is easier said than done with Arne Slot‘s side scoring two or more in just four of their last 10 outings across all competitions. And two of those times arrived in FA Cup ties.

For Galatasaray, it is a lot more straightforward. Avoid defeat and they add Liverpool to their list of upsets this season after they knocked Juventus out in the playoff round last time out.

The Turkish giants head into this game in good form too having won five on the bounce, keeping clean sheets in their last three. A clean sheet at Anfield sees them into the next round. It’s as simple as that.

You wouldn’t say Galatasaray have Liverpool’s number, despite winning both matches against the Reds this term, as both the game in the league phase and the first leg have been fairly even. They have, however, managed to keep clean sheets in both outings against the Premier League champions. Perhaps there’s a mental edge there that cannot be quantified.

Key Players

It’s kind of ironic that Liverpool’s most dangerous player right now probably won’t set foot on the pitch on Wednesday. Rio Ngumoha has been a revelation for the Reds over recent weeks but his minutes need to be managed and after playing 65 minutes against Spurs on Sunday, a cameo here feels unlikely.

It means one of Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike will have to step up and deliver for the hosts. It’s what they’re paid the big money for.

For the away side, the main man is Victor Osimhen. He scored the winner against the Reds in the first clash and assisted the winner last time out. He’s a constant threat no matter the opposition. Expect another big showing here.

Team News

There are no fresh injury concerns for Slot. He’s without Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni but everyone else is available to him. He rested players on Sunday so it’ll be interesting to see what he does with his lineup on Wednesday.

The away side have no injury issues at all and it means they have quite the depth heading to Anfield. Options off of the bench could be key.

Prediction

We’re thinking Liverpool win on the night but progression may only be secured via penalties.

(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.

Mar

2026

Preview: Barcelona hoping home advantage sees them past Newcastle United

After two unbeaten games at Newcastle in the Champions League this season, Barcelona finally get to host the Premier League side.

By Filip Mishov

Can a reenergised Newcastle finally beat Barça this season?

Barcelona continued their LaLiga title defence with an emphatic win against Sevilla at Camp Nou over the weekend and Hansi Flick‘s squad is now unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions (W5, D1). With 17 goals (2.8 per 90) scored and three clean sheets during the confidence-inspiring run, Barça could not have asked for more, amid Joan Laporta’s re-election as president, and ahead of the Champions League Round of 16 return leg against Newcastle.

It took a penalty from the cool-headed Lamine Yamal to snatch a last-gasp draw at St. James’ Park in the first leg, but back on their own turf, Barça will be confident of seeing out the aggregate win. They’ve won all 12 games played at home since returning to the refurbished Camp Nou and their last and still the only home defeat this season dates back to October.

The Magpies are faring quite well in the midst of an incredibly difficult run of fixtures and despite the FA Cup exit to Manchester City, Eddie Howe‘s team have impressed against Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea of late.

Anthony Gordon‘s winner at Stamford Bridge last weekend lifted the Tyneside club to ninth in the Premier League table, and now, Newcastle will travel to Catalonia in a much better place than a few weeks ago. Newcastle have never tasted victory at Camp Nou, leaving disappointed on their previous two visits (1997 and 2002).

Key players

Lewis Hall kept Lamine Yamal at bay in the first leg and earned the ‘anti-Lamine’ nickname from the Spanish media while taking FotMob’s Player of the Match award with a rating of 7.9. The English left-back followed it up with an impressive performance (7.1) against Chelsea’s Alejandro Garnacho , and the 21-year-old is Newcastle’s third-highest-rated player in the Premier League this season. Furthermore, no player in the squad has made more tackles (2.5 per 90) and successful dribbles (1.8 per 90), which makes him a strong contender for the role of England’s starting left back at this summer’s World Cup.

Since the first leg, Raphinha has delivered a true captain’s performance by scoring a hat trick in the win against Sevilla. And despite his injury troubles this season, the electric Brazilian continues to produce impressive numbers (22 G/A). In the league, Raphinha is only behind Lamine Yamal (23) in both goals + assists (14) despite playing considerably less minutes.

Team news

Hansi Flick is without both starting full-backs, as Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde are injured, as are Andreas Christensen and Frenkie de Jong. Gavi did, however, make his long-awaited return to actionover the weekend.

For Newcastle, Fabian Schär is out and so is captain, Bruno Guimarães, who will be sorely missed in the middle of the park. However, Newcastle’s injury list is finally improving.

Prediction

Barça enjoy a stellar record at Camp Nou this season, but with the tie still in the balance and Newcastle’s reputation for always turning up in the big games, Hansi Flick’s side will have to be at its best to progress. But if you look at the facts and the individual qualities of the players likely to start the game, it will require a shock upset for the reigning LaLiga champions to miss out on a place in the quarter-finals, and I expect them to run out as winners.

(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.

Mar

2026

Preview: Spurs hoping for a miracle as Atletico visit North London

A calamitous opening 15 minutes cost Spurs dear in Madrid, but pulling a couple of goals back allowed them some hope from their Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Atleti.

By Ian King

Spurs drama contrasts heavily with a quiet week at the office for Atlético Madrid

A chaotic opening 15 minutes in the first leg of this tie overshadowed anything that could have happened afterwards. The astonishing decision to drop Gugliemo Vicario and replace him with Antonín Kinsky, who’d never played in the Champions League before and hasn’t made a Premier League appearance for Spurs all season, resulted in the goalkeeper being yanked off after 17 minutes with his team already three goals down.

The final score was 5-2, and it was strongly suggested that the Spurs head coach Igor Tudor might be in charge for Sunday’s trip to Anfield and then replaced. And then, lo and behold, by stripping their formation to a basic 4-4-2 and hitting the channels, Spurs managed a reasonable 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Sunday, so Tudor remains in his position and probably will do until the end of the season, now.

There was no such drama for Atlético Madrid, who followed up this win by beating Getafe 1-0 at the weekend to further shore up their place in the Champions League for next season. They’re now 13 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis in LaLiga.

A 5-2 reversal in the first leg was enough for a sliver of Spurs hope

The first leg of this tie was only the second time that these clubs have met competitively, with the previous occasion having been the 1963 European Cup Winners Cup final in Rotterdam, which Spurs won 5-3. But after the dust had settled on that disastrous opening quarter in Madrid last week – which wasn’t helped when Spurs went 4-0 down, five minutes after Vicario came on – the visitors didn’t play that badly.

The final score of 5-2 has left them with a sliver of hope that it could be overturned in the second leg, and their half-decent performance at Anfield on Sunday means that the atmosphere at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the return match might not be quite as toxic as might have been feared, although this could change very quickly again, should they start the way they did last Tuesday.

Antoine Griezmann has got the chops to put this tie beyond Spurs

He may be turning 35 at the weekend, but Antoine Griezmann demonstrated in the first leg that age hasn’t yet diminished his talents. He scored one and added an assist as well, and his form has picked up over the last few weeks following a patchy January. Spurs cannot afford to concede, if they’re to have any realistic chance of overcoming their three-goal deficit from the first leg, and Griezmann has it in the tank to be able to either score or create a killer blow in this match.

*Griezmann’s heat map from the first leg*

Xavi Simons was clearly signed by Spurs with one eye on this competition, but in recent weeks he’s been largely limited to the bench. Simons has the sort of creative spark which could unlock the Atleti defence, and if he can find a way through, they could have a chance of getting back into the tie.

Atleti will be missing their highly experienced goalkeeper for this second leg

Micky Van de Ven returns from suspension, but both Cristian Romero and João Palhinha face late tests before a decision can be made over whether they return following the clash of heads in Madrid which left Spurs with nine players on the pitch by the end of the match. Richarlison is suspended, which is a big loss for them. On top of that, Conor Gallagher and Yves Bissouma (illness and injury respectively) both missed Sunday’s trip to Anfield and also need late tests.

Otherwise, the injury list remains as it has for a while, with Wilson Odobert, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski all still out.

The big change for Atlético Madrid comes in goal, where Jann Oblak is injured, and will be replaced by Juan Musso, who’s only made two appearances in LaLiga for them this season, though he did keep a clean sheet in each of them. Pablo Barrios returned as a substitute in the first leg, but was missing from their team at Getafe at the weekend. He needs to be assessed ahead of kick-off. Rodrigo Mendoza is their only other absentee.

Prediction

With rumours still circulating that Harry Redknapp could yet return to try and steer Spurs to Premier League safety this season, it remains the case that The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium isn’t a very happy place at the moment.

BUT.

The performance for much of the first leg wasn’t completely atrocious, while their performance at Anfield yielded a much-needed point – in a strange twist of fate, all of the Premier League’s seven bottom clubs drew at the weekend – and a reason to put the fatalism to one side for a moment. And for all their woes in the Premier League, January yielded two decent wins against Bundesliga opposition – Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt – in this competition.

Spurs will have to put in a season-best performance to have any realistic chance of overturning this three-goal deficit, and Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez proved in the first leg that they can punish any further lapses in concentration from a defence which has had many such lapses, this season. And there are many around Spurs who will consider their weekend relegation six-pointer against Nottingham Forest to be of far greater importance than this match.

Just because it can be done doesn’t necessarily mean that it will. The size of the deficit feels too great to overcome, especially with Spurs’ propensity to just give free goals to opponents. The last game and a half have demonstrated that the current Spurs team do still retain some degree of professional pride about themselves, and that should be enough to ensure that they pick up a result. I’ll say 2-1 to Spurs and a 6-4 aggregate defeat, but for the longer-term importance of this game being the small matter of whether they can gather a little more momentum ahead of that all-important Forest match.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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