Preview

Jan

2026

Preview: Man City out to redeem themselves against Wolves

Manchester City will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat in all competitions when they host Wolves in the Premier League at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.

By Ross Kilvington

City lost 2-0 to Manchester United last weekend to slip further behind Arsenal in the race for the league title, before losing 3-1 to Bodø/Glimt north of the Arctic Circle in midweek.

Wolves have improved of late, but the Old Gold are still favourites to suffer relegation. A few weeks ago, the outcome of this tie would have been a foregone conclusion. But perhaps not anymore.

Is Pep Guardiola’s magic running out?

After a slowish start to the campaign, City won eight successive matches between November 29 and December 27 to establish themselves as Premier League title contenders.

Since the turn of the year, however, the club have won only two matches. One of those was a 10-1 victory against Exeter City in the FA Cup, while the other was a 2-0 win over Newcastle in the League Cup.

It certainly feels as if the old Guardiola magic is beginning to wear off. Of course, the club could still win four competitions this season, but the Spaniard is relaying heavily on several players, most notably Erling Haaland. That said, the Norwegian has scored just once in his previous eight games.

Another defeat this weekend could see the pressure amplified on the manager.

Wolves eyeing the great escape

Wolves remain bottom on the Premier League table on eight points, but the club are currently on their best run of form this season.

Since a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on December 27, the Molineux side have won their first league match of the season, as well as sealing draws against Manchester United, Everton and Newcastle.

Add in an FA Cup thrashing of Shrewsbury and Rob Edwards is finally getting a tune out of his players.

At the time of writing, Wolves are still 14 points adrift of safety. A couple of wins, though, could give them plenty of momentum.

The great escape? It might be on you know.

Team news

City’s defensive crisis might be alleviated with the signing of Marc Guéhi. The £20m defender will likely start his first match for the club.

Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol and John Stones are all unavailable over the coming weeks for Guardiola. Elsewhere, Savinho, Oscar Bobb and Mateo Kovačić are all absent for the clash against Wolves at the Etihad.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Toti Gomes and Leon Chiwome will all miss the trip to Manchester due to injury issues. Tawanda Chirewa is a doubt for the game, and a decision will be made on him at the last minute.

Prediction

Both sides need all three points, for differing reasons, which could make this match an exciting one to watch.

City will be aiming for their first Premier League win in 2026, but they wont have it all their own way against a resurgent Wolves outfit looking to cause an upset.

Man City 2-1 Wolves.

(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.

Jan

2026

Preview: Spurs get back to the Premier League grind at Burnley

After an evening’s respite of a Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund, it’s back to the torment of the Premier League for Spurs, with a trip to Turf Moor to take on relegation-threatened Burnley.

By Ian King

Dortmund offered Spurs some light relief, but Burnley could be another accident waiting to happen

Fourth in the Champions League and 14th in the Premier League, it’s been a season of two very different halves for Spurs. After last weekend’s debacle against West Ham, they bounced back with a comfortable win against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night, but four straight Premier League games without a win is a run that needs to end, if Thomas Frank isn’t to be plunged back into CRISIS again.

Burnley have taken just four points from their last thirteen Premier League games and haven’t won in the League since the 26th October. Now eight points short of safety, Scott Parker’s team may well consider that a visit from Doctor Tottenham could cure what ails them, but they’re going to need another big performance, following on from their 5-1 rout of Millwall in the FA Cup and their 1-1 draw at Anfield last week if they’re going to secure a win.

*Follow @fotmobapp on Instagram for more news and topical stat graphics*

Burnley’s recent record in this fixture is wretched

Burnley fans hoping that they can start turning their season around in this fixture should probably avoid looking at the head-to-head record between the two sides. They’ve only won twice in their last 21 meetings, a record which stretches back 16 years, while Spurs won the previous meeting between these two teams this season 3-0 at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They’ve won just once there in the league since.

Dominic Solanke is back from injury again… but for how long?

Dominic Solanke returned with a goal for Spurs on Tuesday night, the post-goal celebrations for which indicated that the player was fully aware that he’d got a little lucky. But his overall performance demonstrated the sort of movement and link-up play that his team have been missing in his absence. The problem is, of course, that we’ve all been here before with Solanke. The hope is that he’ll stay fit this time, but… will he?

Spurs academy product Marcus Edwards scored his first Burnley goal of the season at Anfield last week in his 12th League appearance of 2025/26 for the Clarets, though the first eight of those came from the bench. Scott Parker will likely start him again, since there has been a marked improvement in the team’s performances since he made his first start of the season against Everton at the end of last year.

The Spurs injury crisis has deepened still further, but Burnley also have plenty of absentees of their own

Spurs’ injury list continues to grow, with Lucas Bergvall joining it yet again after picking up an injury against Dortmund. Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Richarlison James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski remain long-term absentees.

Yves Bissouma is back from AFCON duties with Mali and may even get a start, such is the state of the injury list, but Pape Sarr was taken to hospital after falling ill during the final between Senegal and Morocco, and won’t be available. João Palhinha is touch and go. Wilson Odobert may start against his former club.

Burnley have a fairly extensive injury list of their own. Josh Cullen, Zeki Amdouni, Connor Roberts, Jordan Beyer and Mike Tresor are all medium or long-term absentees, while Joe Worrall and Zian Flemming have both trained this week, but may not be available to start.

Spurs need to turn their form around to avoid slipping into a relegation fight for which they seem particularly ill-equipped

Beating Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League may have offered Spurs some light relief from their recent calamities in the Premier League, but that doesn’t alter the fact that the team have been showing signs of sliding towards a relegation battle for which they seem particularly ill-equipped. Wolves have started picking up points at the foot of the table, and unless Spurs can start to do so themselves, the gap between them and the bottom three only seems likely to shrink.

Although they remain without a league win since October, Burnley are improving. They’ve picked up four draws from their last six matches, and that included games against Manchester United and Liverpool. The supine nature of some of their performances this season has started to morph into something more solid; most of the media attention last weekend was on Liverpool, but the Clarets’ performance at Anfield was a substantial improvement. Their battle to avoid the drop certainly isn’t quite over yet.

But Spurs’ away form is substantially better than their home form. They’ve only lost three away Premier League games all season, as though playing in front of their own supporters has been more traumatic for them than going on their travels. Both teams need a result from this match, and I suspect that they will end up cancelling each other out.

I’ll go for a 1-1 draw; another glimmer of light for Burnley, and yet another sign that the end could soon be coming for the still-embattled Spurs head coach.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jan

2026

Preview: Czech league leaders Slavia host Barca in the Champions League

Barcelona will be hoping to climb into the top eight of the Champions League this week, as they travel to Slavia Prague, who are yet to win in the competition this campaign.

By Matt Smith

This is the first meeting between the two sides since 2019, when Slavia pulled off an impressive 0-0 draw in the Champions League group-stage.

*The Barcelona side last time they faced Slavia Prague*

Team news

Slavia Prague have enjoyed a lengthy break of late, not playing a competitive game in over a month. As a result, there are no fresh injury concerns for the home side, but they will be without both Matous Srb and Dominik Javorček.

Meanwhile, Barcelona will be without a host of players ahead of this game. Gavi and Andreas Christensen remain out, while Raphinha is in a race against time to be fit. Lamine Yamal is unavailable due to suspension after his yellow card last time out.

Slavia Prague dismal in front of goal

It’s been a disappointing European campaign for Slavia Prague so far. Back home they remain unbeaten after 19 games and top the Czech league by seven points but they are still searching for their first win in the Champions League. The Czech outfit have scored just twice all campaign, fewer than any other side.

It’s hardly a coincidence that Slavia are struggling to find the back of the net, struggling from a creativity standpoint. They’ve created just five big chances all campaign, once again, fewer than any other team in the competition.

Barcelona must sort it out defensively

Barcelona’s attacking options have bailed them out on a host of occasions in the Champions League this season. Defensively, Hansi Flick’s side haven’t been good enough, conceding 1.8 goals per game on average, ranking them 20th in the competition.

Barcelona will be desperate to finish in the top eight of the league phase of the Champions League, and a win against Slavia will give them a great chance. Thankfully for them, they might get away with their defensive frailties this week, with the home side struggling in front of goal.

Rashford’s time to shine

With Yamal unavailable for this one, Flick will be looking for someone to make the difference in the final third. Marcus Rashford has started on the bench in Barcelona’s last two Champions League matches, but he could be given the opportunity to impress in the XI this week.

The England international has provided six goals and assists in just four starts in the competition this term, and there’s a good chance he could be the difference for the away side heading into this game.

In fact, only three players have provided more goals and assists combined in the Champions League this campaign than Rashford, despite his lack of starts in the competition.

Prediction

Given Slavia Prague’s struggles in front of goal, it’s difficult to see them scoring against one of the best sides in Europe on their day. Barcelona have plenty of quality in the final third, so we’re going for a 3-0 victory to the Catalan giants.

(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.

Jan

2026

Preview: Liverpool head to the Velodrome for Marseille clash

Liverpool, somehow, find themselves on a 12 match unbeaten run ahead of their Champions League match against Marseille. The Reds, however, have drawn half of these games and aren’t exactly playing the best football right now. The trip to France to face Roberto De Zerbi’s in-form team is going to be a big test for the reigning Premier League champions.

By Sam McGuire

Match context

t’s been all or nothing for Liverpool this term. They went from winning every single game, seven across all competitions, to losing nine of their next 12. Arne Slot then switched things around in an attempt to make his side a little more robust defensively. The result? Six wins and six draws. At a glance, the Dutch coach has managed to turn things around. However, this run has been underwhelming, with the Reds dropping points to Leeds United (twice), Burnley, Sunderland and Fulham while managing narrow wins over Spurs and Wolves.

On paper, this was supposed to be when this team got their season back on track. Instead, they’ve taken 18 points from 30 and find themselves 14 points off of leaders Arsenal.

By comparison, Marseille are just eight points behind leaders Lens in Ligue 1. The Expected Points table actually has them in second position, five points off of PSG. De Zerbi has his side playing decent football. They’re the top scorers in the French league, rank second for Expected Goals and are second for xG difference (+12). They are title contenders.

In the Champions League though, they’ve been a little more inconsistent. OM have won three and lost three of their six so far, losing to Real Madrid, Sporting and Atalanta while managing to defeat Ajax, Newcastle and Union St.Gilloise. There have been question marks over Marseille’s mentality in the big games, so it’ll be interesting to see how they do against the Reds on Wednesday.

Key Players

For the hosts, Mason Greenwood has been their standout performer this term with 12 goals in Ligue 1 and three assists. He has five goal involvements in the Champions League but trails Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the competition with the former Arsenal man scoring three and assisting four in his appearances this term.

For the Reds, the man in form is Florian Wirtz. The 22-year-old continued his goalscoring run on Saturday with a goal against Burnley. He now has four goals and two assists in his last seven appearances for Liverpool. Hugo Ekitike continues to be a bright spark in the forward line alongside the German playmaker. Though with Mohamed Salah now back from AFCON, the focus will be on whether the No. 7 retains his position as the key cog in the attack for Slot’s side or whether he adopts more of a second in command role.

Team News

Benjamin Pavard isn’t expected to make the cut for the game on Wednesday evening for the Ligue 1 side while Liverpool are without long-term absentees Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Alexander Isak and Stefan Bajčetić for the trip.

Prediction

We’re going to go with a 1-1 draw.

(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.

Jan

2026

Preview: Chelsea host Pafos in penultimate Champions League game

Cypriot champions Pafos FC head to Stamford Bridge for one of the biggest games in the club’s history on Wednesday. Could a monumental Champions League upset be on the cards, or will Chelsea prove to be too strong?

By Alex Roberts

Enzo Maresca was in charge the last time Chelsea played in the Champions League, overseeing a really disappointing and impotent 2-1 defeat to Italian side Atalanta. It was one of the games that had fans starting to turn.

Pafos also faced Italian opposition in the previous round of fixtures, and although they certainly had their chances against Juventus, they couldn’t take them, and Luciano Spalletti’s side ended up as 2-0 winners.

A cruel twist of fate

David Luiz has bounced around since leaving Chelsea for a second time back in 2019. First, joining Arsenal, then heading back to Brazil to play for Flamengo and Fortaleza, and now finding himself with Pafos at the ripe old age of 38.

His time in West London was endearingly erratic, his long curly hair bouncing as he either made a mistake or scored a sensational goal to win a game. It’s unfair to label Luiz as a cult hero, he was much better than that.

The veteran defender has been a fine addition since he joined Pafos, he even managed to bag a goal in their 2-2 draw with Ligue 1 side Monaco. He will unfortunately miss this one after picking up an injury in their 2-0 defeat to Olympiakos Nicosia over the weekend.

Another first for Liam Rosenior

Rosenior’s first four games as Chelsea manager have all come in different competitions, winning his Premier League and FA Cup debuts, but falling to a 3-2 defeat in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Arsenal.

Losing to Arsenal would have been disappointing, but Rosenior hasn’t really put a foot wrong since he joined. A game against Pafos as his first in Europe’s elite club competition is kind, but still important to help build momentum.

Chelsea currently sit in the play-offs, two points off the top eight with just two games left to play, so it’s not impossible for them to avoid a potentially devastating and totally avoidable two-legged clash. Finishing in the automatics would be a major success.

Team news

Rosenior has confirmed that Enzo Fernández is the latest player to catch the illness bug that’s been affecting Chelsea players over the past week or so, but Estêvão and Jamie Gittens are back and could feature.

Tosin Adarabioyo was substituted in the 2-0 win over Brentford with an apparent hamstring injury and is now a doubt for this one. Malo Gusto (knock) is also expected to miss the game, while Roméo Lavia (thigh) and Levi Colwill (ACL) are still nowhere to be seen.

As we mentioned, Luiz is very unlikely to feature and it got even worse for Pafos in their most recent defeat, when his replacement David Goldar was also substituted due to a physical issue.

Pafos’ central defender injury crisis means they’re also going to be without Pedrao (knee), with Derrick Luckassen and Kostas Pileas the most likely players to feature at the heart of their defence. Winger João Correia is also a doubt.

Prediction

Anything other than Chelsea win here would be a major shock, especially considering Pafos’ defensive injury crisis, so we’re going with a 3-0 home victory.

(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.

Jan

2026

Preview: Underfire Frank prepares Tottenham for Dortmund clash

Tottenham host Borussia Dortmund in their seventh game of the Champions League group phase, with Thomas Frank desperately attempting to turn things around to try and save his job.

By Matt Smith

The two sides sit on the same number of points heading into this one, and they face each other for the first time since 2019, when Spurs secured a 1-0 victory away from home in the Champions League.

Team news

Spurs are set to be without a host of players for this one, with Frank recently confirming that João Palhinha is the latest to join the lengthy injury list. Micky van de Ven also misses out due to suspension, while Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Pape Sarr are among those also sitting on the treatment table.

As for Dortmund, Marcel Sabitzer should be the only injury concern for the away side, with the midfielder not set to return until next month.

Tottenham struggling in attack in Europe

Spurs have struggled to create in the Champions League so far this season, which is not too dissimilar to their Premier League form. The north London outfit have created just 10.7 expected goals, ranking them in 17th place in the competition.

Although their last game in the competition saw them win convincingly 3-0 against Slavia Prague, the result on paper lacks plenty of context. Two of Tottenham’s goals came from the penalty spot, while the other was an own goal by Slavia Prague defender David Zima. Frank’s side will have to step it up against stronger opposition this week.

Dortmund free-flowing in attack

On the flip side to Tottenham, Dortmund have looked lethal in the final third in the Champions League this campaign. The German outfit have scored 3.2 goals per game on average, with no side managing more this season.

The defensive side of their game has let them down, conceding 2.2 goals per game, ranking them 26th in the league phase. Their last victory on the road against Spurs came all the way back in 2016, beating them 2-1 in the Europa League.

Solanke’s time to shine

Spurs have recently been boosted by the return of Dominic Solanke this month, and with Richarlison out injured, he could have a strong chance of leading the line. The English forward is yet to feature in the Champions League this term, but the game against Dortmund could be an opportunity to kickstart his campaign.

*Solanke’s season summary since joining Spurs*

In the Europa League last season, Solanke contributed with nine goals and assists in just eight starts as Spurs went on to lift the trophy. Whether he can replicate that in Europe’s elite club competition, remains to be seen.

Prediction

Tottenham’s home form has been their Achilles heel this season, giving Dortmund a real opportunity to come away with the three points. We’re going for a narrow 1-0 victory to the Bundesliga side.

(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.

Jan

2026

Preview: The Premier League leaders travel to the team top of Serie A in the Champions League

Two of the Champions League’s top six meet in the penultimate gameweek – yet there’s still a lot of jeopardy around Inter Milan in particular to reach the last 16.

By Karl Matchett

With six wins from six it’s a perfect scenario for Arsenal to resume their European campaign from, but they’ll know from this time last year – domestic rivals Liverpool having a perfect run before going out in the last 16 – that it’s far from conclusive over potential glory come May. Even so they head to Milan with some security in their pocket, which is more than can be said for their hosts.

Two-game turnaround

Inter look well-placed on the face of things. Sixth in the table, ahead of the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool on goal difference…but it’s far from outrageous to suggest last year’s beaten finalists might take nothing at all from their final two games. They’ve already been beaten by Liverpool on home soil, so Arsenal could feasibly do the same; fast forward to the final round of fixtures and Inter are away to Borussia Dortmund, just one point further back in the table and who have only lost once at home all season.

As such, 12 points now is nowhere near enough to guarantee passage to the last-16, and was in fact only just about enough to manage top 24 last year (11). It’s imperative they find something from this clash then, if only to settle qualification nerves.

Free hit

By contrast, there’s no real pressure on Arsenal to go all-in on keeping up the 100 per cent record. Home to bottom club Kairat in the last match, the Gunners are already all-but-assured of finishing first in the league stage barring any shocks. It might, therefore, be a game Mikel Arteta opts to rotate a little as they battle on four fronts – especially given the senior depth available in some positions.

Recent form

Ignoring a penalty shootout defeat which was a draw in normal time, Inter are unbeaten in eight in all competitions since losing to Liverpool in early December. It’s 11 since Arsenal lost to Aston Villa around the same time. The Italians have kept three clean sheets in their last four; the Gunners have failed to score twice in the same period.

Team news

Denzel Dumfries and Hakan Çalhanoğlu are the big absentees for the hosts, both missing until after the league phase is finished.

Arsenal will be without Piero Hincapié but otherwise have a big squad available to Arteta to choose from – Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus will both be hoping for a start in attack after injuries, given Viktor Gyökeres’ ongoing indifferent form.

Key players

Lautaro Martínez might be one of the few capable of unlocking either one of these notoriously tight defences; he has four goals in Europe this term placing him above 93% of forwards for non-penalty xG, and above 92% for shots on target.

Prediction

A hard-fought game which neither want to lose…and which neither will: Inter 1-1 Arsenal.

(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.

Jan

2026

Preview: Manchester City head to Arctic Circle for Bodø/Glimt test

Manchester City can take a huge step to the Champions League knockout rounds if they win in North Norway on Tuesday – but they’ll have to mount a much-improved display from the weekend defeat in the Derby.

By Karl Matchett

Pep Guardiola’s side were utterly railroaded by their local rivals in the Premier League on Saturday, physically and outmatched – not often an assessment laid at the doorstep of that team, under this manager. In the end, though, they were lucky it was only a 2-0 defeat and a big step up in application will be demanded by the manager – especially given the uncertainty around their opponents.

Fresh or frozen?

Bodø/Glimt have only failed to win four of their last 13 home games, holding Tottenham to a draw but losing to Juventus and Monaco in Europe this term. However, Guardiola will be wondering if they are undercooked or raring to go – the summer calendar means Norwegian teams are out of season right now, with Glimt having ended their 2025 campaign by finishing one point behind title winners Viking at the end of November. There has only been one further game since then in Europe, so they are without a competitive fixture in 40 days. The new league season doesn’t start until March, so fatigue certainly won’t be a problem to start – but might be to finish.

Mid-season stutter

The last time Man City beat a team in the Premier League placed higher than 17th was over a month ago. They have had decent cup wins since – Newcastle in an EFL semi-final and ten past minnows Exeter – but in league terms it’s four without a win, losing ground in the title race, and in Europe the shock home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen isn’t out of memory yet either. It’s a bad time for silverware hopefuls to be losing their consistency and cohesion, and while a spate of injury issues doesn’t help, they also have one of the best pools of talent to call upon anywhere in the continent – as well as adding Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guéhi for an £85m mid-season boost. It’s time to deliver.

Recent form

There has been no ‘recent’ competitive action for Glimt, as mentioned, but they need to pull off a win here to have a prayer of reaching the playoffs. They are 32nd with three points and no wins. City have won two of the last six but competitions are muddled right now. In Europe they are fourth and a win here will almost guarantee the last 16.

Team news

Haitam Aleesami has a hamstring issue and Jostein Gundersen is suspended for the hosts.

City are without Savinho, John Stones, Mateo Kovačić, Joško Gvardiol, Rúben Dias, Nico González and Oscar Bobb. Bernardo Silva is suspended and it’s unclear if Omar Marmoush will be in the squad after AFCON duty finished at the weekend.

Key players

City have to get Erling Haaland firing again for any chance of success in this competition or domestically. He has scored one goal since 20 December, a full month ago. The competition’s worst defence by xG conceded (17.2) may help remedy that. Haaland has six goals in five starts in the Champions League.

Prediction

Nothing spectacular but City should get the job done: Bodø/Glimt 0-2 Man City.

(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.

Jan

2026

Preview: Arbeloa’s Real Madrid take on Monaco in the Champions League

Álvaro Arbeloa will take charge of his first Champions League match as Real Madrid continue to move on from the Xabi Alonso era.

By Graham Ruthven

Arbeloa’s team

Real Madrid’s fans let their under-fire players feel their disgruntlement by whistling them on to the pitch for Saturday’s 2-0 win over Levante. The hangover of Xabi Alonso’s controversial exit has yet to fully clear.

However, a second win in-a-row against Monaco on Tuesday would point Los Blancos in the right direction and hint that Álvaro Arbeloa is capable of leading them until the end of the season at least.

While it took Real Madrid until the second half to truly get going against Levante, Arbeloa’s selection of Gonzalo García alongside Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in the forward line offered hope that he could find the right balance where Alonso failed.

Monaco arrive in the Spanish capital on a five-game unbeaten run in the Champions League, but still need points in their final two League Phase to secure their place in the next round.

Three points is all that divides the two teams ahead of Tuesday’s clash and with Real Madrid still vulnerable after the events of the last week or so Monaco have reason to believe they can cause an upset.

Key players

Amid the chaos of the last week or so, Mbappé is enjoying arguably the best individual campaign of his career, scoring an incredible 28 goals in just 24 games.

Vinícius has netted just once in his last 18 appearances, but is capable of producing something out of nothing on the left wing. Nobody is averaging more dribbles per match for Real Madrid this season than the Brazilian.

Jude Bellingham will give Real Madrid a lot of dynamism through the centre of the pitch while Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni will provide security in midfield.

Folarin Balogun will be Monaco’s biggest attacking threat. The USA international has scored in each of his last three Champions League outings and has the pace and physicality to give Real Madrid a problem in behind their defensive line.

Balogun could start as part of a front two alongside Mika Biereth. Sébastien Pocognoli has favoured a 4-3-1-2 shape since taking over as Monaco manager in October, hinting at the attacking intent the Ligue 1 outfit could play with against Real Madrid.

Maghnes Akliouche has registered two assists in the Champions League this season and could get in between the lines to create on the ball for the away team.

Team news

Arbeloa has a long list of absentees to contend with. Indeed, Rodrygo, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy are all expected to miss Tuesday’s match through injury.

Álvaro Carreras is also unavailable through injury while Brahim Díaz hasn’t returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty after missing a decisive penalty for Morocco in Sunday’s final.

Lamine Camara and Krépin Diatta will similarly miss Tuesday’s game for Monaco after featuring in AFCON for Senegal. The visitors to the Santiago Bernabéu will also be without the injured Paul Pogba, Mohammed Salisu, Takumi Minamino and Lukas Hradecky.

Prediction

Hopefully Madrid are over their shock exit in the Copa del Rey. They’ve won under Arbeloa already and they did so at an unhappy Bernabéu, so another result here will put them in good stead, especially with the title race seemingly back on once they get to league action next weekend: Real Madrid 2-1 Monaco.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jan

2026

Preview: LaLiga leaders Barcelona head to Real Sociedad

Barcelona can extend their season-best nine-game winning run in all competitions by beating Real Sociedad on Sunday.

By Graham Ruthven

Flick’s frontrunners

Barcelona and Real Madrid have had contrasting weeks. While Los Blancos sacked Xabi Alonso after losing the Spanish Super Cup, also losing to Albacete in the Copa del Rey to add to the chaos, Barca extended their best run of the season.

Victory over Racing Santander on Thursday was Barcelona’s ninth win in-a-row in all competitions. A win away to Real Sociedad would extend that streak to 10 games.

Hansi Flick’s team got the better of La Real in late-September, but lost the last time they visited the Anoeta last season. Nonetheless, Barcelona are in strong form and can tighten their grip at the top of LaLiga.

Real Sociedad, on the other hand, are attempting to build some momentum under new manager Pellegrino Matarazzo. The American claimed his first win over Getafe last week, but victory over Barca would make a real statement.

Key players

No Real Sociedad player has scored more league goals this season than Mikel Oyarzabal. The Spanish international has been deployed as a mobile forward by Matarazzo and will have space to exploit in behind Barca’s high line.

Brais Méndez found the back of the net in La Real’s win over Getafe, highlighting him as a potential threat against the league leaders, with Take Kubo a natural creator. Indeed, the Japanese international is averaging 2.1 dribbles per 90 minutes.

Gonçalo Guedes will give Real Sociedad some vertical threat. The Portuguese international recently scored against Atlético Madrid and could cause Barca problems in the final third.

*Barca’s starting XI in the Supercopa Final*

Barcelona boast one of the most fearsome frontlines in European football and so La Real must be wary of several threats, including Lamine Yamal who scored against Racing in the Copa del Rey on Thursday.

Robert Lewandowski could return to the lineup after being rested in the Copa while Raphinha is another who might come back into the team. This would result in Marcus Rashford being benched.

Flick could re-use the midfield trio of Frenkie De Jong, Fermín López and Pedri that pushed Barcelona to victory over Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.

At the back, Joan García has enjoyed an impactful return from injury. The 24-year-old was outstanding in the recent win over Espanyol and is earning himself a reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now.

Team news

Yangel Herrera is an injury doubt for Real Sociedad ahead of this weekend’s clash against the league leaders with Iñaki Rupérez another player who could miss out for La Real.

Gavi remains sidelined for Barcelona with a long-term injury while Andreas Christensen is also expected to miss out for the visitors to the Anoeta.

Otherwise, Flick has a fully fit squad to choose from. The German coach could rotate in a number of areas due to the intense recent schedule Barcelona have faced, but the Catalans have options.

Prediction

Matarazzo is unbeaten since taking over at Real Sociedad in December but this, against a Barca side currently riding a massive high after their triumph in the Super Cup, is by far his biggest test to date. Therefore, we’ll go with an away win: Real Sociedad 1-2 Barcelona

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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