Preview

Oct

2025

Preview: Barcelona visit Sevilla in LaLiga

Sevilla will be looking to snap a ten-year winless streak against Barcelona when they face the Catalan giants at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Sunday afternoon.

By Ross Kilvington

The Andalusian side currently occupy tenth place in the table after seven matches, yet they have only won three of those games.

Indeed, Sevilla have lost three and drawn one of their last four home matches in the league. Stretching back to the start of 2025, the club have claimed just a solitary victory at home in LaLiga. This is fewer than any side who have featured in both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.

Barcelona are fresh off a 2-1 defeat at home to PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

In La Liga, however, the club are unbeaten after seven games and sit second in the table with 19 points, just two points behind Real Madrid.

Barcelona are unbeaten in their previous 15 away games in the top flight, winning 11 and drawing four. This is their best run since October 2022.

Team news

Hansi Flick will be without Raphinha, Joan García, Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi and Fermín López for the clash against Sevilla on Sunday.

This could see the German coach rejig his team following the PSG loss as he looks to maintain their unbeaten league start.

For Sevilla, Adnan Januzaj, Alfon González, Joan Jordán and Tanguy-Austin Nianzou due to various injury issues.

Key players

Ferran Torres opened the scoring for Barcelona against PSG in midweek and this effort took his tally to five for the season.

The Spaniard has found the back of the net four times in LaLiga, most recently with a double against Getafe last month and he could certainly ease the blow of losing Raphinha.

Marcus Rashford is looking like a solid addition to the squad under Flick. While he might not have scored in LaLiga, the Englishman netted twice against Newcastle and has registered an assist in each of his previous three games.

Elsewhere, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal are continuing where they left off last season. At the time of writing, the duo have combined to score six goals and record three assists this season.

Ruben Vargas has been key for Sevilla this season. The Swiss winger has already registered four goal contributions so far and if the home side wish to achieve a result on Sunday, the 27-year-old has to continue his fine form.

Cesar Azpilicueta offers plenty of experience at the heart of the defence and was impressive in the recent win over Deportivo Alavés. The centre-back won 83% of his aerial duels during the game, while making four recoveries and three interceptions.

His commanding presence at the back could perhaps make all the difference against Barcelona this weekend.

Prediction

The loss to PSG may prove to be a wake up call for Flick’s men. Given their impressive record against Sevilla of late, I expect the away side to record a straightforward 2-0 win.

(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.

Oct

2025

Preview: Brentford take on Manchester City at the Gtech

Did Brentford complete the first half of a Manchester double last weekend against United, or will City make it a Blue Sunday in London?

By Ian King

Brentford may have turned a corner, while City keep slipping just as they seem to be flying

After one win in their first five games left them 17th in the table, it was starting to feel as though Brentford had one asset too many stripped during the summer. But last weekend against Manchester United, albeit against abject opposition, they gave their season a kick-start with their best performance of the campaign so far.

Manchester City haven’t quite built up a head of steam yet, following up their 5-1 shellacking of Burnley last weekend by conceding a last minute penalty to Monaco on Wednesday night for a 2-2 draw. They look excellent around 85% of the time, but they do seem to pay for that other 15%.

Brentford’s record against Manchester City is… not great

Other than the 2022-23 season, when Brentford did the double over them, Manchester City have only dropped two points to the Bees since the latter’s promotion to the Premier League in 2021. Last season they drew 2-2 in this corresponding fixture, but with their head coach and several key players having left the club since then, a lot of water has passed under the bridge at Brentford since January.

One particular name has the potential to really upset Brentford’s weekend

It’s obvious, it’s predictable, it’s Erling Haaland. But the numbers are absurd. He’s scored eleven goals in eight games for Manchester City so far this season. Eight in six, in the League. He’s scored in both of their games in the Champions League and every Premier League match apart from their 2-0 home defeat to Spurs and their 2-0 win at Huddersfield in the EFL Cup. He’s scored more than the rest of the team put together – they’ve scored 20 goals in all competitions – and their next highest goalscorers are Phil Foden and Own Goals, who have two each.

Igor Thiago was Brentford’s star turn last weekend with two in the first twenty minutes against Manchester United. He hasn’t quite got the record that Haaland has overall, but he has scored five in six games. Like City, Brentford’s next highest scorer is also on two goals, and that’s midfielder Fabio Carvalho. Brentford have scored in all eight – six in the Premier League and two in the EFL Cup – of the games that they’ve played so far this season.

Four missing each for both Brentford and City

Manchester City are missing four. Rayan Cherki, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Omar Marmoush, and Abdukodir Khusanov are all expected to be missing. Brentford are also missing four. Gustavo Nunes, Paris Maghoma, Reiss Nelson and Fabio Carvalho have all been out for Brentford of late, though Nelson and Carvalho are set to be in contention to return this weekend.

Brentford have to somehow stop Erling Haaland, if they want to stop Manchester City

Brentford and Manchester City have played 17 games between them so far this season and only once have they failed to score. What happens to Brentford on Sunday afternoon will ultimately come down to what they can do to quell that Nordic Goalgotha that City have got playing up front for them. Strap him down, like the Lilliputians did to Lemuel Gulliver on the first of his Travels, and they can take something from this. But should he break free of his shackles he could well run amok again.

That said, City’s defending hasn’t been outstanding this season. Donnarumma is an obvious upgrade in goal, but they’ve only kept two clean sheets in the League, and while they deserved to win in Monaco – they hit the crossbar twice – they were ultimately undone by their own defensive profligacy. But nevertheless, I’ll go for a rakish 3-2 City win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Oct

2025

Preview: Inter Miami take on the Revolution

Lionel Messi is still in line to finish as the top scorer in Major League Soccer as Inter Miami face New England Revolution on Saturday night.

By James Nalton

The team’s chances of retaining their Supporters’ Shield are becoming increasingly slim, though, after they failed to pick up a win in their last two games.

The story of the season

Inter Miami’s 5-3 defeat at home to Chicago on Tuesday summed up their 2025 season in MLS.

On one side, the defensive performance was terrible, but Luis Suárez scored a second-half brace to make sure they stayed in the game.

The defence never sorted itself out, though, and Chicago scored two late goals to reach their own aim for the season, while Miami’s remain in the balance.

Chicago were fired up for the game in Fort Lauderdale as they knew a win would secure their own place in the 2025 postseason.

Achieving such a feat away at Inter Miami would make people sit up and take notice, and to some extent, that is what happened.

But much of the focus remained on Miami’s defeat, and there were more of the same weaknesses that have been seen all season.

Just when it looked like they were about to put a good run together ahead of the playoffs, looking like they could catch Philadelphia Union at the top of the table, they fell apart.

They will still be expected to defeat New England Revolution this weekend, but the Union might now be more worried about the challenge from FC Cincinnati and Vancouver Whitecaps than the one from Miami.

Individual awards still in play

Lionel Messi still leads the goalscoring charts in MLS with 24. He’s one ahead of Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga, whose performances have been boosted by the arrival of new teammate Son Heung-min, and two ahead of Nashville’s Sam Surridge, who helped his team lift the US Open Cup in midweek with the match-winner from the penalty spot.

Inter Miami had finalists in six of the major awards last year in MLS, but that’s unlikely to be the case in 2025.

Arguably, only Messi has stood out, but he has done so to such an extent that he might still be the favourite to win the MVP award, as he did in 2024.

While these last three games, against New England, Atlanta United, and Nashville SC, might not be enough to win Miami the Supporters’ Shield, they could still be enough to see Messi walk away with the Golden Boot and MVP awards.

At the end of this game against New England, the club will also celebrate the career of Sergio Busquets, who recently announced he will retire at the end of the season, with a special tribute.

Opposition watch: New England Revolution

New England have little left to play for, having already missed their chance to reach the playoffs this season.

They have only won nine of their 32 MLS games in 2025, but one of these victories came in their last game, against Atlanta United, which they won 2-0.

As a result of their failure to reach the postseason, they sacked head coach Caleb Porter last month, with his assistant Pablo Moreira taking over on an interim basis until the end of the season.

In Carles Gil, once of Aston Villa, the Revolution still have one of the league’s best creative players.

Gil is second in the league for chances created with 94, and third in MLS for expected assists (11).

Prediction

Inter Miami should return to winning ways with a convincing scoreline.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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

Oct

2025

Preview: Chelsea face Liverpool in the big Saturday evening game

Both Chelsea and Liverpool head into this one at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in need of a positive result. The hosts are winless in their previous three Premier League games, while Arne Slot’s Galacticos have hit somewhat of a speedbump.

By Alex Roberts

There were mixed fortunes during the midweek Champions League fixtures. Chelsea earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over José Mourninho’s Benfica, while Liverpool were on the other end of 1-0 result during their trip to Galatasaray.

Even so, Slot’s side sit comfortably atop the Premier League and will be eager to avenge last season’s 3-1 defeat in this fixture, as they look to keep their title defence on track.

Where have all the centre backs gone?

Following Trevoh Chalobah’s red card in the 3-1 defeat to Brighton last week, Chelsea will be without four of the five natural centre backs they have on their books (not including Axel Disasi) due to injury or suspension.

Wesley Fofana is out with a concussion after he was CLARTED by goalkeeper and teammate Filip Jörgensen in Chelsea’s edgy 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Lincoln, while everyone’s favourite unc, Tosin Adarabioyo, has a calf injury.

It would take an actual miracle for Levi Colwill to return from his ACL injury in time for the game against Liverpool, so it’s likely Benoît Badiashile, who impressed in the win over Benfica, will be partnered by Jorrell Hato in the heart of defence.

Chelsea’s 118 cards – 114 yellow, four red – since the start of the 2024-25 Premier League season is more than any other team, losing any more players for any reason could prove devastating for Enzo Maresca.

What is up with Florian Wirtz?

The £116 million German playmaker has caught a lot of slack for not hitting the ground running since making his record-breaking move to Anfield, and yes, he’s yet to register a goal involvement, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Wirtz has created 21 chances across all competitions so far this season, the joint most for any Premier League club alongside Everton’s Jack Grealish, so to say he’s not doing his job properly is incorrect.

At Leverkusen, Wirtz operated as the left-sided playmaker in Xabi Alonso’s 3-4-2-1, a role that gave him license to roam across the final third but saw him most effective drifting in from the left. Under Slot’s 4-2-3-1, however, the picture is different.

*Wirtz’s passing numbers, Premier League only*

Now positioned centrally and flanked by two natural wingers, typically Cody Gakpo and the ever-reliable Mohamed Salah, Wirtz no longer enjoys quite the same freedom he once had in Germany. Essentially, he has to learn an entirely new role.

Sorry Chelsea fans, he’s probably gonna break his duck now we’ve talked him up.

Team news

Away from the already mentioned centre-back crisis, Chelsea will be without Dário Essugo (thigh), Cole Palmer (groin), and Liam Delap (thigh), while Andrey Santos remains a doubt after picking up a knock.

As for Liverpool, Slot confirmed that Alisson will miss this one after picking up a knee injury in the defeat to Galatasaray, while the incredibly unfortunate Giovanni Leoni is unlikely to put on that famous red shirt any time soon after injuring his ACL in his debut.

Federico Chiesa could return, although it’s unlikely the winger would start if he features at all.

Prediction

Given Chelsea’s ongoing injury crisis, they would be lucky to get anything from Liverpool. We’re going to go with a comfortable 3-0 Liverpool win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Oct

2025

Preview: Sunderland next up for Amorim’s United

Manchester United, the underperforming team with the highest xG in the Premier League host the high-flying Black Cats at Old Trafford.

By Filip Mishov

Could Amorim’s 50th match in charge be his last at the helm?

Ruben Amorim‘s appalling record in the Premier League continued with United’s defeat to Brentford meaning they once again failed to recored back-to-back victories despite winning the xG battle once again, or more precisely for the fifth time in their seven matches this season.

With that being said and the international window coming up, the pressure is on the Portuguese coach to deliver. If Sunderland extend their impressive start to the season with a result here, it could force Jim Ratcliffe & co. to decide now is the time to make a change.

The in-form Black Cats are on a four-match unbeaten streak and Régis Le Bris‘ squad currently find themselves fifth in the standings, defying the pre-season odds in the process. Furthermore, the newly-promoted club have won only one point (11) less than the Red Devils (12) since April in the Premier League, which says a lot about the former’s early success and the latter’s continued failings.

Historically speaking, though, Sunderland’s record at the Theatre of Dreams is woeful – they have won just once at Old Trafford since 1968, and that came back in 2014.

Key players

Despite Bruno Fernandes‘ penalty misses this season, the captain remains Manchester United’s main difference-maker and both his coach and teammates turn to him when a must-win match is on the horizon. Also, even though the Portuguese has not looked himself at times, the 31-year-old is still an elite playmaker and one of the best chance creators in the league. Given his strong character and one could even say stubbornness to put things right, a high-quality performance is both needed and expected after the loss to Brentford.

Granit Xhaka‘s arrival at the Stadium of Light might have turned a few heads, but the newly-appointed captain has instilled belief and much-needed experience to the Black Cats’ dressing room. Additionally, the Swiss international has been nominated for September’s Player of the Month award in the Premier League and is currently tracking as the second-best player in the squad with a FotMob rating of 7.62. He also leads the team in assists with three. The energetic midfielder has played each and every minute of the campaign so far and the former Arsenal player has scored three times against the Red Devils, although never at Old Trafford.

Team news

Ruben Amorim welcomed back Tyrell Malacia and Amad Diallo to first-team training after the Dutch left back failed to secure a move away, while the Ivorian winger is back after being granted time away. Casemiro is available again after serving a one-match suspension. Lisandro Martínez and Noussair Mazraoui remain out, but the under-fire coach has big decisions to make about who starts both between the sticks and in defence.

The Black Cats’ injury list is far more extensive than the Red Devils’, and additionally, Reinildo is serving a three-match suspension, which only adds to Régis Le Bris’ headache. Whatever their starting XI, though, they have raised their game in the Premier League so far.

Prediction

With Manchester United’s defensive weaknesses being fully exposed last weekend, Sunderland’s energetic approach will provide an even sterner test for Ruben Amorim on this personal landmark occasion. I expect goals on both sides and a narrow home win, but only because of the Red Devils’ superior individual quality.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Oct

2025

Preview: Leeds United host Spurs in lunchtime kick off

Inconsistent Leeds take on stuttering Tottenham in an early Saturday kick-off in which they may just cancel each other out.

By Ian King

Leeds have improved after a slow start, while Spurs have tailed off after a good one

People seem to be slowly coming round to the idea that the three teams promoted from the Championship last season might not be as terrible as they have been in recent seasons. Leeds arrive at Elland Road for this match in 12th place in the table, only separated from eighth by a negative goal difference brought about by their 5-0 drubbing at Arsenal in August.

Spurs, meanwhile, have had a fortnight of escapology, having to come from 2-0 twice, once to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League and once to Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League. Sandwiched between these were a 1-1 draw with Wolves that required a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a point and a win against Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup. As ever, with this most unfathomable of football teams, who knows?

Spurs have a good record against Leeds since their (first) return to the Premier League

Spurs have won five of the six meetings between these two teams since Leeds originally returned to the Premier League in 2020. This has also been a game in which they’ve enjoyed themselves in front of goal, having scored four times in each of their last three meetings. Leeds’ last win in this fixture came with a 3-1 victory at Elland Road in May 2021.

The search for a consistent goal threat

Leeds have scored six goals in the Premier League this season and they’ve all been scored by six different players, but one player who could probably do with adding to his tally is Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who’s only scored one in six in the league but did chip in with a quite delightful header in their 3-1 win at Wolves a fortnight ago. He’s had horrendous luck with injuries, but if he’s fit and raring to go this season it’s time to prove that he can score more consistently.

Spurs, curiously, have been the beneficiaries of no fewer than four own goals since the middle of September, with Villareal, Brighton, Doncaster and Bodø/Glimt having all added to their goals scored tally in the last two and a half weeks. They have four players on three goals each (in all competitions) and two of them are defensively minded, with Micky Van De Ven a centre-back and João Palhinha a defensive midfielder. They may well get forward again in pursuit of leading that top goalscorers chart on their own.

Solanke to miss out for Spurs, while Perri & Gnonto are unlikely to be ready in time for Leeds

Well, at least we finally know what the situation with Dominic Solanke is. He had surgery on an ankle injury and will now be out until the start of November. Randal Kolo Muani didn’t train before or play in the Bodø/Glimt game and is rated at no better than 50:50 to take part in this match. Spurs’ remaining injury list is all longer-term, while one player who isn’t injured but is vanishingly unlikely to take part regardless is Yves Bissouma, who has fallen completely out of favour with Thomas Frank.

Leeds, meanwhile, are relatively free of injuries. Lucas Perri will be out for the next couple of weeks with a thigh injury, and while Wilfried Gnonto is due to return to full training, he’s unlikely to appear in this match.

Leeds’ inconsistency and Tottenham’s recent stumble could cancel each other out

Leeds may not have a great record against Spurs in recent years, but they’ll be confident of picking something up from this one, having taken four points from their last two Premier League matches.

Spurs, meanwhile, remain something of a conundrum. They look more cohesive than they did last season, but they’ve already used up a lot of Get Out of Jail Free cards this season and they can’t expect the relative good fortune they’ve had in recent weeks to last indefinitely.

That said, there are usually goals in this fixture – the last to feature fewer than three was almost 22 years ago, in January 2004 – and it feels perfectly reasonable to expect these two inconsistency monsters to cancel each other out.

I’ll go for another 2-2 draw, because it’s been starting to feel as though Spurs rather like that scoreline of late.

(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.

Oct

2025

Preview: Second meets third as Madrid take on Villarreal

Real Madrid and Villarreal go head-to-head at the Bernabéu on Saturday evening as the home side look to bounce back from their derby thrashing to rivals Atlético last weekend.

By Ross Kilvington

Xabi Alonso’s men had won all six of their LaLiga fixtures until they visited the Metropolitano last Saturday.

What happened next was scarcely believable. For the first time since 1950, Atlético scored five goals against their biggest rivals, securing a 5-2 victory in the process.

Real bounced back on Tuesday evening with a solid 5-0 win over Champions League debutants Kairat in what was their second successive win in the competition.

Villarreal secured a share of the spoils against Italian giants Juventus on Wednesday evening as Renato Veiga scored a late equaliser.

They have enjoyed an excellent start to the domestic campaign, winning five of the opening seven LaLiga matches to occupy third in the table.

Team news

Alonso will be without the services of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rüdiger for the weekend clash.

Éder Militão should be ready to return to the starting XI while Jude Bellingham could be set to make just his second start of the season after recovering from a shoulder injury.

Villarreal are missing several key players for this crucial league match. Indeed, Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala, Juan Foyth and Pau Cabanes are all definitely out.

Ayoze Pérez and Gerard Moreno are considered major doubts, meaning manager Marcelino will have to make a few changes to his starting XI.

Kylian Mbappé is a man in form

This tie is a tricky one for Los Blancos undoubtedly, but Alonso will be counting on Mbappé to continue his impressive scoring streak.

The Frenchman has scored in his previous eight matches for club and country, netting a hat-trick last time out against Kairat in the Champions League.

In his debut campaign at Madrid, Mbappé scored 44 goals in all competitions for the club. After just nine club appearances this term, the 26-year-old has already notched 13 goals. Expect him to be Madrid’s main threat in the final third against the Yellow Submarine.

Villarreal’s defence is stubborn

After seven rounds of matches in LaLiga, Villarreal have conceded just five goals. Alongside Barcelona, this is the best defensive record in the league.

They rank joint-first in LaLiga for goals conceded per game (0.7) and for clean sheets (3), with only Barcelona matching either of these numbers.

Keeping Mbappé and co quiet will arguably be their hardest challenge of the season so far for Villarreal, but don’t be surprised to see the home side drawing a blank.

Prediction

Madrid will be in a confident mood coming off a 5-0 European victory and they will be aiming to return to winning ways in LaLiga.

Marcelino’s men won’t make it easy at the Bernabéu, that’s for sure. But we at FotMob are predicting a narrow 1-0 win for Los Blancos – a result that will see them leapfrog Barcelona at the top of the table.

(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.

Oct

2025

Preview: West Ham visit Arsenal at the Emirates

Late September might be slightly early for turning points in title races so forgive any excesses of excitement in your commentary teams last week – but Arsenal’s late turnaround win at Newcastle was nonetheless exactly what Mikel Arteta’s team needed.

By Karl Matchett

It has been a campaign where late goals are a central theme in the Premier League so far, with the Gunners the beneficiaries last time out domestically – both with their own strikes and Crystal Palace’s. Add in the return to fitness of a couple of key players to the mental boost such victories can bring and it should be no surprise if Arsenal now embark on a really strong run through October, particularly given they’ve now started a run of five home matches across six games.

Hunters catch the scent

One of the failings of Arteta’s team in recent seasons has been their inability to handle pressure when it gets to do-or-die moments: can they perform to the highest level and get the wins by any means necessary when trophies are really on the line? No, has been the answer. But put them in a chasing position, effectively free of immediate pressure and playing as hunters rather than the hunted, and their technical brilliance and array of attacking talent can see them power away from opponent after opponent. Right now that’s where they are after closing the gap at the top to two points; forget how early in the season it is, this is Arsenal’s prime territory to rack up consistent wins.

Nuno back into the repair shop

What would be helpful, then, from the Gunners’ perspective would be if they came up against an accommodating, out-of-sorts, defensively vulnerable team without much structure or direction to their play.

Enter West Ham United.

Saturday’s opponents will hope the draw last week at Everton, their first game under new manager Nuno Espírito Santo, will be a sign of things to come. But the fact remains the Hammers have one win in six (against Nuno’s old side, coincidentally), have conceded the most goals in the Premier League (14) and have created more big chances (8) than just two teams: Wolves (4) and Burnley (6). Nuno worked wonders at Nottingham Forest but he has an even bigger job on now – West Ham are a mess.

Recent form

Five wins and a draw in the last six for Arsenal; one win in seven for the Hammers including their League Cup defeat to bottom club Wolves.

Team news

Noni Madueke joins long-term injuries Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines. For the visitors, Tomáš Souček is banned but they should otherwise be fully stocked.

Key player

After a long time in the shadows, Gabriel Martinelli looks to have found his groove again. In the league per 90 he’s averaging 0.52 goals from 1.0 shot on target. Can he now add consistency again?

Prediction

One of the easier games Arsenal will have to contend with in this stretch of fixtures. As long as a few attackers turn up it’s three points at home: Arsenal 3-0 West Ham.

(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.

Oct

2025

Preview: Monaco welcome Man City to the principality

Monaco and Manchester City go head-to-head at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday night, as Pep Guardiola’s side look to continue their impressive form over the last few weeks.

By Matt Smith

Monaco got off to a dismal start in the Champions League, suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat against Club Brugge. Maghnes Akliouche missed a penalty early on, with Brugge scoring four without reply, before Ansu Fati hit a consolation late on.

City secured a 2-0 victory over Napoli in their opening match, with Kevin De Bruyne making his return to the Etihad Stadium.

Team news

Monaco will be without a host of players for this one, with Lamine Camara, Denis Zakaria, Aleksandr Golovin, and Lukas Hradecky among those unavailable. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is building his way back to full fitness, but he’s likely to miss out.

Rodri is in a race against time to prove his fitness to face Monaco after he missed their home Premier League clash with Burnley. Abdukodir Khusvano, Rayan Aït-Nouri, and Omar Marmoush are all unavailable, while Rayan Cherki is a doubt.

City back to their best in the final third

Man City have looked back to their best going forward this season, with Erling Haaland enjoying an impressive start to the campaign. Pep Guardiola’s men have scored 2.3 goals per game in the Premier League, creating 11.4 expected goals so far.

The resurgence in form of Phil Foden has certainly helped their cause, while Jérémy Doku is beginning to show why Guardiola wanted to bring him to the club. The Citizens are seeking a fifth win from their last six games in all competitions, as they aim to continue their perfect record in the Champions League.

Champions League display an anomaly for Monaco

Monaco’s performance against Club Brugge in the opening game of the Champions League campaign was a bit of an anomaly for the French side, who have enjoyed a strong start in Ligue 1. Their loss against Lorient last time out ended a run of three wins on the bounce, as they sit fourth in the table.

No team has scored more goals than Monaco in Ligue 1 this term, while they’ve also created 10.8 expected goals, finding the back of the net on 14 occasions. They’ll be desperate to bounce back against City after such a disappointing start in the Champions League.

Phil Foden the one to watch

As previously mentioned, Foden is starting to find his rhythm after a difficult 2024/2025 season. The England international has provided eight goals and assists combined in just 10 games so far this campaign, and he’s becoming undroppable in Guardiola’s side.

With De Bruyne departing, there’s been more of an emphasis for Foden to be the goalscoring and creative threat from midfield, and he’s showing signs of being able to slip straight into the Belgian’s shoes.

Prediction

Man City should have too much for Monaco in this one, so we’re going for a 2-0 victory to Guardiola’s men.

(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.

Oct

2025

Preview: Barcelona meet PSG in massive early Champions League clash

The second round of this season’s UEFA Champions League league phase is headlined by a showdown between the Spanish and French champions.

By Neel Shelat

A 13th meeting in as many years

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have been quite well-acquainted with each other in recent years. Of their 15 previous meetings, all but three have been played since 2013, and every single one of those has been in the UEFA Champions League.

The Spanish giants have a slight upper hand in the Champions League head-to-head record with five wins, four losses and three draws. However, they were the losers in the last two ties – both in the 2024 quarter-final and 2021 Round of 16. So, their last aggregate win over PSG came in March 2017 on a famous night at Camp Nou, which has been subsequently immortalised as La Remontada.

No showdown between Ballon d’Or frontrunners

PSG and Barcelona’s attacking stars finished first and second in the latest Ballon d’Or, as Ousmane Dembélé came away with the award while Lamine Yamal had to make do with just the Kopa trophy. However, as their two teams face off just over a week after the ceremony, they will not be having a showdown on the pitch.

The French forward is not expected to return until after the international break due to his hamstring injury, so he is sure to miss this match. Lamine Yamal only returned from his groin injury on the weekend and made a telling contribution off the bench, but his minutes might well remain limited this week.

Long injury list

Besides the two big-name forwards, there is a sizeable list of absences for this match.

Barcelona are once again undergoing a mini-crisis in the goalkeeping department as Marc-André ter Stegen was recently joined by summer signing Joan García on the sidelines, so Wojciech Szczęsny will start and Diego Kochen will serve as a backup after being recalled from the Under-20 World Cup. Attackers Raphinha and Fermín López remain unavailable, while Gavi is not expected to be back until the new year following his latest setback.

The visitors’ captain Marquinhos and young forward Désiré Doué are both sure to sit this game out, while midfielders Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz as well as winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are all listed as doubtful. So, they could well end up fielding quite a depleted line-up.

A stern test for PSG’s new signings

Having won the treble with one of the youngest squads in Europe last season, Paris Saint-Germain did not see a need to do much in the transfer window. They just made a couple of signings, replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma with Lucas Chevalier from Lille and bringing in Illia Zabarnyi to add some youth and depth to the right centre back position.

Both of them are set to start against Barcelona, so this will be their first serious defensive test against an opponent of equal calibre.

Prediction

Neither side is going to be at full strength, but that should not keep us from being treated to a cracking contest. Both attacks should have enough quality to get on the scoresheet, but Barcelona might just have enough to edge out a narrow win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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