#champions-league

#champions-league

The Austrian midfielder has seamlessly adapted to both full-back positions under Kompany. He has largely been used in the right-back position under Kompany in the last 18 months. However, the recent injury crisis in the left-back department has forced Kompany to use Laimer on the left side of the back four. The Austrian has not disappointed his head coach and delivered top performances in both full-back positions.

"I'm so happy with this first Champions League goal," Estêvão told TNT Sport. "I'm so happy, there's no other way to describe it. I dreamed about this moment for a long time, and thank God it's here. I feel so fulfilled and happy. When I found out that I would be playing [from the start], I didn't even sleep in the afternoon. I usually sleep in the afternoon to be in good shape, but the anxiety got the best of me and I couldn't even sleep. I'm thrilled to be playing for Chelsea, having opportunities, knowing that the coach trusts me, I'm very happy."

Hugo had a big chance and scored. Alex got a few, unfortunately, he didn't score yet, but he had to go off at half-time because he felt his groin a little bit. That's a pity. I've said many times, it's such a difficult balance to find with a player who missed three months. You bring him slowly, people sometimes argue with you, why you cannot play him longer or more often.

Two games are already underway and halfway through. Athletic Bilbao are one-all with Qarabag, while Galatasaray are 2-0 up against Bodo/Glimt thanks to a Victor Osimhen brace. The second was comical, with Osimhen getting in the way of a backpass to set up a simple one-on-one with the keeper. Share GOALS! REDS! PENS! Tuesday night was hectic in the Champions League, with 43 (!) goals across nine games (Yara deserves a raise).

Malick Thiaw is gradually establishing himself as a key player in Eddie Howe's Newcastle United side, and his purchase is being praised. Less than two months after arriving in the Premier League, Calciomercato.com recall that Thiaw is the first choice alongside Sven Botman to lead a defence where a much more experienced player in Fabian Schar has now become a reserve option. This is shown by the consistency of performances the former Milan player is producing week after week, further bolstered by his excellent display in the Champions League against Benfica.

With the captain performing at a level that puts him among the best in the world, Neuer could be in line for a longer stay with the club: Bayern bosses have made initial contact with Manuel Neuer over a one-year contract extension. If the captain decides to continue, the winter break is considered a conceivable time to seal the deal.

The World Cup is coming, everyone's excited,

They caught us off guard for ten minutes, but we wanted to win. Everyone responded well, we're enjoying the victories and the clean sheets today. This group needed to be understood, we can't forget the journey.

It will be a really difficult decision for [Yoane] Wissa not to go to AFCON [Africa Cup of Nations] because you always want to represent your country but what I would say is, because of him not training or playing during the summer, he could've shown more responsibility in not playing as much as he did in those two games [for DR Congo] when he went away on international duty and hadn't played at all,

Arsenal central midfielder Martin Zubimendi is having a superb impact since joining the Gunners this summer, and he had arguably his best game for the club last night. Zubimendi ran the show from midfield as Arsenal thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in a stunning Champions League performance, and it's earned him big praise. Football stats expert Statman Dave posted on X to show just how good Zubimendi's numbers were in last night's game, with the Spain international excelling in every department.

People think there's some special meaning behind it, but it's actually simple. When I was a baby, my older brother couldn't pronounce 'Pedro' so he called me "Dro." The name just stuck, especially since there were three players named Pedro when I joined Barça - it helped tell us apart. And honestly, I've grown to really like it,

We have nothing to lose. It's going to be a tough game no matter what, against the best team in Europe right now. But it's also going to be a different game for Bayern; it's not a league match. On Champions League nights, anything can always happen. We believe in ourselves and hopefully we can leave tomorrow evening with a positive feeling. We're going to suffer a lot, but we're also going to get chances,