2023-24 UEFA Champions League

That 16yo coming off looks way older than Felix

That was a beautiful floated ball over the top by Pedri, literally only on the field as a sub, and Raphinha has a second goal finishing on the volley into the bottom left hand corner.

3-2 now to barce

Feel like Mbappe staying in France has kinda stunted his development a bit. In the big games he just looks so lazy so often, far too used to strolling around and getting to only focus on attacking.

Still only 25 though, so there's a little bit of time for him to develop the work ethic required to reach his potential - but he'd want to cop on fairly soon.

He was not great tonight.

Donnarumma was very poor.

All 4 games nicely in the balance going into next week

Donnarumna was very poor for PSG tonight,made mistakes for all Barca goals.

The problem with no away goal rule is that now there's an advantage for the team that plays at home second. They get to have any potential extra time played at home. This was counteracted by the fact that the away team got longer to score an extra all important away goal, but now that's gone so game advantage is solely to the home team

Home advantage is mostly a problem from another era anyway.

It really shouldn't have a massive effect on most games involving the top professional teams.

Semi-Final Draw

Club Atlético de Madrid (were 12/1 now 9/1)/Borussia Dortmund (were 22/1 now 33/1) V Paris Saint-Germain (were 8/1 now 12/1)/FC Barcelona (were 9/1 now 7/1)

Arsenal FC (were 7/2 now 5/1)/FC Bayern München (were 13/2 now 7/1) V Real Madrid CF (were 6/1 now 7/1)/Manchester City FC (were 7/4 now 13/8)

Manchester City are the only team that are odds on for a quarter-final next week.

The favourites to qualify are 3/11 Barcelona, 4/11 Man City, 3/7 Atlético and 10/11 Bayern Munich.

The outsiders are PSG 10/3, Real Madrid 9/4, Dortmund 2/1 and Arsenal 22/23, so should be another set of cracking ties.

Or just say "hey it's the luck of the draw" and be adults about it your team loses the draw.

Think at least 1 of those outsiders listed in the last paragraph will go thru to the next round.

Glad I took Atleti at 12/1, annoyed I didn't take them at 19/1 before the draw was made.

Watching alot of "experts" predicting who would win the Champions League, and not one even had Atleti getting to the final. Really baffles you sometimes, how ex-pros seem clueless on the games they are watching.

There will often be a bet, when if you really look at it seems obvious. One which everyone else seems to miss, but is glaring. Italy winning the Euros for example. When logically dissected, there was only one winner.

Atleti this year, are that team, they will win it. They should have in the past, but with very tough draws in recent years, and alot of miles on the clock, dropped a level. Their recent result against Barca now has everyone writing them off. But this is the only cup they want, and they've regrouped and are rejuvenated

They'll finish off BVB. PSG and Barca are simply average teams who are flakey. They'll be ruthlessly snuffed out by Atleti when it really matters, and the Atleti workrate goes up. Either PSG or Barca are hitting a brick wall, and battered on the break.

As for the final, I think City play into their hands, Arsenal or Bayern not good enough to open them up without conceding on the break. Madrid could be their achilles heel, but the law of averages would suggest they have to come out the right side at some point.

Added to that, they're coming under the radar. Alot of teams ripe for the taking!

Theres a big push coming from them for this Champions League!

He had promised to quit Boards if Inter didn't win the Champions League final.

I'll be honest lads, I support Milan, so made a fool of myself somewhat there. I knew deep down logically, the strenghts I was trying to apply to Milan, hard defence and technical midfield, lay with Inter. I just continully refused to accept it and doubled down. In saying that, a well drilled defence in Inter, should of done a job on city, if that donkey Lukaku could play football.

City aren't quite as good as last year, and Atleti are a better defensive outfit than Inter were last year. I've no horse in the race this year, so am being more objective I'd like to think

Throw their league form out the window, will have no bearing, other than to make them bigger outsiders. Atleti will always find a league campaign tougher than Madrid and Barca. They play a hard grind. It takes it's tole on their own players. Its hard to psyche yourself up to wear down weaker teams, week in week out, with little at stake. Alot of miles on the clock there, its fatigued them. Even mentally, what Atleti do is tiring emotionally on their own players.

Similar to Italy qualifying for major tournaments. Hard for their players to play their grinding game with nothing at stake, you really have to be up for it. But once they qualify, can regroup and give a huge push for two weeks or so, as exerting as that style is. Italy in a major tournament a completely different beast to qualifying. Night and day the intensity levels. But its impossible to sustain that, year in year out. Its why Atleti often look blunt, in what you think should be routine wins.

Atleti did go somewhat stagnant playing this game for years, but got very tough draws in recent years in Europe, and have been unlucky. They now see a genuine path to victory here. They'll regroup and there will be a huge push. This tournament is all they care about. They'll fight harder than anyone, and will be more organised, you can see the belief come back everytime they play in Europe now.

As I said, forget their league form, it will have no bearing. They'll be a different beast in Europe, and they will ambush the others. It's setting up perfectly. They'll tear Barca or PSG apart on the break, two poor teams, who are flaky. Will be a completely different Atleti that you seen against Barca a few weeks back!

They've had their eyes on both the league and Europe for a while, the win tonight gives them a slight cushion, bit of breathing space.

I just feel if they qualify, intensity levels will go up, be a big push, more akin to the Atleti of a few years ago.

A big strength will be the rest of the teams will really force them back, they'll have no option but to have the bus parked. It suits them better being forced tight, and picking their moments on the break.

I just don't think anyone is giving them a chance, and their form of the last few years has them as big underdogs which will suit them. But they're a very tenacious and resilient team, and could very well have a burst where they raise it for a few huge games.

That's how I see it playing out. Everyone has either Barca or PSG as a shoo in to make the final, but they are two poor flakey teams.

Would you really have much confidence in them, when it gets to the serious stuff, to stand up to the heat? I wouldn't. Could easily see them break if a team starts to turn the screw on them, a tough hard fighting team. There's no real fight in Barca and PSG.

Atleti team have unfinished business in this tournament. Theres one last big push left in this Simeone team!

and barce take the lead after 12 mins

mbappe prob should have scored there

It's definitely a foul, not sure the ref has much choice.

Dortmund ahead in the other game - all square at 2-2 on agg now, advantage Dortmund!