UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[Bigjoe33]

What a night for Real Madrid.. Two red cards in just 5 minutes of stoppage time, they must have been so aggressive and frustrated as usual, too bad I didn’t watch .

Benfica isn’t an easy team..just as Real Madrid needed the win to get an R16 seat, they also needed the win to secure a seat in the qualifiers. One is more pressing as the other can still get a chance in the qualifiers, so I wasn’t surprised.

Now Arbeloa will get more pressure from the management for losing one of the key match to staying ahead in UCL.

Real Madrid is that guy in the next block that people talked about all the time to be active and strong but when it's  time to show who they really are, they get their ass whoop. I can't believe a team that was on top of the league that everyone was saying they were the top of the league, they were even comparing their place with Barcelona that they were going to win the Laliga and at the same time win the Champions League but now, the story has changed.

They were given two cards towards the end of the match with Benfica, I knew that was the end immediately I saw that. Even if a team is in their worst form, the fact that the came to the Champions League and are also looking for the same qualifications to the next place in the Champions League, they will do anything to take down Real Madrid. It seems they thought if they over do it, they can win it but they couldn't, total failure tonight to be honest.

I keep saying this always, that football isn't just easy to say. If you are doing well at the beginning doesn't mean it will always be like that. You might flip, you might slip, you might not end well unless you hold yourself strong and face the challenges. We see real Madrid struggling to push up, and now, they have gone so low to play the qualifiers series before coming to join the teams that had automatic qualifications, that football if you don't stand out strong.

My point is, we shouldn't brag about the current teams performance or make great of teams you won presently, because they might fall, and other will climb. A clear example is Manchester United in the EPL, see them at the top 4 now while Chelsea and others are dropping, that's football, and they are stronger than ever. See Arsenal beggining to drop points, and if they are not careful, they might drop down soonest, so football isn't just easy, we should go bit by bit and see how it ends

[Arenga pinnata]

I keep saying this always, that football isn't just easy to say. If you are doing well at the beginning doesn't mean it will always be like that. You might flip, you might slip, you might not end well unless you hold yourself strong and face the challenges. We see real Madrid struggling to push up, and now, they have gone so low to play the qualifiers series before coming to join the teams that had automatic qualifications, that football if you don't stand out strong.

My point is, we shouldn't brag about the current teams performance or make great of teams you won presently, because they might fall, and other will climb. A clear example is Manchester United in the EPL, see them at the top 4 now while Chelsea and others are dropping, that's football, and they are stronger than ever. See Arsenal beggining to drop points, and if they are not careful, they might drop down soonest, so football isn't just easy, we should go bit by bit and see how it ends

Yeah, and that's why betting on soccer games is quite exciting for those of us who want to get our adrenaline pumping with our bets. And I'm sure many people bet big on Real Madrid in last night's game, and yeah, they certainly didn't expect to lose. Sometimes in soccer, even a strong squad depth and exceptional strategy can still lead to failure if luck isn’t on your side. And what happened to Real Madrid might be an example of that. What’s even more unfortunate for Real Madrid is that they received two red cards for their players.

And now, the only truly reliable teams in La Liga seem to be Barcelona. Because only Barcelona can directly advance to the next stage without going through the playoffs first.

[Frankolala]

Benfica as a smaller and weaker team actually played a perfect match at their home stadium. Around Europe, there are not many clubs which can dominate Real Madrid in a match like Benfica and the very late goal from Truchin, Benfica's goalkeeper, is like a last piece on top of this dramatic performance from Benfica. They are really deserved to beat Real Madrid but winning this way, getting a last position in top 24 of league phase in very last seconds is amazing and memorable.

In fact, Truchin goal murdered the game because it came at the dying minute in a superb style. It was a classic finished and I was marveled at his celebration after scoring the goal. It's once in a while, you will see a goalkeeper celebrating his own goal in the midst of his team. Benfica played with their last strength and put in their best performance in order for them to qualify for the playoffs.

[Futurexxx]

I keep saying this always, that football isn't just easy to say. If you are doing well at the beginning doesn't mean it will always be like that. You might flip, you might slip, you might not end well unless you hold yourself strong and face the challenges. We see real Madrid struggling to push up, and now, they have gone so low to play the qualifiers series before coming to join the teams that had automatic qualifications, that football if you don't stand out strong.

My point is, we shouldn't brag about the current teams performance or make great of teams you won presently, because they might fall, and other will climb. A clear example is Manchester United in the EPL, see them at the top 4 now while Chelsea and others are dropping, that's football, and they are stronger than ever. See Arsenal beggining to drop points, and if they are not careful, they might drop down soonest, so football isn't just easy, we should go bit by bit and see how it ends

The truth of the matter is that in football anything can happen, things can go wrong very quickly, even more than our imaginations, so looking down on any team is not a wise way to analyze football.

Just like the example you gave about real madrid, I honestly never saw it coming, because at the start of match day 8, they were on third position, hoping for automatic qualification into the round of 16, but their incredible losing to benfica took them way down to number 9th position, which compel them to a mandatory playoff which might get them knockout if they are complacent about it. So football can be very crazy, so we shouldn't be ruling anything out entirely.

[Luzin]

And now, the only truly reliable teams in La Liga seem to be Barcelona. Because only Barcelona can directly advance to the next stage without going through the playoffs first.

The result was dramatic and it surprised many people. Arbeloa still seems unable to maximize his players' potential. I am worried that Madrid will end up with the same fate as PSG when Mbappe was with the team. In the playoffs, Madrid will most likely face Bodo/Glimt or will have a rematch against Benfica. According to the rules, Madrid must meet with the 23/24 ranked team. Statistically, Madrid looks superior, but today's condition makes me quite concerned. However, I think they still have a good chance of advancing.

[Futurexxx]

And now, the only truly reliable teams in La Liga seem to be Barcelona. Because only Barcelona can directly advance to the next stage without going through the playoffs first.

The result was dramatic and it surprised many people. Arbeloa still seems unable to maximize his players' potential. I am worried that Madrid will end up with the same fate as PSG when Mbappe was with the team. In the playoffs, Madrid will most likely face Bodo/Glimt or will have a rematch against Benfica. According to the rules, Madrid must meet with the 23/24 ranked team. Statistically, Madrid looks superior, but today's condition makes me quite concerned. However, I think they still have a good chance of advancing.

They still have a good chance of advancing to the round of 16 if they can give in a higher quality performance in their next game. Though as you have pointed out already, they may play Bodo/Glimt because a rematch with benfica will be unlikely since they just met each other.

And even though it's truly Bodo/Glimt they will be playing, it's definitely going to be a difficult game because this is a team that needs two winnings in their final two games to make it to the play off, which was against Manchester City and atletico madrid, and to our surprise, they won those two top teams. So it's definitely wouldn't be an easy game for real madrid if Bodo/Glimt is their next play off opponents.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Truly, it's the most shocking game of them all, I never expected a benfica team that are in a very bad form this season to defeat a team like real madrid and force them back into the playoffs, while on the other hand, they made it to the play off themselves, so a big congratulation to benfica for achieving what people thought that was impossible.

This was a do or die match for Benfica. If they did not  win this match, Benfica would not have qualified for the play-offs. And they qualified for the  play-offs by defeating Madrid by a large margin.

Benfica started the season very badly. They lost their first four matches in the champions league. And they won three of their last 4 matches. But it was unimaginable that benfica would show such extraordinary dominance against an  experienced and giant team like Madrid. There is no doubt that Madrid played very badly  in this match.

This match was also very important for Madrid. Even  if they could have scored 1 point in this match, madrid could have been in the top 8 of the table. Now Madrid is in 9th  place in the table. They have to play  two more matches to qualify for the round of  16.

[Fiatless]

The result was dramatic and it surprised many people. Arbeloa still seems unable to maximize his players' potential. I am worried that Madrid will end up with the same fate as PSG when Mbappe was with the team. In the playoffs, Madrid will most likely face Bodo/Glimt or will have a rematch against Benfica. According to the rules, Madrid must meet with the 23/24 ranked team. Statistically, Madrid looks superior, but today's condition makes me quite concerned. However, I think they still have a good chance of advancing.

Meanwhile, five English clubs made it to the second round automatically.  This shows that the EPL still remains the strongest league in Europe. I don't want to believe that Mbappe is bad luck for Real Madrid.  He has contributed immensely to the club and got the brace yesterday. The club made a big mistake sacking Xabi Alonso because the new coach does not have the experience to succeed in this tournament.

[giammangiato]

I keep saying this always, that football isn't just easy to say. If you are doing well at the beginning doesn't mean it will always be like that. You might flip, you might slip, you might not end well unless you hold yourself strong and face the challenges. We see real Madrid struggling to push up, and now, they have gone so low to play the qualifiers series before coming to join the teams that had automatic qualifications, that football if you don't stand out strong.

My point is, we shouldn't brag about the current teams performance or make great of teams you won presently, because they might fall, and other will climb. A clear example is Manchester United in the EPL, see them at the top 4 now while Chelsea and others are dropping, that's football, and they are stronger than ever. See Arsenal beggining to drop points, and if they are not careful, they might drop down soonest, so football isn't just easy, we should go bit by bit and see how it ends

Real Madrid even though they have gone down are still pushing a lot in La Liga being very close to Barcelona, Manchester United after a disappointing season are taking it back in hand, yes football is unpredictable but that's the beauty of it, in fact it's even more beautiful and fun when they play spectacularly.
Is Arsenal still the Champions League favourite at the moment?

[Arenga pinnata]

And now, the only truly reliable teams in La Liga seem to be Barcelona. Because only Barcelona can directly advance to the next stage without going through the playoffs first.

The result was dramatic and it surprised many people. Arbeloa still seems unable to maximize his players' potential. I am worried that Madrid will end up with the same fate as PSG when Mbappe was with the team. In the playoffs, Madrid will most likely face Bodo/Glimt or will have a rematch against Benfica. According to the rules, Madrid must meet with the 23/24 ranked team. Statistically, Madrid looks superior, but today's condition makes me quite concerned. However, I think they still have a good chance of advancing.

Real Madrid may just be unlucky. Because usually they can do better. And I am sure that in the end Real Madrid will be able to advance to the next stage even with any club as their opponent to qualify. Because it would be terrible if Real Madrid failed. and we would find it really hard to believe it. Because, after all, the depth of Real Madrid's squad is currently one of the best in Europe. So there's no reason for them to fail early on. However, when it comes to concerns, I actually feel the same way. But I still have high hopes for them.

[landheer]

Liverpool scored 6 goals in the match against Qarabag while Qarabag could not score a single goal against Liverpool because Qarabag was unable to attack Liverpool much which ultimately resulted in Qarabag having to suffer a defeat at Liverpool's headquarters. Liverpool players seemed to really enjoy the match because Qarabag's resistance was not strong enough. I thought Liverpool would not score many goals because in the EPL in their last match Liverpool lost to Bournemouth but yes sometimes in different leagues there are always differences and that is what happened to Liverpool at this time because they were lucky to win. If Liverpool had not won against Qarabag, for example, if they lost, there is a possibility that Liverpool would not be in 3rd place and there is definitely a possibility that Liverpool would have to go to the play-offs. Liverpool now just waits for the next match and must be ready to play in the round of 16. Qarabag now has to play in the play-offs and this is definitely a good opportunity for Qarabag to be able to follow Liverpool to the round of 16.

[Cossyblack]

The truth of the matter is that in football anything can happen, things can go wrong very quickly, even more than our imaginations, so looking down on any team is not a wise way to analyze football.

Just like the example you gave about real madrid, I honestly never saw it coming, because at the start of match day 8, they were on third position, hoping for automatic qualification into the round of 16, but their incredible losing to benfica took them way down to number 9th position, which compel them to a mandatory playoff which might get them knockout if they are complacent about it. So football can be very crazy, so we shouldn't be ruling anything out entirely.

Football is full of surprises and that anything can happen. Real Madrid loss to Benfica was surprising defeat, we thought they would win against Benfica but the outcome turned out to be a big surprises. Real madrid has drop to the playoff and they still has a chance to qualify into the round of 16 but they must play their best otherwise they might not qualify. Manchester city were lucky that win otherwise they wouldn't have qualified to the next phase and real madrid could have taken the 8th ranking in the table.

[HajiBagi]

And now, the only truly reliable teams in La Liga seem to be Barcelona. Because only Barcelona can directly advance to the next stage without going through the playoffs first.

The result was dramatic and it surprised many people. Arbeloa still seems unable to maximize his players' potential. I am worried that Madrid will end up with the same fate as PSG when Mbappe was with the team. In the playoffs, Madrid will most likely face Bodo/Glimt or will have a rematch against Benfica. According to the rules, Madrid must meet with the 23/24 ranked team. Statistically, Madrid looks superior, but today's condition makes me quite concerned. However, I think they still have a good chance of advancing.

There is nothing wrong with the coach that is coaching Real Madrid players currently, the players are the one to blame, these players are so lazy, they are inconsistent with their performance, there are many things affecting Real Madrid but the main problem is the players, Real Madrid players don’t know how to represent the badge, all these players only want to play for the best club in the world without not knowing how to represent it, Real Madrid can not handle the pressure of the opponent, if any team wants to defeat Real Madrid they should just attack the defense and they will score and beat Real Madrid.

Perez is one of the problem of Real Madrid, the team did not have good sporting directors who knows how to sign players, they only signed attacking midfielders without not thinking of signing Modric and Toni Kroos replacement, this is the worse Real Madrid team I have ever seen in my life since I started supporting the team, Real Madrid former players have face many problems with their performance and the players turned things around but the current players don’t have experience, selling some players who are not in the club level is the best and if Perez and the board did not take action after this season the team will be worse than this season.

[mvdheuvel1983]

The result was dramatic and it surprised many people. Arbeloa still seems unable to maximize his players' potential. I am worried that Madrid will end up with the same fate as PSG when Mbappe was with the team. In the playoffs, Madrid will most likely face Bodo/Glimt or will have a rematch against Benfica. According to the rules, Madrid must meet with the 23/24 ranked team. Statistically, Madrid looks superior, but today's condition makes me quite concerned. However, I think they still have a good chance of advancing.

Meanwhile, five English clubs made it to the second round automatically.  This shows that the EPL still remains the strongest league in Europe. I don't want to believe that Mbappe is bad luck for Real Madrid.  He has contributed immensely to the club and got the brace yesterday. The club made a big mistake sacking Xabi Alonso because the new coach does not have the experience to succeed in this tournament.

The English Premier League teams stand so strong in the competition this season you can see them getting good results which means they have a chance of bringing the trophy to England if two English teams make it to the finals. The situation of Real Madrid is getting out of hand they have great players like Mbappe who is one of the top scorers I nthe competition but they still do not find it easy to win games this could be a bad luck that is following Mbappe because he left PSG they won the champions League now Rezl Madrid is finding it difficult to perform well I nthe same champions League they once dominated. Xabi Alonso left not because he was the problem the real problem will come out when they sack the new coach if he couldn't win the league.

[free-bit.co.in]

And now, the only truly reliable teams in La Liga seem to be Barcelona. Because only Barcelona can directly advance to the next stage without going through the playoffs first.

The result was dramatic and it surprised many people. Arbeloa still seems unable to maximize his players' potential. I am worried that Madrid will end up with the same fate as PSG when Mbappe was with the team. In the playoffs, Madrid will most likely face Bodo/Glimt or will have a rematch against Benfica. According to the rules, Madrid must meet with the 23/24 ranked team. Statistically, Madrid looks superior, but today's condition makes me quite concerned. However, I think they still have a good chance of advancing.

Real Madrid performed well against villarreal and monaco. Many thought that Arbeloa's job was going to be permanent. Madrid might rely on arbeloa this season. But after seeing madrid's abysmal performance against Benfica, everyone's opinion changed. The match  was very important for Madrid. Even then , they could  not perform well. Benfica dominated the match and secured a 4- 2 victory. It is unlikely that madrid will play well consistently with Arbeloa's help.

[Spack17]

Real Madrid even though they have gone down are still pushing a lot in La Liga being very close to Barcelona, Manchester United after a disappointing season are taking it back in hand, yes football is unpredictable but that's the beauty of it, in fact it's even more beautiful and fun when they play spectacularly.
Is Arsenal still the Champions League favourite at the moment?

Benfica were on the verge of being eliminated in the Champions League. I'm not surprised with that one last reaction by them. It was hell of a last minute goal by the goalkeeper though!  

Arsenal looked great by winning all their matches. They are still the biggest favourites for the title of course. They looked wonderful in big matches of league phase too. I'm curious what they will do in such matchups during knockout stage.

[Solokan]

Obviously, he wont Jose Mourinho wont forget what happened tonight in Benfica. I can recall when he told the goalkeeper to get in the box when he heard he needed one goal to qualify for the playoffs. According to him, this is not the first time the goalkeeper has made that attempt. In the last two games, it was against Porto, Trubin was very close to scoring a decisive goal. Truly, the worst night for Real Madrid, I hope they can survive the play off, because teams wont take it liley with them.

Mourinho is a great coach, and it seems he already knows Real Madrid's weaknesses. His plan went smoothly in this match to defeat Real Madrid, and Trubin did an amazing job. Even though he is a substitute, he has great skills, so he can even do the job of a goalkeeper. Yes, Real Madrid's luck is currently not very good, forcing them to go through the playoffs first to advance to the round of 16. In fact, if Real Madrid could beat Benfica, they would definitely advance directly to the round of 16 because they would finish in the top 8. But in my opinion, there is a high possibility that Real Madrid will advance to the round of 16 even if they have to go through the playoffs. But honestly, I hope Real Madrid faces Benfica again in the playoffs to make it more exciting.

In my opinion, Arbeloa now needs to devise a good strategy and improve Real Madrid's defense, which is currently lacking. He is certainly under pressure, especially if he can't lead Real Madrid to the Round of 16. Let's see what happens next.

[yixichloro2xx]

The result was dramatic and it surprised many people. Arbeloa still seems unable to maximize his players' potential. I am worried that Madrid will end up with the same fate as PSG when Mbappe was with the team. In the playoffs, Madrid will most likely face Bodo/Glimt or will have a rematch against Benfica. According to the rules, Madrid must meet with the 23/24 ranked team. Statistically, Madrid looks superior, but today's condition makes me quite concerned. However, I think they still have a good chance of advancing.

Meanwhile, five English clubs made it to the second round automatically.  This shows that the EPL still remains the strongest league in Europe. I don't want to believe that Mbappe is bad luck for Real Madrid.  He has contributed immensely to the club and got the brace yesterday. The club made a big mistake sacking Xabi Alonso because the new coach does not have the experience to succeed in this tournament.

The English Premier League teams stand so strong in the competition this season you can see them getting good results which means they have a chance of bringing the trophy to England if two English teams make it to the finals. The situation of Real Madrid is getting out of hand they have great players like Mbappe who is one of the top scorers I nthe competition but they still do not find it easy to win games this could be a bad luck that is following Mbappe because he left PSG they won the champions League now Rezl Madrid is finding it difficult to perform well I nthe same champions League they once dominated. Xabi Alonso left not because he was the problem the real problem will come out when they sack the new coach if he couldn't win the league.

Well the winning the group stages doesn't determine winning the champions League. Yes  the premier league teams where fantastic during these phase but the knockout phase will be different. Most of the time that's where the premier league teams often show their flaw. We can see how Liverpool did that last season.  Without Mbappe real Madrid wont have been in a better position this season. He has saved their assess alot. 70% of goals from real Madrid those season comes from mbappe alone, this guy is doing a fantastic job by carrying real Madrid in his shoulders. It's just sad that his fellow teammates are doing as much as he does.

[Uhde]

Real Madrid even though they have gone down are still pushing a lot in La Liga being very close to Barcelona, Manchester United after a disappointing season are taking it back in hand, yes football is unpredictable but that's the beauty of it, in fact it's even more beautiful and fun when they play spectacularly.
Is Arsenal still the Champions League favourite at the moment?

Benfica were on the verge of being eliminated in the Champions League. I'm not surprised with that one last reaction by them. It was hell of a last minute goal by the goalkeeper though!  

Man, Benfica played like beasts... It was a do or die game and they literally pulled a rabbit out of the hat. Even though Real Madrid had 2 guys red carded at the last second there were only 5 Real players in the box during the set piece. Benfica had like double that number. Meanwhile, 3 Real players were just hanging out upfront waiting. So weird.

[MArsland]

Benfica as a smaller and weaker team actually played a perfect match at their home stadium. Around Europe, there are not many clubs which can dominate Real Madrid in a match like Benfica and the very late goal from Truchin, Benfica's goalkeeper, is like a last piece on top of this dramatic performance from Benfica. They are really deserved to beat Real Madrid but winning this way, getting a last position in top 24 of league phase in very last seconds is amazing and memorable.

In fact, Truchin goal murdered the game because it came at the dying minute in a superb style. It was a classic finished and I was marveled at his celebration after scoring the goal. It's once in a while, you will see a goalkeeper celebrating his own goal in the midst of his team. Benfica played with their last strength and put in their best performance in order for them to qualify for the playoffs.

I have to admit that Benfica game was far superior to Real Madrid. What José Mourinho demonstrated was a way of playing that didn't give his opponents any space. Such dangerous counter-attacks clearly overwhelmed Courtois. Trubin goal wasn't a lucky break, but rather a goal that José Mourinho had predicted. 8 Benfica players against 5 Madrid players clearly wasn't enough to stop the game.