Liverpool and Real Madrid in blockbuster fixture
The latest chapter in the Liverpool–Real Madrid rivalry will be written on Wednesday evening, when the continental foes collide in Wednesday’s Champions League blockbuster.
Arne Slot‘s side are only club in the competition with a perfect 12 points after four matchdays.
Only Guus Hiddink and Ancelotti can boast as exceptional a record from their first 12 games in the competition. It is only fitting that Slot is set to embrace Carlo Ancelotti after joining the Italian in an exclusive managerial record.
The Reds’ display at St Mary’s over the weekend was lethargic and leggy at times, but Salah’s everlasting excellence means that Liverpool have now scored at least two goals in each of their last six matches across all competitions, and the time is surely nigh to end their disheartening winless sequence against the holders.
Including the 2018 and 2022 finals, Liverpool are enduring an excruciating eight-game winless run against Real Madrid, who have won seven and drawn one of their last eight meetings with their Merseyside rivals since a 4-0 Anfield annihilation all the way back in 2009.
However, Ancelotti’s troops have already failed two examinations of their title credentials in the new-look competition, October’s surprise 1-0 loss at Lille and the humbling 3-1 home defeat to AC Milan on November 5.
Real Madrid will have to cope without Brazilian wing wizard Vinicius Junior for the trip to Anfield, as the club revealed that he had suffered a hamstring injury in the Leganes victory.
Faced with an injury-hit Real Madrid side who are not brimming with continental confidence, trust the Reds to march to their first win over Los Blancos and maintain their impeccable league phase record.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Aston Villa host Italian giants Juventus
Champions League rookies Aston Villa will seek a home hat-trick on Wednesday evening, when they host Italian giants Juventus.
While Unai Emery‘s men have recently faltered, they previously posted two wins from two at Villa Park in Europe’s top competition – although defeat would see Juve overtake them in the league table.
Surpassing even the most optimistic fan’s expectations, Aston Villa started their first Champions League campaign with three straight wins, seeing off Young Boys in Switzerland, before memorably beating Bayern Munich in Birmingham, where Bologna were also dispatched three weeks later.
Earlier this month, though, the Premier League side suffered a 1-0 loss away to Club Brugge, amid a significant downturn in fortunes both in Europe and on the domestic scene.
Nonetheless, they have won eight of their last nine European games on home turf, with the exception being a first-leg defeat by Olympiacos in last term’s Conference League semi-finals.
Such is his vast experience in Europe, Unai Emery has already beaten Juventus twice before in the Champions League – with Sevilla in 2015 and Villarreal seven years later.
Not only are Juventus generally tough to break down, but Aston Villa have also been short of their fluent best since the end of October.
Juve have sufficient supplies of grit to heap more misery onto their ailing hosts.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Monaco welcome in-form Benfica to the Stade Louis II
Strong starters Monaco welcome an in-form Benfica side to the Stade Louis II on matchday five of the Champions League on Wednesday night. Both recorded domestic victories at the weekend and look on course to reach the knockout rounds of this competition.
After a blip against Angers at the start of the month, Monaco have responded brilliantly, with Adi Hutter‘s men now on a three-game winning streak.
Home form has been a big factor in their success domestically and on the continent, with just one defeat in nine games here so far this season, a run which includes a win over Barcelona.
Before the start of this campaign, Monaco were on a 14-game winless run in the Champions League, but after six years away, they have returned in fine fashion with 10 points from their opening four games, winning three at this stage of a UCL season for just the second time – after also doing so in 1997-98.
This will be just the third time the two clubs have met, with the first two coming back in the group stage of this competition in 2014, and even though Monaco came top and Benfica finished bottom of that section, the Portuguese club took four points off their upcoming opponents, keeping a clean sheet in both.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Bologna seeking their first points as they host Lille
Seeking their first points since the opening matchday, Champions League rookies Bologna will welcome Lille to Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
The Italian side are the only team still without a goal in this season’s league phase, leaving them trailing behind their French counterparts, who are firmly on track for a playoff place.
After playing out a goalless draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on their long-awaited Champions League debut, Bologna have been unable to add more points to their tally, twice losing 2-0 in England – to Liverpool and then Aston Villa – before being beaten by Monaco last time out.
The Rossoblu’s wait for a first win continued as Thilo Kehrer‘s late goal denied them even a home draw earlier this month, and they occupy an automatic elimination place as things stand.
Heading into the second half of the league phase, Vincenzo Italiano‘s side cannot afford to keep dropping points, with perhaps as many as three wins from four games now required to make the top 24 and avoid an early exit.
On Sunday, a nine-match unbeaten run in domestic football was finally ended when Bologna lost 3-0 to Lazio in Rome.
Before the international break, the Emilian club had posted three successive Serie A wins, but they now sit eighth in the standings, having won just four of 16 games across all competitions.
Bologna have failed to make the most of their opportunities so far, and are yet to score from 48 attempts; meanwhile, Lille have posted some excellent results despite taking only half as many shots.
The difference is clearly in the final third, then, and the combined powers of David and Zhegrova will be too much for the home side to withstand.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
FIXTURES
Red Star Belgrade 17:45 Stuttgart
Dinamo Zagreb 20:00 Borussia Dortmund
