Big UCL clashes

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Front Row Preview

Champions League Preview

Bayern Munich (2) vs (2) Arsenal | Manchester City (3) vs (3) Real Madrid

It’s that time of the week again… 

Sorry, mate, I won’t be able to make 5-aside tonight… my - um - toe hurts.

*Work emails switched off*

*Candles lit and face mask on* OK… maybe that’s just me. 

Anyway, for neutrals, tonight will be pure entertainment. For Arsenal and City fans - well - entertainment isn’t the word.

On paper, the Gunners have a bigger hurdle to tackle…

• They’ve lost their last three trips to Bayern Munich in the Champions League - the last two ending in 5-1 defeats…

• They’ve only won one of their six UCL away games against Bayern.

But, Arsenal fans will be pleased that former Gunner Serge Gnabry won’t be available due to a hamstring strain. It’s also likely that Ødergaard and Saka will start despite injury concerns.

Then there’s City vs Real Madrid.

If you’re looking for goals, this is the game to watch… their last five encounters have an average of 4.6 per game.

Madrid will be on high alert, losing the last three home games against City at the Etihad. 

Also, Aurélien Tchouaméni is suspended after being booked in the first leg, a blow to Ancelotti’s defence.

But, Madrid sits comfortably in La Liga and have a history of resilience in this competition… so City fans should expect the Spanish giants to go all guns blazing. 

Buckle up folks, tonight’s not one to miss.

• 💉 Munich vs Arsenal Quick Hit: Saka has been involved in eight goals in the UCL this season (4 Gs, 4 As) - only Thierry Henry has registered more (10) in a single UCL campaign for Arsenal. 

• 💉 City vs Madrid Quick Hit: If City beat Madrid, they will reach the same number of European wins (114) as Liverpool in 200 major European competition matches.

Champions League Stats Corner

Borussia Dortmund 4 vs 2 Atlético Madrid (5 - 4 agg)

→ Borussia Dortmund have remained unbeaten in their last 10 home game in the Champions League.

→ This was just the second time Atlético Madrid have conceded 4+ goals in a Champions League knockout stage game, after the 2014 final (1-4 v Real Madrid).

For highlights click here.

Barcelona 1 vs 4 PSG (4 - 6 agg)

→ PSG are the team that has eliminated Barcelona the most in the Champions League (3).

→ Barcelona’s 33% possession in last night’s game was their lowest in the Champions League on record (dating to 2003/04).

For highlights click here.

Head Start

Cheeky Chelsea

Rules are there to be broken or - at least - pushed to breaking point.

And, well, Chelsea are doing just that with Financial Fair Play (FFP)… but it’s causing a stir among Premier League clubs.

Firstly, what are FFP rules? They state that Premier League clubs can’t lose more than £105m over three years…

… and Cheslea's latest accounts show losses of £89.1m in just one year. Yikes.

But the Blues are doing something cheeky to avoid breaking FFP: they sold two of their hotels…

… to themselves.

Yup. Chelsea FC Holdings sold two hotels to BlueCo (a sister company) for £76.3m, profiting £32.8m.

The best part? Despite ‘selling’ the hotels, Chelsea will still keep the revenue that they generate.

A great bit of business from Todd Boehly there. We can’t imagine how they came to such good terms.

The serious part: Without this sale, they would have breached FFP and faced point deductions.

Profits from the hotel sales have kept Chelsea clear of FFP for now, even though profiting from selling assets to yourself is not recognised by:

• The EFL. Lucky for Chelsea they play their football in the Premier League, not the Championship.

• UEFA. Chelsea are not playing in Europe so this is also irrelevant (silver linings, eh).

Despite creative accounting, they can’t get comfy yet.

They have one more year before their 3-year FFP clock resets… and it’s not going to be easy to keep under the £105m threshold.

Ballon d’Or

Ballon d’Or Power Ranking

Last week, Jamie Carragher wrote in The Telegraph that Erling Haaland is a world-class finisher, but not a world-class player… 

But, it was only last year that the Norweigan was pipped against Lionel Messi for the greatest individual title in the sport - the Ballon d’Or. 

So, as the season draws to a close, where does Haaland rank in the journalists 2024 Ballon d’Or Power Rankings?

Well, it depends on what list you’re looking at. Let’s take a look:

FourFourTwo’s ranking…

🥇 Jude Bellingham (22 goals, 13 assists in 2023/24)

🥈 Kylian Mbappé (45 goals, 16 assists in 2023/24)

🥉 Erling Haaland (34 goals, six goals in 2023/24)

GOAL’s ranking… 

🥇 Jude Bellingham

🥈 Phil Foden (23 goals, 10 assists in 2023/24)

🥉 Kylian Mbappé

GiveMeSport’s ranking…

🥇 Jude Bellingham

🥈 Kylian Mbappé

🥉 Harry Kane (43 goals, 12 assists in 2023/24)

Hmm… so they all agree on Bellingham in pole position.

There’s still a long way to go before the announcement - October 2024 - so the Champions League and Euros will play a big part in shaping who wins. 

The question is: can Haaland prove the naysayers wrong? Tonight would be a good start…

Off The Pitch

🪐 A surprisingly enormous black hole has been found in our galaxy (More)

🚬 British MPs have backed a plan to ban anyone after 2009 from buying cigarettes, effectively ensuring it will become law (More)

📱Samsung has overtaken Apple as the number one seller of smartphones worldwide (More)

🚗 China’s Chery Auto vehicles will open its first European manufacturing site in Spain (More)

🏀 Former No.1 pick Blake Griffin retires after 14 seasons (More)

🦍 World’s oldest known gorilla turns 67 at Berlin Zoo (More)

🪨 Nasa says that part of the International Space Station hit a Florida home (More)

Game Face On

Question: Which Premier League player has the best penalty record, scoring 11/11 from the spot?

Hint: He once made the most attacking XI ever.

Scroll below for the answer.

Extra Time

Spurs’s 2024/5 Home kit ‘leak’ is close, but not identical, to the expected kit. 

Without a doubt, the worst penalty you’ll ever see in the 90th minute.

CBS management didn’t want any contract talks on air.

More manager impressions to brighten your day (and Rafael Nadal). 

What it’s like to watch football with an Apple Vision Pro.

Simon Jordan and Steve Bruce discuss who makes the Euro 2024 England squad.

Liverpool’s finishing is letting them down (analysis).

Answer: Yaya Toure

“I have a reminder on my phone every single day at eleven o’clock that says: World Cup 2026. That’s my aim.”

-Dele Alli on Sky Sports