More points deducted

đŸ€© UCL's big clashes | Palmer's real impact | Liverpool's potential manager

April 09, 2024

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Front Row Preview

Champions League Quarter-Finals

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich | Real Madrid vs Manchester City (20:00 BST - TNT Sports)

If you’re looking for a quiet Tuesday night
 think again.

Households will be divided over which huge Champions League game to watch tonight
 so don’t be surprised if the remote mysteriously goes missing.

Firstly, there’s Arsenal vs Bayern Munich.

Let’s be honest
 Bayern have been Arsenal’s kryptonite in recent years. Their last three meetings in the UCL have ended 5-1 in favour of the German giants. Yup, you read that right. 

But (and it’s a big but) the script has flipped
 

  • Arsenal now know their identity
 a defensively astute side leading the Premier League table.

  • Bayern are losing their identity
 sitting second in the Bundesliga will be nothing short of alien. 

Don’t forget that Arsenal fans will be equally invested in ruining former Spurs captain Harry Kane’s only chance at a title this season
 

Then
 there’s Real Madrid vs Manchester City. 

On paper, the fixture favours City


  • Madrid have only won one of their last six UCL matches against City.

  • Pep has only lost one of his last eight games against Ancelloti. 

But with key players out for City - including Kyle Walker and Nathan AkĂ© - Madrid’s wingers will be licking their lips.

And, rumour has it, Madrid have asked UEFA if they can close the BernabĂ©u’s roof tomorrow
 probably to make the atmosphere as loud as possible.

Which game will you be watching tonight?

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Champions League Stats Zone

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (Today, 20:00 BST - TNT Sports)

→ Bayern Munich have only lost one of their last six away games against English teams in the Champions League (4 W, 1 D).

→ Arsenal are in better form having gone unbeaten in seven games across all competitions, whilst Bayern have suffered back-to-back losses. 

Real Madrid vs Manchester City (Today, 20:00 BST - TNT Sports)

→ Real Madrid have conceded an average of 1.7 goals per game against City in the Champions League.

→ Man City are on the second-longest unbeaten run in the Champions League - after Manchester United between 2007-09 - and the last team to beat them was Madrid in the semi-final return leg in May 2022.

→Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jnr, Eduardo Camavinga, and AurĂ©lien TchouamĂ©ni are one yellow card away from suspension in the competition.

For the full Champions League fixture list click here.

Head Start

Getty Images/Tony McArdle

🚹Everton deducted 2 points: Everton have been deducted two points for a second breach of Premier League financial rules. The Toffees had a 10-point deduction reduced to six on appeal in February. Now, the additional two-point deduction means that Everton dropped one place to 16th and are just two points above the relegation zone.

😯 Liverpool offers Sporting manager a three-year contract: According to Pedro Sepulveda a Portuguese journalist who broke Darwin NĂșñez’s and Luis DĂ­az’s transfers, RĂșben Amorim is set to become Liverpool’s next manager. Sepulveda claims financial terms have almost been agreed. The 39-year-old Portuguese manager famously ended Sporting’s 19-year league title drought.

📜 The Premier League hit back against regulator: The Premier League have released an advert in Politico which warns of the “unintended consequences” of the “world’s most-watched completion” becoming the first to be regulated. A display of defiance against the government’s proposed Football Governance Bill last month.

Bitesize Analysis

Just how influential has Cole Palmer been?

Some things in life are rare


  • A solar eclipse
 which will next be visible in the UK in 2090.

  • A peaceful Saturday morning without the neighbour’s lawnmower on full whack.

  • Opening a pack of gum without someone asking for one.

But who cares about those? Us fans care more about rare young talents that can promise 15 to 20+ goals a season
 we don’t ask for much.

Well, that’s what Chelsea have found in Cole Palmer
 who has 21 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.

These numbers are astonishing, especially compared to Chelsea’s most prolific attackers


  • đŸ„‡ Didier Drogba (09/10) - 75.8 mins/goal involvement

  • đŸ„ˆ Palmer (23/24) - 89 mins/goal involvement

  • đŸ„‰ Juan Mata (12/13) - 98.9 mins/goal involvement

  • 🏃 Eden Hazard (2018/19) - 102.9 mins/goal involvement

OK
 but eight of his goals come from penalties
 Chelsea are underperforming
 has he really had that much impact?

Well, my friend, yes. Yes he has.

Palmer’s 16 goals in the Premier League have contributed to 13 points for Chelsea - the difference between 9th, their current position, and 14th. 

That’s only two points off Eden Hazard’s best point contribution and three points off Didier Drogba’s record 16 points won from goals.

And with 9 games to go, if Palmer reaches or exceeds these milestones, it’ll be remarkable
 ignoring the rest of The Blue’s season, of course. 

Off The Pitch

🎾 Chechnya bans music that is too fast or too slow (More)

🧃Viral soft drink Prime sees sales fall by 50% at the turn of the year with bottles reduced in Tesco to 31p (More)

🧬 People with long COVID have distinct patterns in their blood which can be targeted with immune therapies (More)

đŸšČ Cyclists now outnumber motorists in Paris (More)

❌ The National Associate of Intercollegiate Athletics has essentially banned transgender athletes from women’s sports (More)

đŸ”„ An e-bike bursts into flames at a London train station (More)

Game Face On

Question: Which club holds the record for the most consecutive promotions in English football, climbing from the fourth to the first division in just four seasons?

Hint: They won the 2013 Football League Cup final 5-0.

Scroll below for the answer.

Extra Time

Why Rodri is much, much more than a defensive midfielder. 

Everyone’s pointing out how freakishly similar these goals are
 even with the advertising boards.

Leaked audio of Monterrey coach calling Lionel Messi a ‘possessed dwarf’. 

Antoine Griezmann celebrated all three of his children’s birthdays yesterday.

Remember when it was almost impossible to catch up with Theo Walcott.

Adele gives her rendition of Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur.

Mikel Arteta was asked if he’s spoken to Xabi Alonso for tips on how to beat Bayern Munich.

On Today

FOOTBALL

UCL: Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (20:00 BST, TNT Sports 1)

UCL: Real Madrid vs Manchester City (20:00 BST, TNT Sports 1)

Championship (Full fixture list here)

Women’s European Championship (Full fixture list here)

GOLF

PGA: US Masters (14:00 BST, Sky Sports Golf)

TENNIS

ATP: Monte Carlo Masters (10:00 BST, Sky Sports Main Event)

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer: Swansea

“I might have said that but, on the whole, I talk a lot of rubbish.”

-Eric Cantona