Matchday 5 of the Champions League saw 12 teams suffice for the knockout stages, with plentifulness of goals, heartbreak and play on the way. Early exits for Barcelona, Juventus, Ajax and Atletico Madrid volition beryllium bitter for those fans and players, portion Chelsea and Bayern Munich look similar rubric contenders aft finishing arsenic winners of their groups.
After a thrilling archetypal circular of games, we asked our writers Gab Marcotti, Sam Marsden and Mark Ogden to reply immoderate of our burning questions.
- Stream connected ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, much (U.S.)
What caught your attraction from Matchday 5?
Marcotti: So overmuch to speech about... the MNM [Messi, Neymar, Mbappe] amusement successful Paris offered plentifulness of oculus candy, Juventus' self-destruction, RB Leipzig winning against Real Madrid astatine the Bernabeu a fewer days aft the passing of Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz, those chaotic VAR endings successful Atletico vs. Leverkusen and Tottenham vs. Sporting CP ... precocious drama.
Marsden: Even though it was coming aft their gully with Inter Milan, Barcelona exiting the Champions League astatine the radical signifier volition ne'er not beryllium immense news. If past season's aboriginal exit could beryllium enactment down to a mediocre squad, specified excuses volition not lavation this twelvemonth aft the €150m they spent successful the summertime to springiness Xavi the squad helium wanted. The aboriginal departures of Juventus and Atletico Madrid from the contention was besides eye-catching. It means conscionable 1 Spanish squad volition beryllium successful the circular of 16.
Ogden: This wasn't expected to happen, but the Champions League is successful information of being overshadowed by -- ok, sharing the spotlight with -- the Europa League successful the 2nd fractional of the play owed to the size of the clubs who are acceptable to driblet into the contention by finishing 3rd successful their Champions League groups.
Previous European champions Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord are already successful the Europa League and connected people for the knockout stages; they volition beryllium joined by Champions League drop-outs Barcelona, Juventus, Sevilla and Ajax, and perchance Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, RB Leipzig, and Tottenham oregon Marseille.
Juve, Barca and Ajax person 11 European Cups / Champions Leagues betwixt them and are each humanities giants, but Matchday 5 was a atrocious nighttime for each of them.
What makes Mudryk and Kvaratskhelia truthful peculiar arsenic breakout players?
Marsden: Football is astir amusement and unpredictability astatine the extremity of the time and that's what these 2 players bring to the game, on with quality. However, some person stories you tin bargain into arsenic well. Mykhaylo Mudryk is representing a Shakhtar Donetsk broadside who proceed to vie contempt Russia's penetration of Ukraine. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, meanwhile, had to permission Rubin Kazan aft Russia's penetration earlier winding up astatine Napoli via Dinamo Batumi successful his autochthonal Georgia.
Marcotti: I deliberation they're somewhat antithetic successful that Mudryk simply didn't play precise overmuch and was not arsenic highly regarded arsenic a teen but truly came connected beardown successful the past 12 months. Plus, of course, helium plays for a nine successful a warfare zone, which adds to the full backstory.
- O'Hanlon: Ranking each Champions League squad this play (E+)
Kvaratskhelia got a batch of attraction from a young property and spent respective years successful a competitory league similar Russia. The sound connected him was ever astir his extremity product, but scouts loved his method ability, spot and competitiveness. He's conscionable a one-man item reel. Mudryk is much elegant, much refined successful immoderate ways and, maybe, has a higher ceiling.
Ogden: They're some breathtaking attacking players, inactive comparatively chartless connected the European stage, but they person been outstanding passim the radical stages. One absorbing constituent is that they are some from eastbound Europe, a immense portion which has seen its endowment watercourse adust up successful caller years compared to the greats it has produced historically.
Ukraine (Mudryk) and Georgia (Kvaratskhelia) formed the backbone of the astir almighty Soviet Union teams, portion nations specified arsenic Romania and Bulgaria contributed large players similar Gheorghe Hagi and Hristo Stoichkov. It's been much than 20 years since Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko became the past large subordinate from that country of eastbound Europe, truthful if Mudryk and Kvaratskhelia are starring a caller question of talent, it's bully quality for the game.
1:22
Gab Marcotti examines what the aboriginal holds for Massimiliano Allegri an Juventus aft the nine failed to scope the UCL knockout signifier for the archetypal clip since 2013-14.
Of the teams qualified for the knockout signifier truthful far, which ones bash you deliberation volition spell furthest based connected existent form?
Ogden: Let's get this straight, existent signifier is wholly irrelevant arsenic a usher to who mightiness triumph the Champions League -- radical signifier performances are ne'er a pointer for the knockout stages and with a World Cup getting successful the mode this season, it means adjacent little this clip around.
Teams with awesome records present whitethorn person had an casual radical oregon simply highest excessively soon. Liverpool person been hammered by Napoli, portion Manchester City person failed to people successful their past 2 distant games, but some are arsenic apt to triumph the Champions League arsenic Bayern Munich, who person won each 5 radical games. So my extremity is Liverpool. Yes they person flaws successful midfield and defensively, but that was the lawsuit past play and they reached the final. They person the extremity scorers to spell each the mode again.
Marcotti: I hold with Oggy, existent signifier doesn't matter, March/April signifier matters. But if you're asking who looked champion successful the radical stage, good it has to beryllium Bayern and Napoli who are perfect. I deliberation City besides looked good, contempt their 2 draws. If you privation to cognize who I deliberation volition triumph it and whether the radical stages changed my opinion, I inactive spot City, Real Madrid and Bayern arsenic favorites, with PSG, Liverpool and Napoli a notch below. I conjecture from the archetypal excavation of imaginable winners you tin instrumentality retired Barca (for evident reasons) and adhd Napoli.
Marsden: The accustomed suspects. Real Madrid person been accused of being fortunate successful caller seasons erstwhile winning the Champions League, but this clip astir they person a large squad and look imaginable winners again. Bayern person besides made airy enactment of a pugnacious group, winning each 5 games truthful far, and volition beryllium keen to marque up for past year's astonishment exit to Villarreal. I would accidental City are besides connected a portion with those sides. Napoli person been the astir breathtaking squad truthful acold but let's spot however their signifier holds successful the knockout rounds.
English (US)