Sports
Champions League draw confirmed [Full fixtures]
The draw for the league phase of the new Champions League have been conducted.
This year, the competition will begin with a ‘Swiss-style’ league phase rather than the group stage to which fans had become accustomed.
Also, 36 teams will take part rather than the usual 32.
The league phase will finish at the end of January instead of the usual December.
Then the top eight sides will then qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams that finish in ninth to 24th place will be drawn in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.
Teams ranked 25-36 are eliminated from all competitions.
Here are some of the fixtures:
Man City will face Inter, Club Brugge, Feyenoord and Sparta Prague at Home. They will then have PSG away, Juventus away, Sporting Lisbon away and Bratislava away.
Inter Milan will play Leipzig h, Man City a, Arsenal h, Leverkusen a, Red Star h, Young Boys a, Monaco h, Sparta Praha a.
Bayern Munich will play PSG h, Barcelona a, Benfica h, Shakhtar a, Dinamo h, Feyenoord a, Slovan Bratislava h, Aston Villa a.
Bayern Munich will play – PSG h, Barcelona a, Benfica h, Shakhtar a, Dinamo h, Feyenoord a, Slovan Bratislava h, Aston Villa a.
RB Leipzig will play Inter (a), Liverpool (h), Juventus (h), Atletico Madrid (a), Sporting Lisbon (h), Celtic (a), Aston Villa (h), Sturm Graz (a)
Borussia Dortmund are: Barcelona (h), Madrid (a), Shakhtar (h), Brugge (a), Celtic (h), Dinamo Zagreb (a), Sturm Graz (h), Bologna (a)
Barcelona’s matches: Bayern Munich (h), Dortmund (a), Atalanta (h), Benfica (a), Young Boys (h), Red Star (a), Brest (h), Monaco (a)
Real Madrid will face: Dortmund (h), Liverpool (a), Milan (h), Atalanta (a), Salzburg (h), Lille (a), Stuttgart (h), Brest (a)
Liverpool’s games: Madrid (h), Leipzig (a), Milan (a), Leverkusen (h), Lille (h), PSV (a), Bologna (h), Girona (a)
PSG face: Man City (h), Bayern (a), Atletico Madrid (h), Arsenal (a), PSV (h), Salzburg (a), Girona (h), Stuttgart (a)
Atletico Madrid face: Leipzig (h), PSG (a), Leverkusen (h), Benfica (a), Lille (h), Salzburg (a), Bratislava (h), Sparta (a)
Atalanta will play: Madrid (h), Barcelona (a), Arsenal (h), Shakhtar (a), Celtic (h), Young Boys (a), Graz (h), Stuttgart (a)
Club Brugge’s games: Dortmund (h), Man City (a), Juventus (h), Milan (a), Sporting Lisbon (h), Celtic (a), Aston Villa (h), Graz (a)
Arsenal’s matches: PSG (H), Inter Milan (A), Shakhtar Donetsk (H), Atalanta (A), Dinamo Zagreb (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Monaco (H), Girona (A)
Bayer Leverkusen’s games: Inter Milan h, Liverpool a, AC Milan h, Atletico Madrid a, RB Salzburg h, Feyenoord a, Sparta Praha h, Brest a.
AC Milan’s matches: Liverpool (h), Madrid (a), Brugge (h), Leverkusen (a), Belgrade (h), Dinamo (a), Girona (h), Bratislava (a)
Benfica’s games: Barcelona h, Bayern a, Atletico h, Juventus a, Feyenoord h, Red Star a, Bologna h, Monaco a.
Juventus fixtures: Man City (h), Leipzig (a), Benfica (h), Brugge (a), PSV (h), Lille (a), Stuttgart (h), Villa (a)
Shakhtar’s games: Bayern (h), Dortmund (a), Atalanta (h), Arsenal (a), Young Boys (h), PSV (a), Brest (h), Bologna (a)
Young Boys’ games: Inter (h), Barcelona (a), Atalanta (h), Shakhtar (a), Belgrade (h), Celtic (a), Villa (h), Stuttgart (a)
Lille’s games: Real Madrid h, Liverpool a, Juventus h, Atletico a, Feyenoord h, Sporting CP a, Sturm Graz h, Bologna a.
PSV’s matches: Liverpool h, PSG a, Shakhtar h, Juventus a, Sporting CP h, Red Star a, Girona h, Brest a.
Feyenoord’s fixtures: Man City a, Bayern h, Leverkusen h, Benfica a, Salzburg h, Lille a, Sparta Praha h, Girona a.
Red Star’s matches: Barcelona h, Inter a, Benfica h, Milan a, PSV h, Young Boys a, Stuttgart h, Monaco a
Celtic’s matches: Leipzig h, Dortmund a, Atalanta a, Brugge h, Young Boys h, Dinamo a, Slovan Bratislava h, Aston Villa a
Sporting Lisbon fixtures: Man City h, Leipzig a, Arsenal h, Brugge a, Lille h, PSV a, Bologna h, Sturm Graz a
Stuttgart’s games: PSG h, Real a, Atalanta h, Juve a, Young Boys h, Red Star a, Sparta Praha h, Bratislava a
Girona’s matches: Liverpool h, PSG a, Arsenal h, Milan a, Feyenoord h, PSV a, Bratislava h, Sturm Graz a
Bologna’s games: Dortmund h, Liverpool a, Shakhtar h, Benfica a, Lille h, Sporting a, Monaco h, Aston Villa a
Aston Villa’s fixtures: Bayern (h), Leipzig (a), Juventus (h), Brugge (a), Celtic (h), Young Boys (a), Bologna (h), Monaco (a)
Sparta Praha’s games: Inter (h), Man City (a), Atletico (h), Leverkusen (a), Salzburg (h), Feyenoord (a), Brest (h), Stuttgart (a)
Bratislava’s matches: Man City (h), Bayern (a), Milan (h), Atletico (a), Dinamo (h), Celtic (a), Stuttgart (h), Girona (a)
Monaco’s games: Barcelona (h), Inter (a), Benfica (h), Arsenal (a), Belgrade (h), Dinamo (a), Villa (h), Bologna (a)
Brest’s games: Real Madrid h, Barcelona a, Leverkusen h, Shakhtar a, PSV h, Salzburg a, Sturm Graz h, Sparta Praha a
Stum Graz’s fixures: Leipzig (h), Dortmund (a), Brugge (h), Atalanta (a), Sporting (h), Lille (a), Girona (h), Brest (a)
Sports
Bundesliga: Boniface misses Bayer Leverkusen final game of 2024
Victor Boniface has been ruled out of Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga clash with Freiburg.
Boniface returned to full team training this week after a short injury layoff.
The 23-year-old sustained a muscle injury on international duty last month.
Leverkusen manager, Xabi Alonso stated that the powerful striker has not fully recovered from the injury and will not face Freiburg on Saturday (Saturday).
“Victor Boniface, Amine Adil and Jonas Hoffmann are unavailable for the game due to injuries,” Alonso said during his interaction with the media.
The Nigeria international has scored eight goals in 15 appearances across all competitions for Die Werkself this season.
Sports
FIFA Intercontinental Cup: Ancelotti becomes Real Madrid’s most successful manager
Carlo Ancelotti has become Real Madrid’s most successful manager after the club defeated Pachuca 3-0 to win the FIFA Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday night.
Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo all scored as Los Blancos clinched their latest piece of silverware.
It is also a record-breaking 15th trophy for Ancelotti with the Spanish giants across two spells.
He has won three Champions League trophies, two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, two Spanish Supercopas, three UEFA Super Cups, two Club World Cups, and the Intercontinental Cup.
Ancelotti has surpassed Miguel Muñoz, who led Real Madrid from 1959-1974 and won 14 trophies, including nine league wins and two European Cups.
Sports
Peseiro reveals reason behind Lookman’s impressive form
Former Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro says Atalanta manager, Gian Piero Gasperini must take credit for Ademola Lookman’s remarkable rise this year.
Lookman has thrived at Atalanta since arriving from Bundesliga outfit, RB Leipzig in 2022.
The 27-year-old has also excelled at the international level, playing a key role in Peseiro’s side that finished second at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
“I think giving Lookman the freedom to move around has allowed him to show his quality, both in terms of decision-making and execution,” Peseiro told Sportitalia.
” Of course, the club and Gasperini have provided Lookman with the environment to grow as a player in all aspects.”
Lookman was named African Footballer of the Year this week.
Peseiro said his former deserved the accolade.
“I think Lookman’s victory is deserved given his performances both for Atalanta, his club and for his country, Nigeria,” added the Portuguese.
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