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Federico Valverde(C)Getty Images
Francesco Guerrieri
Translated by

Valverde, the secret behind the hat-trick: Arbeloa's tactical move

Real Madrid
F. Valverde
Champions League

The Uruguayan was the star of the Champions League round of 16 first leg, sinking City with a hat-trick.

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Amazon Prime Video

✅ Holds exclusive first-pick rights for one Tuesday match per matchweek

✅ Consistently features high-profile fixtures involving English clubs

✅ Includes wider Amazon delivery and digital entertainment benefits

Monthly from£8.99
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BBC Logo

BBC

✅ Dedicated Wednesday night highlights broadcast

✅ Completely free on UK terrestrial television

✅ Accessible on-demand via the BBC iPlayer

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Majority UCL Broadcaster
HBO Max

TNT (via HBO Max)

✅ Broadcasts the vast majority of live matches (186 games per season)

✅ Includes full live coverage of the Europa League and Conference League

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One, two, three. Hat-trick. And a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabeu. Mbappé? No, he didn't even play in that match. And it wasn't Haaland, Semenyo or any of Guardiola's other players either. The man who scored three goals in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 between Real Madrid and Manchester City was Federico Valverde, who once again proved himself to be one of the best midfielders in the world. A box-to-box midfielder but also a right-back when needed, with attacking midfielder statistics: this season, he has been involved in 18 of Real Madrid's goals, scoring six and providing 12 assists. Phenomenal statistics.

  • VALVERDE EXPLAINS ARBELOA'S TACTICAL MOVE

    After the match, Valverde spoke to Movistar, revealing the secret behind his hat-trick: "It was incredible, anyone would dream of an evening like this. I want to thank my teammates for their support. I don't know if it's my best performance ever, but certainly in terms of goals.The coach asked me to play in an advanced role,telling me to push forward, attack and be present in dangerous situations." On the second leg, Valverde said: "City press high and play man-to-man, which means we could have space to exploit behind them."

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LaLiga

07 Nov 2026

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