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Champions League

Champions League news

Liverpool ratings GFX

Crisis over? Szoboszlai shines as Liverpool bounce back in style

Liverpool bounced back from their four successive defeats in style as they came from behind to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday. Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai all got on the scoresheet for the Reds in Germany while Florian Wirtz finally registered his first assists since his big-money arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.

FC Bayern München v Club Brugge KV - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3

Insatiable Kane racks up 20 already as Bayern cruise

England captain Harry Kane scored his 20th goal of the season already as Bayern Munich thrashed Club Brugge 4-0 in the Champions League league phase at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday. The other three goals were scored by Nicolas Jackson, Luis Diaz and Lennart Karl as the youngster broke Jamal Musiala's record to create Bayern history.

Villarreal CF v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3

Guardiola compares Man City star to Messi after unlikely goal

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made an interesting comparison between Cityzens midfielder Bernardo Silva and Lionel Messi, claiming after the Portuguese's goal against Villarreal on Tuesday night that both him and the great Argentine have a "hammer in their necks", capable of scoring great headed goals despite their comparatively short stature.

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Mourinho aims dig at Newcastle fans over 'quiet' St James' Park

Jose Mourinho has aimed a veiled dig at Newcastle over the atmosphere created at St James’ Park during the clash with Benfica, which the Magpies won 3-0. The Geordie faithful pride themselves on the hostile reception they generate for away players and fans, with a raucous atmosphere regularly created in the ground, and they will not take kindly to hearing the Special One’s negative comments.

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Salah DROPPED for Liverpool's UCL clash with Frankfurt

Mohamed Salah has been left out of Liverpool's starting line-up to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday, as Arne Slot has taken action following the Premier League defeat at home to Manchester United last Sunday. Hugo Ekitike has replaced the Egyptian winger in the Reds' XI after starting on the bench against the Red Devils.

Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League

Slot insists Liverpool four-game slump 'shouldn't matter'

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has called for calm after watching his side slump to a worrying fourth consecutive loss at the weekend, in the form of the damaging 2-1 home defeat by arch-rivals Manchester United. The Dutchman has urged players and fans to focus on the coming matches and not dwell on woeful recent run as the Reds look to get back on track.

Antonio Conte PSV Napoli

Conte warns frustrated Napoli winger not to be 'selfish'

Noa Lang has expressed frustration over his lack of playing time at Napoli, revealing he has only spoken to Antonio Conte once since joining in the summer. After being benched in a humiliating 6-2 defeat to former club PSV, the Dutch winger admitted he “has to accept” his situation while Conte warned he must avoid being “selfish” and focus on the team.

Borussia Dortmund v Athletic Club - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2

Bellingham 'singled out' by Kovac & Nmecha after redeeming assist

Jobe Bellingham delivered his first goal contribution for Borussia Dortmund in a 4-2 Champions League win over Copenhagen, earning glowing praise from coach Niko Kovac, team-mate Felix Nmecha and sporting director Sebastian Kehl. The 20-year-old, previously criticised for poor form, responded under pressure and showed signs of the player Dortmund believe he can become.

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Bayern 'absolutely right' to extend 'wonderful' Kompany contract

Bayern Munich were "absolutely" correct to hand Vincent Kompany a new contract, says club legend Lothar Matthaus. The former Germany star says the positive effect of the Belgian coach's leadership is evident throughout the club, praising Kompany for his influence on team spirit and the positive atmosphere that has returned to the Bundesliga champions.

Arsenal FC v Atletico de Madrid - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3

Arteta hails 'phenomenal' Gyokeres after brace vs Atleti

Mikel Arteta hailed "phenomenal" Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres after seeing the Swede end his goal drought during Tuesday night's 4-0 Champions League rout of Atletico Madrid. After weeks of waiting, Gyokeres roared back to form, striking twice in 14 second-half minutes as Arsenal dismantled Diego Simeone’s side, who are usually known to keep things tight at the back.

Sergino Dest Peter Bosz

Dest benched for disciplinary breach as Bosz fumes at USMNT star

USMNT star Sergino Dest was dropped to the bench for PSV's impressive Champions League win over Napoli after arriving late for the match. Manager Peter Bosz explained why he had been left out of his starting XI after the 6-2 victory and was critical of the defender, making it clear he is trying to uphold high standards at the Eredivisie side as he bids to win silverware this season.

Real Madrid CF v RCD Espanyol de Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports

Carvajal slams Miami plan amid La Liga’s U-turn

Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal has condemned La Liga’s plan to stage a league match in Miami, calling it “a clear distortion of the competition.” The controversial Villarreal vs Barcelona fixture, initially set for December 20 in the United States, was scrapped amid widespread backlash from players, fans, and clubs across Spain.

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'Tiger tamer' Conte vows to 'whip' Napoli flops after PSV hammering

"Tiger tamer" Antonio Conte has vowed to "bring the whip" to his Napoli flops after their humiliating Champions League defeat to PSV, while hitting out at the club's summer transfer business. The Italian tactician watched in horror as his side were thrashed 6-2 in Eindhoven despite taking an early lead through Scott McTominay’s 31st-minute header. What began as a promising night for the Partenopei quickly turned into a nightmare, as they were torn apart by a ruthless PSV team that exposed every weakness in Conte’s outfit.

Harry Kane

'We'd have paid even more!' - Kane is a €100m bargain at Bayern

Bayern Munich would have paid even more than €100 million to for Harry Kane had they known just how prolific he would be, CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen says. After two sensational seasons with the German side, his third is off to a flying start, scoring a whopping 19 goals in 11 games with the German giants winning every match they have played so far, sparking talk of a new contract for the 32-year-old.

Lamine Yamal Nicki Nicole Raphinha

Yamal's girlfriend Nicki Nicole shares jokes with Raphinha & Olmo

Barcelona smashed Olympiacos 6-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night at Montjuic and were cheered on by Lamine Yamal's girlfriend Nicki Nicole. The Argentine rapper was spotted in the stands and sharing jokes with Yamal's team-mates Raphinha and Dani Olmo, who missed the game due to injury. Yamal scored a penalty and grabbed an assist on a good night for Hansi Flick's side.

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Mourinho admits 'killer' Newcastle were too strong for Benfica

Jose Mourinho has admitted that "killer" Newcastle were too strong for Benfica, who could not "compete with their horsepower" during their Champions League mauling on Tuesday evening at St. James' Park. The ‘Special One’ believes Eddie Howe’s men belong to a different league after a 3-0 defeat that left the visitors reeling and without a single point after three matches in Europe.

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Sore loser Slot must take accountability to end Reds' rut

Arne Slot's Liverpool tenure had been plain sailing until late September rolled around, with the Dutchman the picture of cool as he guided the Reds to the Premier League title in his first season at the helm, making the job look easy after stepping into the very large shoes vacated by Jurgen Klopp in 2024. The new campaign had started well enough, albeit while a number of late goals might have papered over the cracks, but things feel different now.

Arne Slot Ryan Gravenberch

'He has particular quality' - Slot concerned over injured Gravenberch

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has admitted he is worried about Ryan Gravenberch after seeing the Dutch midfielder sustain an ankle problem during Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Anfield. Gravenberch has since been ruled out of the Reds' Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt and Slot is concerned his presence will be missed as his team aim to end a run of four straight defeats.

Ricardo Pepi, PSV

WATCH: USMNT's Pepi scores, assists in PSV’s 6-2 win over Napoli

PSV Eindhoven delivered a stunning performance in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, dismantling Napoli 6-2 at Philips Stadion with American forward Ricardo Pepi making a significant impact off the bench. The 22-year-old striker needed just two minutes after entering the match to find the net and later provided an assist as PSV secured their first Champions League win of the season.

PSV Eindhoven v SSC Napoli - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3

McTominay brace overshadowed as Napoli are thumped 6-2 by PSV

Napoli were stunned as they lost 6-2 to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday night, despite midfielder Scott McTominay scoring a creditable brace against their Dutch opponents. Antonio Conte's side came into the game following a 1-0 defeat to Torino and were hoping to bounce back, but were instead dealt a sobering defeat.

Arsenal FC v Atletico de Madrid - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3

Is Ted Lasso an Arsenal fan? Sudeikis at the Emirates again

Cameras picked up Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis in attendance at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night as Arsenal hosted Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The American entertainer is known to be a huge sports fan and his presence at the game, given his alter ego's place within modern football culture, was an amusing side-note for fans of the world famous show.

Newcastle Benfica UCL

Gordon loves the UCL! Newcastle make Mourinho miserable

Newcastle made it successive Champions League wins on Tuesday with what was ultimately a routine 3-0 win over Jose Mourinho's Benfica at St James' Park. Anthony Gordon scored in Europe for the fourth time this season, before Harvey Barnes came off the bench to wrap up maximum points with a brace for Eddie Howe's side. There was even a remarkable assist for Toon goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Haaland City

Red hot Haaland scores once more on easy night for City

Erling Haaland scored for the 12th game running for club and country as Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday. Bernardo Silva also netted to rubber-stamp City's first away win in Europe's top competition for more than a year, taking Pep Guardiola's side on to seven points from their three games in the league phase.

Arsenal Atletico ratings GFX

Can anyone stop Gabriel? Arsenal set-piece king strikes again

Arsenal thumped Atletico Madrid 4-0 in a hugely impressive Champions League outing on Tuesday, as Gabriel Magalhaes scored and assisted while Viktor Gyokeres netted a confidence-boosting brace. Three of the Gunners' four goals came directly from set-pieces, as Mikel Arteta's side became the second English side to beat Atletico in Europe this season, after Liverpool.

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3

'Barcelona's best player!' - Rashford lights up UCL again

Manchester United flop Marcus Rashford has been hailed as Barcelona's best player as he lit up the Champions League again and led the Catalan giants to a thumping 6-1 win over Olympiacos on Tuesday. Rashford, deployed as a No.9 in the absence of Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski, delivered with a brace as the Spanish champions returned to winning ways in Europe.

Frequently asked questions

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have won the Ligue 1 title 12 times, more than any other club. Their first win was in 1986, and they claimed their record-breaking 12th title in 2023, surpassing AS Saint-Etienne.

The Ligue 1 consists of 18 teams since the 2023-24 season, prior to which 20 teams took part in the league. The inaugural season of the French first division in 1932-33 also consisted of 20 teams, divided in two groups of 10 teams each.

Mickael Landreau holds the record for the most Ligue 1 appearances, with 618 matches as a goalkeeper. His career spanned nearly two decades, playing for clubs like Nantes, Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, and Bastia.

Delio Onnis holds the record as the all-time top scorer in Ligue 1 with 299 goals. Playing as a centre-forward, his remarkable goal-scoring feats spanned the 1970s and 1980s, where he starred for clubs like AS Monaco and Reims, making him a legend in French football.

As of 2024, Dimitri Payet holds the record for the most assists in Ligue 1 history, with a total of 130 assists. The attacking midfielder achieved this milestone during his successful stints with several clubs, including Marseille and Lille.

Pierre Braine holds the record of being the oldest player in Ligue 1 history, aged almost 45 years in a Ligue 1 game in 1945.

At 15 years and 225 days, Kalman Gerencseri is the youngest player in Ligue 1 history. The Frenchman played for Lens against Monaco in a Ligue 1 game in 1960.

Notable players who have graced Ligue 1 include legends like Zinedine Zidane, George Weah, Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe.

Prominent managers in Ligue 1 include Arsene Wenger, Laurent Blanc, Carlo Ancelotti, Adi Hutter, Luis Enrique, etc.

The Orange Velodrome in Marseille is the largest stadium in Ligue 1, with a capacity of 67,394 spectators. Home to Marseille since 1937, it is renowned for its electric atmosphere and hosting significant football events in France.

Neymar is indeed the most expensive player in Ligue 1 history. His transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 was valued at a record €222 million, which remains the highest transfer fee ever paid for a player.