UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions’ League Group Stage Begins
As the group stage of the UEFA Champions League opens this Tuesday, there are records in the offing. Manchester United’s manager, Jose Mourinho will not just be delighted that the club is returning to top flight European football after a year of ‘sabbatical’ leave, he is aiming to be the first person to manage three different clubs to European glory should Manchester United emerge champions next year’s May.
In similar circumstances, defending champions, Real Madrid will be aiming to be the first club to achieve a three straight win since the feat of Germany’s Bayern Munich in the 1970s.
GROUP A (BENFICA, MANCHESTER UNITED, BASEL, CSKA MOSCOW)
In Group A where Manchester United squares up with the trio Portugal’s Benfica, Switzerland’s Basel and Russia’s CSKA Moscow, the English Premership side is expected to start as the group favourite having obtained 10 points out of possible 12 in the new English premiership season.
Manchester United will open its account facing Basel at Old Trafford at 7.45 pm. Basel is reportedly weakened by persistent sales of top players since eliminating United in the 2011 groups.
The club which has been without a win in eight European games, drawing three and losing five had in the 2011/12 season faced Manchester United in the group stage. Basel won and drew the other match.
Manchester United which is making its 21st group stage appearance will be without Phil Jones and Eric Bailly who are serving a match ban.
But Mourinho seems not missing the duo as he told Simon Hart, the UEFA reporter attached to the team that Victor Lindelöf will start alongside Chris Smalling,
“Even if Jones and Bailly were not suspended, probably I would still play Lindelöf and Samlling.
“For me, they are the same level. I think it’s easier for [Lindelöf] to play Champions League – it is more comparable to the style of football in the Portuguese league. There is no need to adapt to the Champions League but he needs a little bit of time to adapt to the Premier League.
“He’s an intelligent kid, very bright, very calm; he knows that step by step he is going to be there.”
Added to that is the possibility of playing without Marouane Fellaini who reportedly picked a calf injury whole on international assignment for Belgium last week.
“Fellaini didn’t train yesterday (Sunday) and let’s see if he can today (Monday)”, Mourinho told the UEFA reporter.
“It’s a very important day for me, much more important than you can imagine. I feel weaker without Fellaini in my squad. It doesn’t matter if it’s on the pitch or on the bench, if his condition improves, he will be selected because I need him”, remarked Mourinho.
In the other Group A match, Benfica is a consistent performer in the Europa League will host CSKA Moscow which finished last in its group in each of the last four seasons – including one that contained United in 2015. –
GROUP B (BAYERN MUNICH, PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, ANDERLECHT, CELTIC)
Neymar made it his big goal to win the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain after securing his world-record transfer from Barcelona for 222 million euros ($262 million) in July.
Advancing to the knockout stage should be a formality for his new team, which also includes teenage striker Kylian Mbappe in a new-look and exciting forward line.
Neymar’s first European campaign with PSG will take him to five-time champion Bayern, whose coach Carlo Ancelotti used to manage the French club. Celtic is never an easy team to visit, but the Scottish champions are likely to be fighting it out with Anderlecht for third place.
GROUP C (CHELSEA, ATLETICO MADRID, ROMA, QARABAG)
Qarabag is the first Azerbaijani team to reach this stage and its reward is one of the most competitive groups.
Atletico Madrid has reached the final twice in the past three years, losing both times to Real Madrid, while Chelsea – the 2012 European champion – is the current English champion and has recovered after an uncomfortable start to the Premier League.
Chelsea and Atletico could be in negotiations over the next few months regarding the sale of Diego Costa, the Chelsea striker who has been estranged in his native Brazil for much of the summer and wants to join former club Atletico.
GROUP D (JUVENTUS, BARCELONA, OLYMPIAKOS, SPORTING)
It will be a major surprise if Juventus and Barcelona, European champions a combined seven times, fail to qualify from the group.
They met in the 2015 final, with Barca’s prolific front three of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez inspiring a 3-1 win in Berlin. Neymar, of course, is no longer around for Barca, with new signing Ousmane Dembele replacing him.
Juventus lost last season’s final to Real Madrid and hasn’t won the Champions League since 1996. Olympiakos and Sporting are regular qualifiers but rarely advance, with Sporting weakened by the recent sale of midfielder Adrien Silva to Leicester.
GROUP E (SPARTAK MOSCOW, SEVILLA, LIVERPOOL, MARIBOR)
Five-time European champion Liverpool came through the playoffs and gets a chance to avenge its loss to Sevilla in the 2016 Europa League final, which denied the English team a place in last season’s Champions League.
Spartak, which won the Russian Premier League, is in the group stage for the first time since 2012-13, while Slovenian team Maribor is the big outsider in its third attempt to reach the knockout stage. This will likely be considered the weakest of the eight groups.
GROUP F (SHAKHTAR DONETSK, MANCHESTER CITY, NAPOLI, FEYENOORD)
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City avoided tougher options by being drawn into top-seeded Shakhtar’s group.
The Ukrainian champion is always fighting against the disadvantage of not playing a real home game in three years due to the conflict involving pro-Russian separatists around its home city.
Still, Napoli was one of the more difficult opponents for City from the third-seeded teams and eased past Nice in the playoffs round. Feyenoord returns to the group stage after a 15-year absence and is likely to face a steep learning curve.
GROUP G (MONACO, PORTO, BESIKTAS, LEIPZIG)
Monaco, last season’s surprise semifinalist, is the top seed but has been hurt by the departure of key players like Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy this summer.
The French team comes up against Porto in a rematch of the 2004 final won by the Portuguese team.
Leipzig didn’t even exist then – the club was created in 2009 – and is a newcomer at this level. But the Bundesliga runner-up was the team from the fourth seeds that most of the continent’s heavyweights wanted to avoid. Monaco won its group as a fourth-seeded team last season.
GROUP H (REAL MADRID, BORUSSIA DORTMUND, TOTTENHAM, APOEL)
Real Madrid has won the Champions League three times in the past four years, and is looking to become the first team since Bayern Munich (1974-76) to be European champion in three straight years.
Madrid’s path to the knockout stage may have been smoothed by its fierce rival Barcelona, which weakened Borussia Dortmund by signing Ousmane Dembele.
Tottenham will be hoping for better results at its temporary home of Wembley Stadium, where the English team lost two of its three group games last season and hasn’t won either of its Premier League games there this season. APOEL famously reached the quarterfinals in 2012 against the odds.
Heineken has intensified its UEFA Champions League campaign in Nigeria as excitement builds ahead of the decisive quarter-final second-leg matches, promising fans an even more immersive viewing experience across key cities.
Following the success of the first-leg activations in Port Harcourt and other locations, the premium beer brand is taking the energy a notch higher with upcoming fan events scheduled for Aba and Owerri.
“‘Fans Have More Friends’ cuts across genders as supporters connect and celebrate together during a UEFA Champions League match night at the second-round fixtures in Lagos last month.”
The initial round of viewing experiences drew large crowds, with football lovers treated to a lively blend of big-screen matches, live music, interactive “predict and win” games, and a festive atmosphere anchored on the brand’s global “Fans Have More Friends” campaign.
Portfolio Manager for Premium Beer at Nigerian Breweries Plc, Maria Shadeko, said the brand is building on that momentum to deliver an even richer experience.
“The energy we saw during the first-leg events was incredible. Fans didn’t just come to watch football — they came to connect, celebrate and be part of something bigger. For the second leg, we are raising the tempo to deliver an even more exciting experience,” she said.
Fans attending the second-leg activations can expect enhanced engagement, including bigger prizes, premium Heineken merchandise, and more interactive entertainment designed to bring supporters closer to both the action and one another.
A vibrant display of the ‘Fans Have More Friends’ campaign as supporters connect with their favourite clubs during a UEFA Champions League match night in Lagos.
On the pitch, the UEFA Champions League quarter-final ties remain delicately poised, setting the stage for high-stakes encounters.
Ademola Lookman has been a major talking point for Nigerian fans after inspiring Atlético Madrid to a commanding 2–0 first-leg victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou. Despite the advantage, Barcelona’s reputation for dramatic comebacks keeps the tie finely balanced.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid face a difficult task after a 2–1 home loss to Bayern Munich, while Liverpool FC must overturn a 2–0 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield.
Arsenal FC hold a slender edge following a 1–0 away win over Sporting CP, with the return leg set to determine who progresses to the semi-finals.
Shadeko noted that the tension on the pitch is perfectly matched by the atmosphere off it.
“These are the moments fans look forward to — when every goal matters and every match can change everything. We want to make sure that wherever fans are watching, they enjoy it together in a way that feels special,” she added.
Heineken’s multi-city activation campaign, which kicked off at the quarter-final stage, will continue through the semi-finals and culminate in the final on May 30, with major events planned in Lagos, Abuja, and Benin City.
As the race for semi-final spots intensifies, the brand’s campaign reinforces a simple message — football is best experienced together, and Nigerian fans are set to enjoy every moment of the drama both on and off the pitch.
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UEFA Champions League
Carrick buoyed up by Mount’s return to Manchester United as Champions League push resumes
Manchester United return to action on Monday with renewed optimism after interim manager Michael Carrick welcomed Mason Mount back to fitness and saw Lisandro Martinez return to training ahead of their Premier League clash with Leeds United.
Carrick’s men have not played for more than three weeks since a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, but resume their campaign sitting third in the table and looking to strengthen their grip on a Champions League place, buoyed up by improving squad availability as the season heads into a crucial phase.
Mount has played sparingly due to injury, and was on the pitch for just a minute of the Bournemouth draw,
“It’s great to have Mason back, to miss him so quickly after we came in and came together,” Carrick told reporters on Saturday.
“He’s obviously had nearly two or three weeks of building up and finding his rhythm, finding his sharpness. I think his versatility, is a big strength of his. He can play through the middle, he can play midfield, he can play wide and he can do so many different roles.
“We’ve just got to give him the time to get fit again and be patient with that but he’s certainly in a good place right now.”
Carrick was undecided on the status of Martinez, who has not played since suffering a calf injury in early February.
“It’s just that call that we make,” he said. “We wouldn’t be pushed into anything.
“He’s back training, which is great, and back on the grass. But we’ve certainly got to make the right decision and make sure he’s ready.”
United are third on 55 points, one point ahead of fourth-placed Aston Villa, but six ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool.
Carrick has overseen a spectacular run since taking charge in January, guiding United to 23 points from a possible 30 and restoring calm after a turbulent first half of the season.
With just weeks remaining and the race for the five Champions League places tightening, United know there is little room for complacency.
Monday’s match also reignites one of English football’s fiercest rivalries, with Carrick keen for his players to embrace the occasion.
“It’s gone on for an awful long time,” Carrick said. “I think that’s what rivalries are there for, for a really good reason, I think, to be part of, and the intensity and the emotion and the passion that goes into it.
“Obviously, it’s got to keep within the margins but I think that’s part of the game we love, going up against other teams… and battling it out on the pitch. So I think it’s something that we’ve got to embrace.”
Leeds are 15th in the table.
-Reuters
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UEFA Champions League
PSG a class above as goals by Doue and Kvaratskhelia help them beat Liverpool 2-0
Holders Paris St Germain were a cut above Liverpool as goals by Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia spurred them to an easy 2-0 home win in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
Doue and Kvaratskhelia struck either side of halftime to give Luis Enrique’s side a solid advantage ahead of next week’s return at Anfield, where PSG booked their place in the last eight last season
Doue opened the scoring with a deflected effort before Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead with a superb solo run and finish, but PSG wasted a handful of chances that would have further strengthened their push for the semi-finals.
Liverpool, thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the weekend, set up cautiously with three centre backs and Mohamed Salah on the bench, but struggled to contain a PSG side that mixed patient possession with bursts of attacking intensity.
Arne Slot opted for a back three with wings but the defence held for only 11 minutes at the Parc des Princes.
Doue picked up the ball on the left side of the box and his curled shot towards the opposite top corner took a slight deflection off Ryan Gravenberch and went out of Giorgi Mamardashvili’s reach.
Liverpool were hanging on for dear life, picking up two yellow cards in three minutes, and barely threatened.
ZERO SHOTS ON TARGET FOR LIVERPOOL
As the visitors’ defence scrambled a clearance, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia fired a half-volley that forced Mamardashvili to fully stretch. The keeper then denied Doue from point-blank range, preserving Liverpool’s deficit to a minimum.
Next, Ousmane Dembele missed a golden opportunity to double the advantage when he shot straight at the keeper at the end of a sharp transition.
Liverpool, who did not manage a single shot before the break, were fortunate to be only one goal behind.
Hugo Ekitike was the first to have a go but shot wide four minutes into the second half, shortly before Dembele missed the target again, skying his effort over the bar from inside the area.
That was as close as the visitors got, failing to manage a single shot on target.
Liverpool did, however, look bolder after the interval, but limited compared to PSG, who played keep-ball and tormented them with brutal changes of pace.
One of them came in the 65th minute when Joao Neves played in a racing Kvaratskhelia and the Georgian danced his way through the area, rounded Mamardashvili and slotted the ball home.
Dembele’s angled shot crashed onto the post and Nuno Mendes fluffed a golden chance in the final minutes as Liverpool preserved a slim hope of overturning the deficit next Tuesday.
-Reuters
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