The Champions League semi-finals start this week, with Manchester City facing European royalty Real Madrid and Inter Milan taking on AC Milan in a derby.
City are trying to bounce back from the heartbreak of last season’s meeting at the same stage.
They were seconds away from back-to-back finals, but Madrid scored twice in the final minute before netting an extra-time winner.
But City have Erling Haaland now.
The other game pits Inter against Milan, with both legs at their shared San Siro ground.
That has happened twice before in the Champions League, with Milan beating Inter in the 2003 semis and 2005 quarters.
So what else should we be looking out for?
Is this finally City’s year?
Manchester City comfortably got past Bayern Munich in the quarters
Manchester City have arguably been the most consistent team in Europe over the past decade not to win the Champions League.
City are closing in on a fifth Premier League title in six years and a seventh since 2011-12.
They have reached the semi-finals for the past three years – including losing the 2021 final to Chelsea – having got to the last eight for the three years before that.
But City have yet to win the European crown.
By contrast, since 2011-12 Chelsea and Liverpool have won as many Champions Leagues as Premier League titles – two and one respectively.
Pep Guardiola’s side have hit their stride at the perfect time too, with 20 games unbeaten taking them close to a first Treble by an English team since 1999.
Guardiola will hope it goes better than Liverpool’s quadruple effort last year, which saw them lose the Champions League final and miss out on the Premier League title.
Haaland’s 51 goals in 46 games have helped too, with Dixie Dean’s 63 goals for Everton in 1927-28 – the all-time single-season English goalscoring record – still very much within his grasp.
Football journalist Guillem Balague said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “His arrival has had a tsunami effect on the rest of the team.
“He is a strength when they get the ball long, he will score in the big games. He is a man for the big moments and that does affect the way Manchester City play.”
Julien Laurens said: “They have found solidity. This team has a bit more and is a bit special compared to last year.
“It feels like it is City’s year, they are going for the Treble. It just feels like there is something happening.”
Can Real do it again?
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid were far too good for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in the last round
Something seems to happen to Real Madrid in Europe – they just come alive.
They have won five of the past nine Champions Leagues – despite only winning the Spanish league three times during that period.
In two of those triumphant campaigns they only finished third in La Liga.
That means you cannot read too much into their miserable domestic campaign, where they sit third again, 14 points off leaders Barcelona.
And they have so much experience against English teams.
This will be their sixth knockout round in a row against Premier League sides, facing Liverpool, Chelsea and City this season and last.
They have succeeded in the previous five – beating Jurgen Klopp’s side in last year’s final.
Leao’s time to shine?
Olivier Giroud acknowledged how special Rafael Leao’s assist was for him against Napoli
Most people expected Victor Osimhen to be the striker to decide the quarter-final between Napoli and Milan, but the moment of the tie belonged to Rafael Leao.
The 23-year-old Milan striker picked the ball up just outside his own box and ran nearly the whole length of the pitch before setting up Olivier Giroud for the goal that made it 2-1 on aggregate in the second leg.
He had also been one of their liveliest players in the first leg too. Not to mention the two goals he scored against the now champions in their 4-0 Serie A win earlier in April.
Portugal international Leao has really caught the eye in recent weeks and, despite a relatively modest goal haul of 13 this season, he has also created 10 goals.
“There are not many players like him in world football,” said Laurens.
Leao’s contract runs out at the end of next season – with Chelsea among his reported suitors.
Italian football journalist James Horncastle said: “I think the hierarchy at AC Milan think that you can still have a competitive team when players are on half that [salary budget].
“But they recognise that Leao is an exceptional talent and Leao has said he wants to stay. This is a deal they’ve got to get done.”
Balague added: “If he goes to Chelsea or Manchester United, what happens to him? I see a player that can thrive with the ball. He seems unstoppable and in a tighter game with higher tempo I don’t know if he’ll be as impressive.”
Leao is also a rapper, who goes by the name Way 45, and is set to release a second album this year. One of his songs has over a million views on YouTube.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic laughed at it. He laughed at it and told me to focus on football instead,” Leao told Rolling Stone UK in a recent interview.
Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, is set to end his career without a single Champions League medal. The 41-year-old, who is expected to leave Milan this summer, is not registered in their Champions League squad as he was injured at the time they featured.
Can Lukaku step up?
Romelu Lukaku scored in Inter’s quarter-final win over Benfica
Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan has been a letdown for all concerned.
The Belgian striker won Serie A with the club in 2020-21 and was named the Serie A player of the year, before moving to Chelsea, where he had a disappointing season.
But his loan spell to Inter last summer has not rekindled his form.
He has only netted 10 goals this term, compared to 64 goals in his other two years in Italy.
What a time this would be to start a scoring spree – although the BBC Euro Leagues team are not convinced that will happen.
Laurens said: “Over the two legs against Benfica, he was very important and scored a late penalty. But he was not a starter. So Lukaku might have to watch it from the bench first and then see if he can have an impact from the bench.
“I’m not too optimistic.”
Balague said: “He’s aware he’s not the most important at the moment. Right now, he doesn’t have the confidence to do so. Where his confidence has been dented, he himself has to rebuild that, possibly at Chelsea next.”
Inter’s top scorers this season are Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko on 23 and 13 goals respectively.
Horncastle added: “Lukaku didn’t fit in at Chelsea and it’s the same system at Inter. He’s had injuries and a World Cup in the middle and the management of him hasn’t helped as they have flipped between him and Dzeko.”
Real Madrid will be aiming to bounce back from a heavy defeat in El Clasico when they continue their 2024-25 Champions League campaign with a contest against Italian giants, AC Milan, on today.
Los Blancos have picked up six points from their three European matches this season to occupy 12th in the Champions League table, while Milan have collected three points from their opening three games to sit in 25th position.
Real Madrid will be well-rested heading into their European contest with Milan, as their La Liga contest with Valencia, which was due to take place on Saturday night, was postponed due to the devastating floods in Spain.
As a result, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have not been in action since their 4-0 loss to Barcelona on October 26, and are nine points off the top of the La Liga table after Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Espanyol Sunday evening.
Real Madrid must put league matters aside for the moment, though, and fully focus on the Champions League, with the reigning European champions bidding to move onto nine points in the Champions League table.
Ancelotti’s team have beaten Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund in the competition this season, but they lost in Lille last month, and a total of six points from three matches has left them in 12th spot, one point behind eighth-placed Sporting Lisbon.
Los Blancos are yet to hit full flow this season and have now lost two of their last five matches in all competitions, but they will be expecting to record two wins over Milan and Osasuna ahead of the November international break.
Real Madrid have faced Milan on 15 previous occasions, with both sides posting six wins, but this will be the first meeting between the two sides since the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League.
Milan have only ever won once at Bernabeu, which came in the group stage of the 2009- 10 Champions League, and the most famous meeting between the two sides took place in the final of the 1958 European Cup, with Real Madrid recording a 3-2 victory.
The last six meetings between the two sides have taken place in the group stage of the Champions League, with Milan posting two wins during that period, and the Italian giants will be aiming to secure an upset on Tuesday night.
The Red and Blacks lost their opening two matches in the league phase of this season’s competition to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, before recording a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge last time out, a total of three points from three matches has left them in 25th spot.
Paulo Fonseca’s side will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Monza on Saturday, with the team bouncing back from their 2-0 home defeat to Napoli at the end of last month.
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are set to feature as the front two, but Luka Modric may be given the nod over Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of midfield, with Ancelotti wanting more control in that area of the field.
Rafael Leao started from the bench against Monza, with the attacker only managing one goal during a disappointing start to the campaign, but Fonseca has hinted that the Portugal international will be in the XI against Real Madrid.
Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also expected to earn recalls following the clash with Monza, while there should be a spot at centre-forward for former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved the Accra Sports Stadium to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier between Ghana and Sudan.
The Black Stars face the Falcons of Jediane on match day three of the qualifying series for the tournament to be hosted in Morocco.
Prior to the approval, CAF had directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to select an alternative venue for the game after the temporary approval of the Baba Yara Stadium was lifted.
CAF inspected both the Cape Coast Stadium and the Accra Sports Stadium last week before eventually turning down the former.
A statement from CAF on the approval read:
‘’Following a comprehensive review of the reports of the CAF independent inspection regarding the Cape Coast and Accra Sports Stadia, we are pleased to inform you that the Accra Sports Stadium has been approved to host the AFCON Qualifiers for Morocco 2025. Specifically, it will host the Group F – Matchday 3 encounter between Ghana and Sudan, which is scheduled for October 11, 2024.
“In light of this approval, we kindly request that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the stadium management team prioritise the necessary enhancements to the pitch and other critical areas of the stadium leading up to the match day to ensure an optimal experience for both teams and the attending fans.
“Please note that CAF will continue to closely monitor the readiness of the stadium for this match, as well as for future CAF-sanctioned events.”
The Black Stars are hoping to get their qualifying campaign back on track after failing to win any of their opening two games against Angola and Niger.
This fixture is scheduled for Friday, October 11, 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he is no longer focused on being the best player in the world or chasing records.
Instead, the 39-year-old Portuguese star emphasised his desire to help his team and enjoy the game.
Speaking after Al-Nassr’s 2-1 AFC Champions League win against Al-Rayyan, where he scored his 904th career goal, Ronaldo reflected on his current priorities.
“It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that,” Ronaldo said. “I am used to breaking records, and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my team-mates to win.”
Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 after leaving Manchester United, has already left an indelible mark in Saudi football, setting a new league scoring record with 35 goals in the Saudi Pro League last season.
Despite his personal achievements, Ronaldo’s focus now seems to have shifted towards his team’s success rather than individual accolades.
Looking ahead, Ronaldo hinted that he could retire with Al-Nassr, stating in August, “I don’t know if I will retire soon, in two or three years, but probably I will retire here at Al-Nassr.”
While Cristiano Ronaldo has helped Al-Nassr lift the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, he has yet to secure domestic or continental silverware with the club.
Despite this, the Portuguese legend has set a personal target of reaching 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots.