PSG to Face Barca in Champions League, Real Madrid Draw Man City & Liverpool

Liverpool and Manchester City will both come up against Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League, while title-holders Paris Saint-Germain were handed a tough list of opponents in Thursday’s draw, including Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Xabi Alonso’s Real will play City at home and take on Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield in what will be two of the standout fixtures of the league phase. Arne Slot’s Liverpool, who finished first in the league phase last season only to be eliminated by PSG in the last 16, will also play Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven and Qarabag of Azerbaijan at home. In addition, they must go to Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille and Turkish champions Galatasaray. City, who won the Champions League in 2023, will welcome Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Italian champions Napoli and Galatasaray to the Etihad Stadium. As well as Real, they will also visit Villarreal, Monaco and Norwegian newcomers Bodo/Glimt. PSG will entertain Bayern and go to Barcelona, while the French club also have home fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. Luis Enrique’s team went on to win the Champions League last season but only after struggling amid some difficult games in the league phase, in which they finished 15th. They have no obviously straightforward fixtures this time, as they also face Atalanta at home, as well as Leverkusen, Sporting CP and Athletic Club away. What is the Champions League format?Every team now plays eight games against eight different opponents in the new format of Europe’s elite club competition, which was introduced last season. All 36 clubs are pooled together into one league rather than split into groups. The top eight teams advance to the last 16, while those finishing between ninth and 24th go into the knockout round play-offs. The bottom 12 teams are eliminated. Other fixtures to look out for will include Barcelona visiting both Chelsea and Newcastle, while Arsenal entertain Bayern and Atletico and must also go to Inter Milan and to Bilbao. Tournament newcomers Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan, who ousted Celtic on penalties in the play-off round, will host Real and travel to London to play Arsenal. Minnows Pafos of Cyprus will visit Chelsea and face Bayern at home. UEFA is not expected to announce specific fixture dates until Saturday, but the first round of games will take place across three days from September 16th to 18th. The eighth and final matchday is scheduled for January 28th. This season’s Champions League final will take place in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, on May 30th next year, with UEFA announcing on Thursday that the game will kick off at 18:00 local time rather than the usual 21:00. Who qualified for the Champions League?Below is the full list of 36 teams that qualified for the league phase, arranged in the Pots that were used in the draw: Pot 1: PSG, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona. Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge. Pot 3: Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille. Pot 4: FC Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Newcastle, Pafos, Kairat Almaty.

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West Ham 1-5 Chelsea: Hapless Hammers implode as heat on Graham Potter intensifies

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea: Hapless Hammers Implode as Pressure Mounts on Graham Potter

Chelsea cruised to a dominant 5-1 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium, deepening the crisis for Hammers manager Graham Potter. West Ham, who suffered a 3-0 defeat at Sunderland last weekend, have now conceded eight goals in just two Premier League matches— the worst defensive start for the club in a top-flight season. Jamie Redknapp described their defending as “scandalous.” Match Highlights: Frustrated West Ham fans booed their team off the pitch and directed anger towards the club’s board. Chelsea’s victory came despite missing Cole Palmer, who was injured in the warm-up.

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PSG Chelsea Set for FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final Showdown in New Jersey

European champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will face Chelsea FC in the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, bringing the curtain down on a highly competitive global tournament. For PSG, the match presents an opportunity to cap off a historic season in which they clinched their first UEFA Champions League title and a domestic double. The French side are now eyeing their first Club World Cup trophy to complete the treble. Chelsea, on the other hand, will be looking to seal a remarkable campaign under new head coach Enzo Maresca, having already secured a top-four finish in the Premier League and lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League. Road to the Final PSG cruised through the tournament with dominant wins: Chelsea also enjoyed a strong run: Team News PSG will be without Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez, both suspended.Ousmane Dembele, who returned from injury to score in the semifinal, is expected to start. Predicted PSG lineup:Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia. Chelsea will welcome back Levi Colwill and Liam Delap from suspension.Reece James is pushing for a return to the starting XI, while Moises Caicedo is doubtful due to an ankle injury sustained in the semifinal. Predicted Chelsea lineup:Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez, Nkunku; Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro. Manager Reactions Luis Enrique (PSG coach): “We are in a special season, a special moment, and we have one more step against a very good team like Chelsea. We want to make history for our club.” Enzo Maresca (Chelsea coach): “It’s been a fantastic season — top four in the Premier League, Conference League champions, and now the Club World Cup final. We’re very happy and fully focused on winning this last game.” Head-to-Head This will be the ninth meeting between PSG and Chelsea: Their last encounter was in 2016, when PSG won 2–1 at Stamford Bridge, securing a 4–2 aggregate win in the Champions League Round of 16. Kickoff Time The final will kick off at 8:00 PM local time (1:00 AM West Africa Time). The winner will not only walk away with the prestigious title but also significant prize money and global bragging rights in what FIFA has called the biggest Club World Cup in history.

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Arsenal Submits £50M Bid for Madueke

Arsenal has submitted an initial bid for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke said to be around £50M. The England international has been a target for the North London side for the past week and now manager Mikel Arteta, alongside sporting director Andre Berta have made an official bid for the 23-year-old as reported by Fabrizio Romano. “Arsenal have submitted initial bid for Noni Madueke around £50m package, add-ons included. “Chelsea want more than £50m fixed as Elanga similar deals remain their reference. “Good relationship between clubs as talks continue, Madueke agreed terms with Arsenal.” Madueke featured in 32 of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League games and started in 27 of them, provided seven goals and three assists. Arsenal have been linked with Real Madrid winger Rodrygo and Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze but it looks like they have found their new winger in Madueke who has reportedly agreed to join the side.

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Arsenal Submits Bid for Chelsea’s Madueke

Arsenal has reportedly submitted a bid for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke this week in may be one of the biggest deals for the summer. Talks are said to have started and the England forward who Arsenal boss sees as the perfect player to bolster his attack ahead of the new campaign. Arsenal could certainly do with more options in attack and may use Madueke to replace Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard who were lacklustre last season. Now, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg the Gunners have made an offer to their London rivals as talks begin for the 23-year-old. “Understand Arsenal have already submitted an offer to Noni #Madueke. 23 y/o winger could leave Chelsea in the summer. Talks have started. #CFC “Madueke is one of several top profiles Arsenal are assessing for this position. Arsenal are still considering a transfer for Rodrygo should he wish to leave Real Madrid.” The Blues are due to sign Joao Pedro from Brighton, Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund and have already secured Liam Delap from Ipswich Town as manager Enzo Maresca reshapes his attack. Arsenal will see this as an opportunity to snap up Madueke who likely won’t be in Maresca’s plans heading into the new season. Despite this, the Italian boss has already stated his desire to keep Madueke at the club but a high bid could swiftly change his mind. “Noni is our player, you can read a lot of speculation at the moment but we consider Noni our player for the coming season,” Maresca said last month.

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Mikel: Chelsea Spirit Will Improve with ECL Trophy Triumph

Chelsea hero John Obi Mikel believes winning the Europa Conference League title can boost the unity inside the club. The Nigerian was delighted seeing the Blues defeat Real Betis in Wroclaw last week. He told The Sun: “We enjoyed good times together. We went out to central London every time we won a trophy. We celebrated quite heavily because we were successful and were given a licence to go out and enjoy ourselves. “That brought that chemistry together because every year, every other year, we had something to celebrate. We were always winning something. So we were always having a massive party come the end of the season. That brought us together. “They have to win trophies in order to be able to bring that chemistry in the squad.”

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Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool: Palmer Stars as Blues Dent Champions’ Momentum

Stamford Bridge, London — May 2, 2025 Chelsea bolstered their Champions League qualification hopes with an impressive 3-1 victory over newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool on Friday evening. The visitors, managed by Arne Slot, were handed a guard of honour by Chelsea before kick-off in recognition of their title triumph last weekend. However, the Reds’ celebratory mood quickly faded as they were outplayed by a Chelsea side with everything still to fight for. Enzo Fernández opened the scoring for the hosts inside the opening five minutes, capitalising on a slip from Curtis Jones and finishing off a swift counterattack led by Pedro Neto. A second came before half-time when a mix-up in Liverpool’s defence led to Jarell Quansah inadvertently turning the ball into his own net. Despite making six changes to his regular starting lineup, Slot’s side briefly threatened a comeback when captain Virgil van Dijk rose highest to head home from a corner in the second half. But any hopes of a Liverpool revival were short-lived. A misplaced pass from Dominik Szoboszlai allowed Moises Caicedo to intercept and drive forward, drawing a foul from Quansah inside the box. Cole Palmer stepped up and calmly converted the penalty, ending a 12-game goal drought and restoring Chelsea’s two-goal cushion. Palmer also struck the post earlier in the game after a dazzling solo run, underlining his importance in Chelsea’s attacking play. The win lifts the Blues closer to a coveted top-four finish, while Liverpool’s rotated side struggled to find rhythm throughout. Chelsea will now look to build on this momentum in their final fixtures, while Liverpool’s focus shifts to finishing the season strong after their title celebrations.

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European Dreams, FA Cup Glory: All to Play for This Weekend on GOtv

The Premier League resumes this weekend with Chelsea hosting Everton in Saturday’s early kick-off at 12:30 PM. The game, which will be broadcast live on GOtv, will see Chelsea attempt to revive their ambition of a top-five finish and a possible Champions League spot. The Blues could climb the table if they win and other results go their way. Newcastle United, who dropped points in last weekend’s clash with Aston Villa, host bottom-placed Ipswich Town at 3:00 PM. Newcastle remain fifth and will be looking to return to form, while Ipswich will be relegated if they lose. Manchester United, without a win in four league games, visit Bournemouth on Sunday at 2:00 PM. The Red Devils, now 14th, have struggled for consistency and face a Bournemouth side pushing for a top-half finish. Sunday’s headline fixture sees Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield at 4:30 PM. Liverpool are just one point away from the title after Arsenal dropped points in the 2–2 draw against Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Spurs, currently 16th, have had a disappointing campaign and go into the match on the back of a 1–2  loss to Nottingham Forest. Elsewhere, Brighton host West Ham, Southampton face Fulham, and Wolves meet Leicester City in the Saturday 3:00 PM kick-offs. This weekend also features the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Crystal Palace take on Aston Villa on Saturday at 5:15 PM, while Manchester City face Nottingham Forest on Sunday at 4:30 PM. City’s only remaining shot at silverware this season comes in the FA Cup, following years of dominance across multiple competitions. All the matches will be broadcast live on GOtv channels 65 and 66.

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