Europe Champions League Round 6

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Girona vs Liverpool Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Girona:
Gazzaniga; A. Martinez, Lopez, Krejci, Gutierrez; Martin, Romeu; Asprilla, Van de Beek, Danjuma; Miovski

Liverpool:
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz; Gakpo

Champions League debutantes Girona will welcome the competition leaders Liverpool to Estadi Municipal de Montilivi on Tuesday night. La Liga minnows will try to upset the Premier League side, but it won't be easy. Girona were the most pleasant surprise last season in Primera Division. They were leaders on the table for a long period, but couldn't finish the season on the first place. Still, the fans are happy to see Girona playing in the Champions League. The results are far from desired, four defeats in the first five games, with just one victory. The lone success was obtained against Slovan Bratislava, while PSG, Feyenoord, PSV and Sturm Grac beat Girona. The reason for poor results is the departure of some of the best players, including the top scorer Artem Dovbyk. Coach Michel has some additional issues as key winger Viktor Tsygankov is sidelined due to an adductor injury. Yangel Herrera is also unavailable because of a calf injury, while midfielder Jhon Solis, who missed the Real Madrid defeat following a sprain, is rated as doubtful.

Liverpool are in excellent form. They are successful in all three competitions they participated so far. The Reds are leaders in the Premier League and they are the only club with a maximal 15 points after the first five rounds in the Champions League. New manager Arne Slot is doing an excellent job and the fans are pleased with the results. During the weekend they were free as the Merseyside derby with Everton was postponed due to weather conditions. Liverpool now have just four points more than second-placed Chelsea. The injury situation is still very complicated. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker remain sidelined with a hamstring injury, even he is close to full recovery. Striker Diogo Jota is also on his way back to the squad but not quite close enough. Three players - Kostas Tsimikas, Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley - will be out a little while longer. However, the biggest problem could be the absence of key midfielder Alexis Mac Allister due to suspension. The Argentine international picked up his third yellow card against Real Madrid and is banned for this match.

Girona vs Liverpool Prediction:

Girona were fantastic last season, but they are not at same level now. The departure of Dovbyk is probably the main reason for the poor results. The club officials brought Macedonian striker Bojan Miovski from Aberdeen, but he is not good as Dovbyk. The Blanquivermells were outplayed on Saturday and lost 3:0 to Real Madrid. It was a painful home defeat for the players and their confidence. The absence of injured Tsygankov is also a big handicap. Liverpool are excellent this season and I think they will win. I expect a high victory, at least with two goals.

Girona vs Liverpool Pick: Liverpool -1.5 AH @ 2.25 with Pinnacle

 

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Atalanta vs Real Madrid Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Atalanta:
Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Retegui, Lookman

Real Madrid:
Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Bellingham, Modric; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior

Atalanta will welcome the reigning champions Real Madrid to Stadio di Bergamo on Tuesday evening. The Italian minnows are the most pleasant surprise this season. Atalanta are currently top of the Serie A table, ahead of big names like Napoli, Inter, Juventus and Milan. La Dea are also successful in Europe. They are currently fifth with eleven points. In the last round they humiliated Swiss side Young Boys, winning 6:1 as guests. Charles de Ketelaere was the key name on that match as he scored twice and provided three assists. Mateo Retegui should also be mentioned as he netted a brace, while the remaining goals was scored by Sead Kolasinac and Lazar Samardzic. The players confidence is very high at the moment and Atalanta look unstoppable. Mister Gasperini is doing a good job and the fans are satisfied. Gasperini has three injury issues as Juan Cuadrado, Gianluca Scamacca and Davide Zappacosta are out injured. Retegui is expect to lead the line and he will try to improve his record of 14 goals in 21 appearances across all competitions.

Real Madrid are in very delicate situation. They are the most successful club in the history of competition, winning a 15th trophy against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley earlier this year. But the current results are not at desired level. Los Blancos have three defeats after the opening five matches in the Champions League and sit on the 24th place, the last one that guarantee the knock-out stage. It is clear Real need three points from this match, but it won't be easy. Real have qualified for the knock-out phase of the Champions League in each of their last 28 campaigns, so the elimination would be a huge shocks in history of the competition. If something could be rated as positive, that's a good record against Italian clubs. Los Blancos have been victorious in 17 of their last 19 matches against Italian opposition across the board. The injury situation is also improving and Vinicius, Mbappe and Bellingham are all named in the squad for Bergamo. Ferland Mendy is sidelined after suffering a muscular injury against Girona. Four players are long-term injury victims - Eder Militao, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga.

Atalanta vs Real Madrid Prediction:

Atalanta have three wins and two draws after five rounds in the Champions League, scoring 11 goals in the process. In the last round they beat Young Boys with 6:1, while also won against Shakhtar Donetsk and Stuttgart. But something else is interesting. All those victories were obtained away from home. Their two home fixtures with Arsenal and Celtic have finished with goalless draw. Real are the most successful club in the history of the competition and I can't imagine to see them eliminated so early. Atalanta will play at home, but that also means a pressure. Retegui, Ketelaere and Lookman are in fantastic form, though they are yet to score at home in the Champions League. Vinicius and Mbappe are players able to make the difference in this clash.

Atalanta vs Real Madrid Pick: Real Madrid to win @ 2.45 with Everygame

 

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Juventus vs Manchester City Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Juventus:
Perin; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Danilo; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Weah; Vlahovic

Manchester City:
Ortega; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis; Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Nunes; Haaland

Juventus will welcome Manchester City to Allianz Stadium in Turin on Wednesday night. Both teams have 8 points and identical record of two wins, two draws and one defeat so far. It is clear none of them can afford to lose here. Juventus have started the campaign very good, beating PSV at home and Red Bull Leipzig away. But then came their first and only defeat of the season, from Stuttgart. The draws with Lille and Aston Villa last month are not bad results, though the fans were simply expecting more from the two-time European champions. The domestic results are not at desired level too. The Old Lady played a 2:2 draw with Bologna on Saturday and they are now seven points shy of top spot. However, the last result could bring something positive as they had to fight back from two goals down to draw. Teun Koopmeiners reduced the deficit, before substitute Samuel Mbangula equalized in the 92nd-minute. Star striker Dusan Vlahovic started on Saturday having missed three weeks with a thigh injury, and Nicolo Savona also returned to action. However, Nico Gonzalez, Weston McKennie, Douglas Luiz, Juan Cabal and Bremer remain sidelined, while Andrea Cambiaso is rated as doubtful with an ankle injury.

As I already wrote above, Manchester City have 8 points, with a record of two wins, two draws and one defeat. The Citizens started the campaign very good, they kept the net untouched in the first three matches, scoring nine goals in the process. Everything looked fantastic until Rodri suffered injury. From that moment Manchester City collapsed. They were eliminated from the League Cup after losing 2:1 to Tottenham, but nobody paid big attention. Many pundits were convinced Guardiola is not interested much about the cup competitions. The alarm bells started to ring when City lost four matches in a row in the Premier League. The defeats to Bournemouth, Brighton, Tottenham (again) and Liverpool put Guardiola under heavy pressure, although his job is safe. The Citizens were also poor in the Champions League, collecting just one point on the last two matches. They lost 4:1 to Sporting in Lisbon, while the 3:3 draw with Feyenoord at Etihad was particularly painful. City had a 3:0 lead until the 75th minute, but allowed three late goals and dropped two points. Guardiola is still without long-term injury victim Rodri, while John Stones and Mateo Kovacic are also sidelined. Defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji are rated as doubtful after they both sustained injuries in the match against Nottingham.

Juventus vs Manchester City Prediction:

Both Juventus and Manchester City have eight points and this game is very important, maybe the crucial. It is clear none of them can afford to lose the match. Juventus started the campaign with two wins, but nobody know what happened then. Manchester City were in similar position, they kept three clean sheets in the first three matches, scoring nine goals in the process. It is much easier to detect the problem in City, the injury situation. Guardiola is still without Rodri, Stones and Kovacic, while Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji are both doubtful. Juventus should take advantage from Guardiola's issues. Manchester City are still in crisis, the players confidence is low, so I think they won't win.

Juventus vs Manchester City Pick: Juventus +0.5 AH @ 1.87 with Pinnacle