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UCL draw
UCL league phase draw takes place today at 18:30 CET.
Each club will draw two teams of each pot, with one game to be played at home and the other away. Moreover, There is no game between clubs from the same domestic league. Finally, every club can face a maximum of only two teams from any one country.
The pots are:
Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea
Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, Club Brugge
Pot 3: Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Marseille, Bodo/Glimt
Pot 4: Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Athletic Club, Newcastle United, Pafos, Kairat Almaty, Copenhagen, Qarabag
Kroos comments
The problem last year was that Real Madrid didn’t beat any truly strong team. Very unusual
I think Xabi Alonso comes with a different stature than Lopetegui. His record as a player helps him, but it doesn’t protect him if he doesn’t win titles for three consecutive years. Trust in the coach is important. It’s not always about the results, because trust allows you to overcome temporary negative results.
Real Madrid played a good game in Oviedo, but it’s not very meaningful, it’s still too early for that. At the Club World Cup, we saw obvious changes in the team’s positioning on the pitch, but I’d like to wait for a few more big tests
Real Madrid signed a very complete CB in Dean Huijsen. He’s strong in the air, he’s quick, and he’s good in building from the back.
I think the team has been well reinforced. I expect a better season than the previous one. There is still room for improvement.
Ceballos saga continues
Per report, Ceballos backed out from joining Marseille. He considered the move to League One to be a step backwards in his career. He wants to join Betis, but Romano stated they considered the deal to be impossible financially.