MATCH! -julkaisun 10 September 2024 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

WHAT’S THE NEW FORMAT? The total number of teams has increased from 32 to 36 in the Champions League this season, with the traditional group stage being scrapped for a single league phase! Every club is guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage fixtures against eight different opponents-four home games, four away! WHO PLAYS WHO IN THE LEAGUE? The 36 clubs were seeded into four different pots based on their individual club coefficient at the start of the season! Each team was then drawn against two different teams from each pot, playing one team at home and one away. In the league phase, teams cannot face opponents from their own country and can face a maximum of two sides from the same country! WHO WILL QUALIFY FOR THE KNOCKOUT ROUNDS? The…

PLUS-PLUS TOYS fortnight, one lucky reader will er will win Plus-Plus Neon Tube, HEXEL® Spectrum and Learn to Build Pets! Unleash your creativity with HEXEL®, the new fidget toy for hands of all sizes, available in three colour variations! Dive into a silly world of goofy pets and amazing colours with Learn To Build Pets! CLOSING DATE: OCT. 10 The travel-friendly Plus-Plus Tubes offer open-ended play to create models in 2D or 3D builds, with a diverse range of colour mix tubes! Available from www.amazon.co.uk and other good toy and gift stores HOW TO ENTER! HEAD TO…SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/WIN Then just click on the competition image and enter your details. Full terms and conditions are available online.…

ANTHEM The world-famous anthem, which blasts out through the speakers before every game, could be slightly different this year, with UEFA making some small changes. It will still be basically the same! BALL The Champo League ball was revealed by adidas recently! The iconic stars are in black for 2024-25, on a white background, returning to a more classic look! CELTIC The Scottish Premiership is being represented this season by the reigning champs, Celtic! They’ve managed just one win in their last 12 Champions League games in the past two seasons! DEBUTANTS A few sides will be making their debuts in the Champions League since it was rebranded in 1992, while French club Brest and Spanish side Girona are making their first appearances in European football! ERLING HAALAND The Man.…

Nike Third Kits 2024-25 Nike launched a new third kits collection, called Together We Rise, which included Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and Inter! Each shirt features the vertical Swoosh opposite the club crest, which represents the rise and growth of the women’s game. Punk was the theme behind The Reds and The Blues' patterns, while Spurs' green look was inspired by a ring of elm trees near their stadium! Shirt Price: £84.99 each nike.com Everton Third Shirt 2024-25 The story behind the new Toffees third shirt dates back to 1924, when the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants played an exhibition baseball game at Goodison Park! The shirt’s neutral colour, v-neck collar and subtle pinstripes give the look of a traditional baseball jersey, while a waistband on the…

HAALAND v GABRIEL! In last season’s clash at the Etihad, there was some beef on the pitch between Erling Haaland and Gabriel, but the two eventually shook hands after the final whistle! We reckon there could be some leftovers from that and it’s going to be a battle to keep your eyes on this time around! TITLE CLASH! These teams have been the main contenders for the Premier League trophy over the past two seasons, with The Gunners not just knocking, but blasting at the door! Two points separated the sides last season in the table, so there’s only a really tiny margin that the Londoners need to overturn in 2024-25! ETIHAD EXPECTATIONS! Arsenal’s recent record at the Etihad isn’t one to shout about, unless you’re a Man. City fan!…

Arsenal Star signing: Mikel Merino Verdict: Arsenal’s squad didn’t need much improvement, but Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori and Raheem Sterling gives them more depth. Some fans really wanted a new striker, though! Aston Villa Star signing: Amadou Onana Verdict: Villa’s early flurry of activity gradually slowed down once they’d got their main targets through the door! Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana look to be their standout summer deals! Bournemouth Star signing: Evanilson Verdict: The Cherries received a record fee for Dominic Solanke and used the money to strengthen their squad overall. Their grade might depend on how quickly Evanilson settles in the Prem! Brentford Star signing: Fabio Carvalho Verdict: Bees fans suffered the Ivan Toney saga all summer, then his replacement Igor Thiago got injured! Sepp van den Berg, Gustavo Nunes and Carvalho…

Keep reading MATCH for loads of top fantasy footy tips! MATCH’S TOP 20! Check out our league table after Gameweek 3! Is your team there? TRANSFER IN… Here are our biggest signing tips ahead of this fortnight’s action! LEVI COLWILL DF ★ CHELSEA £4.5 MILLION If Colwill and Wesley Fofana are going to be Chelsea’s regular partnership going forward, you might want to get one of the defenders in! DIOGO JOTA MF ★ LIVERPOOL £7.6 MILLION Two Anfield matches this fortnight means Liverpool players are going to be targeted by most FPL managers! OLLIE WATKINS FW ★ ASTON VILLA £8.9 MILLION Owners might have been worried by his slow start, but home games v Everton and Wolves should be the time he kicks into life! TRANSFER OUT… You should consider…

SPOT THE BALL! Mark where you think the ball is in this ace action pic! WHO’S MISSING? Name the missing players from Brentford’s win v Crystal Palace! THEY SAID WHAT? Which Prem gaffer said this about himself? “I don’t want to compare myself with Pep, but he’s a control freak like me!” A. Mikel Arteta B. Enzo Maresca C. Arne Slot LIST IT! Put two minutes on the timer and write ten 2024-25 La Liga teams! ACE ACTIVITY WORD FIT Fit 20 Women’s Super League summer signings into this grid! Baltimore Bartel Caldentey Fujino Hunt Kafaji Kees Kirby Lawley Mace Malard Masaka Miedema Robinson Smith Terland Tomas Veje Weerden Zadorsky ANSWERS Spot The Ball: 2. Who’s Missing?: Collins, Janelt and Schade. They Said What?: Arne Slot. List It: Your score…

THE DEAL! The Red Devils agreed to pay PSG just over £40m for Ugarte, which could rise to around £50m with add-ons! By selling Scott McTominay to Napoli for around £25 million, it means they’ve managed to upgrade their midfield without being too out of pocket! COPA KING! The Uruguay midfielder had a successful summer with his country, despite their elimination in the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa America! He scored the winning penalty in the quarter-final v Brazil, past none other than Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, and was then named in the Team of the Tournament! DEFENSIVE MACHINE! If you look at his stats over the past two seasons, you can see what Ugarte is all about! He is a monster holding midfielder, who bosses defensive actions and duels. He’s…

HOW HE WON IT! MATCH scouts picked out the Prem’s four best players from August, and asked our followers on social media to vote for the best! The Man. City striker was the runaway winner of our first vote of the year! MEGA MOMENTS! Here’s why Haaland was chosen as MATCH’s monthly winner! GAME ONE SIZZLING START! CHELSEA 0-2 MAN. CITY AUGUST 18 Haaland started the season with a brilliantly taken goal at Stamford Bridge – he powered his way through two defenders before chipping the onrushing Robert Sanchez! He was a handful all afternoon for the Blues backline with his incredible physicality! GAME TWO HAT-TRICK HERO! MAN. CITY 4-1 IPSWICH AUGUST 24 It didn’t take EH9 long to net his first hat-trick of the season! After Ipswich went ahead…

1 YOUNG BOYS v ASTON VILLA Villa start their long-awaited Champions League campaign with an away clash against the 2023-24 Swiss champions, Young Boys! Their supporters are known for making tons of noise, at home and away, so the atmosphere should live up to the occasion. Can the Villa players hold their nerve? 2 MILAN v LIVERPOOL Milan and Liverpool have history in the CL, meeting in the 2005 and 2007 finals! They’ve lifted 13 CL trophies between them, so historically they’re two of the most successful clubs in the competition. Watch out for former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who joined Milan on loan over the summer! 3 MAN. CITY v INTER We ve got a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final this fortnight as City welcome Inter to the Etihad! The…

EL SUPER CLASICO MEXICO CLUB AMERICA V CHIVAS GUADALAJARA America and Chivas are Mexico’s most successful teams ever and their rivalry is hot! It’s such a popular derby in North America that they’ve played “friendly” matches in the USA in recent years, with another one scheduled for October 2024 at Houston’s NRG Stadium! MEDELLIN DERBY COLOMBIA ATLETICO NACIONAL v INDEPENDIENTE MEDELLIN South America is the home of insane derbies and this one is as bonkers as any of them! When Nacional and Medellin play at their shared stadium Atanasio Girardot, the air is filled with the smoke from flares and 40,000 fans going wild! SUPERCLASICO ARGENTINA BOCA JUNIORS v RIVER PLATE When Buenos Aires’ biggest teams clash there are always fireworks! The whole city goes into meltdown ahead of a…