MATCH! -julkaisun Tuesday, March 03, 2026 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

COMEBACK KINGS! It was at this stage of the season in 2017 that Barcelona pulled off the greatest comeback in CL history! After losing 4-0 to PSG in Paris, Barca went 3-0 up after 50 minutes in the return leg. Edinson Cavani looked to have ended it by making it 5-3 on aggregate but three goals in the last seven minutes, capped by Sergi Roberto’s crazy 95th-minute winner, sealed a bonkers 6-5 aggregate win! MOURINHO’S MOMENT! Jose Mourinho – a two-time Champions League winner – has delivered some iconic moments in the competition. Back in 2004, the year he lifted the trophy with Porto, his side needed a last-gasp goal to knock Man. United out at Old Trafford in the last 16. Mourinho responded by running the length of the…

HOW TO VOTE! Go to the MATCH social media channels now and you’ll see two shortlists – one for Player Of The Month and one for Goal Of The Month. Then just vote for your choice. Well easy! THE RESULTS! We’ll reveal the winners in our next issue!…

GOALKEEPERS! Which wicked keeper will be your No.1? ANTOLIY TRUBIN BENFICA We won’t lie – Trubin’s dramatic last-gasp goal against Real Madrid, which earned his side a place in the play-offs, is enough to make him a contender for your dream team! On top of that, he also ranked inside the top ten keepers for most saves made during the league phase! THIBAUT COURTOIS REAL MADRID Madrid’s end-to-end style of play leaves them exposed at times, meaning the Belgium GK often gets called into action! He’s not one to buckle under pressure, though – only one goalie made more saves than him in the league stage, with his jaw-dropping double save against Man. City worth another watch back! NIKITA HAIKIN BODO/GLIMT Bodo/Glimt were one of the stories of the league…

6 The biggest scoreline in the league phase was 6-0, with AEK Athens thrashing Aberdeen and Dynamo Kyiv dismantling Zrinjski Mostar! 14 Greek cub AEK Athens were the league phase’s top scorers, with 14 goals in six games! DID YOU KNOW? CRYSTAL PALACE BECAME THE 37TH DIFFERENT ENGLISH SIDE TO PLAY IN A MAJOR EUROPEAN COMPETITION! 1 AEK Larnaca, from Cyprus, conceded just one goal in six league-phase games – fewer than any other club! 0 Strasbourg, Rakow Czestochowa and AEK Larnaca all finished the league phase without defeat! 46 Just after half-time was the most goal-packed period of the league phase, with 46 goals scored between minutes 46 and 60! 14 No keeper conceded more league-phase goals than Aberdeen’s Dimitar Mitov! 65% Shakhtar Donetsk were the only side to…

THE BLUES’ SEVENTH HEAVEN! ✓ Chelsea have made the final of the Women’s League Cup for a record-extending seventh season in a row. Unbelievable streak! ✓ After losing in 2022, 2023 and 2024, they put things right last year, beating Man. City in the 2025 final – the first trophy they won under Sonia Bompastor! ✓ That was their third all-time win – if they can clinch the trophy again, it will put them second on the all-time charts alongside Man. City! TEAM NEWS & LIKELY LINE-UP This season, Chelsea have switched between 4-1-4-1 and 3-5-2, with Bompastor choosing the latter for the semi-final-win over Man. City. Millie Bright is touch-and-go after her recent injury, while the likes of Buurman, James, Walsh, Rytting Kaneryd and Reiten are pushing hard to…

Rising stars! Stamford Daniels Under-8 Reds flew the flag for the Young Daniels at Leicester City’s training ground in an invitational tournament! Saka’s studs! Joseph created these epic boots especially for Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka! He’d love them! Podcast pals! Luca does a podcast with his dad called Premier League Playground: Lad and Dad. Go check it out! Top talent! Well done to Dylan for scoring and earning his team’s Player of the Match recently! Keep smashing it! Happy Hammer! Bobby sent in this snap with a message for MATCH – “Come on you Irons!” SEND YOUR PICTURES TO… Email: match.magazine@kelsey.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/matchmagazine X: www.x.com/matchmagazine…

1 WREXHAM V CHELSEA Wrexham have got through to the fifth round for the first time since 1997! They have FA Cup history with The Blues, with the London side needing three games to knock out the Welsh club back in 1982, when replays worked differently. Recently, they’ve met in two pre-season friendlies – in 2023 and 2024! 2 WOLVES V LIVERPOOL This is a really odd occasion for these two teams, as they meet for the second time in just 72 hours – at the same ground! First they face off at Molineux on March 3 in the Premier League, then they return to the stadium three days later for their FA Cup tie. That’s not something you see every day! 3 MANSFIELD V ARSENAL League One underdogs Mansfield…

5 Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin is the fifth goalkeeper to score a Champions League goal! 60% Michael Olise’s 60% dribble success rate is the best of any player to have completed 20+ dribbles this season! DID YOU KNOW? IN THE 2025-26 LEAGUE PHASE, ARSENAL HAD THE MOST POINTS (24), MOST GOALS SCORED (23) AND THE FEWEST GOALS CONCEDED(4)! 38 Liverpool had 38 shots against Qarabag – the most by a single side in a CL game in the past ten seasons. Wow! 6 Spurs kept more clean sheets than any other side in the 2025-26 Champions League league phase! 25+ Kylian Mbappe was the first player to create 25+ chancesin the Champions League this season! 39 Pafos forward Landry Dimata has hit the highest top speed in the CL this season,…

DID YOU KNOW? As well as football, it also hosts concerts – with British bands Coldplay and Oasis playing there in recent years! STADIUM FACTS TEAM: Sao Paulo FC COUNTRY: Brazil CITY: Sao Paulo BUILT: 1960 CAPACITY: 72,039 RECORD ATTENDANCE: 146,082 COLLECT ALL 10 CLUB GROUNDS!…

Keep reading MATCH for loads of top fantasy footy tips! MATCH’s TOP 20! Check out our league table after Gameweek 27! Is your team there? TRANSFER IN… Here are our biggest signing tips ahead of this fortnight’s action! MARC GUEHI DF ★ MAN. CITY £5.2 MILLION Definitely hold Guehi and Nico O’Reilly for the Forest and West Ham games, just be aware they’ll blank in Gameweek 31! HARRY WILSON MF ★ FULHAM £5.9 MILLION Fulham face West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Burnley in their next three games, so Wilson is a player to own! ELI JUNIOR KROUPI FW ★ B’MOUTH £4.7 MILLION Still priced at under £5 million, Kroupi is a great bargain option this fortnight against Brentford (H) and Burnley (A)! TRANSFER OUT… You should consider dropping these stars…

SPAIN LA LIGA It’s the usual suspects – Barcelona and Real Madrid – battling for the La Liga title! After 25 games, the Clasico rivals were neck and neck, with Atletico Madrid lagging way behind. Their second meeting of the season is set for May 10, so mark that in your calendars now! 100+ Lamine Yamal became the first player to complete 100 dribbles in La Liga this season! TOP SCORER! Kylian Mbappe looks set to claim another top scorer prize, which would be his eighth consecutive season across Ligue 1 and La Liga. Wow! FRANCE LIGUE1 It might not lead to trophies, but fair play to Lens for staying in the title race for so long! The massive underdogs have been one of the season’s maddest stories, with their…

18 Only one player completed more dribbles in the league phase than Celtic’s Sebastian Tounekti! 7+ No Nottingham Forest player has scored more goals in a single major European campaign than Igor Jesus! DID YOU KNOW? ASTON VILLA HAVE WON SEVEN GAMES IN A ROW AT VILLA PARK IN MAJOR EUROPEAN COMPETITION FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR HISTORY! 7 By scoring seven of his team’s 12 league-phase goals, Ludogorets striker Petar Stanic contributed more goals for his side than any other player! 4 Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav was the only player to bag as many as four league-phase assists. Legend! 6 No team kept more clean sheets in the league phase than Portuguese side Braga! 61.4% Lyon were the only side to boss over 60% possession in the league phase,…

Lionel Messi F50Boots Since Messi landed in Miami in 2023, his signature boots have been serving serious Florida vibes – and these latest F50s keep the mood alive with similar colours! Price: £230 adidas.co.uk CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL You might’ve spotted the new Champions League ball in the play-off rounds! The purple design is inspired by Budapest, the host city for the final, and features the city’s mythical dragon! Price: £130 adidas.co.uk Juventus Fourth Shirt Juve’s new fourth shirt was inspired by a 1996-97 look that never made it onto the pitch – this one has though! Price: £120 adidas.co.uk Spurs New Year Shirt Spurs released this pre-match top to mark the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Horse! Price: £70 shop.tottenhamhotspur.com Greece Home Shirt 2026 It’s been over…

GOAL OR NO GOAL? Was this total sitter converted or did it go down as a shocking miss from close range? Just tick Goal or No Goal! WIKI WHO? Can you name the footy star from their club career on Wikipedia? TRUE or FALSE? Are these statements real or made up? Put a tick or cross in the box! 1. German Bundesliga side Freiburg’s stadium is called “The ThunderDome”! 2. Premier League referees must wear black boots on matchdays! 3. Jose Mourinho won three Premier League titles at Chelsea! 4. Portugal boss Roberto Martinez used to play for Chester City! WHERE IN THE WORLD? In which countries would you find these clubs? 1. Maribor 2. Alianza Lima 3. Mamelodi Sundowns 4. Al Nassr…