Pepe’s Historic Goal

Aged 40 years and 254 days, Pepe’s journey to the record books reached its zenith when he powered in a thumping header in the 91st minute, securing his place as the first player ever to score in the Champions League after crossing the age of 40. This momentous achievement shattered the previous record held by the iconic Francesco Totti, who had been the oldest scorer at 38 years and 59 days.

However, Pepe’s accomplishment didn’t end there. He also claimed the title of the oldest outfield player to grace the Champions League, a milestone he achieved when he featured in a previous encounter against the very same Royal Antwerp team on October 25th.

A Storied Journey

Pepe’s remarkable journey through the world of football has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. His dedication, skill, and unwavering commitment to the sport have allowed him to remain a formidable presence on the field well into his fourth decade of life.

It is worth noting that while Pepe’s goal-scoring feat is truly remarkable, the title of the oldest appearance maker in the Champions League belongs to Marco Ballotta. The Italian goalkeeper achieved this distinction when he was 43 years and 252 days old, during a match for Lazio against Real Madrid in December 2007.

As football continues to evolve and produce moments of sheer brilliance, Pepe’s record-breaking achievement serves as a testament to the enduring passion and talent that continues to define the sport. It stands as a source of inspiration for players of all ages and a reminder that age is but a number on the field of dreams, where records are made to be broken and legends are born.

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Global sports media business, LiveScore, has announced a special event ahead of this season’s UEFA Champions League final. This event will allow football fans to relive and discuss the most significant moments of this season’s competition with a panel of Irish football experts.

Panel of Irish Football Stars

The event will take place on Tuesday 30th May at The Camden, a premium multipurpose venue in Dublin. A panel of Irish football stars, including Brighton & Hove Albion’s rising star Evan Ferguson, former Rep. of Ireland and Arsenal captain Emma Byrne, and Manchester United legend Denis Irwin, will join host Conor McNamara to discuss the highlights of Europe’s biggest football competition. They will also provide insights into what to expect in the next season and what could happen at the final in Istanbul.

Limited Tickets Available

Football fans have the opportunity to engage in an intimate debate and quiz the panel on this season’s UEFA Champions League happenings. Limited first come, first serve tickets are available for fans to attend. Fan groups in attendance will also make predictions for next season’s competition, as the Premier League top four race is in its business end.

Limited tickets are available here.

Live-Streamed Coverage

LiveScore has provided live-streamed coverage of all 137 UEFA Champions League matches free-to-air to fans in Ireland this season. This partnership has spanned the previous two seasons, and the final and 2023/24 matches will also be available to live stream on LiveScore as the partnership enters its third year.

Ric Leask, Marketing Director at LiveScore Group,said:

“LiveScore is all about bringing fans closer to the sport they love, which is why we’re delighted to host this event. It’s fantastic to be able to bring football fans in Ireland together to celebrate and debate another memorable UEFA Champions League season with some brilliant football experts.”

Conor McNamara, Host of the LiveScore UCL Event, said;

“Football is the heartbeat of communities throughout Ireland and fans have enjoyed watching the UEFA Champions League over the last few seasons on the LiveScore app. It’s great to give fans the chance to put Evan, Emma and Denis on the spot with their thoughts and predictions for this year’s final and next season.”

Stream this season’s UEFA Champions League final free-to-air with LiveScore. Limited tickets for the event can be found here.

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American Jesse Marsch was given his marching orders last week after failing to get his side going after starting at the club this summer.

Marsch leaves Leipzig without Champions League football in February and midtable in the Bundesliga, but there is a chance that they could attain UEFA Europa League football by achieving the same (or a better) result than Belgian champions Club Brugge.

Interim manager Achim Beierlorzer will take charge for his first match as the hunt for a successor to the American begins.

Manchester City are enjoying life under Pep Guardiola, as expected, and have already booked their ticket to the last 16.

A win against PSG last time out confirmed that the top spot in the group was theirs, and as they sit top in the Premier League at the moment, life could not be going any better for them.

Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will start Tuesday evening’s game after recovering from Covid-19 – became on against Watford in the 3-1 win at Vicarage Road at the weekend.

Gabriel Jesus, on the other hand, will not travel with the squad while Barcelona-linked Ferran Torres remains injured.

Five academy players will join the senior squad in Germany for the match.

Ilaix Moriba and Tyler Adams are available for selection against Manchester City but their RB Leipzig teammates Willi Orban, Dani Olmo, Yussuf Poulsen, Marcel Halstenberg, Hugo Novoa and Marcelo Saracchi are all unavailable – Amadou Haidara is questionable.

Teams

RB Leipzig (4-2-2-2): Gulacsi (C); Mukiele, Klostermann, Gvardiol, Angelino; Kampl, Laimer; Forsberg, Nkunku; Silva, Szoboszlai.

Subs: Martinez, Simakan, Adams, Brobbey, Moriba, Bonnah, Henrichs.

Manchester City (4-3-3): Steffen; Walker, Stones, Aké, Zinchenko; Fernandinho (C), Gundogan, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Foden, Grealish.

Subs: Ederson, Carson, Dias, Sterling, Egan-Riley, Palmer, McAtee, Lavia, Wilson-Esbrand.

Odds

RB Leipzig 5/2

Draw 14/5

Manchester City 9/10

Where To Watch

The match will be covered on BT Sport 2 from 5 pm with kick-off slated for 5:45 pm. LiveScore will also show the match.

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Liverpool have already progressed to the next stage, the last 16, as group winners – doing so after winning their first four games in the group stage for the first time in their history.

They can improve upon history further with a 100% record on the line tonight – a win will grant them maximum points from what was dubbed ‘the group of death’ before the competition started.

Milan, on the other hand, are trying to get their season back into top gear after faltering recently in their domestic league, Serie A.

They sit first but results have only improved recently – however, they sit third in the European group.

A win over Atletico Madrid in their last outing saved their chances of qualifying for the last 16 – a win at home to their great rivals, on top of there being a draw in Porto’s match with Atletico Madrid, will confirm that.

Weekend hero Divock Origi is set to be involved for Liverpool after his goal against Wolves on Saturday.

However, vice-captain James Milner will miss out through suspension.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that the side fielded by Liverpool will be a rotated one.

AC Milan, meanwhile, are set to be without Ante Rebic, Alessandro Plizzari, Simon Kjaer, Davide Calabria and Olivier Giroud for the 8 pm GMT kick-off.

Teams

Milan – Predicted (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kalulu, Tomori, Romagnoli, Theo; Tonali, Kessié; Messias, Diaz, Krunic; Ibrahimovic.

Subs: Tătăruşanu, Jungdal, Bennacer, Ballo, Florenzi, Maldini, Bakayoko, Gabbia, Saelemakers.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Williams, Phillips, Konaté, Tsimikas; Morton, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino; Salah, Origi, Mané.

Subs: Kelleher, Davies, Fabinho, Keita, Gomez, Robertson, Matip, Dixon-Bonnar, Bradley, Trent, Norris, Woltman.

Odds

Ac Milan 11/10

Draw 27/10

Liverpool 21/10

Where To Watch

The game will be available to watch on RTÉ 2 from 7:30 pm and LiveScore.

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Bayer Leverkusen v Celtic will kick off at 17:45 tonight, Thursday 25th November in the BayArena. The match will be shown live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin TV Go.

Gerardo Seoane’s Leverkusen side comes into this game on top of Group G, three points clear of second place. This young team have been very successful and exciting this season as they sit in fourth place in the Bundesliga as well.

A win tonight could guarantee progression to the Round of 16 but the manager may rest some of their strong players with them playing RB Leipzig in a tough league tie at the weekend.

Ange Postecogclu has improved Celtic’s home form, now bringing them to within four points of Rangers in the Scottish league. Even though this is promising for the Glasgow side, it may be too late for them in Europe.

Celtic are one point behind second-place Real Betis but the Spanish team are playing bottom place Ferencvaros. The Scotsmen will need to claim at least a point or else their European journey could be over.

This is a very uncommon tie in recent European history. They only faced each other once before, which was earlier this season in the first fixture of the Europa League group stage. That tie does not build Celtic fans with hope as they lost 4-0 at home to the German team.

There is a lot more importance on this game so Celtic will try to come out all guns blazing in search of at least a point.

One word to describe this @CelticFC signing from 2005… #FlashbackFriday | #UEL pic.twitter.com/W9AzGNWikY

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 19, 2021

Bayer Leverkusen v Celtic Probable Starting Teams

Bayer Leverkusen

Formation

4-2-3-1

Probable Starting 11

Hradecky (GK), Hincapie, Tapsoba, Tah, Frimpong, Diaby, Palacios, Andrich, Amiri, Alario, Wirtz.

Injuries / Suspensions

Baumgartlinger (Knee), Bakker (Ankle), Fosu-Mensah (Cruciate ligament), Demirbay (Red card)

Celtic

Formation

4-2-3-1

Probable Starting 11

Hart (GK), Juranovic, Carter-Vicker, Ralston, McGregor, Bitton, Jota, Turnbull, Abada, Furuhashi.

Injuries / Suspensions

Starfelt (Hamstring), Jullien (Knee), Taylor (Shoulder), Dembele (Ankle), Rogic (Hamstring)

𝗝𝗢𝗧𝗔

Saturday: Man of the Match
Monday: Player of the Month
Tuesday: Star of the Show?

𝑇𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤…#CelticChristmasAd pic.twitter.com/7yDMgZnvMY

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 22, 2021

Bayer Leverkusen v Celtic Match Betting

Bayer Leverkusen to win: 4/11

Draw: 4/1

Celtic to win: 13/2

Score Prediction

Leverkusen are the clear favorites to win this tie and secure their place in the knockout round and it would be hard to bet against them. Celtic have shown better form and have something to fight for but the Germans might be one step too far for them.

Expect this game to end 3-1 to Leverkusen, spelling the end of Celtic’s European journey this year.

Amine Adli vs Celtic

What will happen this time? #UEL pic.twitter.com/GWQtHH5ufG

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 23, 2021

To read more from this writer, click here.

And to read more in-depth and up-to-date Europa League and international club football news, click here.

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PSG, winners of the reverse fixture, sit second behind City by a point but are the only unbeaten side in Group A.

A second win for Mauricio Pochettino over Pep Guardiola with his Parisian outfit this season will put them into the round of 16.

Manchester City will also look to progress to the next stage with a win against a side including Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

City have recovered well from their defeat to PSG three rounds ago, with back-to-back victories over Belgian champions Club Brugge sending them top of the group.

Brugge themselves are still able to qualify for the last 16 and if they can beat RB Leipzig in their match tonight, they could put a lot of heat on the losing side in the City-PSG fixture.

A draw in this fixture and a win for Phillippe Clement’s side would mean that three teams will be in the race to progress on the final matchday.

City’s Belgian star Kevin De Bruyne will miss the game after contracting Covid-19 during the November international window while £100 million signing Jack Grealish will be monitored ahead of the match.

Rafinha, Julain Draxler and Alexandre Letellier will all miss the clash for PSG as they recover from injuries.

Teams

Manchester City – Predicted (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo; Rodri, Gundogan, Zinchenko; Mahrez, Bernardo, Sterling.

Subs: Steffen, Carson, Ake, Jesus, Laporte, Fernandinho, Palmer, McAtee.

PSG (4-3-3): Navas; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Mendes; Paredes, Herrera, Gueye; Messi, Neymar, Di Maria; Mbappé.

Subs: Donnarumma, Franchi, Dagba, Diallo, Kehrer, Ramos, Verratti, Di Maria, Ebimbe, Wijnaldum, Pereira, Icardi.

Odds

Manchester City 1/2

Draw 7/2

PSG 9/2

Where To Watch

Manchester City play host to PSG at 8 pm with BT Sport 2 showing the match (Coverage from 7 pm). LiveScore will also have the match on their app.

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Jurgen Klopp’s side have already progressed to the next stage of the competition after winning their first four games in the group – the first time they have ever done so.

Porto lead a three-horse race for second that they can wrap up with a victory at Anfield, should the Atletico Madrid – AC Milan result go their way.

However, Liverpool are expected to field a strong side in their last home group game, as Klopp has hinted to when questioned on the topic.

The team have history when it comes to fielding a strong side in dead rubber Champions League games – last season’s 1-1 draw away to Midtjylland serves as a prime example.

Diogo Jota was forced off late in the game due to injury, which kept him out for 18 games after a strong start to life on Merseyside.

“That is pretty not much how it will be [choosing a weak squad],” Klopp said to Liverpoolfc.com after qualifying for the last 16.

“We go for it, we want to win football games, that’s all. Sometimes you can qualify for something, sometimes not, it is still the same thing – you play a game, you want to win it, show it.”

Porto come into the game in red-hot form with eight wins in their last nine since the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool.

Sergio Conceicao and his men will be aiming to take the golden chance to qualify but Liverpool and their home crowd will look to dissuade them as much as possible.

Teams

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Williams, Matip, Konate, Tsimikas; Morton, Thiago, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Minamino, Mané.

Subs: Kelleher, Adrian, Fabinho, Van Dijk, Milner, Henderson, Jota, Robertson, Origi, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold.

Porto (4-3-3): Costa; Joao Mario, Pepe, Mbemba, Zaidu; Uribe, Otavio, Oliveira; Evanilson, Taremi, Diaz.

Subs: Marchesín, Fábio Cardoso, Francisco Conceição, Pepê, Grujic, Tecatito, Manafá, Vitinha, Wendell, Bruno Costa, Toni Martínez, Fábio Vieira.

Odds

Liverpool 17/20

Draw 11/4

Porto 14/5

Where To Watch

Liverpool v Porto will kick off at 8 pm. LiveScore will show the match on their app while BT Sport 3 will bring fans coverage of the match from 7:15 pm.

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The two players picked up injuries in the recent international window and both missed out on starting spots against Arsenal at the weekend as a result.

Henderson appeared as a substitute during the second half of the 4-0 victory over Arsenal, while Robertson was not involved with the matchday squad.

Offering an update on the duo at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Jürgen Klopp said: “We always respect the competition but we have to think about ourselves, our schedule and the situation of our players first.

“Hendo, we will see. [Monday], I would say maybe he was not at 100 per cent. So he can play, he can do pretty much everything but it’s about really being at 100 per cent fit.

“So I thought when he came on against Arsenal it was just to see the game out and controlling a little bit – that was exactly actually what he had to do from the rehab point of view, so he used these few minutes. But now we have to see. I don’t know 100 per cent.

“Robbo, similar. Both are OK, but are both now ready to play, ready to start with the schedule, with games coming up? We have to make these decisions.

“We didn’t make these decisions yet, to be honest, because, how we all know, in this time of the season the medical department has a big hand in line-ups. So we will see.”

Liverpool have already won their Champions League group after winning their first four games at that stage of the competition for the first time in their history.

Porto sit second in the group, seven points off Liverpool and one ahead of Atletico Madrid – wins for Porto and AC Milan will send the Portuguese club into the last 16.

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Chelsea v Juventus will kick off at 20:00 on Tuesday, 23rd November in Stamford Bridge. Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanovic will take charge of the tie. Highlights of the match will be shown on Virgin Media Two and Sky Sports.

Manager Thomas Tuchel will be very happy to come into this tie after going nine games unbeaten, including two Champions League wins against Malmo. Those wins have Chelsea sitting in second place in the group with nine points, six ahead of third-place Zenit St Petersburg.

A good result tonight will ensure their qualification from the group and help them leapfrog Juventus into first place.

The Old Lady are beginning to turn their season around.  Although they are historically the strongest Italian team with Maximilliano Allegri as manager, Juventus are in eighth place in their league.

It may be too late for them to win the league title but they can focus their efforts on finally winning silverware in Europe.

The Italian giants have owned this fixture in the last decade. They have played three times since 2012 with Juventus coming out on top twice and one game ending in a draw.

Most recently in late September, Allegri’s team kept a clean sheet as they won 1-0 in the Allianz Stadium in Turin. That night, Chelsea were very poor in front of goal, with 73 percent possession and 16 shots but only one on target. Tuchel will want a stronger performance to ensure their team’s qualification.

The last time we faced Juventus at home, Oscar did this #CFC pic.twitter.com/YqAWVkgCPE

— CFC-Blues (@CFCBlues_com) November 22, 2021

Chelsea v Juventus Probable Starting Teams

Chelsea

Formation

3-4-2-1

Probable Starting 11

Mendy (GK), Rudiger, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Chilwell, Jorginho, Kanté, James, Pulisic, Mount, Havertz.

Injuries / Suspensions

Kovacic (Hamstring)

Juventus

Formation

4-4-2

Probable Starting 11

Szczesny (GK), Sandro, de Ligt, Bonucci, Cuadrado, Rabiot, McKennie, Kulusevski, Morata, Chiesa.

Injuries / Suspensions

Ramsey (Muscle injury), Danilo (Muscle injury), Bernardeschi (Groin), Chiellini (Achilles tendon), De Sciglio (Hamstring)

Classic Pepsi advert featuring Juventus and Manchester United!! They don’t make them like this anymore!! pic.twitter.com/3D7gsiJyhn

— BI_1897 (@BI_1897) November 17, 2021

Chelsea v Juventus Match Betting

Chelsea to win: 4/7

Draw: 14/5

Juventus to win: 5/1

Score Prediction

Juventus were able to prove their strength earlier in the season but injuries seem to be their main downfall tonight. Tuchel will want to keep the club’s unbeaten run going over the last two months and that will continue in this game.

Expect the game to end 2-0 to Chelsea.

#MD5 in the Champions League!

Tonight, we host Juventus. #CheJuv pic.twitter.com/FV2XYa9BGf

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 23, 2021

To read more from this writer, click here.

And to read more in-depth and up-to-date Champions League and international club football news, click here.

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It’s that time again! The UEFA Champions League is on, and some teams are looking ready to take the title. Even though it is still in group stages, it is safe to say that some of the contenders this time around are serious about winning! Betting on the underdogs might prove to be in your favor in this tournament, with Juventus currently off to a perfect start – amongst other teams less known for winning as much as their talented individual players.

UEFA Fever

The UCL is easily the most popular sporting event in terms of the mix of soccer league teams in a tournament. The most exciting teams in the world come to try to prove their team’s superiority, often ending up with heated games, so it makes sense that it’s one of the most viewed sporting events every single time. Carry on reading to get up to speed on the event so far!

Ajax

More underdog talk. Ajax is by no means historically a lousy team, but right now, they’re proving to be an excellent one! The force from Amsterdam has had a perfect winning streak with their very own Sèbastian Haller on top of the goal board with six goals to his name in three games. Their team often dominates in their own league back home, but their current performance is out of the ordinary for them in the UEFA setting. This fact does not discredit them as an impeccable soccer club. They have won all of the competitions the UEFA offers and are among the best teams in the world. It seems they are doing so well again that Liverpool is interested in poaching one of their players by letting their interest be known publicly. 

AFC Ajax has been putting out a high level of football for as long as anyone can really remember, and they are still a force to be reckoned with and will continue to dominate the UEFA table. The Netherlands never seems to disappoint when it comes to soccer, and this club maintains the image of high-class footballing. Dortmund will be looking for revenge, so keep an eye out on the third of November, where Dortmund will try to revert their poor performance in the first encounter – where they conceded four goals without even scoring one.

Juventus

It seems like even without Christiano Ronaldo, Juventus continues to be the powerhouse they’ve always been. The Italian league team is amongst the teams off to an absolutely brilliant start having secured three wins. Their teamwork and overall chemistry seem to be taking them to the top of their group at a rapid rate. Their defense in this championship seems impenetrable, with them still not having conceded a goal. They seem to be Chelsea’s main competition as they are the only team Chelsea could not steamroll in their group. UEFA seems to rank them as the fifth-best team in the world but let’s see after this competition where they will be placed. 

They are one of Italy’s oldest teams, and they have seen the most success in their time which makes it less of a surprise that they are off to such a perfect start. Inconsistency used to plague the Italian teams, but they have been able to tidy up nicely. Man United recently acquired Ronaldo and, to everyone’s surprise, are not off to a perfect start. Juventus are proving to the world that they do not need a star player like Ronaldo (who actually seems to be causing some trouble recently) when they have got good teamwork, talent, and chemistry. They clearly still have enough capable finishers!

Liverpool

You’ll never walk alone with Liverpool. You need to realize that their perfect start is no surprise. Despite their inconsistency in their own league, they seem to dominate the UEFA, often being tied with Bayern Munich for the third-most wins in the UCL’s history. For the last couple of years, Liverpool has been coming back strong with only a tiny patch of inconsistent matches. They are back and terrorizing this league with the man himself – Salah – scoring the second-most goals so far with five to his name in three games and the team scoring eleven goals in total in their three games. 

This English team is showing their presence early, acting as an unbeatable force. When they meet the other teams that are off to a perfect start, however, things will ramp up. This year has brought the highest class of football. They have got so much more than talent up their sleeves with arguably the best coach in the business and a stellar team dynamic that has shown their chemistry to be at a constant growing peak – truly honing in on those words “you’ll never walk alone.”

Bayern Munich

As you know, the most feared German team is amongst the teams that take the title the most often. This season they continue to strengthen their reputation with not only having no losses, goals conceded, and over ten goals in three games, but they have also got Lewandowski representing them – scoring five goals to his name, putting him on this Champions League’s list of top scorers tied for second. In Germany, they prove to be the most successful team by no close measure, and it comes naturally to them wherever they are. Their soccer is truly on another level, especially with them having one of the greatest goalkeepers making it considerably easier for them to focus on being aggressive and creating pressure. 

These German teams often consist mainly of Germans, making their chemistry and dynamic far easier to build into an airtight working system. Many of the players have known each other for years, and having fewer language barriers will always make for better communication. Considering soccer is a team sport, this good communication heavily impacts the performance and chemistry between all the players of a team. Not to mention, German people seem to really support and love soccer. It is encouraged from a young age, so they have an endless amount of homegrown talent!

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