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DIEGO SIMEONE SNUBS ARSENAL, NAMES INTER UCL'S STRONGEST TEAM

Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone claims Inter Milan, not Arsenal or Bayern, is the top team in the Champions League this season.

Diego Simeone Snubs Arsenal, Names Inter UCL's Strongest Team
Simeone Changes Mind After Naming Arsenal

Atletico Madrid's coach, Diego Simeone, says Inter Milan is the top team in the Champions League, even ahead of Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.

His team recently grabbed a 2-1 win against Inter, which was Inter's first loss in the Champions League this season.

Now, Arsenal is the only team left in the competition that hasn't lost, especially after their solid 3-1 victory at home against Bayern Munich.

Even though Inter lost in Spain, Simeone still thinks they're the team to beat in the Champions League.

"For sure, Inter is the strongest team in the Champions League right now," Simeone stated.

He added, That’s why we tried to disrupt them in the first half. We knew we could play our best in the second half, especially with great players like Griezmann, [Alexander] Sorloth, and Nico Gonzalez, who played great and helped us score at the end.

It felt great, but our plan was always the same, no matter the score. I don’t like to be too comfortable; I’d rather keep pushing. You need to work hard and have faith, passion, and quality. My players trust me, and that’s key for any coach.

He also mentioned, Today, I had strikers on the bench who wanted to play, and when they got their chance, they proved their value.

Simeone seems to have changed his mind since last month. After Atletico Madrid lost 4-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, he said that Arsenal was the best team they had played all season.

When asked if Arsenal was the best team they’d faced, Simeone told Amazon Prime, Yes, I’d say they are. They compete really well; their players are full of energy, and they have talent all over the field. They deserved to win, and I want to congratulate them. It’s a learning experience for us. We just need to keep getting better. I thought we played well at first, but after 60 minutes, they were the better team and earned the win. We need to move on from this and concentrate on what we did well in training and how we can get better.

LEAGUE UPDATE: MAN UNITED’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES BOOSTED BY COEFFICIENT POINTS SURGE

Manchester United move into fourth place as England's dominant UEFA coefficient makes a fifth Champions League spot almost certain.

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Confirmed: Fifth place in PL likely to earn UCL qualification this season

Manchester United just got a real shot in the arm for their Champions League hopes this season. After knocking off Manchester City and Arsenal in back-to-back games, they’ve climbed into fourth place in the Premier League. It’s been a struggle for United to make the Champions League in recent years—their last run was in the 2023/24 season.

These days, finishing in the top four isn’t always enough for Premier League teams. UEFA now hands out extra spots, and it all depends on how clubs from each country perform across the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.

So, how does it work? UEFA takes each league’s overall coefficient score—basically, a measure of how well their teams do in Europe—and divides it by the number of clubs they have in these competitions.

This season, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle all joined the European fight. Out of those six, only Newcastle had to go through the play-offs; the rest sailed straight into the knockouts.

Now that the Champions League group stage is done, you can really see which countries are in line for those bonus spots next year. Right now, England is out in front with 180,625 points. Germany follows with 107,000. Portugal sits in third with 14,700, and Spain is just behind on 14,375.

Here’s the key thing: the two countries whose teams rack up the best results across all three competitions this season each get a European Performance Spot—an extra Champions League place.

With England leading the pack, even a fifth-place finish in the Premier League could send United back into the Champions League instead of the Europa League. Newcastle took advantage of this last season.

If United hold onto fourth, they’re in. But there’s still a lot of football left. Interim boss Michael Carrick isn’t letting anyone get ahead of themselves—he’s already told his players to stay sharp.

Next up, United face Fulham at Old Trafford. They'll be chasing a third straight win and looking to keep Carrick’s perfect record going since he stepped in for Darren Fletcher.

JUST IN: PEP GUARDIOLA THANKS JOSE MOURINHO AFTER WILD NIGHT OF EUROPEAN DRAMA

Pep Guardiola thanks Jose Mourinho as Benfica’s last-gasp winner against Real Madrid sends City straight into the Last-16.

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Pep Guardiola’s oldest rival just saved City’s season

Pep Guardiola had a smile on his face and a message for Jose Mourinho after his old rival did him a huge favour, helping Manchester City sneak into the Champions League knockout rounds.

City took care of their own business, beating Galatasaray 2-0 at the Etihad. Haaland and Cherki got the goals, but the real drama was happening elsewhere. City’s spot in the last eight still hung in the balance because Real Madrid needed to equalise against Benfica. If they had, Guardiola’s squad would have been bumped into the play-offs instead.

That’s when Benfica’s goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, pulled off something wild. He left his box, charged forward for a late free kick, and scored a brilliant goal. Benfica won 4-2. That goal kept Benfica alive in the competition—and, as it turned out, saved City too.

Guardiola admitted he and his players were glued to the screen in the dressing room, completely confused when they saw Trubin running up for that last free kick. “We were all in there, watching, and none of us realised Benfica still needed a goal to qualify,” Guardiola said. “So when their keeper went up, we’re all thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ But Jose knew. It was a smart move. Finishing in the top eight, with how tough the Champions League has become, feels really good for us. Now we can focus on being at our best by March.”

Bernardo Silva didn’t hide how relieved he felt. Skipping those extra play-off games really matters, especially when you’re chasing a quadruple. “A bit of drama, but we did it. We’re very happy because we avoid two more matches,” he said. “With all the injuries we’ve got and the crazy schedule, having those two weeks free to rest, get players back, and focus on the other competitions is huge for us.”

As for Mourinho, he looked proud after Benfica’s wild finish. He’s won this tournament twice before, and he believed his side deserved to stay in. “That was a fantastic goal, a historic moment—almost blew the roof off the stadium,” Mourinho said. “Honestly, for Benfica to beat Real Madrid, that’s massive.”

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