Ollie Watkins double ends Shabab Al Ahli's perfect AFC Champions League start in Al Hilal defeat
Ollie Watkins scored twice as Al Hilal won 2-0 against Shabab Al Ahli in Riyadh on Tuesday to put the Saudi Pro League side's AFC Champions League Elite campaign back on track. Simone Inzaghi's side moved to nine points from four matches as the western league phase reached the halfway point, with the club bouncing back from last week's loss to Qatar's Al Shamal . "It was a tough game; I thought…
Real Madrid and Liverpool enter their Champions League matches on Wednesday with perfect start to the tournament. Madrid, a 15-time European champion, takes on AEK Athens, while Liverpool faces Fenerbahce. Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho aims for another Champions League title, having previously won with Porto and Inter Milan, but is cautious about future success.
"It would be the third with three different clubs, and this one with the biggest club in the world. But I prefer real ones," Mourinho said. "The reality is that we still need points to qualify. Until we are qualified, I don’t like talking about the round of 16."
Last season's runner-up Arsenal faces Slavia Prague, while Manchester City is away to RB Leipzig. Kylian Mbappé, in excellent form with 15 goals in 14 appearances this season, and teammate Jude Bellingham, on the verge of making 60 appearances in Champions League history, are set to feature for Madrid. Liverpool's coach Andoni Iraola is encouraged by his team's performance after a recent Premier League loss, but acknowledges the need for improvement.
Manchester City coach Enzo Maresca has identified a need to address costly errors that have marred recent league games, but remains optimistic about the team's prospects. Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain scored four goals in the quickest time in Champions League history, Manchester United staged a comeback against Roma, Barcelona and Bayern Munich secured wins against Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid, respectively.
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- Ollie Watkins double ends Shabab Al Ahli's perfect AFC Champions League start in Al Hilal defeat thenationalnews.com
- Champions League: Real Madrid and Liverpool defending perfect records winnipegfreepress.com
- Champions League: Real Madrid and Liverpool defending perfect records sports.yahoo.com
- Hilal coach praises players after victory over Shabab Al Ahli in AFC Elite Champions League english.ajel.sa