Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Get the most insightful analysis on everything football every week.
00:16My name is Ayomidi Shuzbo and this is The Nutmeg.
00:19The UEFA Champions League is changing as we know it.
00:23It's the play-offs returning this week and headlined by Manchester City up against Real
00:28Madrid.
00:29Yes, a preview of that game as well as others to come.
00:32My name is Ayomidi Shuzbo and this is The Nutmeg on Guardian TV.
00:41So we return to talking about the UEFA Champions League here on The Nutmeg.
00:44I've got a debutant on the show.
00:47David Mesho is here.
00:48Great to have you, David.
00:49Thank you so much.
00:50Good afternoon, Vigorous.
00:51Welcome.
00:52Yeah, and of course, the play-offs are a new thing in the UEFA Champions League.
00:55What do you make of it after the league phase?
00:58Like I said, we need to let our viewers understand one simple fact.
01:01This is the first time that UEFA is coming up with a league phase format where you have
01:06a pool of 24 teams.
01:07The top 8 will drop by to the round of 16 automatically.
01:11Then from 9 to 24, you're going to play one or two yourself, after which another 8 will
01:16be matched.
01:17They will now have 16 teams.
01:18So it's going to be a wonderful one.
01:21The big game is the hope.
01:22The purpose of this system is just to avoid the big boys coming against one another.
01:29We have that.
01:30It's the UEFA Champions League.
01:31It always happens.
01:32It's like we're having a final right before the finals.
01:35I think there's something we need to discuss before I get to the big one of these play-offs.
01:40We have Man City.
01:41We have Real Madrid.
01:42We have Bayern Munich.
01:43We have Juventus.
01:44We have Paris Saint-Germain.
01:45AC Milan.
01:46Six of the elite clubs that you usually have in the UEFA Champions League.
01:51Some of them could potentially drop off from the play-offs.
01:55But I would like to ask you, look, I know Man City and Real Madrid are facing each other.
01:59Bayern are facing Celtic.
02:01Juventus also have their game.
02:02Paris Saint-Germain will face Brest.
02:06And then AC Milan will play as well.
02:08But which of these teams do you think will likely fall off?
02:11Because that's the one that people will be most interested in.
02:14The one that will fall among the big boys?
02:16Yes, that will fall out from the play-off stage.
02:18That will really qualify or go...
02:21That will crash out.
02:22That will crash out.
02:23Yes, crash out.
02:24It's a tight one, I must confess.
02:25It's a tight one.
02:26But I see Man City is going out.
02:27Fine.
02:28OK.
02:29You know, this Man City-Real Madrid game has a potential, it's a Ballon d'Or potential,
02:34you know, for Venetians and Ireland.
02:37So I think the last is the fourth time that fourth time they are meeting.
02:42And out of those three times, you know, Man City, anybody who won that game has gone ahead
02:47to pick the trophy.
02:48So I see Real Madrid going ahead to qualify and Man City will fall off.
02:54Juventus, Milan, they are not doing too well.
03:00My problem with Atalanta is because it's a problem in Europe when you are competing for
03:03the domestic trophy, I mean the league, it becomes so difficult for you to balance your
03:07team, you know.
03:08But that shouldn't stop Ademar Lukman from shining, should it?
03:10He will always shine.
03:11He's always a good player.
03:12But this one, they are one of the potential winners for the city, huh?
03:17And you can see they are the Europa League champion, defending champion.
03:21So if you are trying to balance your team while you are competing for the local Scudetto
03:25as well as the European Cup, it's going to be very difficult.
03:28But as you see, they are going to qualify, Gasparini is doing a good job in Atalanta.
03:33And at least Club Brugge will not be able to stop Atalanta from going up.
03:37Yeah.
03:38Well, but you reckon Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Juve, these teams can go through?
03:43These are my picks.
03:44PSG, Real Madrid, Atalanta, Juve, AC Milan, Bayern.
03:50I mean, have I?
03:51That's about five of them.
03:53And Dortmund.
03:54Dortmund, that will go through.
03:55Then we'll see.
03:56We'll see.
03:57But let's talk maybe a bit of a microscopic view of Man City and Real Madrid now.
04:02What are you expecting from that game?
04:03You already said it's got huge potential.
04:05It's a big game.
04:06Like I said, this game, it has this ballon d'or potential for Vinicius Junior and Haaland,
04:12Vinicius Junior has not even been there, Haaland is back scoring goals.
04:15But you know, I have my reservation for Man City.
04:18They've been struggling.
04:19We all know in the league, lots of people want to ask now, the struggle at the FA Cup
04:23over the weekend.
04:25Going to this game, I look at the kind of line-up they have for the league, is it going
04:28to play Liverpool?
04:29Is it going to play Tottenham?
04:31And you know, trying to balance the selection is going to be a difficult one for Pep Guerdana
04:36to really go through.
04:37I am so happy that for the first time, we are having two players in the post.
04:41Messi and Ronaldo Herrera, who are competing for ballon d'or.
04:44It's a good thing.
04:45I knew there was Kylian Mbappe there as well.
04:46There's a Kylian Mbappe, yes, a Kylian Mbappe.
04:48And he's gradually getting to the game, gradually getting his groove back in that team.
04:54But I still feel Real Madrid, they have the potential, they have enough quality to stop
05:01Man City from going ahead.
05:02Well then, we'll see.
05:03We've got to bring the show to a close at this point.
05:05Thank you very much as always for watching The Not Mega on Guardian TV.
05:09You can be part of the community, subscribe on YouTube and also tap the notification bell
05:14to get all our latest content all around news and information around Nigeria.
05:20And also you can follow us on social media, the handle to follow is at GuardianNigeria.
05:25Thank you very much David.
05:26It's been an awesome time talking with you here.
05:28You're welcome.
05:29We'll see you in the next one.
05:31We'll see you certainly in the next one.
05:32Bye for now.
05:39Bye.