Man City’s implosion continues in the Champions League; Liverpool host Real Madrid to headline Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League is already off to an entertaining start with 40 goals and a big surprise on Tuesday, and that’s before the headlining act of the week – Liverpool’s clash with Real Madrid. I’m Pardeep Cattry with a midweek update.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Nov. 27
🇪🇺 UCL: Sturm Graz vs. Girona, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Thursday, Nov. 28
🇪🇺 UECL: Heidenheim vs. Chelsea, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Tottenham vs. Roma, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
😮 Manchester City’s surprising capitulation
Getty Images
Up until the 75th minute of play in the later games on Tuesday, it felt like Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win over a 10-man Paris Saint-Germain would be the story of the day, especially since the loss leaves the French champions at risk of not advancing to the next round. Manchester City and Feyenoord, though, had other plans.
City threw away a 3-0 lead in the span of 13 minutes on Tuesday and extended their winless run to six games, the worst in Pep Guardiola’s managerial career. The surprise draw offered fresh reminders of the issues that have plagued them during their winless run and all season long, chief among them being Rodri’s absence after he tore his ACL in September. That does not seem to be City’s only problem, though – they are averaging 0.6 fewer goals per game despite averaging 1.5 more shots per match than they were last year. Erling Haaland remains a frequent contributor and scored a brace on Tuesday, but Phil Foden looks far off from his 27 goal season last year while Julian Alvarez, who scored 19 goals last season, has not been replaced after he left for Atletico Madrid over the summer.
Rodri’s absence might explain their defensive instability, conceding 18 goals in their last six games and seven in their last two matches alone. City are conceding 0.5 more goals per game on average this season, some of it down to individual errors, much as it was on Tuesday. The speed at which their three goal lead unraveled, though, asks some questions about what Guardiola described as their newfound fragility.
Guardiola: