GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Dec. 9 - Champions League Matchday 6 overview, ticket prices surge for key matches at the World Cup, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Champions League (Dec 9): Bayern Munich vs. Sporting CP, 17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET. Bayern are unbeaten in their four European encounters with Sporting, scoring 13 goals and conceding only once. Meanwhile, Sporting CP have won just one of their 17 European encounters away from home with German opposition. Inter Milan vs. Liverpool, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Inter have won their last four Uefa club competition group stage/league phase matches at home against English teams and they’re unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League home matches. However, Liverpool have won their last three Uefa club competition matches against Italian teams. Atalanta vs. Chelsea, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Chelsea haven’t won any of their past four on the road in the competition, while Atalanta have kept eight clean sheets in their 15 Champions League games since the start of last season. See every Champions League Matchday 6 fixture here.
Results…
Premier League: Wolves 1-4 Man United (Table)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Champions League Overview
Matchday 6 of the Uefa Champions League league phase kicks off on Tuesday (Dec 9) and runs through Wednesday. See the league phase standings here and fixtures here.
On Tuesday, the standout fixture is between 4th-placed Inter Milan and 13th-placed Liverpool. Bayern Munich, who sit third in the league, will have a challenging fixture against Sporting CP, who currently sit in the automatic qualification zone at eighth. Among Premier League sides, Chelsea travel to Atalanta and Tottenham host Slavia Prague.
Wednesday sees the standout fixture of the Matchday as Real Madrid host Manchester City, a meeting between fifth and ninth, respectively. Real’s Kylian Mbappe has achieved his best-ever tally in a Champions League campaign with nine goals, while City’s Erling Haaland has scored nine goals in his previous nine appearances against Spanish teams in the competition. League leaders Arsenal (vs Club Brugge) and second-place Paris Saint-Germain (vs Athletic Club) both travel for their matches. Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund host Bodo/Glimt, Bayer Leverkusen welcome Newcastle, and Pafos travel to Juventus.
See the possible line-ups and team news for Matchday 6 here.
Ticket Price Spike
The price of resale tickets to 2026 World Cup games featuring Portugal and Argentina rose by an average of nearly 300% following Friday’s tournament draw. Reports attribute the jump in price in part to Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi featuring in their sixth and possibly final World Cup.
Before the fixtures were known, the cost of the cheapest ticket for the June 27 match at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida was less than $400. However, once Fifa announced the match would be Portugal vs. Colombia, the cheapest ticket spiked above $2,000. It’s now the fourth most expensive ticket, behind only the final and semi-finals, on the secondary market.
These prices are not set by Fifa. They are set by sellers who previously bought the tickets, either on the secondary market or during one of Fifa’s two early sales phases. On Thursday (Dec 11), Fifa will open its third phase of ticket sales–see here–at 11:00 ET (16:00 GMT / 08:00 PT).
In related news, every 2026 World Cup game will pause for three minutes in the middle of each half for a “hydration break”.
Madrid Emergency Meeting
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and his advisors met in a crisis meeting in the early hours of Monday morning following the team’s 0-2 defeat to Celta Vigo. The meeting focused on the team’s poor recent form and the future of head coach Xabi Alonso.
Reports in Spain, though unverified, suggest that the upcoming Champions League match against Manchester City this Wednesday (Dec 10) will determine Alonso’s fate. If the team fails to show a significant reaction or suffers another poor result, Alonso will likely be dismissed. The club’s board discussed Zinedine Zidane’s return to replace Alonso, with former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp viewed as a complicated alternative.
Real Madrid have lost their lead in La Liga, going from five points ahead to four points behind Barcelona in just five weeks, having only won three of the last seven games. Reports have also risen of a divided dressing room following tensions between Alonso and Vinicius Jr. Meanwhile, defender Eder Militao has suffered a hamstring rupture and is out for four months, joining Trent Alexander-Arnold, Carvajal, and Alaba on the injured list.
POLL
Wayne Rooney says Mohamed Salah is damaging his Liverpool legacy. Do you agree?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> The FA Cup third round draw has been made with matches to be played across the weekend of Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 January 2026; see the full draw (More)
> Wayne Rooney has accused Mohamed Salah of disrespecting Liverpool and tarnishing his legacy at the club (More) | Salah is expected to be omitted from Liverpool’s travelling squad for their Champions League match at Inter (More)
> Brighton have banned the Guardian from attending matches after it reported on allegations relating to the Premier League club’s owner (More)
> Cardiff City have had a hearing in the French Courts as they sue FC Nantes for €120.2m over the tragic death of Emiliano Sala in January 2019 (More)
Americas
> A 2026 World Cup fixture designated by organisers as an LGBTQ+ 'Pride Match' will feature two countries where homosexuality is illegal, Egypt and Iran (More)
> The World Sevens women’s tournament crowned its second champion in NWSL’s San Diego Wave; the tournament has a $5m purse, with $2m going to the winner (More)
> Neymar will undergo knee surgery after playing through the pain to help Santos avoid relegation with a 3-0 win over Cruzeiro (More)
Rest of the World
> A South Korean court has sentenced a woman who blackmailed footballer Son Heung-min to four years in prison (More)
> Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will participate in next summer’s Sydney Cup pre-season tournament (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Are Arsenal still clear favourites to win the Premier League after their loss to Aston Villa?
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (36%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (61%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 A.G: “One loss doesn’t erase the bigger picture. They’ve been one of the most consistent teams this season, and the strengths that put them at the top: solid defence, depth in the midfield, and an attack that creates chances every game, are all still there. Aston Villa played incredibly well, and every title-contending team takes a hit at some point. What matters is how Arsenal responds, and historically, this squad bounces back quickly. As long as they keep their form and stay healthy, they’re still in the strongest position to finish the season on top.”
👍 N.M: “In my view, they are still the favourites, but that doesn't mean it won't be a close race to the title. Losing away at one of the top teams, with an injured backline, doesn't immediately make them not the favourites.”
🙅♂️ V.H: “Injured back line is going to be a major issue. Could force Mikel Arteta to be more aggressive with the offence, leaving them more vulnerable in the back.”
🙅♂️ P.O: “Recent history dictates that Arsenal just don't have the bottle to maintain a lead over a season. When being chased, they crumble.”
EXTRA TIME
The worst (and most dangerous) celebration you’ll see all week.
All you need to know about Afcon 2025.
The biggest shock in World Cup history. (video)
How does Wolves compare to lowest-points Derby?
Every stat worth talking about from the weekend.
The Premier League’s most iconic outbursts.
GAME FACE ON
Question: What do the following players have in common?
Andy Cole. Owen Hargreaves. Ella Toone. Carlos Teves. Peter Schmeichel.
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
The two of us have spoken a lot, sometimes longer sometimes shorter but that's not the way I feel. Usually I'm calm, I'm polite but I'm not weak.
Answer
They’ve all played for Manchester United and Manchester City.
