Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund is the upcoming match in the UEFA Champions League group stage between two giants of English and German football.

Date, Location and Kick Off:

Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund will be played on the 15th of September, with a 12;30 am IST kick-off. The match will be played at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England.

Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund: Match Preview:

Erling Braut Haaland's goalscoring capabilities in the Premier League may have been called into question before his arrival at the Etihad Stadium – such concerns have since been quashed – but his penchant for Champions League heroics had already been firmly established.

The 22-year-old struck twice in the 4-0 win over Sevilla to take his European tally to 25 goals in 20 Champions League matches, while Phil Foden and Ruben Dias also got in on the act at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, and Haaland needs no added motivation to get one over his old employers here.

Champions League prep ✅#ManCity pic.twitter.com/f1q2DOv9eG

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 13, 2022

Guardiola's side – like all Premier League teams involved in European competition – have enjoyed the rare luxury of a week off following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, which meant the reigning top-flight champions did not have the chance to put further pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table.

Nevertheless, City have now successfully traversed their first seven games of the season unbeaten in all competitions and have scored at least three goals in each of their four home encounters – racking up 17 in total – and Guardiola will also take charge of a Champions League game for the 150th time this week.

PEP 💬 They (Dortmund) know these players (Haaland and Akanji) more than I know Dortmund players, that is for sure. They were there a few years. They can benefit. We will see tomorrow if it is an advantage. But also, they know the Dortmund players, too.#ManCity

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 13, 2022

The ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss continues his painful wait for a European honour with the Citizens, but the hosts now have a chance to extend their unbeaten home run to 21 Champions League games this week, and Dortmund travel to England on the back of a painful away-day defeat.

A 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk saw RB Leipzig turn to former Borussia Dortmund head coach Marco Rose after giving Domenico Tedesco the boot, and the ex-BVB chief oversaw a comprehensive success over his old club in the Bundesliga.

Willi Orban's header, Dominik Szoboszlai's screamer and Amadou Haidara's tap-in wrapped up a 3-0 success for Die Roten Bullen over Dortmund – the same scoreline that the Black and Yellow had inflicted upon Copenhagen during their Champions League opener.

⏳👀 Blick hinein… pic.twitter.com/ZpGwwZYsWV

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) September 13, 2022

Defeat at the Red Bull Arena ended a run of three consecutive wins and three consecutive clean sheets for Dortmund, who could do with Champions League star Haaland leading the line right now, but the impact of a certain Giovanni Reyna was well and truly felt last week.

Coming on as an early substitute to replace the injured Thorgan Hazard, the 19-year-old set up Jude Bellingham and Raphael Guerreiro's efforts against Copenhagen and will hope to play a key role as Dortmund set out to avoid a third-straight Champions League loss on the road.

Not since October 2017 have the Bundesliga side drawn on their travels in the Champions League – winning seven and losing 10 such games in the past five years – but they fell to a 4-2 aggregate defeat against Man City in the 2020-21 quarter-finals.

Team News:

Manchester City

.@Laporte trains with the rest of the squad as he returns from injury. pic.twitter.com/WsmoKXBHKp

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 12, 2022

Kyle Walker, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte are injured at the moment and have been ruled out of this fixture. Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland are set to face their former team this week.

Borussia Dortmund

Sebastien Haller has been diagnosed with cancer and is unavailable for selection for the foreseeable future. Thorgan Hazard, Mateu Morey, and Mahmoud Dahoud are injured and will not be able to feature in this game.

Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund: Head to Head:

Manchester City have a good record against Borussia Dortmund and have won two out of the four games that have been played between the two sides. Borussia Dortmund have managed one victory against Manchester City and will need to step up in this fixture.

The previous meeting between the two teams took place last year and ended in a 2-1 victory for Manchester City. Borussia Dortmund gave a good account of themselves on the day and will need to take it up a notch this week.

📍 Manchester #MCIBVB pic.twitter.com/i94TKEwtCY

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) September 13, 2022

Predicted Line-ups:

Manchester City Predicted XI (4-3-3): Ederson Moraes; Sergio Gomez, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Joao Cancelo; Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne; Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland

Borussia Dortmund Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alexander Meyer; Nico Schlotterbeck, Mats Hummels, Raphael Guerreiro, Thomas Meunier; Jude Bellingham, Salih Ozcan; Julian Brandt, Marco Reus, Giovani Reyna; Anthony Modeste

MCI vs DOR: Dream11 Predictions:

Carabao Cup, formerly known as the EFL Cup, is a 92-team knock-out tournament organised by the English Football League (EFL). Teams from Premier League, and three divisions of the English Football League compete in this tournament.

Although the prize value of the EFL Cup is not that significant compared to tournaments like FA Cup and other, EFL Cup has had it's reputation among football fans since 1961. Here are all the previous winners of the Carabao Cup since the beginning.

Who were the first-ever winners of the Carabao Cup?

Aston Villa were the first-ever champions of the Carabao Cup or the EFL Cup in 1961. They defeated Rotherham United by a 3-2 aggregate after a two-leged final after being down by 0-2 in the first leg. Alan O'Neill, Harry Burrows and Peter McParland were the scorers for Aston Villa.

For the first six seasons, the EFL Cup finals were played in two legs.

Who are the current winners of the Carabao Cup?

Newcastle United defeated defending champions Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium to win their maiden EFL Cup or Carabao Cup title. They defeated Liverpool by 2-1 to clinch their first-ever domestic title since 1955 FA Cup triumph.

Alexander Isak and Dan Burn scored the goals for them.

𝐂.𝐇.𝐀.𝐌.𝐏.𝐈.𝐎.𝐍.𝐒 🏆

Newcastle United lift a domestic title for the first time in 70 years!

They beat Liverpool FC to clinch the Carabao Cup 2024-25!

Congrats, Newcastle United!#NewcastleUnited #CarabaoCupFinal #CarabaoCup #LiverpoolFC pic.twitter.com/RUfDu2zNhj

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 16, 2025

Also Read: Most Goals in the Premier League for a single club

Which is the most successful team in Carabao Cup history?

Liverpool with 10 EFL trophies, are the most successful team in Carabao Cup history. They won the trophy in 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1994-95, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2011-12, 2021-22, and 2023-24 seasons.

Most successful teams in Carabao Cup/ EFL Cup history

Most Carabao Cup wins as a player

Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho are the most successful players with three Carabao Cup titles in 2014, 2016, 2018-2021 with Manchester City.

All the past winners of the Carabao Cup/ EFL Cup since 1961

UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League are the two pinnacles of European club tournaments, awarding the coveted continental silverware to the top clubs in Europe. 

Borth tournaments are prestigious for clubs competing in these, and hold different merits and various aspects of prizes that come with these silverware. 

However, if you are a fan of a top club that crashed out of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, you would definitely be disheartened. But, on the other end, if your club clinches the Europa League, would you celebrate it in the same manner when your club reached the UCL semis?

This may be a tough choice for fans who naturally covet the utmost success for their beloved clubs. But this question may always arise in every football fan's mind, which one is better to choose? Crashing out in the UCL semis or winning the Europa League?

Sportz Point delves into this interesting discussion through this article.

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarterfinals schedule: Everything you need to know

Crashing out of UEFA Champions League Semis: Pros and Cons

Advantages 

Playing in the UEFA Champions League is already competing at the highest level, and reaching the semifinals is a very significant achievement. 

• If a mid-table club in the top five European leagues manages, or a club that belongs to a league other than the lower coefficients in the UEFA European leagues ranking, reaching this level can also provide valuable experience for the team and contribute to their reputation.
• Reaching the semifinals demonstrates a lot about the team. It means they were able to overcome the best clubs in Europe and reach the knockout stage.
• If looked at from a monetary point of view, the UCL semifinalists receive a prize money of €15 million that helps the teams to look forward to their future. The Champions League also draws more marketing or TV ratings.

UEFA prize money distribution (as of 31 Jan):

7⃣3⃣% to UCL clubs (€2.14 billion)
1⃣8⃣% to UEL clubs (€528 million)
9⃣% to UECL clubs (€265 million) pic.twitter.com/anllbpFPQK

— Football Meets Data (@fmeetsdata) January 31, 2025

Disadvantages 

Losing at this stage can be disappointing, especially if the team had induced high hopes of winning the tournament. For example, Ajax in the 2018-19 UCL claimed attention in the best possible way, beating defending champions Real Madrid on the way, but crashed out of the semi-finals.

• If a team loses in the semifinals without winning anything in the domestic league, it will be considered a disastrous trophyless season. Very few people would be impressed by a club simply for reaching the semifinals.
• On the contrary, a semi-final defeat can disrupt a team's momentum, potentially affecting their performance in domestic competitions.
• This also may lead to a massive exodus of players from the club, especially if the club is not an European powerhouse already. The top European players will go after the players who performed well for the team, leading to the dismantling of the core group, making it harder to repeat the feat in the future continental competitions. 

Winning the UEFA Europa League: Pros and Cons

Advantages 

For most of the clubs, winning a silverware is a huge achievement. Winning the Europa League has its own advantages, considering that most of the mid-table or apparently mediocre clubs compete in this tournament.

• Winning the Europa League guarantees a continental silverware, which is always better than a trophy-less season. It also ensures a direct qualification in the next season's Champions League.
• The winners of the Europa League also meet the Champions League winners in a season-end competition, called the UEFA Super Cup, which presents another opportunity to clinch another silverware.
• Winning a major European trophy significantly enhances a club's global status and reputation. This success can attract sponsors, and elite players as well.

Disadvantages 

• The biggest drawback of taking part in the Europa League, particularly of winning it, is the scheduling of midweek games. This may lead to a congested fixture, resulting in fatigue among the players as well as higher injury risks. Consequently, this affects the players' performance within domestic leagues or other tournaments. The Thursday-Sunday format of the Europa League puts more pressure on players than the Tuesday-Wednesday format of the Champions League.
• Although it is a big silverware, the Europa League is usually less prestigious than the Champions League, and therefore makes it less attractive than the clubs competing in the UCL.
• Comparing to the Champions League, the Europa League offers lower prize money. This will be a downer for the clubs that are reliant on their European competition-generated revenue, more so those operating outside the major five European clubs.

The difference in prize money between 108 clubs playing UCL, UEL and UECL visualized. pic.twitter.com/T5IZwmOhsC

— Football Meets Data (@fmeetsdata) December 14, 2024

Conclusion: Which is better?

To be honest, it is subjective and depends on different contexts.

For a world-class team that can contest the Champions League, playing in the Europa League could be a disappointment or a consolation for the team, the management and mostly, for the supporters.

However, if a team has no practical hope of winning the Champions League but can contest the title for the Europa League, it would be preferable to lift the trophy instead of qualifying to the semi-finals.

In conclusion, the Champions League semi-final defeat is an indicator of greater competition and ability, while the Europa League win is a concrete victory. So, we can say that there is no definite 'better' result between these two. 

Hello and welcome to another live coverage of Premier League football. This evening, we will bring you all the live updates, scores, news, and free commentary of the Manchester City vs Brighton Premier League 2024-25 fixture set to be played at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

Manchester City, the defending champions, are having a difficult season and are currently battling to secure a spot in continental competitions for next season. The Cityzens are now standing in the fifth position, having earned 47 points in 28 matches. On the other hand, Brighton are just one point behind City, positioned seventh as of now with 46 points in 28 games.

Although City is struggling, this encounter against Brighton will be crucial for both teams before heading onto the international break. So sit back and enjoy the game as we bring you all the real-time updates, team news, live scores, and match commentary tonight.

This is Soumit Bhattacharya, who will bring you all the updates of the match from the web desk.

Moreover, you can follow us on Twitter for all the updates. Join our Telegram and WhatsApp channels to get all the news and scores.

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 Second Leg has ended, concluding the round with eight teams that have earned their qualification into the Champions League Quarter Finals this season.

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarterfinals schedule: Everything you need to know

Paris Saint-Germain stunned Liverpool in the second leg, managing a 1-0 win in the regulation time before knocking the league phase leaders out of the competition following a 4-1 win on penalties.

Barcelona dominated over Benfica, earning a 3-1 victory at home to secure the quarter-final place with a 4-1 aggregate. Bayern Munich also clinched a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen, advancing to the quarters with a 5-0 cushion across two legs.

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid fought till the last minute as Atletico managed a 1-0 win to equalize the tie, but Los Blancos secured a 4-2 victory on penalties to advance to the quarters.

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 First Leg Round Up

UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 Second Leg Round Up

FC Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (4-1 Agg)

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal led from the front to help FC Barcelona win 3-1 against Benfica in the return leg, accumulating a 4-1 aggregate to progress through to the quarter-finals.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 11th minute, as Otamendi equalized just two minutes later. However, a world-class strike from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha's second goal produced a dominant win for Blaugranas, despite a goalless second half.

Barcelona will take on Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.

Read Also | Barcelona vs Benfica UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg Highlights: Barcelona through to quarter-finals with an easy 4-1 win on aggregate

Inter Milan 2-1 Feyenoord (4-1 Agg)

Inter Milan stamped a well-deserved 2-1 victory over Feyenoord at the San Siro, winning the tie on a 4-1 aggregate to advance to the quarter-finals.

Marcus Thuram netted an early goal in the eighth minute, that was canceled out by Jakub Moder, who equalized from the spot in the 42nd minute. However, Hakan Çalhanoğlu fired the winner with a boastful penalty in the 51st minute.

Inter Milan will go against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

Liverpool 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain (1-1 Agg, 1-4 pens)

Arguably, this tie has produced the most gripping and absorbing footballing actions across two legs in the RO16 this season. After a fighting 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at Parc de Princes, Liverpool crashed out of the UCL 2024-25 following a 1-4 defeat on penalties.

Ousmane Dembele drew the first blood early in the 12th minute, but almost 110 minutes of football afterwards failed to decide a winner, ending the tie on a 1-1 aggregate.

However, Gianluigi Donnarumma became a wall between PSG's sticks in the penalties, saving two penalties of Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to hand PSG the advantage in a nail-biting shootout. Desire Doue netted the winning penalty for PSG, taking them to the quarters. 

Les Parisiens will meet Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.

Read Also | Liverpool vs Paris Saint-Germain Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg | PSG advances, Liverpool crash out after losing on penalties | FT LIV 0-1 PSG (1-1 AGG, 1-4 pens)

Bayer Leverkusen 0-2 Bayern Munich (0-5 Agg)

Bayern Munich had another composed victory over Bayer Leverkusen, beating them 2-0 to progress through the next stage with a commendable 5-0 aggregate.

Harry Kane and Alphonso Davies scored in the 52nd and the 71st minute respectively, leading the German side to the UCL 2024-25 quarter-finals.

Read Also | Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 2nd Leg: Bayern secures their spot in the quarter-finals | LEV 0-2 BAY (Agg. BAY 5-0 LEV)

Lille OSC 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (2-3 Agg)

Borussia Dortmund pulled off a sensational comeback against Lille OSC in the second leg, winning 2-1 against the French side to qualify for the quarters with a 3-2 aggregate.

Jonathan David opened the account for Lille only 5 minutes into the game, as the first half ended with Lille leading 2-1 in the tie. However, Emre Can converted the spotkick in the 54th minute to equalize the game, as Maxilmilian Beier netted a sublime curler in the 65th minute to hand Dortmund a comeback victory.

Dortmund will lock horns against FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

Read Also | Lille OSC vs Borussia Dortmund Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg | Dortmund wins a thrilling contest with a second-half comeback; advances to the quarters | FT LIL 1-2 BVB (AGG 2-3)

Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge (6-1 Agg)

Aston Villa earned a comfortable 3-0 victory over ten-men Club Brugge in the second leg to enter the quarters with a 6-1 score on aggregate.

After a goalless first half, Marco Asensio scored a brace in the 50th and 61st minute respectively, accompanied by Ian Maatsen who found the back of the net in the 57th minute. 

Aston Villa will face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.

Read Also | Aston Villa vs Club Brugge UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg Highlights: Villa to face PSG in quarters after a 3-0 win (6-1 agg)

Arsenal 2-2 PSV Eindhoven (9-3 Agg)

After producing a 7-1 crushing in the first leg, Arsenal shared the spoils in a 2-2 stalemate with PSV in the return leg. Despite the draw, Arsenal are through to the quarters with a massive 9-3 win on aggregate.

Oleksandr Zinchenko scored early in the sixth minute of the game. However, Ivan Perisic equalized in the 18th minute for the visiting side. Declan Rice netted a banger in the 37th minute, but PSV pulled off another equalizing goal in the 70th minute as Couhaib Driouech scored in his first UCL start.

The game ended in a 2-2 draw, as Arsenal progressed onto the quarters, where they will go against the defending champions Real Madrid.

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (2-2 Agg, 2-4 pens)

The Madrid Derby in the return leg gifted another spectacular game of football. Atletico madrid levelled the tie with a 1-0 win after 120 minutes, but Real Madrid emerged victorious on penalties, winning 4-2 to march onto the quarters.

Atletico midfielder Connor Gallagher scored only 30 seconds after the kickoff, but both teams failed to find the net in the remaining minutes, leading the tie to a 2-2 aggregate.

However, Julian Alvarez's spotkick in the shootout was canceled for an apparent double touch. Atletico fell behind, but Real Madrid's fourth penalty, taken by Lucas Vanquez, was denied by Jan Oblak.

Following that, Marcos Llorente had a chance to pull Atletico back in the game, but he hit the woodwork under pressure. Antonio Rugider netted the winning penalty for Real Madrid. Los Blancos will face Arsneal in the quarters.

Read Also | Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid CF Highlights UEFA Champions League RO16 Second Leg: Real Madrid secures their spot in the quarterfinals after defeating Atletico on the penalties | ATM 1(2)-(4)0 RMA (AGG. RMA 2-2 ATM)

The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of club football, boasting the best talent from around the globe. Over the years, African players have made a significant impact on Europe's elite competition, with many of them showcasing their skills but also finding the back of the net consistently.

From legendary strikers to dynamic wingers, this article highlights the top 10 African players with the most goals in Champions League history, celebrating their remarkable achievements on the grandest stage of European football.

10 most successful African Players with most goals in the UEFA Champions League:

10. Sebastian Haller| 12 Goals | Ivory Coast:

While the Ivorian found the net just 10 times in 48 games for the Hammers, he experienced a career revival at Ajax, netting an impressive 32 times in 50 games. Sebastian Haller made his Champions League debut in the 2021-22 season, scoring in his first seven games in the competition, including four in his debut against Ruben Amorim’s Sporting. Haller scored just one more UEFA Champions League goal and was given just 10 minutes in the German side’s 2024 final defeat to Real Madrid.

9. Rabah Madjer | Algeria | 12 Goals:

Madjer is considered one of the best players in the history of Algerian football and shot to renown as a Porto player in the 1980s. He scored six goals on Porto’s first UEFA Champions League winning run, including the equalizer against Bayern Munich in the final at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. Madjer retired in 1992 and twice managed his home country, having played in their first ever World Cup in 1982.

8. Vincent Aboubakar | 14 Goals | Cameroon: 

Aboubakar made his UEFA Champions League debut in 2014 with Porto, scoring a goal in a 6-0 thrashing of BATE Borisov. He came back with a goal in the return fixture at home to Shakhtar and scored his first knockout goal against Basel but was an unused substitute in both quarter-final legs against Bayern Munich, including the 6-1 defeat that sent Porto out.

In the next two seasons, one spent at Porto and the other at Besiktas, Aboubakar netted six times but failed to get out of the group stage. He scored his final Champions League goals in 2017 with a brace against Monaco but was injured for the last 16 tie against Liverpool, a 5-0 defeat at the Estádio do Dragao.

7. Seydou Doumbia | 15 Goals | Ivory Coast:

Doumbia scored 15 UEFA Champions League goals in 31 games for three different clubs in his career. He moved to Basel in 2016, scoring just once in six games before ending his European run at Sporting in the 2017-18 season. He made his debut with CSKA Moscow, scoring five times in the 2011-12 season, but never hit that height again.

6. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Gabon | 17 Goals:

 Aubameyang primarily scored his goals with Dortmund, he managed just two for Chelsea, but Gabon’s all-time top scorer never made it past the UEFA Champions League quarter finals having twice exited at that stage in 2014 and 2017. Aubameyang is, however, the all-time top goal scorer in Europa League history, netting 34 times in 62 games.

5. Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | 20 Goals:

Riyad Mahrez kicked things off with two goals in Leicester’s opening group match against Brugge before finding the net two more times ahead of the knockouts. He played every minute of Leicester’s knockout run but could only manage a single assist in that time. 

In the 2020-21 season, Mahrez was a crucial player on Manchester City’s run, scoring in the quarters before three goals against PSG in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. However, he could not find the net as City lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final. By the time of the 2023 win, Mahrez had fallen down the City pecking order and stayed on the bench for the whole of the 1-0 win against Inter.

4. Sadio Mane | Senegal | 27 Goals:

The 2019 and 2022 African Player of the Year Mane was a talisman in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool rebuild. Joining in 2016, Mane along with Salah and Roberto Firmino combined to be a lethal front three with the Senegalese player scoring 10 goals in the 17-18 UEFA Champions League season, a figure only beaten by his team-mates and Cristiano Ronaldo. Moving to Bayern Munich in 2022, Mane struggled to replicate his Liverpool form but still scored three goals in the group stages before departing for Al-Nassr in 2023.

3. Samuel Eto'o | Cameroon | 30 Goals:

The four-time African player of the year winner, a figure only matched by Yaya Toure, scored most of his UEFA Champions League goals for Barcelona including six in their 2005-06 triumph and four in the 2008-09 win under Pep Guardiola. Moving to Inter in 2009, Eto’o became the fourth player in history to win back-to-back Champions Leagues at different clubs and played every game in the Jose Mourinho-masterminded run. Still considered by many to be the best African player of all-time, Samuel Eto’o was a deadly mix of pace and clinical finishing.

2. Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | 44 Goals:

With 10 goals in 10 finals, the Ivorian was the man for the big occasion, and he made his UEFA Champions League debut with Marseille in 2003, scoring five goals in six games. Getting his move to Chelsea the following season, Drogba hit the same number in the 2004-05 campaign but managed just one goal in seven appearances the next year. 

He scored twice in the 2008 semi-final to set up a clash against rivals Manchester United, but a John Terry slip in a rain-soaked Moscow denied Chelsea their first UEFA Champions League title. But that success would come in 2012 with Drogba playing a starring role in the final.

1. Mohamed Salah | Egypt | 50 Goals:

Considering he scored just three goals in his first 15 UEFA Champions League appearances, betting on Mohamed Salah to one day become the leading African goal-scorer would have seemed a waste of money back in 2016. Famously a second choice of Klopp – the German preferred Julian Brandt – Salah hit 10 goals in his first UEFA Champions League season at Anfield, propelling Liverpool to their first final since 2007 but an early injury caused by Sergio Ramos forced him to the sideline as Real Madrid won 3-1 in Kyiv.