Episode 117: Real Madrid & Paris Prevail on Penalties
2520 Sports Talk
Nick and Taylor break down all of the action from the Champions League Round of 16, which featured two exhilarating ties that went the full distance to penalty kicks. French champions PSG faced current Premier League leaders Liverpool, who also finished on top of the 36-team UCL Group Phase. Cross town rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid met in the competition for the first time since the 2016/17 semifinals. Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen met for the first time in the UCL and for the fourth & fifth times this season in all competitions. Borussia Dortmund and Lille faced off for the...
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Episode 116: Mbappe Masterclass vs City, Italian Clubs Swept Away
2520 Sports Talk
Nick and Taylor provide a comprehensive analysis of the first ever Champions League Playoff round, which absolutely lived up to the hype. The Playoff round featured a blockbuster rematch for the fourth-straight season between Real Madrid and Manchester City, two Italian vs Dutch matchups (including a rematch between PSV and Juventus from Matchday 1), a rematch between Benfica and Monaco from Matchday 5, an all-French affair between PSG and UCL debutants Brest, and several other entertaining ties. Our European football experts dissect the tactics, goals, blunders, and endless drama from a...
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Episode 115: Matchday 8: The Group Phase Finale
2520 Sports Talk
Taylor analyzes the complete slate of Matchday 8 fixtures from the Champions League group phase. This epic conclusion featured sixteen fixtures in which at least one club had something to play for: a top-8 finish, a seeded playoff spot, or an unseeded playoff spot. As eighteen clubs had mathematically secured a top-24 finish after Matchday 7, nine clubs competed for the remaining six playoff spots, including PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Additionally, only Liverpool and Barcelona had mathematically secured top-8...
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Episode 114: Benfica and Man City Crumble, Feyenoord Baffles Bayern
2520 Sports Talk
Nick and Taylor return just in time to provide comprehensive analyses of Matchday 7 in the Champions League with just days to go before the final League Phase matchday! Our European football experts explain what went wrong for Benfica and Manchester City, how Feyenoord somehow scored three on a dominant Bayern side, and how Atletico Madrid adapted to overturn seemingly impossible odds. Matchday 7 featured 2/8 clubs securing automatic round of 16 placements, 18/24 total clubs securing the playoff round at minimum, and 9/12 clubs becoming mathematically eliminated from reaching the playoff...
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Episode 113: Atalanta and Inter Finally Lose & Leipzig Eliminated
2520 Sports Talk
Nick and Taylor break down all 18 fixtures from Matchday 6 of the Champions League group phase, which included first-time losses for Italian sides Atalanta and Inter, further misery for Sporting and Man City, and persistent wins from Bayern, Atletico, and Milan. Liverpool and Barcelona became the first sides to mathematically secure the playoff round at minimum, and RB Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava, and Young Boys became the first sides to confirm elimination following the conclusion of the group phase in late January. Our European football experts analyze the goals, the tactics, the statistics,...
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Episode 112: City Collapses, Madrid Mauled Again, and Stuttgart Smashed
2520 Sports Talk
Nick returns to the show to help break down a magnificent Matchday 5 in the Champions League. On Tuesday, Manchester City conceded three late goals to blow a 3-0 lead at home, Sporting found it difficult to adjust following their manager's departure, and Brest finally tasted defeat on a historic night for Robert Lewandoski. And on Wednesday, Madrid suffered their third-straight defeat in the competition to a perfect Liverpool, Monaco and Shakhtar blew leads late, and Crvena Zvezda absolutely smashed Stuttgart in embarrassing fashion. Our European experts highlight all 18 matches, complete with...
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Episode 111: Sporting & Milan Upset UCL Favorites, Dinamo Zagreb Ascends
2520 Sports Talk
2520 Sports Talk host Taylor Monroe analyzes all 18 fixtures from Matchday 4 in the Champions League: the official midway point in the opening League Phase. Taylor breaks down how Sporting sent off their beloved manager Ruben Amorim in style with a famous home victory over Manchester City, what's going wrong at Madrid as a marvelous Milan humbled the reigning champions, and how Aston Villa ended their perfect campaign in the most perplexing way. Additionally, Taylor praises a resurging Dinamo Zagreb following their historic defeat on Matchday 1, and expresses concern for PSG, Feyenoord and...
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Episode 110: Madrid's Miraculous Comeback & Barcelona's Revenge
2520 Sports Talk
Nick and Taylor break down a marvelous Matchday 3 in the Champions League, which once again featured no shortage of drama. The duo provides a comprehensive analysis of Real Madrid's comeback against fellow UCL finalist Dortmund, Barcelona's long-awaited revenge against Bayern (with the help of the Bavarian's former manager and striker), a second-straight win for Lille over a club from Madrid, Benfica's baffling home collapse vs Feyenoord, and much more from across the continent. Taylor also seizes an opportunity to strongly criticize Bayern's star goalkeeper, defenders, and board, as Bayern...
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Episode 109: Dortmund Cook Celtic, Juventus Jump Leipzig
2520 Sports Talk
Nick and Taylor provide a complete analysis of all 18 matches on Matchday 2 in the Champions League. The duo commence with an irresistible clowning of Celtic, who were absolutely annihilated in Germany against the reigning finalists of Dortmund. Then, our European football experts break down two massive upsets, including Aston Villa's nostalgic encounter with Bayern at Villa Park, and Lille's incredible rebound from losing to Sporting away to defeating the reigning champions Madrid in France. Next, our experts explain how Juventus completed an unthinkable comeback despite being down a man and...
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Episode 108: Bayern Net Nein
2520 Sports Talk
Nick and Taylor provide complete coverage of Matchday 1 of the newly redesigned Champions League format, which produced some absolute spectacles—and a few snoozers—across Europe. The duo examines history in the making, as Bayern continues to crush every opponent in sight, demolishing the Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb in Munich; Liverpool reversed an early deficit to make a statement at San Siro versus a struggling Milan; Brest brilliantly triumphed in their European debut against the Austrian champions of Sturm Graz; and Juventus, Aston Villa, Leverkusen, Monaco, and Sparta Praha...
info_outlineNick and Taylor review all of the action from Matchday 3 of the Champions League group stage, which featured excellent entertainment at Old Trafford, complete domination at the Parc de Princes, and an unexpected thriller at Celtic Park. Our European football experts analyze the goals, the red cards, the formations, and tactics, as Bayern, Madrid, City, and Barcelona remain perfect whilst Benfica and debutants Union Berlin and Royal Antwerp have lost all three fixtures. Additionally, the duo provides bonus analyses from the chaos and euphoria that unfolded on Matchday 3 of the Europa League.