About this episode
On Thursday's Football Daily, Phil Egan brings you all the fallout from last night's Champions League action, a look ahead to the Irish involvement tonight in Europe, and who could be in with a shout of making the Ireland squad next week.Champions League shock in Madrid – Manchester City suffer a heavy 3–0 defeat away to Real Madrid as Federico Valverde scores a stunning first career hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.Pep Guardiola admits his side face an “uphill battle” to stay in the tie despite Madrid missing stars like Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé.Holders Paris Saint‑Germain punish Chelsea 5–2 in Paris with goals from Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia despite a spirited fightback from the visitors.Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior takes responsibility for his side’s late collapse but insists there were positives against the reigning European champions.Arsenal rescue a 1–1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen thanks to a dramatic late penalty from Kai Havertz.Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must be more clinical in the second leg as the Champions League knockout stage shows its difficulty.Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt make the most of their Arctic home advantage with a dominant 3–0 win over Sporting CP.Europa League action tonight: Aston Villa host Lille OSC as boss Unai Emery demands a return to their usual structure.Relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest juggle domestic survival with Europe as they face FC Midtjylland at the City Ground.Robbie Keane leads Ferencvárosi TC into a tough Europa League tie against SC Braga in Budapest.Conference League spotlight: Troy Parrott and AZ Alkmaar take on SK Slavia Prague while Crystal Palace face AEK Larnaca.Championship roundup: Coventry City edge closer to promotion with a 3–0 win over Preston North End as the Sky Blues go eight points clear at the top.Ireland striker crisis deepens: veteran forward David McGoldrick could make a shock return to the Republic of Ireland national football team squad ahead of the World Cup play-off with Czech Republic national football team.Become a member and sign up at offtheball.com/join
