Goalkeeper: David Raya (Arsenal)
The Spaniard was kept busy against Club Brugge, making seven saves. Despite a much-changed Arsenal defensive line, Raya was able to protect the clean sheet – his 13th of the season.
Defence: Jules Koundé (Barcelona)
Barcelona and Koundé recovered from the horror show against Chelsea with a spirited comeback against Eintracht Frankfurt. Behind at half-time, a second-half double from the French right-back secured a vital three points for the Catalan giants. Koundé also won three tackles and six of his seven duels; an impressive performance at both ends of the pitch.
Defence: Jesus Areso (Athletic Club)
Areso had the unenviable task of marking Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but he did so admirably. The Spaniard won seven tackles and nine duels, as part of an impressive defensive display from Ernesto Valverde’s men. Athletic Club are still outside of the play-off positions, making this point at home to PSG all the more vital should they hope to progress to the knock-outs.
Defence: Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City)
The young Englishman has quietly become one of Pep’s most trusted players, and O’Reilly’s display against Real Madrid shows why. He was in the right place to poke home the equaliser, and defended well throughout to help City to three points at the Bernabéu.
Midfield: Nico González (Manchester City)
His best performance for City to date? Certainly up there. González dominated the midfield, winning three tackles and finishing the game with a 97% pass completion rate. With Rodri a long-term absentee, Guardiola will need this level of performance from González every week.
Midfield: Richard Ríos (Benfica)
The Colombian defensive midfielder isn’t a regular source of goal contributions, but his goal and assist against Napoli secured the three points for the Portuguese outfit. Rios won the midfield battle against the in-form McTominay, who was kept largely quiet by his usual standards.
Midfield: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta)
What a performance from the Belgian. Against Chelsea, his goal and assist helped Atalanta to come back from behind to claim a 2-1 victory. Deployed as the right sided attacking midfielder, De Ketelaere thrived in the pockets of space he was able to find behind Chelsea’s midfield. With all the big European clubs keeping track of Atalanta’s starboy, this performance will have helped to up the transfer fee somewhat.
Midfield: Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
Another match-winning performance from Szoboszlai; the Hungarian is almost single-handedly preventing Liverpool from a complete collapse. The awarding of the penalty might have been controversial, but Szoboszlai kept his cool to convert late on and ensure the points came away with Liverpool. Despite all the doom and gloom surrounding them at the moment, Arne Slot’s men are equal on points with the teams in line for automatic qualification, albeit with an inferior goal difference.
Forward: Noni Madueke (Arsenal)
With qualification almost guaranteed, Arteta rotated much of the side and Madueke certainly grasped his opportunity. Having recently returned from a knee injury, Madueke scored twice from the right wing. Saka is unlikely to be dropped anytime soon, but such a strong showing from his understudy will give Arteta plenty to think about.
Forward: Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
It’s rare for a player from the losing side to feature in the team of the week, but there wasn’t much more Rodrygo could have done to help Madrid avoid defeat. He was a livewire throughout, stepping up in the absence of Kylian Mbappé. The Brazilian forward grabbed the opener and looked Real’s most dangerous forward throughout. Having struggled for form throughout the season, it was a long-awaited return to form for Rodrygo.
Forward: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
It has been quite the Champions League campaign for Gordon so far, scoring five and contributing two assists. Only Mbappé, Osimhen and Haaland have more goals. This good form carried into the 2-2 draw away at Leverkusen, with Gordon grabbing a goal and an assist against the in-form German side.
