Real Madrid
Why This Is A Huge UCL Week For Real Madrid
A big week of Champions League football is ahead as the group stage reaches the halfway mark. While clubs with a perfect record could put one foot in the knockout stages, other sides with grand ambitions are merely trying to get a foothold.
Real Madrid, the record champions of the competition, fall into the latter category after a surprisingly poor start to the European campaign. When the groups were drawn, it was believed that Madrid may be tested but would ultimately get through. However, an opening home game with Shakhtar Donetsk shook that belief.
A Covid-19 outbreak had ravaged the visiting Shakhtar’s squad, which meant that the weakest club in Group B was forced to play a reserves side against a Madrid with four UCL titles in the last seven seasons. What followed was one of the greatest upsets in group-stage history. Madrid appeared unusually complacent in the opening stages with Shakhtar dominating the ball and creating better chances.
Viewers were waiting for the tide to turn when the visitors scored their first; the 20-year-old Brazilian midfielder Tetê broke the deadlock after 29 minutes. He was set up by a fellow bright starlet, 21-year-old teammate Viktor Kornienko. If Madrid thought that world-class players like Raphael Varane, a World Cup winner with France, would step up, they were mistaken.
Four minutes later, Varane got on the scoresheet himself, picking the ball out of his own net after an attempted tackle poked it past Thibaut Courtois. Madrid huffed and puffed but it was to no great effect and soon Shakhtar had a third through Israeli midfielder Manor Solomon, who coolly placed his shot in the corner of the net.
It didn’t end 0-3, of course. Madrid came out after the break with renewed purpose and focus. They dominated the second half and were a stoppage-time VAR decision away from finishing 3-3. A similar event occurred the following week.
Borussia Monchengladbach went two goals ahead before Madrid pegged them back with two goals after the 87th minute to capture their first point. If the action only counted after half-time, Madrid would be top of the group. Unfortunately for Zinedine Zidane’s side, it doesn’t, so they would be advised to have their heads in the game from the first whistle. This week, they take on an Inter Milan team also searching for their first win of this stage after successive draws.
Europa League finalists last season, Inter were expected to kick on in this campaign but that European odyssey may have contributed to a slow start. They travel to Madrid with one win from their last six games in all competitions.
Los Blancos, meanwhile, got back to winning ways on Saturday when they beat Huesca 4-1 in La Liga, Eden Hazard, starting for the first time this season after a long injury lay-off, opened the scoring. Fans expecting to see another Belgian vying for headlines may be disappointed to learn that Romelu Lukaku is unlikely to shake off his own injury in time.
Inter boss Antonio Conte will play a makeshift forward line and would probably settle for a point if it was offered to him now. Madrid, who have two wins in their last three matches, should seize the chance to defeat weakened opponents.
At 1.9 with 888Sport, we think that Hazard and company are a good bet for this matchday but there are plenty of other compelling contests taking place across the continent.
The best Champions League betting odds can be found on bookmaker review sites like Wincomparator. For example, Ajax are a generous 1.68 with 1xBet to win away to UCL debutants FC Midtjylland, while Istanbul Basaksehir, priced at 8.7 with 22Bet, could add to the woes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by upsetting Manchester United.
FC Twente Women host Real Madrid Women on Wednesday in their final 2025-26 UEFA Women’s Champions League group phase fixture, with the Dutch side already eliminated and Real chasing a top-four finish.
Twente’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last week ended any slim hopes of progression, while Madrid remain in contention for automatic quarter-final qualification.
Real Madrid sit fifth with nine points and have guaranteed at least a play-off spot, but victory plus favourable results could see them leapfrog into the top four and bypass February’s knockout round. The Spanish giants beat Wolfsburg 2-0 last week to boost their chances heading into the final matchday.
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT, Wednesday, December 18, 2025
Venue: De Grolsch Veste, Enschede
TV: Disney+ (UK)
Form Guide
Twente have competed well at times but lacked a cutting edge in the final third, scoring just three goals while conceding nine across five matches. Their narrow 1-0 loss to holders Arsenal highlighted their defensive resilience but attacking struggles in Europe’s elite competition.
The Dutch side thrashed Nürnberg 6-1 in the Eredivisie on Saturday, with former Arsenal midfielder Jill Roord among the scorers. However, their domestic dominance hasn’t translated to Champions League success in their debut campaign.
Real Madrid impressed in their 2-0 victory over two-time champions Wolfsburg, with Caroline Weir, Linda Caicedo and Alba Redondo leading their potent attack. The trio have been instrumental in Madrid’s push for a top-four finish alongside Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Team News
Twente will be without Hulst, who remains questionable with injury. Manager Renate Jansen is expected to field a similar XI to the one that faced Arsenal, with Roord pulling the strings in midfield alongside Groenewegen and Van Ginkel.
Real Madrid have significant absences with Lakrar and Santiago both suspended. Frohms, Antonia, Teresa, Toletti and Bruun are all unavailable through injury. Despite the depleted squad, Madrid possess enough quality with Weir orchestrating from midfield and Caicedo providing pace on the wing.
Previous Meetings
The teams met twice in last season’s group stage, with Real Madrid dominant in both encounters. They won 7-0 in Spain before claiming a 3-2 victory in the Netherlands, highlighting the gulf in quality between the sides.
Predicted Lineups
Twente (4-2-3-1): Lemey; Van der Vegt, Knol, Carleer, Tuin; Van Ginkel, Roord; Groenewegen, Oude Elberink, Proost; Ravensbergen
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Misa; Navarro, Mendez, Rocio, Yasmim; Weir, Angeldahl, Dabritz; Feller, Redondo, Caicedo
Also read: Wolfsburg Women vs. Chelsea Women: Predicted Lineups + Match Preview
Amine Gulse is famous for being the wife of German star Mesut Özil. Read on to learn more about her nationality, net worth, facts and family.
Even though Amine had many difficulties growing up, that didn’t stop her from achieving her dream. She has achieved a lot in the acting industry and she is also a famous model. Apart from her professional success, she is also a caring mother and a responsible wife.
Mesut Ozil, the recently retired footballer, is famous for his craftiness in the midfield area and he is a world cup winner. Even though the German star has passed his peak years, his legacy still remains intact. He won the world cup with Germany in 2014 and was one of the top midfielders in the Premier League for several years. His colourful career is full of many ups and downs. However, he always had the support of the love of his life. So, today we are going to reveal everything there is to know about the wife of Mesut Ozil – Amine Gulse.
Amine Gulse Childhood and Family
Amine was born on April 30, 1993, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her father belongs to Iraqi ancestry and was a Turkmen from Kirkuk; her mother was Turkish. She spent most of her childhood in Sweden. However, to pursue a career in the acting industry, she moved to Turkey. She hasn’t disclosed much information about her father and mother. We are currently uncertain whether she has any siblings. We are still investigating to find the missing pieces, and we will update the article if we find new data. Stay tuned to know more about the wife of Mesut Ozil.
Amine Gulse Education
Amine spent most of her childhood in Sweden. There’s a high chance she completed her education from there. However, she hasn’t shared many details about her education. We guess she finished her high school education in her hometown. However, we believe she didn’t enrol in a university programme as she started her journey to be an actress at a very young age.
Amine Gulse career
Amine moved to Turkey to pursue a career in the acting and modelling industry. She entered the glamour world with high ambitions and worked very hard to achieve her dreams. His stunning beauty and charming attitude earned her the Miss Turkey title in 2014. After winning the title, she got the chance to represent Turkey in Miss World 2014. However, she didn’t manage to win the beauty pageant.
Amine gathered fame through her modelling career and started to grow her network. Her big break in the acting industry came when she was featured in the Turkish TV show Vazgeçmem. She played the leading role in the love drama.
Amine Gulse Net Worth
Amine’s net worth is currently unknown. She is the kind of person who doesn’t like to share a lot of private information in public media. We know that she has accumulated a handsome sum from her successful acting and modelling career. However, we couldn’t calculate the exact number due to the lack of information.
Amine Gulse and Mesut Ozil’s relationship
Mesut Ozil met with her wife in 2017. The German star was playing for Arsenal at that time. Amine was also at a great height in her career at that time. We are uncertain how they met. However, we are sure that the duo instantly knew they had a connection only after their first meeting. The pair dated for a long time before tying the knot on June 7, 2019. Many high-profile guests attended their lavish wedding ceremony on the banks of the Bosphorus. Ozil personally asked the then President of Turkey, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to be the best man at his wedding. Apart from that, their close family members, friends, and many of Ozil’s Arsenal teammates attended the wedding.
Amine Gulse and Mesut Ozil Children
Amine and Ozil welcomed their first child IN 2021. Amine gave birth to a little daughter named Eda Özil.
Amine Gulse’s Husband Mesut Ozil’s Net Worth and Salary
The former German midfielder maestro Mesut Ozil is known to be one of the most richest and influential persons in Europe. He is expected to have a net worth of $120 million. The player was rumoured to earn around a salary of $24 million.
Amine Gulse’s Husband Mesut Ozil’s Career
The Turkish-German footballer started his career at Schalke 04’s reserve team and was promoted to the main team in 2006. After spending two years with the club, he joined Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €5 million on a 3-year deal.
He became the top young sensation after his performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup which indeed attracted many top European clubs including Real Madrid who ended up signing him in July 2010 for a reported fee of €15 million. It was at Real Madrid that his career reached its peak which lead to the team ending up winning many trophies. He stayed three years with the club and was the top assist provider of the league in three straight seasons.
He joined Arsenal in September 2013 for a reported fee of €50 million. He quickly adapted to the game style of the team and became one of the commanders of the Gunners. The team along with Ozil ended the team’s trophy drought in 2014 by winning the FA Cup in the final against Hull City. He was loved by every fan and became one of the legends of the team.
Following the squad exclusion and limited game time in the 2020/21 season, he joined the Turkish club Fenerbahce in January 2021. In July 2022, his contract was mutually terminated by the club and ended up signing for İstanbul Başakşehir in July. He announced his retirement from football on 22 March 2023 owing to his recurrent injuries.
In his 18-year footballing journey, he has won many top trophies including the FIFA World Cup with Germany in 2014 and was named the Best Player in the World Cup that year.
Amine Gulse Social media
Amine has earned massive fame on social media. She currently has 3.5 followers on Instagram, and her follower base is continuously growing. Her beauty and positive influence have attracted a lot of fans, and she maintains a positive impact on them. She mostly posts pictures of herself with her daughter, husband and family members. Gulse also posts pictures of her kids and she shares reels as well.
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The number eight shirt is worn by box-to-box midfielders with a sharp eye for goal and here we learn about the top 10 best number 8 football players of all time.
The number 8 soccer shirt isn’t as well-known as the numbers 7 (wings or second strikers), 9 (centre striker), or 10 (goalkeeper) (playmaker). However, everybody who wears this shirt has a significant role to play in the game. These midfielders are eager to create scoring opportunities for the club. Other soccer players have worn the number 8 shirt in positions other than the midfield.
10. Marco Tardelli
During his tenure with Juventus, the former midfielder is one of the few players in history to have won every major European title as well as everything there is in Italy. In addition, Marco Tardelli led Italy to victory in the 1982 World Cup. Tardelli, one of the most decorated players in football history, began his career with Pisa in Serie C and subsequently moved to Como in Serie B before joining Juventus in 1975.
Before joining Internazionale in 1985, he spent most of his career with the Turin club, collecting several titles. Tardelli is largely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in history. Tardelli was a versatile midfielder who could play in a variety of positions. He was a hard-tackling midfielder who was also technically skilled.
9. Juninho Pernambucano
Juninho was a fantastic playmaker who went on to become one of Olympique Lyon’s all-time greats, giving countless assists and scoring over 100 goals throughout his career. He was hailed as the most stylish player of his team.
Juninho’s arrival rejuvenated the Lyon team, which had never won a domestic title previously. Juninho would go on to lead his team to seven straight Ligue 1 victories. He was chosen to the Ligue 1 team of the year three times and earned the player of the year award once.
8. Ian Wright
Ian Wright is a television personality and former soccer player. Following his playing career, he became heavily involved in soccer-related media. He is presently a BBC Sports and ITV commentator.
During his career, he played for Crystal Palace, Arsenal, West Ham, Celtic, Burnley, and Nottingham Forest. He was able to win the Premier League while at Arsenal.
His finishing ferocity, quickness, and agility have made him a household name. Wright is Arsenal’s second-highest goal scorer and Crystal Palace’s third.
Wright scored nine goals in 33 appearances for England at the international level.
7. Gennaro Gattuso
On the field, the no-nonsense, uncompromising former AC Milan midfielder was an utter menace. His all-action, tough-tackling approach made him a fan favourite at San Siro. Gattuso was clearly identifiable by his number eight. In the mid-2000s, he was a vital player of the Rossoneri squad, which was very successful.
6. Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo was a productive forward, earning him the nickname El Pistolero (The Gunslinger), but he was also a fiery player, earning him the moniker “The Dagger.” Hristo competed in the FIFA World Cup for Bulgaria in 1994. Despite his team’s fourth-place result, he was awarded the World Cup Golden Boot for scoring the most goals in the tournament and the World Cup Bronze Ball for being the tournament’s third-best player.
Hristo earned the European Golden Shoe in 1990 as the highest scorer in Europe while playing for CSKA Sofia. He became a member of the Barcelona club that won four straight La Liga titles after arriving later in 1990. He presently works as a football analyst for TUDN.
5. Steven Gerrard
For many years, the ex-England star was the soul of his childhood club, Liverpool. While wearing his legendary number 8 shirt, the great Reds bestrode the Anfield turf. During his tenure at Liverpool, Gerrard was an inspirational captain who scored many key goals. Despite the fact that he did not win any league titles, he was able to lead his side to a UEFA Champions League victory in 2005.
4. Lothar Matthaus
Lothar Matthaus is regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time, having participated in five FIFA World Cups with Mexico’s Rafael Marquez. In 1990, Matthaus guided West Germany to World Cup victory. In his club career, he has represented Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern Munich, and Inter Milan.
In 1990, he was voted European Player of the Year, and in 1991, he won the inaugural FIFA Player of the Year title. At the age of 38, he even received the German Footballer of the Year award in 1999. That only goes to demonstrate how reliable a performer he was on stage.
Matthaus is known for his marauding runs from midfield when his exceptional control and acceleration leave opponents for dead. The German legend has exceptional positional awareness, vision, and the ability to smash the ball into the back of the net from any distance. He was also a fantastic tackler and an all-around midfielder.
3. Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos is a World Cup champion and one of the best midfielders of his generation. He has been Real Madrid’s number eight for over a decade. Before joining Real Madrid in 2014 and wearing the number 8, he won the World Cup with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.
Toni Kroos is a deep-lying playmaker who has led Real Madrid’s attacking squads for the past seven or eight seasons. Kroos, unlike many of the other players on this list, does not wow football fans with his ability, but he is the team’s beating heart, connecting the defensive line to the attack and beginning build-up play.
2. Frank Lampard
The Chelsea icon is widely regarded as one of the best English midfielders of all time. When he played for the Blues and England, the all-action goal-scoring box-to-box midfielder was known for wearing the number 8 shirt. Lampard has exceptional skill and vision, which enabled him to assist and score several goals throughout his illustrious career.
1. Andres Iniesta
The former Barcelona midfielder was one of the finest number 8 players in contemporary history. For rival defenders and midfielders alike, the twinkle-toed ex-Spanish international was a nightmare to face. His dribbling skill and penchant for always finding a way out of tight circumstances made him one of football’s most dangerous opponents.
He established a deadly midfield triangle with Xavi Hernández and Sergio Busquets that helped Barcelona win several La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and UEFA Champions League trophies. Andres also demonstrated his knack for scoring crucial goals. Take, for example, a crucial goal that helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Not to mention his two goals in the 4-0 thrashing of fellow finalists in the 2012 Euro final in Italy. He has been one of the best footballers in history. Iniesta was the greatest player of Spain during his days.
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