UEFA has rolled out its latest Champions League Team of the Week, and honestly, Matchday 6 delivered enough chaos, comebacks, and big-game moments to fill a whole month of football.
Softfootball understands that this edition of the all-star XI, picked by the UEFA Technical Observer Group, spreads across 11 clubs, a neat reminder of just how wide the talent pool is this season.
With the league phase creeping toward its climax in January, every standout performance now feels twice as important. Teams are either fighting for early qualification or basically hanging on with fingernails, and the team of the week was revealed by UEFA via their official X account.
They posted:
Starting at the back, Unai Simón of Athletic Club earns his flowers after shutting out PSG in a gritty 0-0 draw. His 1.77 “goals prevented” metric pretty much says it all.
Barcelona’s Jules Koundé also barged into the spotlight with two-headed goals and a monster defensive shift in their comeback win over Eintracht Frankfurt, the first defensive Barça player ever to pull that off in one UCL match.
Atlético’s Dávid Hancko and Monaco’s Mohammed Salisu round off the defence, both mixing composure with clutch moments that helped their sides grind out results.
Midfield was a battlefield this week. Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly delivered his first Champions League goal and kept Real Madrid’s attack unusually quiet.
Benfica’s Richard Ríos went full engine mode with a goal, an assist, and endless pressing against Napoli. Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere continued his great form with a goal and assist versus Chelsea, while Bayern’s teenage spark Lennart Karl got on the scoresheet and had another ruled out.
Up front, Arsenal’s Noni Madueke shone brightest, netting a stunning brace in their 3-0 win at Club Brugge and also winning the UEFA player of the week award. Marseille’s Mason Greenwood was involved in all three of their goals against Union Saint-Gilloise, and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon added a goal plus an assist in a lively 2-2 draw at Leverkusen.
With two matchdays left, the tension is rising fast—and if this week was anything to judge by, the fireworks are far from over.
