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Sports Mole's Champions League Team of the Week: Morgan Rogers, Rodrygo, Ousmane Dembele

Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the latest round of action, including Morgan Rogers, Rodrygo and Ousmane Dembele.

There were 64 goals scored in the Champions League on Wednesday night – only once before have there ever been more in one day of European Cup action, with 66 being registered on September 16, 1970.

Liverpool secured first position in the Champions League table despite ending with a 3-2 defeat to PSV Eindhoven, while Barcelona claimed second courtesy of a 2-2 draw with Atalanta BC, who finished ninth and therefore face a playoff.

Arsenal beat already-eliminated Girona 2-1 to finish third, while fourth-placed Inter Milan were 3-0 winners over Monaco, who ended the league phase in 17th and will therefore need to win a playoff in order to progress to the next round.

Fifth-placed Atletico Madrid ended with a a 4-1 success over Red Bull Salzburg, who have been eliminated, while Bayer Leverkusen finished sixth, having beaten Sparta Prague 2-0 in their last match in the league phase.

Seventh went to Lille, who beat Feyenoord 6-1, while Aston Villa claimed eighth and an automatic qualification spot courtesy of their 4-2 success over Celtic, with the Scottish giants finishing in a playoff spot.

Borussia Dortmund beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1, with the German outfit finishing 10th, while Real Madrid recorded a 3-0 victory over Brest, and Los Blancos will now take on either Celtic or Manchester City in a two-legged playoff.

Dinamo Zagreb shocked AC Milan with a 2-1 success, but the Italian team are in the playoffs, while Bayern Munich beat Slovan Bratislava 3-1, with the Bundesliga giants finishing 12th, just behind Real Madrid.

Benfica beat Juventus 2-0, with both teams in the playoffs, while Man City secured a position in the playoffs courtesy of a 3-1 home success over Club Brugge, who will also have the chance to qualify for the next round.

Elsewhere, Sturm Graz beat RB Leipzig 1-0, Sporting Lisbon drew 1-1 with Bologna, Red Star Belgrade beat Young Boys 1-0, while Paris Saint-Germain were 4-1 winners over Stuttgart to claim a playoff spot.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the final set of fixtures in the league phase of the competition, and it was again difficult to pick this week due to the number of outstanding performers.


DEFENCE

Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich on January 29, 2025© Imago

Thibaut Courtois was the outstanding goalkeeper in this gameweek, with the Real Madrid stopper making five excellent stops against Brest, while he was aerially dominant; the hosts had a number of good opportunities to find the back of the net on Wednesday, but Courtois would not be beaten.

There are three familiar names at the back, with Joshua Kimmich being included courtesy of his brilliant performance in the middle of the Bayern defence against Slovan Bratislava - the 29-year-old came up with an assist, while he completed 88 of his 94 passes in a stunning display.

Marcos Llorente is also included, with the Spaniard on the scoresheet in Atletico's away success over Salzburg; the 30-year-old was impressive going forward, but he also made four tackles and was a sturdy presence at the back for Diego Simeone's side.

The final defensive spot is awarded to John Stones, with the Englishman coming up with two assists in Man City's 3-1 success over Club Brugge; the 30-year-old won three aerial duels, but his use of the ball was sensational, completing 104 of his 107 passes at the Etihad.


MIDFIELD

Aston Villa hat-trick hero Morgan Rogers with the match ball after his side's clash with Celtic on January 29, 2025© Imago

There had to be a spot in midfield for Villa's Morgan Rogers, who will never forget what occurred on Wednesday night, with the Englishman scoring three times against Celtic, and it was a stunning all-round performance from the talented 22-year-old.

Florian Wirtz is also included due to his contribution for Leverkusen against Sparta Prague, with the Germany international finding the back of the net, while he had six shots in total and finished with a pass success rate of 93%.

Lille's Osame Sahraoui also makes it, with the 23-year-old a standout performer in his side's 6-1 win over Feyenoord - the attacker scored once and provided one assist, and the Dutch outfit were simply unable to deal with him on Wednesday night.

The midfield is completed by Dinamo Zagreb's Martin Baturina, who opened the scoring in his side's 2-1 success over Milan, while he made two tackles, had four shots and completed six dribbles during a standout display against the Italian giants.


ATTACK

Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele on January 29, 2025© Imago

Antoine Griezmann and Serhou Guirassy are among the players unfortunate to be left out in the final third of the field, but there were three outstanding performers in the attacking areas on Wednesday night.

Rodrygo starred in Real Madrid's 3-0 success over Brest, with the Brazilian netting twice from the left-hand side, and the French outfit were simply unable to deal with the forward, who opened the scoring with an excellent effort.

There is also a spot for Lautaro Martinez, who scored a hat trick against Monaco - the Argentina international netted once from the penalty spot and twice from open play, and he was simply too much for the Ligue 1 team to handle in the contest in Milan.

The final position in the XI goes to another hat-trick hero in the shape of Ousmane Dembele, with the Frenchman netting three times in his team's 4-1 success over Stuttgart; the attacker was at his best on Wednesday, as PSG secured a playoff position.


SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

CL TOTW MD8

Sports Mole's Champions League Team of the Week (3-4-3): Courtois (Real Madrid); Llorente (Atletico), Kimmich (Bayern), Stones (Man City); Wirtz (Leverkusen), Rogers (Villa), Baturina (Dinamo), Sahraoui (Lille); Rodrygo (Real Madrid), L Martinez (Inter), Dembele (PSG)


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