Players to watch in the 2023/24 Champions League final stages

The Champions League round of 16 is just around the corner, so here's a short list of players to watch out for in the final stages!

How could we not include Jérémy Doku? The supersonic winger arrived at Manchester City from Rennes and has settled straight into Pep Guardiola's team, despite a mixed spell in France.

The Belgian impresses not only with his dribbling ability, but also with his great vision. On 6 November, in a Premier League game against Bournemouth, he made his mark with four assists and a goal: a truly exceptional performance.

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Doku has clearly reinforced the Citizens' already well-stocked squad, but now it's up to him to show his worth in the most decisive stages of the Champions League.

At 17, Warren Zaïre-Emery is already the leader of PSG. The Parisian youngster scored the qualifying goal against Dortmund and once again proved his importance to Luis Enrique's system.

His capacity to dribble an opponent, his vision of the game, his lucidity... WZE already has all the makings of a great player, and if PSG wants to put on a great campaign, it will certainly be thanks to its new jewel.

If there is one revelation in world football this season, it is Lamine Yamal. At the age of 16, the winger has already made his mark at FC Barcelona and has everything to become the main attacking man in the Camp Nou.

The prodigy has already made his debut for La Roja and, in four appearances, has already scored twice. The Spaniard will no doubt be one to watch as Barça return to the final stages of the Champions League.

Do we still need to explain why you should keep an eye on Jude Bellingham? The England midfielder is quite simply the best player in the world at the moment, with astonishing stats in his first few months at Madrid.

The 21-year-old Englishman is already a mainstay of Carlo Ancelotti's team and already looks to be a contender for the Ballon d'Or. For that to happen, however, he will need to put in an exceptional performance in the Champions League... but Real are no strangers to that!

Last year's runners-up, Inter Milan, started the 2023/24 season on the front foot. The Nerazzurri are Serie A leaders, and one man stands out from the crowd: Lautaro Martinez.

The Argentinian got off to the best start of his career with 13 goals in as many league games. A formidable finisher, he could well play tricks on his opponents in these final stages.

If Real Sociedad have made such a good start to the season, it is largely thanks to the performances of their Japanese nugget: Takefusa Kubo. The winger is finally coming into his own and is lighting up La Liga every weekend.

Unpredictable, decisive and determined, the former Real Madrid prodigy is keen to show everyone that he is not just a 'high potential' player.

Whether in the Premier League or the Champions League, Arsenal have confirmed their excellent 2022/23 season. The Gunners are serious contenders for the title and have a key asset in Bukayo Saka.

The English winger has discovered the Champions League this year and there's no doubt that he's going to do some damage. With Martinelli, Jesus, Odegaard, Trossard and Nketiah, Arsenal's attack is formidable and can wreak havoc on every opponent.

We could talk about Dani Olmo or Xavi Simons, but it was Loïs Openda who caught our eye at RB Leipzig during the group stage. The Belgian continues to impress and confirmed his good start with a brace against Manchester City.

Accompanied by Simons and Olmo, the Belgian is perfectly surrounded to score again in this year's Champions League. His speed and one-on-one ability make him a fearsome striker. Watch out Europe!

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