Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League is upon us again and as usual, it promises to be another round of scintillating display of football artistry at its best as Europe’s finest football giants square up against each other as the Champions League enters matchday four.

NRTC take a look at the preview of the football’s most lucrative tournament.

Tuesday

Bayern Munich vs Benfica

Bayern Munich is flying high in Group E, with nine points from three games and a win on Tuesday night against Portuguese side, Benfica, would guarantee them a place in the next round of the Champions League. Only two of the Bavarian powerhouse’s last 15 games have been lost, with the remaining 13 games being won.

In the reverse fixture of matchday three, Bayern walloped Benfica who have won only one of their past four games, a late 1-0 victory over promoted Vizela. Despite this, they are undefeated on the road this season.

The Portuguese side hasn’t faced a team as powerful as Bayern on the road this season though, and the hosts, who have 12 goals and zero goals surrendered, should have no trouble dispatching Benfica at the Allianz.

Dynamo Kyiv vs Barcelona

Dynamo Kyiv are bottom of Group E having picked up just one point from the opening three group games,. They fell to a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture to the Spanish giant and it looks like they are in for another loss. However, they are unbeaten at home in all competitions, with Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk the only sides to leave the NSC Olimpiyskly with a result.

Sergi Barjuan oversaw a 1-1 draw with lowly Alaves in his first game at the Camp Nou helm following Ronald Koeman’s departure while the Blaugrana are still winless on their travels this term.

That said, Dynamo Kyiv are yet to score in the Champions League this season and Barcelona could take advantage this week.

Atalanta vs Manchester United

In game week three, Atalanta raced to a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford, but were beaten 3-2 by Manchester United in the end after a lackluster performance in the second half. In the three games since then, they’ve collected five points out of a possible nine.

Manchester United bounced back from a 5-0 loss to Liverpool with a 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and are in a boisterous mood for this game. They’ve won just three of their last eight games though, which is still a lot of inconsistency.

United may edge Atalanta on Tuesday night, owing to the side’s stability, which can be seen in a three-man backline in north London.

Malmo FF vs Chelsea

Malmo FF has gone three games without losing after losing 4-0 to Chelsea in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge on game day three. During that time, they have picked up seven points. Only four of their last seven home games have resulted in victories.

Chelsea has won six consecutive competitive matches, and their 3-0 victory over Newcastle gave them a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. They’ll seek to finish game week four tied for first place in Group H with Juventus.

On Tuesday evening, the Blues should have little trouble dispatching Malmo FF.

Juventus vs Zenit Petersburg

Juventus have endured a downturn in form recently and have failed to win in three after their 1-0 win over Zenit in Russia. They have won their three Champions League matches this season and will hope to get back to winning ways this week.

Zenit responded to their 1-0 loss to Juventus in gameweek three with superb wins over Spartak Moscow and Dinamo Moscow, scoring 11 and conceding twice across the comprehensive victories.

However, Juventus have stepped it up in the Champions League when needed and the Old Lady should earn victory on Tuesday.

Wednesday

Manchester City vs Club Brugge

Manchester City were shocked to lose 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace in the EPL at the weekend, putting the brakes on their momentum. That result came after a Carabao Cup penalty shootout loss to West Ham, capping a dismal week for Pep Guardiola’s team.

Despite losing 5-1 to City in their previous match, Club Bruges have picked up four points from their first three group games, drawing with Paris Saint-Germain and defeating RB Leipzig away from home. Clearly, they should not be taken lightly.

RB Leipzig vs PSG

Jesse Marsch, the new head coach of RB Leipzig, is still getting to know his new team. In all competitions, they have only won six of his first 15 matches in charge, losing 4-1 to Bayern Munich and 6-3 to Manchester City at the opening of the season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s future at Paris Saint-Germain is still in doubt, despite being eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and top of Group A in the Champions League after a win against Manchester City. Those healthy margins hide some issues on the pitch, as Pochettino seeks to field Neymar, Mbappe, and Messi as a coherent unit.

PSG have not fared well on the road in their Champions League away matches this season, most recently being held to a 1-1 draw at Club Bruges. While they are unquestionably the favourites, it wouldn’t be surprising if they falter in Germany.

AC Milan vs FC Porto

AC Milan have lost all three of their group games so far, and their only hope of finishing second is to beat Porto on Wednesday.

Porto is level on points with second-placed Atletico Madrid at the halfway stage of Group B after defeating Milan 1-0 last time out in the competition.

Milan’s dismal European record this season is all the more shocking given that they have won 10 of their first 11 Serie A matches.

Milan have lost their past five Champions League matches, dating back to 2014. It’s their poorest performance ever in the competition.

Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid

Jurgen Klopp was enraged after his team squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Brighton in the EPL at the weekend.

The Reds are unbeaten this season, but their defence hasn’t been as solid as Klopp would want. This season, they have given up leads to Brighton, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Brentford, and Manchester City.

In his quest to make Atletico Madrid more offensively focused, Diego Simeone has failed to find the ideal balance between attack and defence this season. At the very least, they got the balance perfect over the weekend with a 3-0 win against Real Betis.

However, they have only won one of their previous four games, with at least two goals conceded in three of them.
Liverpool have surprisingly been inconsistent at home this season with three wins and three draws in all competitions. Avoiding defeat on Wednesday would all but put them through to the knockout stage having won all three group games to date.

Real Madrid vs Shaktar Donetsk

Real Madrid started a four-game unbeaten streak with a 5-0 triumph over Wednesday’s opponents, Shakhtar Donetsk. In that sequence, they also defeated Barcelona away from home.

Shakhtar Donetsk have lost two of their three Champions League group games this season and have failed to score a single goal.

Shakhtar, on their part, have been a huge disappointment this season, despite the fact that they have normally provided tremendous entertaining matches in Europe, even if they lose.

Real Madrid have only won five of their previous 13 Champions League home games, but given Shakhtar’s recent form in the competition, this should be a home banker.

FC Sheriff vs Inter Milan

FC Sheriff won six of the nine points available, including a victory over Real Madrid on matchday two.
In the final, Inter defeated FC Sheriff 3-1.

It was a 1-1 tie at one time in the opposite fixture.

Inter have only won two of their last 10 Champions League games. Even though they lost to FC Sheriff the previous time they played, they may still struggle here.