Arsenal return to Champions League action against Sevilla
With their Premier League unbeaten run now a thing of the past, Arsenal return to Champions League action with the visit of Sevilla to the Emirates for Wednesday’s Group B contest.
The Gunners overcame the Europa League holders 2-1 two weeks ago, and back-to-back successes over the Spaniards could potentially punch their ticket to the knockout rounds with two games to spare.
Defeat to Newcastle saw Arsenal slip to fourth in the Premier League rankings, but the Gunners are sitting pretty at the top of their Champions League section with six points, one better off than Lens and four clear of both PSV Eindhoven and upcoming opponents Sevilla.
The visitors have at least managed to avoid defeat in three successive domestic games since losing to the Gunners – all of which have come on the road.
Stalemates have also been commonplace in Champions League away games for Sevilla, whose record reads a measly six draws and two losses from their last eight top-tier European games on the road, and their only previous visit to the Emirates in 2007 ended in a comprehensive 3-0 defeat.
No Odegaard meant no creativity for a toothless Arsenal against Newcastle, but a depleted and potentially Ramos-less Sevilla backline should not put up Magpies levels of resistance in North London.
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Copenhagen seek revenge against Manchester United
A potentially pivotal Group A contest in the Champions League takes place at Parken Stadium on Wednesday night as Copenhagen play host to Manchester United on matchday four.
The Danish hosts will be seeking revenge against the Red Devils after suffering a slender 1-0 loss in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford two weeks ago.
Copenhagen will have taken plenty of positives from their performance against Man United on matchday three, but they ultimately came away from the red side of Manchester empty handed, as Harry Maguire‘s second-half header was followed by a dramatic last-minute penalty save from Andre Onana to ensure that the Red Devils claimed all three points.
After accumulating just one point from their first three Champions League fixtures, Copenhagen face an uphill battle to secure a top-two finish in Group A as they currently sit rock bottom of the group and three points adrift of second-placed Galatasaray, who travel to leaders Bayern Munich in their next match.
A favourably-looking home clash with Luton Town is up next for the Red Devils in the top flight on Saturday, but they must first shift their focus to Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Denmark where Ten Hag’s men can ill-afford to drop points if they are to leapfrog Galatasaray into second place in Group A before locking horns with the Turkish giants in matchday five.
Copenhagen have looked strong on home soil in recent weeks and a similar spirited display is required if they are to cause an upset against Man United.
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Real Madrid need a point to advance to the knockout stage
A point is all that is required for Real Madrid to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League when Braga pay a visit to the Bernabeu on Wednesday in Group C.
Los Blancos boast a perfect record of three wins from three in continental action so far, seeing them sit two places and six points better off than their Iberian visitors.
Gunning for European Cup number 15 in 2023-24, Real Madrid have gone about their business with professionalism in the group stage so far, putting Napoli and Union Berlin to the sword – albeit by just the one goal on each occasion – before a similar story unfolded on Braga’s turf.
With Union Berlin yet to pick up a single point in Group C so far, and owing to their superior head-to-head record versus Braga, Real Madrid need only avoid defeat on Wednesday to assure themselves of a top-two finish, while a win would take them to within a point of top spot if Napoli suffer a shock defeat to the German minnows.
Los Blancos have also avoided defeat in each of their last eight Champions League home games – winning seven of them – and have not failed to score in a continental match at the Bernabeu since 2018.
Navigating their way to victory without Bellingham is something that Real Madrid have only experienced once so far this season, but given Braga’s defensive woes on the road, the Englishman’s possible absence should not have a major impact on Wednesday’s outcome.
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Bayern can grab qualification ticket with victory over Galatasaray
Bayern Munich can punch their ticket to the knockout rounds of the Champions League with a Group A victory over Galatasaray at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.
The Bavarian giants are seeking to complete the double over their Turkish counterparts after securing a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture two weeks ago.
Three days after suffering a humiliating DBF-Pokal second-round exit at the hands of third-tier outfit Saarbrucken, Bayern Munich returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion when they put Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund to the sword 4-0.
Bayern, who are one of only four teams with a perfect group-stage record after three matches this season, currently boast the longest unbeaten run in Champions League group-stage history which was extended to 37 games courtesy of the aforementioned win over Galatasaray a fortnight ago.
Galatasaray enter Wednesday’s contest in fine form as they have won eight of their last nine matches across all competitions – a 3-1 home loss to Bayern Munich the only blot on their copybook.
Goals are to be expected on Wednesday as Bayern have found the net at least twice in 14 of their last 15 matches across all competitions, while Galatasaray’s last five Champions League away visits to Germany have produced a total of 22 goals.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
