Manchester United to bounce back against Galatasaray
Manchester United will be aiming to bounce back from a damaging home defeat in the Premier League when they continue their Champions League group-stage campaign against Galatasaray on Tuesday night.
The Red Devils suffered a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday, while Galatasaray will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 victory over Ankaragucu in Turkey’s top flight, which has left them top of the division.
The next crisis is never too far away for Man United, who have lost five of their opening nine matches in all competitions this season, including four of their first seven Premier League matches of 2023-24.
The Red Devils have made their worst start to a league season in 34 years and are already playing catch-up in Group A due to their loss to Bayern Munich, and there is certainly pressure on Ten Hag to deliver a positive result on Tuesday.
Man United have faced Galatasaray on six previous occasions, leading the head-to-head two wins to one, while three of their meetings have finished all square; the two teams last met in the group stage of the 2012-13 Champions League, with the Red Devils winning 1-0 at Old Trafford but losing 1-0 in Turkey.
This is a huge football match for Man United, and Galatasaray are certainly capable of causing more misery for the Red Devils on Tuesday night. However, under the lights at Old Trafford, and backed by a crowd that remain behind the manager, we are expecting the 20-time English champions to navigate their way to a huge three points.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Group B leaders Arsenal face Lens
Group B leaders Arsenal will head to Stade Bollaert-Delelis brimming with confidence to face Lens in gameweek two of the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
The hosts played out a 1-1 draw against Sevilla to earn their first point of the competition in week one, while the visitors sent a clear message to the rest of the group by recording a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates Stadium on the same day.
It has been an incredible journey for Lens over the last three years, rising from Ligue 2 to missing out on a top-flight league title by the slenderest of margins last season, though returning to Europe’s most elite club competition after a 21-year wait is still a more than worthwhile consolation prize.
Arsenal made their return to the Champions League following a six-year hiatus and marked the occasion with a sublime performance as they smashed four goals past a PSV side that have not dropped a single point in the Eredivisie this season.
The Gunners are also unbeaten after seven league matches with five wins and two draws, including a 4-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend.
Arsenal are now one of only two sides in the Premier League that are yet to suffer defeat this season and come into this one having won all four of their away matches in all competitions
While Lens have shown improvement over the last couple of weeks, they now face a completely different type of opponent in Arsenal, who are firing on all cylinders. We expect the hosts to put on another good performance here, but we are backing the visitors to claim the points.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Napoli host Real Madrid in top of the group clash
One of the standout matches in the group stage of the Champions League will take place in Naples on Tuesday evening, with Italian champions Napoli welcoming Real Madrid to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Napoli will enter the contest off the back of a thumping 4-0 victory over Lecce in Serie A, while Real Madrid were 3-0 winners over Girona in La Liga last time out.
Napoli have been far from perfect in Serie A this season, but they picked up their fourth league win of the campaign on Saturday by putting four unanswered goals past Lecce, with the result moving them onto 14 points from seven games.
Napoli last met Real Madrid in the round of 16 in 2016-17, with the Spanish giants winning 3-1 both home and away to advance into the next stage of the competition courtesy of a 6-2 aggregate success.
Real Madrid’s immense history in this competition means that they cannot be underestimated when it comes to this season’s trophy, and it would be a shock if they did not advance deep into the tournament once again.
This has all of the makings of a fascinating match, and both managers will be desperate to avoid defeat, which could create a cagey affair, and we are expecting the spoils to be shared in Naples.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Inter Milan welcome Benfica to the San Siro
Inter Milan return to Champions League action on Tuesday when they welcome Benfica to San Siro in matchday two.
Last season’s beaten finalists were held by Real Sociedad on matchday one, while the Portuguese outfit were stunned by Red Bull Salzburg. Simone Inzaghi got criticism for rotating heavily for Inter’s opening game at Sociedad, but the Nerazzurri boss could lean on his tried and tested side against Benfica.
The star could be Lautaro Martinez, who netted the 87th-minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw with La Real at Anoeta and has been on fire at the start of the season.
Martinez was the game-changer for Inter in their Serie A victory over Salernitana on Saturday, coming on for the second half to score four times in the 4-0 triumph.
Inzaghi will hope his captain is at his best on Tuesday as the Nerazzurri look to get the better of a side they eliminated en route to last year’s continental success.
Inzaghi is expected to be without the injured Davide Frattesi, Marko Arnautovic, Stefano Sensi and Juan Cuadrado.
Inter could start with Martinez and Marcus Thuram up top, with the pair’s embryonic partnership bearing fruit in the early weeks of the season. Inzaghi’s cup expertise means backing Inter to secure a win over Benfica is a safe bet, with the Nerazzurri extending their unbeaten run against the Portuguese outfit.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
