Arsenal, PSG lockhorns at the Emirates Stadium
Two sides still waiting for that elusive Champions League title clash in a battle of the behemoths on Tuesday evening, as Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain scrap it out at the Emirates Stadium.
While the Gunners were fortunate to nab a point off of Atalanta BC on matchday one, their visitors were also counting their lucky stars in a 1-0 victory over La Liga surprise package Girona.
Still yet to lose in any competition this season, while scoring 11 goals in their last three games versus Leicester, Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City, Arsenal hope that their recent feats in front of goal can help them avoid setting an unwanted club record; they have failed to score in their last two Champions League games but have never drawn blanks three times in a row.
PSG looked set to share the same fate as their upcoming hosts on matchday one, as no matter how much they huffed and puffed against a beleaguered Girona backline, last season’s third-placed La Liga finishers were holding firm at the Parc des Princes.
Tuesday’s contest will see Arsenal and PSG reunite eight years on from their clashes in the 2016-17 group stage, both of which ended level, but the Gunners edged out their French counterparts 2-1 on aggregate in the 1993-94 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup semi-finals en route to their first and only European trophy to date.
While Barcola has filled Kylian Mbappe‘s boots brilliantly in Ligue 1, a trip to the Emirates is a different kettle of fish for the PSG frontline, who were incredibly fortunate to come away from their clash with Girona as the victors.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Barcelona aim to bounce back as they host Young Boys
Barcelona will be aiming to bounce back from their first La Liga defeat of the season when they resume their Champions League campaign at home to Swiss outfit Young Boys on Tuesday night.
The Catalan giants suffered a 2-1 defeat to Monaco in their opening match of the competition earlier this month, while Young Boys were beaten 3-0 at home by Premier League side Aston Villa.
Barcelona made a stunning start to their 2024-25 La Liga campaign, posting seven straight wins, but their 100% record came to an end on Saturday evening, as they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Osasuna.
It was a second loss of the season for Hansi Flick‘s side, as they were also beaten 2-1 by Monaco in their Champions League opener, but the La Liga outfit had Eric Garcia sent off in the first half of that contest.
There is pressure on Barcelona to bounce back on Tuesday night, but a severe injury crisis means that the team will once again be missing a number of key players, and Flick deserves huge praise for the start that he has enjoyed considering the issues that he has faced.
Young Boys struggled in their competition opener against Aston Villa on September 17, suffering a 3-0 defeat, and they now have a very difficult assignment away to Barcelona.
Young Boys are certainly capable of making this a tricky match for a Barcelona team that will have a number of absentees. We are struggling to see a scenario which involves the visitors picking up a positive result, though, with Barcelona likely to have too much for their Swiss opponents on Tuesday night.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Leverkusen welcome Milan in their first ever meeting
Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed a historic unbeaten league season, winning the Bundesliga and securing their place in this year’s Champions League. However, despite their success, they fell short of winning the Europa League, as they were defeated in the final by Atalanta. This season, Xabi Alonso’s side have started strong once more, but have already fallen to a loss. They are currently in third place with 10 points after five games.
The Germans are competing in Europe’s premier competition for the second time in the last three seasons. Their greatest finish in the tournament was runners-up in 2002. With the new format, they will be hopeful of going deep into the knockout stages. A win on matchday one against Feyenoord meant they made the perfect start, though a tougher test awaits in AC Milan.
After starting the season slowly, Milan have since played themselves into form with three league wins in a row. This includes a victory over rivals Inter Milan. This places them second in Serie A early on in the campaign. Unlike their opponents, Milan lost their first Champions League game. They faced difficult opposition in Liverpool, but despite taking an early lead they could not come away with a positive result. This places slightly more pressure on the Italians to pick up some points in this one.
This will be the first ever meeting between these two sides. Leverkusen do not have a good record against Italian opposition, winning just six of 28 games. Milan have a better record with 17 wins in 39 games against German sides.
Credit: footyaccumulators.com
Manchester City face debutants Slovan Bratislava
Manchester City travel to Slovakia for the first time in their history to on Tuesday night. Pep Guardiola‘s men are on a rare run of just one win in four, and have surrendered top spot domestically over the weekend.
Life without Rodri for Manchester City began by drawing 1-1 at Newcastle United on Saturday, as Anthony Gordon‘s second-half penalty cancelled out Josko Gvardiol‘s opener.
That means that City’s only win in their last four matches came against second-tier Watford in the EFL Cup last midweek, as Guardiola’s men needed a very late goal to draw with Arsenal, and were also held by Inter Milan on matchday one of the Champions League.
Liverpool’s win later on Saturday means City have dropped to second in the Premier League, but there should be no cause for concern as they have still only lost once in 90 minutes since December.
The gulf in class between these sides is clear to see, and City will believe they can get close to their record European win of 7-0, despite coming into this game in an uninspiring run of form.
In what will be Slovan’s home Champions League debut, a baptism of fire is on the cards.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
FIXTURES
Bayer Leverkusen 20:00 AC Milan
Borussia Dortmund 20:00 Celtic
