5-time winners Barca host 6-time champions Bayern
In one of the standout games on matchday three of the Champions League, five-time winners Barcelona will host six-time champions Bayern Munich.With both teams on three points after two games, another defeat here could put either side in danger of dropping out of the top 24.
With 10 wins over Barca in the Champions League, Bayern could equal the record for the most wins any team has managed against a single opponent in the competition, and become the first team to win seven straight games against a team, since Real Madrid did so against Ajax throughout the 2010s.
Vincent Kompany will be hoping his side can respond after a disappointing defeat away to Aston Villa on matchday two.
That result ended Bayern’s 41-game unbeaten run in this stage of the Champions League, and it also means they could lose three straight away games in Europe for the first time in their history.
Barca were able to welcome Dani Olmo and Gavi back to the matchday squad after injury at the weekend, with the latter getting a brief cameo in the final few minutes.
Frenkie de Jong is also closing in on a full return, as he is yet to start since returning at the beginning of the month.
The hosts will also be without Ferran Torres due to a hamstring problem, and centre-back pairing Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, so teenager Pau Cubarsi is set to start in another high-profile encounter.
Bayern will be without Aleksandar Pavlovic after he broke his collarbone inside the opening five minutes at the weekend, with Joao Palhinha the likely candidate to come into the side.
Young talent Jamal Musiala will be the big injury absentee for the visitors if he is unable to get over a hip issue in time.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
ManCity take on Sparta Prague at the Etihad Stadium
The English champions take on the best in Czechia in Wednesday’s Champions League clash as Manchester City play host to Sparta Prague at the Etihad Stadium.
These two teams, who have never previously faced each other in European competition, have accumulated four points from their opening two matches, with the Citizens occupying eighth spot in the UCL table and the Maroons sitting just two places further back in 10th.
Man City have extended their unbeaten run across all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign to 12 matches and are the only Premier League team who are yet to lose this season after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola‘s side has seen them create a new club landmark of going 31 matches unbeaten (W25 D6) in the Premier League, and they will get the chance to etch their name into Champions League folklore in Wednesday’s favourable-looking fixture against Sparta Prague.
Indeed, if Man City merely avoid defeat against the Maroons, they will set a new record for the longest unbeaten run in European Cup/Champions League history. The Citizens currently boast a 25-match unbeaten run (W17 D8), scoring 64 goals and conceding just 18 in the process.
Guardiola may consider rotating his side in other positions, as he did against Slovan Bratislava, with the likes of Stefan Ortega, Manuel Akanji, Matheus Nunes, James McAtee, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden all hoping they can force their way into the first XI.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Leipzig, Liverpool lock horns at the Red Bull Arena
RB Leipzig and Liverpool lock horns in Wednesday’s Champions League league phase encounter at the Red Bull Arena.The Reds have already eased to victory over Bologna and AC Milan in this year’s new-look competition, but their Bundesliga hosts are yet to pick up a point.
Arne Slot‘s Liverpool revolution is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, as the Reds passed one of the stiffest tests of their Premier League title credentials when the Dutchman won the battle of the newly-baptised Premier League bosses with Enzo Maresca.
Two of those successes have come against Italian opposition in Europe, as Liverpool followed up their 3-1 beating of AC Milan with a 2-0 triumph over Bologna on matchday two, even if they did ride their luck at times and were fortunate that the Rossoblu had left their shooting boots behind.
Sterner examinations are to come – Sunday’s trip to title rivals Arsenal has all the makings of a blockbuster battle – but the Merseyside powerhouses, who sit fifth in the 36-team UCL table, are currently riding cloud nine as they chase an eighth successive victory in all competitions.
What is more, the Reds have won all five of their away games under Slot thus far.
Liverpool’s triumph over Chelsea came at a bit of a cost, as Diogo Jota lasted just half an hour before succumbing to the effects of a Tosin Adarabioyo challenge, and Slot would be surprised to see the Portugal international make the cut on Wednesday.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Unbeaten Inter Milan visit pointless Young Boys
Unbeaten Inter Milan will visit pointless Young Boys on Wednesday evening, as both teams resume their Champions League campaign.
Heading into the clubs’ meeting at Stadion Wankdorf, three-time European champions Inter have picked up four points without conceding a goal, while their hosts have endured a nightmare start to the new league phase.
Following a commendable opening-day draw at Manchester City midway through last month, Inter secured their first Champions League win of the season by beating Red Star Belgrade 4-0 at San Siro a fortnight later.
Keeping faith with much of the squad that reached the 2023 final, coach Simone Inzaghi is banking on experience to navigate a way through to the knockout rounds, as his starting XIs so far have made Inter the only club with an average age above 30.
All told, Inter have lost just once in ten matches this season, and they head for Bern on the back of beating Roma in a close-fought contest on Sunday.
However, the Scudetto holders are without a win from their last three Champions League road trips, so Inzaghi will demand an end to that drought at Stadion Wankdorf.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Manchester City 19:00 Sparta Prague
Red Bull Salzburg 19:00Dinamo Zagreb
