The first round of Champions League fixtures this season promises to be an exciting affair, with 18 games spread across three days. Some of the standout matches include Liverpool's loss to Nottingham Forest”>AC Milan vs Liverpool and Manchester City vs Inter, as 36 European teams begin their journey towards Munich. Here are ten things to watch out for in gameweek one.
Juventus, under the management of Thiago Motta, will face a tough test against PSV Eindhoven. Motta’s impressive stint with Bologna caught Juventus’ attention, but expectations in Turin are much higher. PSV Eindhoven have been in fine form, scoring 20 goals in their first five games of the season.
Sporting CP and Lille will clash in a match that features two highly sought-after forwards: Viktor Gyokeres and Jonathan David. Gyokeres has already scored eight goals this season, while David netted twice during qualification.
Erling Haaland is on the verge of reaching a milestone for Manchester City. With 99 goals to his name for the club, Haaland will aim to score his 100th goal against Inter on Wednesday. If he achieves this feat, he will break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for reaching a century in the fewest number of games.
Bayern Munich had a disappointing campaign last season but have started this season strongly with three wins from three matches. They face Dinamo Zagreb, who boast talented midfielder Martin Baturina – a reported target for Manchester United and Real Madrid.
These are just some of the intriguing storylines that await us in gameweek one of the Champions League fixtures this season. Football fans around Europe will be eagerly watching as these teams battle it out on the international stage.Real Madrid have had a disappointing start to the season, despite their 11 points from five games. Kylian Mbappe’s arrival in Spain has not gone as planned. However, Madrid’s performance in the Champions League is usually different, and they will need to step up to avoid an upset against Stuttgart.
Stuttgart, who lost many of their top players in the summer, are still finding their footing. But with Sebastian Hoeness as their manager, they will be looking to exploit Madrid’s weaknesses.
Pep Lijnders, formerly associated with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, is now managing Red Bull Salzburg. The Austrian side is always popular among neutrals who want to see if Football Manager wonderkids can live up to the hype.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) quickly adapted after Mbappe’s departure and have been performing well under Luis Enrique. Their young team has won all four of their matches so far thanks to standout performances from Bradley Barcola and Joao Neves.
Girona will face PSG on Wednesday after suffering a 4-1 defeat against Barcelona. PSG will be eager to prove that they can compete for the trophy even without Mbappe.
Conor Gallagher recently joined Atletico Madrid from Chelsea and has already made an impact. He scored his first goal for Atleti in a 3-0 win over Valencia and has won over supporters with his performances.
Barcelona is currently one of Europe’s most in-form teams under Hansi Flick. They face Monaco, who are unbeaten in Ligue 1 and have a strong defense that has only conceded one goal this season (a penalty).
Lamine Yamal will need to step up for Barcelona as Dani Olmo is injured for their upcoming match against Monaco.
Bukayo Saka has been impressive for Arsenal this season but faces a tough test against RB Leipzig on Thursday.Arsenal will have Declan Rice back in their team after he served his domestic suspension, but they will still be without Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino due to injury. There are concerns that Bukayo Saka may also be sidelined. The team faces a tough away trip to Atalanta, last season’s Europa League winners, on Thursday. This match will be a significant test for Arsenal’s strained squad, especially considering they also have a crucial game against Manchester City on Sunday. Manager Mikel Arteta will need to use all of his tactical skills to navigate this challenging period and ensure the fitness of his key players for what could be a defining four days in the season.
