Europe’s premier club competition resumes this week, and the eyes of the whole world will be fixed on the Camp Nou as one of their own returns to take charge against them. Pep Guardiola’s return to Barcelona will surely be a bedazzling contest as his Manchester City take on Luis Enrique’s troops.
An incredible second week saw Borussia Dortmund snatch back a point from current holders Real Madrid in a 2-2 draw while Barcelona claimed their first victory on German soil after six matches, English champions Leicester City also thwarted Portugese giants FC Porto in their Champions League home bow, thanks to record signing Islam Silmani’s goal while Arsenal got their first victory in this year’s competition thanks to a Theo Walcott brace against FC Basel.
The halfway point of the group stages this year’s competition has another high profile return with Son Heung Min travelling to his old stomping ground, the BayArena as Tottenham Hotspur face German high flyers Bayer Leverkusen. Their north London rivals, will host Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets Razgrad in an effort to get their goal difference ahead of group rivals Paris Saint-Germain.
Real Madrid will look to consolidate their position as the current joint group leaders travel to Poland to face Legia Warsaw and Borussia Dortmund, the other team atop the group, will hope to look to get maximum points out of a tricky away encounter at Sporting Lisbon. Here are the top matches to look out for in this round of the UEFA Champion’s League group stages.
FC Barcelona v Manchester City : 12.15 am IST, October 20
No one has forgotten how Pep Guardiola made Barcelona into arguably the finest pure footballing unit of the century; a team which was able to throw their hat in the ring for being one of the greatest teams of all times. He returns to the Camp Nou for the second time as a visiting manager and will hope to expunge memories of his last visit in the away dugout as his Bayern Munich side were beaten by the man whom he moulded into the one of the best players of all times. Lionel Messi will once again hope to humiliate his mentor.
By their lofty standards, Barcelona will look to improve upon their initial record this current season where big wins have been skewed by losses to Deportivo Alaves and Celta Vigo. Their two matches in the Champions League however have been a testimony to their style and character, where a 7-0 defeat to Celtic was followed by a first victory on German soil in the sixth attempt. More than the result, the manner in which they eked it out, digging deep to break down a resolute Borussia Monchengladbach will be a trait Luis Enrique will want to stay with the side as they once again seek glory in all competitions.
In contrast, Manchester City have started off the season with a perfect 10, winning their first 10 competitive games under Guardiola. Since then it has been a stutter as they inexplicably conceded thrice against Celtic, lost to Tottenham and then drew at home against Everton. In what promises to be a tactical and emotional battle, it will be interesting to see how the Catalans troops fare against top quality opposition like Barcelona.
Bayer Leverkusen v Tottenham Hotspur: 12.15 am IST, October 19
Roger Smith’s Leverkusen side are a dream to watch when in flow, with zipping one touch football leading to memorable team goals. It is this intensity which is also their downfall as opponents are able to penetrate the gaps and score against them. While they possess plenty of talented individuals like Hakan Calhanoglu, Karim Bellarabi, Javier Hernandez among others along with promising talent like Admir Mehmedi and Julian Brandt, their defence has already shipped in nine goals in the Bundesliga and they have dropped points from winning positions in both their Champions League encounters.
In stark contrast, Tottenham continue to thrive under Mauricio Pochettino. A late collapse saw them fall from title contenders to third place last season but it was their year-long discipline, vigour and ability to hold a shape which caused problems for teams across England. This combination of tactical nous, hard work and effectiveness makes them a team to watch. They outclassed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. However they will be without two vital cogs in the machine as Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld both miss this crucial clash due to injury.
It could be a former Leverkusen star to make the difference for Spurs once again. Son Hueng Min was signed last year and has been a back up player, but this season he is back to the form which made Spurs sign him from Leverkusen, while picking up the Premier League’s Player of the Month for September.
Celtic FC v Borussia Monchengladbach: 12.15 am IST, October 20
Brendan Rodgers might be a maligned individual but he came up with the goods against a team which was supposed to beat him. Manchester City left Celtic Park ruing their chances in probably the most pulsating match this year. Spurred on by their vociferous crowd, Celtic thwarted City thrice, only for the Citizens to hit them back each time. Despite that, it is a morale booster to produce such quality football against opponents of such a high standard. They are also thriving in domestic football with Moussa Dembele having scored the first hattrick in an Old Firm derby since 1966.
By contrast, Gladbach’s theme this year has been a since of lingering disappointment. It was a feeling exemplified in the match against Barcelona as they almost secured a memorable point against the European heavyweights only for them to come back strongly and claim all three points. Their away form has been a constant blemish, with losses against Freiburg and a comprehensive 4-0 thrashing delivered by Schalke (the latter’s only win of the season). Despite the loss in confidence and form, Gladbach remain one of the most respected teams in Germany with a fantastic blend of youth and experienced and helmed by an energetic young coach in Andre Schubert. They will be looking to kickstart their season and this game could be the perfect launchpad, thereby providing all the ingredients of another night of goals at Parkhead.
In the battle for European spots in Group C, there is no doubt who the top two will be but the third position will be extremely intense with both these sides not ready to go down without a fight.
Leicester City v FC Copenhagen : 12.15 am IST, October 20
No one expected this clash to take place, let alone be a top of the table clash. Leicester City winning the Premier League last season will remain one of football’s fairy tales. But their title defence this season has got off to a rocky start and they currently languish at 13th spot on the table.
Despite their shaky start to the domestic season, their European campaign has seen a different story with victories against Club Brugge and Islam “Dragon Slayer” Silmani, once again, netting against FC Porto to get them off to the perfect start in their Champions League debut. Copenhagen are a relatively more frequent competitor and this season they have already gained a point from their toughest encounter so far, a 1-1 draw at FC Porto. Their experience might hold them in good stead against a Porto side which seems unable to live up to their reputation.
With Leicester saving their best for Europe this season, and Copenhagen being in a group without the heavyweights, both teams are doing well and this could be an entertaining game of flowing football.
Sporting Lisbon v Borussia Dortmund: 12.15 am IST, October 19
Another game which has the makings of providing a good contest. Sporting are hardly any pushovers, and they proved that they can have an influence on the final group standings in their opening encounter against Real Madrid. It was only thanks to a 96th minute Alvaro Morata header that the Galacticos took home all three points. They took their chances well against Legia Warsaw and are tied on second with Porto with only three points behind group leaders Benefica.
Dortmund have invested for the future in this season, with the likes of Ousmanne Dembele, Raphael Guerrero and Emre Mor joining Christian Pulisic as one’s to look out for. They missed a golden opportunity to close the gap on Bayern Munich when star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a penalty against Hertha Berlin, but have looked a confident unit so far under Thomas Tuchel, with the perfect blend of youth and experience creating an incisive passing unit which presses equally well. It could prove to be a tricky encounter and one which they must win to ease the pressure on qualification.
Jorge Jesus’ teams are not easy to get through and with a win here, this relatively young Dortmund squad can get the shot in the arm to go forward in achieving their goals for the season.
