The Champions League is again for a brand new season, with a brand new format and loads of intrigue – together with the rarity of motion on a Thursday!
Here are 5 issues we discovered from Wednesday’s video games.
And are the 5 greatest issues to look out for from the third successive evening of Champions League motion.
⚔️ Match of the Day
That is available in Bergamo the place Europa League holders Atalanta kickstart their marketing campaign with the go to of Arsenal to their up to date, new-look Gewiss Stadium in a primary ever assembly between the golf equipment.
Final season, Gian Piero Gasperini’s facet held the excellence of being the one staff to defeat the all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen when Ademola Lookman’s heroics impressed a wonderful and historic victory in Dublin.
The arrival of Arsenal guarantees to provide one other memorable European evening, with the Gunners in spectacular type themselves not too long ago and coming into this on the again of a gutsy derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
La Dea have assured pleasure on this competitors – of their final 4 Champions League video games, each they and their opponents have scored two or extra objectives every time. No facet has each scored and conceded two or extra in 5 straight outings.
General, their 23 Champions League video games have produced a median of three.6 objectives per sport (the second highest of any staff who’ve featured 20+ occasions after Viktoria Plzeň) and Arsenal have loads of firepower of their very own of their ranks.
🔎 Staff to Watch
As with Girona, Brest are the one different facet competing within the competitors this season who’ve by no means appeared in it earlier than beneath any description.
The truth is, just like the Spanish facet, Brest are additionally having fun with their first ever style of European soccer this season after Eric Roy arrived in January following a prolonged spell out of the sport and helped make them a 3rd place end.
It’s the first time a French facet has made its continental bow in Europe’s greatest competitors since Nantes in 1965 and so they would be the twelfth completely different Ligue 1 outfit to compete within the event after they take to the sphere towards Austria’s Sturm Graz.
Which means solely Germany (15) and Spain (14) have had extra completely different representatives throughout the European Cup/Champions League.
Look out for maverick midfielder Romain Del Castillo who makes every thing click on for Les Pirates.
🔥 Participant to Watch
In latest weeks, headlines have been dominated by the Gallagher clan.
However our focus is on Madrid slightly than Manchester, the place new Atleti signing Conor has turn into a swift hero to followers following his summer time arrival from Chelsea.
The England midfielder netted his first aim for the membership in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Valencia (turning into the primary Englishman in over a century to attain for the Colchoneros) and was serenaded off the sphere by a assist who’ve already been received over by his perspective and performances.
RB Leipzig’s journey to the Metropolitano offers him with an opportunity to maintain rolling with it and have annoyed Chelsea followers trying again in anger.
👀 Potential upset
Monaco have been in glorious type to begin the Ligue 1 season and welcome Barcelona to the Stade Louis II seeking to replicate each that and their 3-0 pre-season win over the Blaugrana simply final month.
Their process has been helped with the information that Dani Olmo and Fermín Lopez are sidelined for guests, who nonetheless nonetheless are available as favourites – which is greater than merited given they’re the one staff in LaLiga with a 100% report after 5 video games.
However Monaco will show a troublesome nut to crack and so they’ve conceded simply as soon as up to now this season and been medical within the ultimate third, the place Breel Embolo will likely be out to take down the Blaugrana and make some attention-grabbing historical past within the course of.
He has three profession Champions League objectives to his identify and every strike got here for a special membership (Basel, Schalke, Borussia Mönchengladbach). No participant’s first 4 objectives within the event have been scored for 4 completely different groups.
📊 Fascinating stat
Look out for Bayer Leverkusen sensation Florian Wirtz to lastly making his long-awaited Champions League bow this week after they tackle Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
He has torn it up during the last 4 years within the Europa League, having been straight concerned in additional objectives with 24 (12 objectives, 12 assists) and created extra probabilities (88) than another participant within the competitors throughout that point.
