The Champions League is back, and with Benfica travelling to Old Trafford tonight it’s time for us to take a look at the best matches of the latest round of matches.
As we know, a win for United sees them through to next round but what is going on elsewhere?
Can a world where Tottenham don’t have Kane lead to victory?
Real Madrid visit Wembley on Wednesday and Tottenham are sweating on the fitness of their main man. Surely, no Kane equals no points for Spurs?
Both sides are level with seven points after their three matches and Tottenham came close to stealing the points in the 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu two weeks ago.
Spurs were without Kane at Old Trafford and it showed, and the chances of him being available just days after being ruled out must be slim.
Madrid will have a point to prove themselves, as they now sit eight points behind Barcelona following a massively surprising 2-1 defeat to Girona on Sunday.
This has to be a bad time to play the current Champions?
A win for either side sees them progress to the next stage.
Both Manchester United and Manchester City will be looking to maintain their 100% records. A win for United against Benfica at Old Trafford tonight will see them qualify from Group A, while City will do the same if they beat Serie A leaders Napoli in the Group F fixture on Wednesday.
Chelsea and Liverpool just about lead their groups. The Blues can put themselves in a great position by taking a point from Roma on Tuesday night in Group C and Liverpool will be hoping for a repeat performance against NK Maribor at Anfield on Wednesday, having smashed them 7-0 away from home a fortnight ago.
Who can stop PSG?
Paris Saint-Germain have scored nearly 50 goals this season, which is hardly surprising considering the amount invested in their attack. They play Anderlecht and would be expected to win comfortably having beaten them 4-0 in the return fixture. Group B is a one horse race, and with Edinson Cavani scoring for fun, it shows there is more the PSG than Neymar and Mbappe.
AS Monaco are in a period of transition after last season’s incredible run of winning Ligue 1 and reaching the Champions League semi-finals. However, this season’s campaign is going far from well and the game against Besiktas is must win as Jardim’s men have a single point. Their opponents will qualify with a win.
Atletico failing?
Barcelona and Real Madrid are leading the way for the La Liga sides, but both Atletico and Sevilla need their fortunes to improve if they are to move through to the next round.
Diego Simeone’s men host Qarabag on Tuesday, needing a win to put some pressure on Chelsea and Roma at the top of Group C.
Sevilla lost 5-1 to Spartak Moscow last time out so will be hoping to get instant revenge on Wednesday night. Again, a win is required to try and catch their opponents and Liverpool.
Barcelona, with a 100% record in Group D, travel to Greece and Olympiakos.
Napoli might have to choose between success in Serie A or the Champions League
Sarri’s men are flying in Serie A, but is it affecting their progess in the Champions League?
Many are suggesting this could finally be the year that Juventus are toppled domestically as Napoli lead the Old Lady by three points. The side from Naples have only dropped two points – a 1-1 draw with Inter.
However, their match on Wednesday night against Manchester City is a must win if they want to progress.
Head Coach Maurizio Sarri said,
“It’s the most important club competition in the world, so being a part of it is something to be proud of. It’s also natural that in the minds of the players they focus more on the competition they’ve got a better chance at, but we must be eager to challenge ourselves against the best and right now Manchester City is the best side in the world”.
It’s like Heynckes has never been away
Jupp Heynckes left Bayern Munich having won the treble and since being brought back to turn the club’s season around he has the perfect record. This is bound to continue this week as Bayern travel to Celtic tonight. A win will almost certainly mean qualification for the Bavarian giants.
It’s not as easy for RB Leipzig however. They won their first ever Champions League match two weeks ago against Porto, and will need to repeat the feat if they want to have any chance of getting out of Group G.
Unfortunately for Borussia Dortmund, their chances are looking slim as they are yet to pick up a win in Group H.
So, will Manchester United have the luxury of watching the Wednesday night fixtures knowing they have safely navigated their way through? Fingers crossed!