Champions League preview: What to look out for on Matchday 2 and how to watch

Raya made a brilliant double save against Atalanta (Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

French champions Paris Saint-Germain sneaked past Girona 1-0, the victory coming courtesy of goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga’s calamitous own goal in the 90th minute.

PSG, whose most recent trip to England ended in a 4-1 defeat by Newcastle United last season, will have to be more clinical against Arsenal’s strong defence than they were against Girona. From 26 shots, they had an expected goals (xG) value, which measures the likelihood of a shot being converted, of 2.1. They only took the three points thanks to Gazzaniga’s error. They will face Arsenal without forward Ousmane Dembele, however, who was left out of the squad by head coach Luis Enrique for disciplinary reasons.

Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan, Tuesday, October 1

In Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-0 victory over Feyenoord, the German champions displayed the quality that saw them go unbeaten in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season.

Florian Wirtz, their 21-year-old attacking midfielder, became the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut and he has been directly involved in 24 goals in his last 26 starts for Leverkusen in Europe.

Wirtz scored twice against Feyenoord (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Milan have their own in-form player in Christian Pulisic. The 26-year-old USMNT winger has scored in his last two Champions League games and could become the first American to score in three consecutive appearances.

Despite Pulisic putting Milan ahead against Liverpool, they were beaten 3-1 on Matchday 1. He once again put Milan in front five days later when they recorded a 2-1 win over city rivals Inter Milan. Can he continue his scoring streak against Leverkusen?

Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic, Tuesday, October 1

Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic stormed to a 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava to start their Champions League campaign with a victory for the first time.

Japanese pair Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda were key to that win but Dortmund are a step up in class — and Celtic have failed to beat German opposition in eight attempts in the competition.

Dortmund, beaten finalists in June, started with a 3-0 win away at Club Bruges. It was the first time in the Champions League that three substitutes had all directly contributed to a goal. England’s Jamie Gittens scored two, Serhou Guirassy, a €17.5million summer signing from Stuttgart, dinked in a penalty and 23-year-old German midfielder Felix Nmecha chipped in with an assist.

Dortmund beat Club Bruges on MD1 (KURT DESPLENTER/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich, Wednesday, October 2

This will be the second meeting between the two teams — the first was the 1982 European Cup final, which Villa won 1-0 to lift their only title. While Bayern have history on their side with six European Cups, Villa have an accomplished manager in their dugout.

Unai Emery, the four-time Europa League winner, has beaten Bayern twice in the Champions League and could become the second manager to beat them with three different teams (Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal the others) after Jose Mourinho.

(Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)

Emery’s counterpart Vincent Kompany has made a good start at Bayern. They have stormed to the top of the Bundesliga with four wins from their first five games and are scoring goals for fun.

They have 17 in the league to add to the nine scored against Zagreb. Kane loves playing at Villa Park too, with the former Tottenham Hotspur striker having been directly involved in seven goals in his six appearances there.

RB Leipzig vs Juventus, Wednesday, October 2

Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko scored on Matchday 1 for the second season running but RB Leipzig suffered late heartache when Jose Maria Gimenez’s 90th-minute header snatched Atletico a 2-1 win in Madrid.

Sesko scored two more in their 4-0 win over Augsburg at the weekend in an impressive start. Leipzig are yet to lose in the Bundesliga and ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 43-game unbeaten streak domestically.

Sesko scored at the weekend (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Despite winning 3-1 against PSV Eindhoven with Kenan Yildiz, 19, becoming their youngest Champions League scorer since Pietro Fanna in 1977, Juventus have struggled to score in Serie A.

Thiago Motta’s side recorded three goalless draws in a row but clicked into gear with a 3-0 victory over Genoa at the weekend with Dusan Vlahovic scoring twice. Will their attack continue to build momentum in Germany, where they have won on each of their last four visits?

How and where can I watch the games?

Below is a full listing of what to watch and where this week (all UK listings on TNT Sports unless stated; all U.S. listings on Paramount +):

Tuesday, October 1
RB Salzburg vs Brest, 12.45 ET/17.45 BST
Stuttgart vs Sparta Prague, 12.45 ET /17.45 BST
Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST (UK: Amazon Prime)
Dortmund vs Celtic, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
PSV Eindhoven vs Sporting Lisbon, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Barcelona vs Young Boys, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Inter Milan vs Red Star Belgrade, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST

Wednesday, October 2
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Atalanta, 12.45 ET/17.45 BST
Girona vs Feyenoord,12.45 ET/17.45 BST
Benfica vs Atletico Madrid, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Liverpool vs Bologna, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
RB Leipzig vs Juventus, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Lille vs Real Madrid, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Sturm Graz vs Club Bruges, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Dinamo Zagreb vs Monaco, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST

(Top photos: Getty Images)

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Publish date : 2024-09-30 21:35:00

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