European Highlights: Champions League returns with blockbuster second round of fixtures
Tuesday, October 1st
Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain - 21:00 CET
Two European heavyweights meet in a mouthwatering clash at the Emirates Stadium as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal look to secure their first win in the revamped Champions League.
A superb double-save from David Raya earned the Gunners a hard-fought point in their opening fixture against Atalanta, and having seen off Leicester City in dramatic fashion at the weekend, Arsenal will be desperate to carry their momentum into Tuesday evening.
French champions Paris Saint-Germain needed a late own goal to defeat tournament debutants Girona on matchday one, so Luis Enrique will demand a significant improvement from his players as they look to end Arsenal’s 14-game unbeaten run on home soil.
Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan - 21:00 CET
Xabi Alonso’s side made a dream start to their Champions League campaign a fortnight ago, scoring four first-half goals to thrash Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
Leverkusen have picked up four points from their two matches in the Bundesliga since, including Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich, giving Alonso’s men plenty of confidence as they welcome seven-time winners AC Milan to the BayArena.
The Rossoneri are also a team in form having recovered from a shaky start to the season, and will be keen to turn their European fortunes around after a 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool on matchday one.
Wednesday, October 2nd
Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich - 21:00 CET
It promises to be a momentous occasion at Villa Park as Unai Emery’s side host six-time European champions Bayern Munich in what is Aston Villa’s first-ever Champions League match on home soil.
The Villans have fond memories of playing against Bayern having beaten them in the 1982 European Cup final, and they’ll be determined to give a good account of themselves once again on Wednesday evening.
The Bavarians, however, travel to the West Midlands in blistering form under new manager Vincent Kompany, having found the net 30 times across their opening seven matches of the campaign, including a 9-2 drubbing of Dinamo Zagreb two weeks ago.
Liverpool vs Bologna - 21:00 CET
After one year away from Europe’s premier club competition, Champions League football returns to Anfield as Liverpool welcome tournament debutants Bologna in an intriguing clash.
The Reds continued their impressive start to life under Arne Slot with a narrow victory over Wolves on Saturday and the Dutchman will be looking to use that momentum as he targets all three points on his home European debut.
As for Bologna, it’s been a tricky couple of months for Vincenzo Italiano’s side, but after promising recent displays against Monza and Atalanta, they could well be starting to rediscover the kind of form that took them to a fifth-placed finish in Serie A last term.
Thursday, October 3rd
FC Porto vs Manchester United - 21:00 CET
Having dropped points in their Europa League opener against FC Twente last week before succumbing to a calamitous home defeat to Tottenham at the weekend, under-fire boss Erik ten Hag desperately needs a response as his Manchester United side face a tricky test against European stalwarts Porto.
The expensively assembled Red Devils should be one of the favourites for the competition, but with just three wins from their opening eight matches across all competitions, there is plenty of negativity currently surrounding the Old Trafford club.
With that in mind, Porto will surely fancy their chances of registering a first European victory of the season as they return to the Estadio do Dragao following a disappointing 3-2 defeat against Bodo/Glimt in Norway.
