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The 2018/19 Champions League is almost upon us, with the first set of group games beginning this Tuesday evening across Europe. It’s a loaded competition with a myriad of potential winners, but obviously the usual big guns are the teams that all the fans are looking forward to seeing in action.
UEFA’s group stage draw has been kind to the neutral fans this year and thrown up some massive pairings between Europe’s giants at the first possible moment, and so here are the five most intriguing fixtures from the first week of the competition.
#1 Inter Milan vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs and Inter have history in the Champions League, dating back to the 2010/11 edition of the competition, where the sides clashed in the group stage. The first match between the two at the San Siro saw Inter fly into a 4-goal lead inside 35 minutes, apparently proving that the Champions League was a step too far for Spurs, only to see a stunning hat-trick from Gareth Bale in the second half peg them back to 4-3.
That game has since gone into folklore due to Bale’s performance essentially ending Maicon’s career as a top-level right-back, and in the return fixture at White Hart Lane, the Brazilian was once again tormented by the Welshman as Spurs won out 3-1 winners.
Of course, plenty of things have changed for both sides since. Thanks to manager Mauricio Pochettino and the emergence of players like Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, Tottenham are now Champions League mainstays. Inter meanwhile haven’t made much of a dent in Europe recently and haven’t appeared in the Champions League since 2011/12.
With players like Ivan Perisic, Radja Nainggolan and Mauro Icardi at their disposal though, the Italians will be no pushovers for the Londoners. And with Spanish giants Barcelona in the same group as these two, it’s imperative for both teams to start off strongly. This could be an interesting one indeed.
#2 Liverpool vs. Paris St. Germain
If any match of the first week of Champions League fixtures is unmissable, it’s definitely this one. In last season’s edition, Liverpool and PSG were the highest scoring teams in the group stage – hitting a ridiculous 48 goals between them across their 12 games – and while PSG disappointed in the knockout stage, Liverpool continued to be free-scoring all the way to the final, where they were beaten by Real Madrid.
They also have arguably the two most feared front lines in Europe – both sides use a three-man attack, with PSG able to call on Edinson Cavani, Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe, and Liverpool deploying the talents of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
Attack isn’t the only strength for these sides, though. Liverpool conceded just seven goals in last season’s knockout phase, and have since strengthened their defence by adding goalkeeper Alisson while defender Virgil van Dijk is now properly settled. PSG meanwhile conceded four goals in the group stage and now have legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon between their sticks.
Essentially, we should expect fireworks from this one regardless of the winner. Both sides can probably expect to advance into the knockout round, but to see either side take Tuesday’s game easy would be a major surprise.
#3 Manchester City vs. Lyon
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side practically walked their way to the Premier League title last season, breaking a load of records in the process, but in the Champions League, despite looking dominant in the group stage – winning five of their six games – they were eventually defeated by Liverpool in the quarter-finals.
The Liverpool result was a blip in a remarkable season though, and after conquering the Premier League, Guardiola will definitely have his eyes on the Champions League this time around. City are in a relatively straightforward-looking group, but the next toughest side in there are the ones they face on Wednesday.
Considered a dark horse for a deep run into the competition, French side Lyon missed out on the Champions League last season, but with a deep squad including the likes of Nabil Fekir, Moussa Dembele, Memphis Depay and Bertrand Traore, they will definitely hope to make it through the group stage at least this time around.
Whether they can defeat City is another thing entirely – Pep’s side will definitely be the favourites coming in, but with an attack like Lyon’s, City’s defence might have its work cut out for them. The French side’s best bet may be to try Liverpool’s approach and fight fire with fire – and if they do, it’ll be a fun game.
#4 Real Madrid vs. Roma
Winners of their third Champions League in a row last season – an astonishing accomplishment considering the calibre of teams involved – Real Madrid will be looking to pull off a miracle by winning Europe’s biggest competition for the 4th time in 2018/19. A lot has changed for them over this summer though, as they’ve lost manager Zinedine Zidane and their talismanic Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
In Zidane’s place now sits former Spain boss Julen Lopetegui, and in terms of domestic form they’ve looked as good as ever – already scoring 11 goals in just four games to climb to 2nd place in La Liga. And they don’t really appear to be missing Ronaldo – Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema have already scored seven goals between them.
Europe might be a different matter, though. Real scored 33 goals in the Champions League last season, but 15 of them – almost half – came from Ronaldo. And while nobody should expect them to crash out in the group stage – they face outsiders CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen next – their first game against Roma could be tougher than they expect.
Last season saw the Italians make the semi-final, upsetting Barcelona in the process, and despite losing key players Alisson and Radja Nainggolan in the summer, they’ve signed the likes of Justin Kluivert, Javier Pastore and Steven N’Zonzi to strengthen an already solid squad.
Life without Ronaldo in Europe begins for Madrid on Wednesday, but if Roma have their way it won’t be a happy start.
#5 Valencia vs. Juventus
If Real Madrid need to get used to life in Europe without Ronaldo, then CR7 himself needs to get used to life in Europe away from Real Madrid. This weekend saw him score a brace as his new side Juventus downed Sassuolo 2-1, and the fact that he’s now scored his first goals at his new club – in his 4th game there – should take a lot of pressure off his shoulders.
The Italian champions should actually be considered strong contenders to win the whole competition this season now they’ve added Ronaldo, who is undoubtedly the best goalscorer in Champions League history. Their squad is as deep as anyone’s, their defence – containing the apparently ageless Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci – is rock-solid, and they have plenty of experience in the competition.
Valencia meanwhile haven’t been in the Champions League since 2015/16, where they exited in the group stage in disappointing fashion. But this summer they’ve signed a plethora of players including Ronaldo’s Portuguese teammate Goncalo Guedes and Belgian hitman Michy Batshuayi. However, they have yet to win in La Liga, having drawn three and lost one thus far.
If Ronaldo comes in with his usual Champions League form then this match could easily become one-sided, but even then it should be interesting to see Juventus flex their muscles and send a message that they’re potential winners. Therefore this is a must-see match this week.
