UEFA Champions League 2018-19: 5 things to look out for

We have many exciting fixtures ahead of us all of which have been played once this season
We have many exciting fixtures ahead of us all of which have been played once this season

The UEFA Champions League is back again after a long break. We will finally get to listen to the Champions League anthem on Tuesday night.

We have many exciting fixtures ahead of us all of which have been played once this season. PSG and Liverpool will go head to head again, this time perhaps with their qualification on the line.

Barcelona will have to visit the city of Eindhoven to face a rampant PSV, who sit five points ahead of Ajax in the Eredivisie.

Meanwhile, the other clash in the group will see Tottenham and Inter Milan facing each other. The campaign could be as good as over for the Spurs, should they lose?

Real Madrid has a tough ask in front of them as they face Roma away from home. The Madrid team is struggling for form and all their players are displaying catastrophic performances as of late.

A loss at Rome will mean that Madrid would have to defeat CSKA at home to ensure qualification, provided that CSKA wins against Plzen.

With many exciting fixtures and matchups, we present five things that you should watch out for on matchday 5 in Europe


#5 Will Juan Foyth make his mark in Europe?

Europe awaits Juan
Europe awaits Juan
Foyth's
antics

This weekend Mauricio Pochettino gave Juan Foyth the spotlight that every young kid would dream of.

A start in the pressure match against Chelsea. And Foyth lived up to his coach's expectations.

He made three successful tackles out of the four attempted, the highest by any player in the match. He partnered Alderweireld well and helped him keep Chelsea' frightening attack at bay.

Jan Vertonghen is fit and could start against Inter on Wednesday night. But Juan Foyth deserves to start in the game, even more after his solid performance in the Chelsea game.

Should Pochettino give him the start then the Argentine would have a bigger spotlight on him. A spotlight which could boost the youngster's chances to start more often for Tottenham and also be a part of the Argentina squad for Copa America 2019.

There have been players who have made starts in their teens and 20s in the Champions League and announced their arrival on the big stage.

Kylian Mbappe did it against Manchester City two years back. For an even better example, a kid called Lionel Messi started against Chelsea back in 2006. John Terry and Makelele sweated for a majority of the game when he danced through the right-wing.

This is Juan Foyth's chance prove his worth. But will he strive under pressure?

#4 The immovable Virgil Van Dijk against the attacking trident of PSG

Rock solid Van Dijk against the lighting attacks of PSG
Rock solid Van Dijk against the lighting attacks of PSG

The current form of Virgil Van Dijk is a terrible sign for any attacking line. Van Dijk showed his solidity in the Nations League games against France and Germany.

He also went on to score the all-important goal for the Netherlands in the Nations League which sent them to the semis.

The interesting point, however, is the match against France. Van Dijk completely smothered Kylian Mbappe alongside De Ligt. The pace of Mbappe was invisible in the game and neither could he dribble past the strong defensive lines led by Van Dijk.

This time though, Mbappe has a better chance with Neymar and Cavani by his side. Or does he? Last time PSG faced Liverpool at the Anfield, they were out of ideas to break through the defence.

Neymar was completely owned by Milner. Mbappe and Cavani were unable to break through the strong back four. Salah's error gave PSG the second goal.

It will be interesting to see Van Dijk come face to face with Edinson Cavani, more often than not.

He will be dealing with the aerial threat and one on one situations. Mbappe will come across him when he cuts inside. But before cutting inside, he has an Andy Robertson problem to deal with.

A matchup that will be good to witness. Van Dijk and his defense against PSG's trident.

#3 Can Real Madrid prove that they are a different side in the Champions League?

Bad in LaLiga, but what about Europe?
Bad in LaLiga, but what about Europe?

Real Madrid has been disappointing this season so far, to say the least, and we don't know who to blame?

It was thought to be Julen Lopetegui's fault that the team was not performing. But even after sacking Lopetegui, Real Madrid's problems remain intact. A few goals against Melilla in Copa del Rey and also against Plzen in UEFA Champions League hid their weaknesses.

But against Eibar, they were exposed again. Abysmal at the defensive end, horrendous at the attacking front and perhaps the worst midfield in Europe at the moment.

Calling the Madrid midfield as the worst in Europe might seem an exaggeration. But it is truly the worst midfield going by their standards. No other teams are showing these many weaknesses in Europe.

Last season too, they were bad in the league. It just wasn't exposed. They finished at 3rd, 13 points behind winners Barcelona. So, they were bad last year too.

But when it came to Champions League, they were a different team and played a different brand of football than in the league.

This season though, they are the same team in the Champions League as well. They might have started well against Roma but then put up horror performances against Plzen and CSKA Moskva.

Varane, Modric, Ramos, Bale and so on, no one has impressed, absolutely no one. A loss will put Real Madrid under tremendous pressure in the UEFA Champions League.

The midfield has to do a lot against Roma as long forward balls would barely threaten tall defenders like Florenzi and Fazio.

Something has to give against Roma. Someone has to step up if not the whole team. But who? Answers are not at one's disposal at the moment.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo desperate to light up Europe

Cristiano's six-pack looks great but will his performance be better?
Cristiano's six-pack looks great but will his performance be better?

When we look at Champions League we always hope for Cristiano Ronaldo to light things up. The record holder for most goals in the group stage in a single season, the top scorer in UEFA Champions League history and the reigning UEFA Forward of the Year.

Ronaldo has something with the Champions League. He always performs well at the European stage and gets the attention, and it is much deserved.

This season has not been so great for the Juventus forward though. He was sent off for pulling Murillo's hair in the first match and thus missed the second match due to suspension.

The prodigal son of Manchester returned to his home against United but he did not have a great game. Three shots, two on target, but denied by De Gea. Against United in the return leg, he got a goal but his team still went on to lose.

So it has been a poor Champions League season, so far, for the Portuguese captain. He has got one goal and maybe he should have had an assist as well. But that is not what we associate Cristiano Ronaldo with. He has not been the potent goalscorer that he is.

Against Valencia, he has a chance to prove that he is still strong in Europe. He can send his team through to the knockout stages in the process. He will be desperate to light Europe up and so are his fans, eagerly waiting for a CR7 masterclass.

#1 Messi magic on the way to the Netherlands?

Will Messi swing his magical left foot again?
Will Messi swing his magical left foot again?

Prior to his injury, Messi dominated the European scene. He destroyed PSV Eindhoven at home with a minimal effort.

He also lit Wembley up with his passes, pace, and goals. A hattrick against PSV with a brilliant freekick to ice the cake.

A brilliant all-round performance at the Wembley stadium against Spurs. These performances earned Messi, the UEFA Player of the Week award, twice in a row.

Although Messi could not make it to the two games against Inter due to injury, he still remains the top scorer in the Champions League.

What more? He has contributed towards 45% of the team goals this season. He tops the goal chart with five goals. And this absolute piece of magic keeps his average match rating at a perfect 10. Leo broke the record for most Champions League hattricks and most group stage goals in the process.

The much-awaited return of the Barcelona star will be on Wednesday night at Eindhoven. This is his chance to move clear in the goalscoring charts, but that is the least that he offers.

The dribbles, the through passes, the free movement, that is what we like to see. Needless to say, we will see Lionel Messi on the pitch against PSV. But will his magic be on the pitch? Barcelona fans will hope so.

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Edited by Alan John