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The 2021-22 UEFA Champions League campaign will host its matchday five fixtures on Tuesday and Wednesday, promising to deliver plenty of thrills and spills.
Today, we will consider all the biggest fixtures of the week and predict how it all might turn out.
Here are our top five predictions for UEFA Champions League matchday five:
#5 Xavi's new-look Barcelona to beat Benfica
Barcelona legend Xavi took charge of his first La Liga game for the Blaugrana on Saturday. Although not thoroughly convincing, the Camp Nou outfit managed to get a 1-0 win over Espanyol and kept themselves in contention for a top-four finish.
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Xavi’s next challenge will be in the UEFA Champions League against a spirited Benfica side. The Portuguese outfit hammered Barcelona in the reverse fixture, bagging a 3-0 win at Estadio da Luz. This week, Barcelona have a glorious opportunity to give Benfica a taste of their own medicine and grab a convincing win at home.
Expect the new coach to make a host of changes and try to suffocate Benfica in the middle of the park. If Barcelona manage to deal with Benfica’s swift counters, they could be celebrating their first UEFA Champions League triumph under their former midfielder this Tuesday.
#4 Real Madrid to bag a convincing win over Sheriff Tiraspol
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid were handed a stern reality check by Sheriff Tiraspol on the second matchday in the UEFA Champions League. The most successful team in Europe were taken apart by the UEFA Champions League debutants and ultimately succumbed to a shocking 2-1 defeat at home.
Real Madrid will look to hit back and restore some of the pride they lost in the UEFA Champions League gameweek two on Wednesday.
Los Blancos have performed handsomely in La Liga and UEFA Champions League since that upset. They have not been beaten in seven games across all competitions, winning six of them.
In their most recent outing, they registered a convincing 1-4 win over Granada away from home. The win allowed them to open up a one-point lead at the top of the La Liga table after 13 rounds of fixtures.
With the likes of Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos firing on all cylinders, Real Madrid will be confident of a win. It will be up to Sheriff to try and surprise the 13-time winners, making the lightning hit the same place twice.
#3 Manchester United to start their post-Solskjaer era with a win
Following an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at Watford on Saturday, Manchester United finally decided to part ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Michael Carrick has been tasked with taking the club ahead until the Norwegian's successor is appointed.
Carric’s first job as manager is to try and help Manchester United to a win against Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. In the reverse fixture, Cristiano Ronaldo produced an injury-time winner to take the Red Devils to a 2-1 win. This time, United will hope for a more confident, convincing display.
We believe every Manchester United player will look to put on a show against Villarreal, hoping to impress the would-be boss. If key players turn up, Villarreal could be in for quite an uncomfortable night in the UEFA Champions League this Tuesday.
#2 Chelsea to settle the score against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League
Thomas Tuchel’s reigning UEFA Champions League holders, Chelsea, are beaming with confidence right now. Playing excellent football, the Blues have climbed to the top of the Premier League table and look on course for another successful campaign.
On the second matchday of the UEFA Champions League, the Blues were subjected to a 1-0 defeat at Juventus. Now, on matchday five, they will look to restore parity. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will start as outright favorites and we cannot see Juventus turning this around.
The Old Lady will miss the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Giorgio Chiellini and Federico Bernardeschi, while Paulo Dybala remains a doubt for the game.
Juventus still have enough quality to get a positive result, but a determined Chelsea side are unlikely to let it happen.
#1 Manchester City vs PSG to produce the most exciting match of UEFA Champions League gameweek 5
Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are arguably the two most exciting teams in Europe right now. While the Citizens have the genius of Pep Guardiola, PSG sport a fearsome trio of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi.
Separating the duo is an impossible task and we believe the two will produce the most unpredictable match of UEFA Champions League matchday five.
In the reverse UEFA Champions League fixture at the Parc des Princes, PSG outplayed Manchester City on all fronts, cruising to a 2-0 win. Lionel Messi scored the French team's second goal of the night, shattering Guardiola’s hopes of mounting a comeback
Manchester City will be looking to settle the score at the Etihad Stadium this Wednesday, but doing so will be far from a straightforward task. PSG are currently on a seven-game unbeaten run and will fancy taking at least a point from their trip to Manchester.
A tactical battle between two world-class teams is on the horizon and we cannot wait to see how this one turns out.
