Manchester United vs. Galatasaray (Group A)
Manchester United takes on Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League at Old Trafford.
After an absence of a year, the Champions League is back at Old Trafford on Tuesday when Manchester United hosts Galatasaray.
After a one-year absence, the Champions League is back at Old Trafford. It's a different story this time around, though, after the optimism of manager Erik ten Hag's first season at Manchester United. Fans inside the stadium booed during Saturday's defeat to Crystal Palace because it already appears improbable that the team would challenge for the Premier League title.
Ten Hag will have the opportunity to divert his mind during Galatasaray's Champions League visit, and he will be hoping for a victory to uplift his spirits. United fell to Bayern Munich 4-3 in the group's opening match. Fears of an early exit might surface after a second loss.
Copenhagen vs. Bayern Munich (Group A)
In preparation for its trip to Copenhagen, Bayern Munich is still searching for stability. The Bundesliga match on Saturday in Leipzig ended in a 2-2 tie, which was relatively lucky for the Bavarian powerhouse. It also had a tense Champions League game against Manchester United last month before winning 4-3.
Joshua Kimmich, a midfielder for Bayern Munich, asserts: "We simply have problems performing consistently well over 90 minutes against top teams." However, Bayern has won each of its last 14 group games, which is also a record, and is unbeaten in a competition-high 35 group games (3 draws). Copenhagen's first group game ended in a 2-2 tie at Galatasaray as they gave away two late goals.
Lens vs. Arsenal (Group B)
With wins in its last two league games and big-money acquisition Elye Wahi scoring his first goal, Lens is now finding its form and takes on Arsenal.
For Arsenal, which has a prolific scoring attack and is currently undefeated in the Premier League, things are going well. Despite playing in different European competitions, the teams faced off against one another in consecutive seasons. In the 1999–2000 Champions League group stage, Lens held Arsenal to a draw at home and defeated Arsenal 1-0 in a heated match played at Wembley Stadium. Near the finish, a player from each team was ejected.
PSV vs. Sevilla (Group B)
PSV welcomes Sevilla having won its last five home games in European competitions; but, in the Champions League, the Dutch team has lost nine games and drawn four in a row during the group stage.
Last season's Europa League playoff matchup between Sevilla and PSV ended with the Spanish team winning 3-2 on aggregate and taking home the championship. PSV suffered a 4-0 defeat at Arsenal, while Sevilla drew 1-1 at Lens.
Napoli vs. Real Madrid (Group C)
After a rocky start to the season, Napoli seems to have finally found its footing under new coach Rudi Garcia. Napoli has ended a three game domestic losing streak in which it appeared to be a shell of the club that swept to the Serie A title by winning its past two Serie A games and scored eight goals in the process.
Victor Osimhen has scored twice in the last two games to bring his season total to five goals, indicating that he is also back to his best. In their opening match, Napoli needed an own goal to defeat Braga 2-1. During his tenure as Napoli's manager in 2018–19, Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid led the team to a second-place finish in the Italian league. He faced Napoli when he was a coach.
Union Berlin vs. Braga (Group C)
When Union Berlin hosts Braga for its first "home" match in the Champions League, it will be looking to snap a skid of five straight losses in all competitions. Although the choice to transfer has been criticised by some Union supporters, Union is now playing its home games in Berlin's Olympiastadion, which has historically been the home of crosstown rival Hertha Berlin.
When the two teams met in the Europa League group stage last year, Union and Braga each claimed a 1-0 home victory. After giving up late goals, both teams lost their Champions League opener matches: Braga at home to Napoli and Union against Real Madrid.
Inter Milan vs. Benfica (Group D)
With one exception, they have each prevailed in all of their domestic games. Marko Arnautovic, Davide Frattesi, and Stefano Sensi are all out injured for Inter, but Juan Cuadrado is back in shape after a month away and might play.
Salzburg vs. Real Sociedad (Group D)
Real Sociedad travels to Austria with confidence after dominating Basque Country rival Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the Spanish league. Takefusa Kubo of Japan continued to shine while playing for Sociedad by scoring his second goal in two games. The first Champions League season for Sociedad in almost a decade began with a 1-1 tie at Inter Milan.
