It is time for matchday three in the new-look Champions League.
Here are five things to watch out for from Tuesday’s action.
⚔️ Match of the Day
Tuesday’s blockbuster occasion comes from Spain, where we will be treated to a repeat of last season’s Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
At Wembley in June, a second half surge from Los Blancos saw them secure their 15th triumph in this competition but a surprise defeat last time out in this campaign’s edition to Lille ended their 36-game unbeaten run and will give Dortmund confidence – not that they’ll need much after hitting seven against Celtic three weeks ago.
However, BVB have the unwanted record of being the club to have played the most Champions League away games at a single stadium without winning – drawing two and losing five of their seven visits to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
Expect the midfield to decide the outcome of this one, particularly as each side has one of the tournament’s top assist providers since the start of last season – Marcel Sabitzer and Jude Bellingham (who will face his former club) on five apiece in that span.
🔎 Team to Watch
Arsenal tasted defeat for the first time this season on Saturday evening when a William Saliba red card proved costly in a 2-0 loss at Bournemouth, meaning they will be out to issue a swift response.
The Gunners will aim to do so at the Emirates Stadium against Shakhtar Donetsk and they’ve been very impressive in this competition so far.
Not only are they one of just six teams who are yet to concede but in doing so, they have kept two of Europe’s most free-scoring sides, Atalanta and Paris Saint-Germain, quiet.
Mikel Arteta’s men are heavily favoured to get back on track, even if injury doubt Bukayo Saka isn’t passed fit. They haven’t lost a group/league stage game in this competition since September 2015 against Olympiacos.
🔥 Player to Watch
Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers may not be a household name yet but his performances this season are putting him well on that track.
The former Manchester City attacker has completed more dribbles (nine) than any other player in the Champions League this season, with five of those coming against Bayern Munich last time out.
He comes into the game against Bologna on the back of a weekend goal against Fulham too as he looks to net for the first time in European competition.
👀 Potential upset
From a Club Brugge perspective, they will look at their trip to San Siro as a chance to face a Milan team who are there for the taking.
The Rossoneri have been extremely inconsistent under Paulo Fonseca this season and have lost both their first two league phase games, while the Belgians got off the mark by beating Sturm Graz last time out after a credible showing against Borussia Dortmund in their opener.
But this competition has also been problematic of late for Milan, who are aiming to avoid three straight home games for the first time in European Cup/Champions League history, while they’ve also managed just two wins from their last 11 games.
By contrast, Brugge have kept clean sheets in six of their last 10 Champions League (and on both their previous visits to Milan) and haven’t lost any of their last four away games in this tournament. The omens are good for them.
📊 Fascinating stat
Monaco’s meeting with Red Star Belgrade is likely to produce goals.
The French side, who are currently joint top of Ligue 1, will equal Shakhtar Donetsk’s unwanted record of conceding in 23 straight games if they let in a goal, while the 1991 winners haven’t kept a clean sheet since 2018 – 16 games ago.
Since then, they have shipped 48 goals for an average of three per game.
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