1. In-form Hoops visit the Camp Nou
CELTIC FACE A formidable task as they travel to five-time winners Barcelona, where the Scottish champions suffered their joint-heaviest European defeat — losing 6-1 at the Nou Camp in their last group stage participation in 2013.
Despite failing to win their 14 previous trips to play Liga rivals, new manager Brendan Rodgers, who comes up against his former player Luis Suarez, has been boosted by a perfect start to the season and an emphatic 5-1 win against Old Firm rivals Rangers Saturday.
Spanish champions Barcelona, who last won European’s premier club competition in 2015, won all five home fixtures in last season’s campaign, reaching the quarter-finals where they were eliminated by Atletico Madrid.
But Luis Enrique’s side are reeling after a shock home defeat to newly-promoted Alaves in La Liga after starting Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on the bench.
Enrique is expected to revert back to his strongest line-up for Celtic’s visit. “We lacked a spark, we lacked a lot of things,” said midfielder Sergio Busquets. “Now we have to think about Celtic because the season rolls on.”
2. Pep begins European challenge at City
Pep Guardiola’s first Champions League fixture as Manchester City manager will be against a club he knows well in German side Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The clubs met in the group stage last season with City winning home and away to reach the semi-finals for the first time before falling 1-0 on aggregate to Real Madrid. City maintained their 100 percent start to the season under Guardiola with a sixth successive victory in a 2-1 derby win at Manchester United.
But the Spaniard, who has never failed to make the semi-finals in his seven previous seasons, winning the competition twice with group rivals Barcelona, believes they will have to up their game if they want to aspire to European greatness.
“Until now, in the Premier League it has been okay – but to compete against the best clubs in Europe, in this moment with the way we are playing, we are not able to.”
Moenchengladbach, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga, returned to Europe’s elite competition for the first time in 37 years last season. They suffered their first reverse of the season in Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Freiburg.
3. PSG struggling ahead of Gunners visit
Under-pressure PSG coach Unai Emery makes his Champions League bow with his new charges after leading Sevilla to three consecutive Europa League titles.
But on the domestic scene the loss of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Luiz, not to mention coach Laurent Blanc, seem to have left a hole in the club’s charisma.
The reigning French champions are seventh after four games having been beaten by Monaco and drawn with Saint-Etienne after conceding an injury-time equaliser at the weekend.
The good news for PSG is that Blaise Matuidi and Angel di Maria both played at the weekend and showed flashes of their best. Arsenal took a single point from their first two Premier League games but have now won their last two, having come from behind to beat Southampton on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger’s side’s have a history of doing well in France, but PSG will look to send an early statement of intent at the Parc des Princes.
4. Ancelotti out for Champions League success with third club
This is Carlo Ancelotti’s Champions League bow with Bayern Munich, who brought in the affable Italian with his continental pedigree foremost in their minds after his success at AC Milan in 2003 and 2007 and at Real Madrid in 2014.
Pep Guardiola’s team cruised through the group phase last season and were eventually beaten on away goals by Atletico. But tonight’s visitors, Russian newcomers Rostov, can only have a deep sense of foreboding as they travel to Munich for their Champions League group phase debut.
Polish centre forward Robert Lewandowski scored in Bayern’s 2-0 weekend defeat of Schalke and hammered three past Werder Bremen in their Bundesliga opener. He’s scored eight in his last four outings.
Rostov may be no pushovers, however, with a tight defensive record in Russia and having negotiated their way past Anderlecht and Ajax in the qualifying rounds.
5. Atleti and PSV face off
Last season’s beaten finalists Atletico Madrid take on familiar foes PSV Eindhoven against whom they needed a quarter-finals penalty shootout win (8-7) after drawing 0-0 both away and then at home.
Dutch coach Phillip Cocu was a slick midfielder in his playing days and his PSV team and their keeper Jeroen Zoet hs kept a clean sheet for 424 minutes during their ongoing six-match unbeaten run.
So Atletico will do extremely well to get an away result. Euro 2016 top scorer Antoine Griezmann scored twice and made an assist as Atletico routed Celta Vigo 4-0 at the weekend, but it was their first win for them of this La Liga campaign after two limp draws.
Diego Simeone’s highly-motivated and tight-knit side face a two window transfer ban, but new signing Kevin Gameiro is settling in nicely ahead of Koke, Angel Correa and Yannick Carrasco.
The hosts won all three of their group stage home ties last season — seeing off Wolfsburg, CSKA Moscow and Manchester United.
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