How will Barcelona fare without Messi?
HOW DO YOU replace Lionel Messi? According to his coach, Luis Enrique, it’s impossible but that’s the task facing the Barcelona manager as his side prepare to welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Camp Nou.
Barcelona moved above Real Madrid into second in the La Liga table at the weekend but their victory over Las Palmas came at a cost after Messi suffered a serious knee injury.
The last time Barca and Bayer Leverkusen met, the Argentinian scored five goals in a 7-1 rout back in 2011/12. This time around, the Germans won’t need to worry about Messi running rings around them and while it’s not the first time he’s been sidelined, Barcelona’s options aren’t as plentiful.
20-year-old Munir looks set to deputise alongside Luis Suarez and Neymar and even though it remains a formidable forward line, there certainly isn’t as much fear factor than one with Messi in it.
After being held by Roma in gameweek one, Barcelona will be determined to record their first victory of the campaign and put themselves in prime position to advance from Group E as table toppers.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, made a winning start by hammering Bate Borisov 4-1 and Roger Schmidt will go to Spain infused with the confidence that they can cause an upset and take a stranglehold of the group.
English clubs already face must-win ties
It’s certainly not ideal to be facing a must-win game in the second fixture of the group stages but that’s the situation facing Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City after all three English clubs suffered defeat in gameweek one.
Arsene Wenger went as far as admitting his side can’t afford to slip-up against Greek champions Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium after being humbled by Dinamo Zagreb last time out.
The Gunners recorded an encouraging victory at Leicester on Saturday and they’ll be confident of continuing that winning run against familiar opposition on Tuesday. These two sides have been paired together five out of the last seven seasons.
Olympiacos have lost on each of their last 12 visits to England, letting in 37 goals and scoring only three so this is the ideal fixture for Arsenal to get their campaign back on track.
Man United, meanwhile, are also hoping to get their first points on the board after throwing away the lead in Eindhoven a fortnight ago. Louis van Gaal’s side are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League but will need to convert their form onto the European stage or face the prospect of their campaign being over before it really gets going.
Wolfsburg are the visitors to Old Trafford on Wednesday.
City are also in action on Wednesday as they travel to Germany to face Borussia Mönchengladbach in Group D. It’s the Bundesliga club’s first time in the European competition for 37 years.
Mourinho’s return to Porto
Jose Mourinho and Chelsea are under the microscope and the scrutiny will increase as he returns to Porto and the scene of some of his greatest triumphs on Tuesday.
The Premier League champions have endured a rocky start to the season and Mourinho will be hoping the Champions League will offer his stuttering side some respite and an opportunity to click into gear.
Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto back in 2004 before heading to Stamford Bridge and victory at his old stomping ground would be the perfect tonic for the Blues boss.
Chelsea strolled past Maccabi Tel-Aviv on the opening night but they won’t have it as easy at the Estádio do Dragão.
That said, the Blues have won their last eight encounters with Portuguese sides and victory in Porto would be some comfort to Chelsea and Mourinho in the midst of a frustrating start to the season.
Ronaldo has Raul’s record in sight
Cristiano Ronaldo needs just three goals to overtake Raul as Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer – and you wouldn’t put it past him to break the record on Wednesday night.
Rafa Benitez’s side visit Malmo in Group A and after putting down an early marker with a 4-0 rout of Shakhtar Donetsk last time out, Real are looking to seal their passage through as early as possible.
Currently sitting on 320 goals for Real Madrid, Ronaldo can etch his name into the history books in Sweden after becoming the Champions League’s all-time leading goalscorer with a hat-trick against Shakther.
Can Dinamo Zagreb continue their incredible unbeaten run?
After they stunned Arsenal two weeks ago, Dinamo Zagreb have now not lost in 45 outings in all competitions. The last time the Croatian outfit suffered defeat was November last year when they lost to Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League.
Now they head to the Allianz Arena for their stiffest test yet. A visit to the five-time winners is as difficult as it comes but after an absence of three years, it’s clear Dinamo are intent on making their mark on this competition.
Bayern are up and running too after a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Olympiacos but Pep Guardiola has a litany of injuries to contend with. Badstuber, Ribery and Robben are all reportedly sidelined and the first meeting between these two sides could be a lot closer than many predict.
If Dinamo can maintain their unbeaten run, well that would be a standout result.
Tuesday and Wednesday’s Champions League fixtures available here.
