Liverpool welcome Ajax after dramatic first-day results for both sides, while Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski take short walks down memory lane.
The insight media sport arena pick out some key talking points ahead of the second round of fixtures.
FIXTURES
Group A: Liverpool vs Ajax, Rangers vs Napoli
Group B: Porto vs Club Brugge, Leverkusen vs Atlético
Group C: Plzeň vs Inter, Bayern vs Barcelona
Group D: Sporting CP vs Tottenham, Marseille vs Frankfurt
Group E: AC Milan vs Dinamo Zagreb, Chelsea vs Salzburg
Group F: Shakhtar vs Celtic, Real Madrid vs Leipzig
Group G: Man City vs Dortmund, Copenhagen vs Sevilla
Group H: Juventus vs Benfica, Maccabi Haifa vs Paris St Germain
Liverpool have not made the brightest start in the Premier League, but their 4-1 loss at Napoli was still a remarkable result, coach Jurgen Klopp says: “There’s a lot of soul-searching. We’re not working as a team.” With this The work of Jurgen Klopp is at stake at Merseyside if he loose again on Tuesday with high flying Ajax team. The opposite was true of Ajax, who were showing no ill effects of losing coach Erik ten Hag to Manchester United as they beat Rangers 4-0 in their opening fixture
The Rangers result completed a run of six straight wins in which Ajax scored 20 goals, they also defeat Heerenveen 5 goals to nil at the weekend and while they lost 1-0 home and away when they were paired with the Reds in the 2020/21 group stage, they have cause for optimism as they head to Anfield. Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder during the post match briefing on Matchday 1 said, “I saw an Ajax team that had fun out there with lots of energy. A team that wants to win and play together. Even if you sell a lot of players, you can quickly get a good new team going again, as long as everyone keeps working together.”
Lewandowski back at Bayern with Barcelona
“Every football fan will be pleased to see him,” said Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann as he faced the prospect of facing striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored 344 goals in 375 games for his side before leaving in the summer. Lewandowski’s summer move to Barcelona was not without controversy, but both parties have fared well since.
After hitting six goals in his first five Liga matches, Lewandowski became the first player to score Champions League hat-tricks for three clubs as he racked up a treble in Barcelona’s Matchday 1 mauling of Plzeň (“Robert is completely insatiable,” said the 42 year-old’s new boss Xavi Hernández). Bayern, meanwhile, won 2-0 at Inter, to remain unbeaten after nine games post-Lewandowski (W6 D3) but their results in the domestic league is a concern having draw three matches in a roll
Haaland welcomes Dortmund to Manchester
Lewandowski is not the only superstar forward set for a reunion on Matchday 2. Erling Haaland said his farewells to Dortmund’s fans in May after negotiating a move to Manchester City, the Norwegian having hit 86 goals in 89 goals for the club. Haaland’s two goals at Sevilla on Matchday 1 took his City tally to 12, and he may not be inclined to hold back when he faces his old team-mates.
However, having seen star strikers like Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembélé pass through their ranks, BVB are accustomed to seeing their biggest stars shine elsewhere. However, after a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of Copenhagen last time out, Edin Terzić’s side will be looking to upstage their old team-mate in Manchester.
Further ahead, with Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the group stage, Lionel Messi has the chance to close the 15-goal gap on his long-term rival in the all-time top-scorer standings when they face Maccabi Haifa. Below them, Lewandowski has moved three clear of Karim Benzema since the start of the 2022/23 campaign: the pair are on 89 and 86 goals respectively.
Graham Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea manager in the wake of their 1-0 Matchday 1 loss to Dinamo Zagreb. The Blues welcome RB Salzburg on Matchday 2 which will be portal first outing as Chelsea manager and they will be looking forward to bounce back from their shock defeat to under dog Dinamo Zagreb in match day 1
The 2022/23 Champions League season will conclude at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Turkey (home to Turkish national team) on 10 June 2023.
