5 best UEFA Champions League matches to watch out for on Matchday 1 (2021/22)

#3 Liverpool vs AC Milan

Liverpool v Chelsea - Premier League

It's a fixture that's soaked in Champions League history. Remember that famous Liverpool comeback after being 3-0 down in the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2005? Or AC Milan getting their revenge two years later and beating the Merseysiders to the title? It's quite simply a battle of epic proportions.

Liverpool have been through a spectrum of emotions in the decade and a half following that. Jurgen Klopp's men are an aggressive, attack-minded unit who will not offer a moment's respite to their opposition.

AC Milan are on an upward curve as well. The Rossoneri finished second in Serie A last term and have started the 2021-22 season on a positive note as well. Both sides have an exciting set of players and this one should be an absolute cracker of a contest.

#2 Inter Milan vs Real Madrid

Deportivo Alaves v Real Madrid CF - La Liga Santander

Three out of four teams in Group D were drawn together last year as well. Inter Milan will want to flip the script this time and do better. They crashed out in the group stages after finishing last.

Inter Milan and Real Madrid have had to deal with the departures of some of their main players. The Nerazzurri parted ways with star striker Romelu Lukaku and the talismanic Achraf Hakimi. Real Madrid have seen off Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.

But both teams have recruited well too. The Champions League has been Real Madrid's preferred hunting ground for years now. But Inter Milan will be looking for revenge after their struggles in Europe last season.

Real Madrid have submitted their 40-man squad for the UEFA Champions League group stage, that includes every first-team player, as well as fifteen players from Castilla for the B list. #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/YjlqaznOLg

— 𝗥𝗠𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 (@ReaIMadridOnly) September 3, 2021

#1 Barcelona vs Bayern Munich

FC Barcelona v Getafe CF - LaLiga Santander

One of the darkest days in Barcelona's recent history came courtesy of Bayern Munich. The Bavarians thrashed the Catalans 8-2 in the 2019-20 Champions League quarter-final.

It's a fixture that has featured many high-scoring affairs. Although only a season has passed since their last meeting, the two teams have changed quite a bit. Barcelona have embarked on the post-Lionel Messi era and Bayern Munich are not as dominant as they used to be.

They have been over-reliant on Lewandowski and the team doesn't quite look as cohesive a unit as they did when they won the Champions League in 2019-20. But the game is a meeting between two of the most storied clubs in Europe and it will undoubtedly be a thrilling contest at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona 2009 🏆Bayern 2020 🏆The only two sextuple-winning teams pic.twitter.com/Rt7WrJ92hp

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 11, 2021