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The UEFA Champions League is back this week and it brings some delicious fixtures with it. The first Champions League Matchday of the season was every bit the exciting and entertaining affair we've come to expect it to be.
Barcelona were thrashed 3-0 by Bayern Munich. 10-men Manchester United suffered a shock defeat to Young Boys in the dying embers of the game. The incredible attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe couldn't do much in their first outing together as PSG drew 1-1 with Club Brugge.
A Jordan Henderson worldie secured all three points for Liverpool in a riveting encounter against AC Milan. Real Madrid just about scraped past Inter Milan with a 1-0 win. Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City thumped RB Leipzig, beating them 6-3.
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Meanwhile, La Liga champions Atletico Madrid settled for a goalless draw against FC Porto. Several European giants go into Matchday 2 with something to prove and that's why football fans are in for a treat this week.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 will feature quite a few high-profile clashes
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five best UEFA Champions League matches to watch out for on Matchday 2.
#5 AC Milan vs Atletico Madrid
Both AC Milan and Atletico Madrid will be looking to register their first wins of the new Champions League season as they battle at the San Siro on Tuesday night. Group B is the 'group of death' this time around. With Liverpool and Porto taking up the other two spots, every single result will matter in the grand scheme of things.
The Rossoneri showed a lot of fight in the game against Liverpool and barring that loss, they have got their 2021-22 season off to a good start. They have won five matches and drawn one after six Serie A gameweeks and are second in the table under Napoli.
Reigning champions of Spain Atletico Madrid's start to the season has not exactly been ideal. They suffered their first loss of the new season this past weekend against Alaves. It is important for Diego Simeone's men to bounce back.
Antoine Griezmann's form has been a cause for concern for the Rojiblancos. AC Milan do not fare well against Spanish opposition and have just one win in their last 17 matches against sides from Spain. The game will be played at the San Siro where Milan have been dominant in the opening stages of the new season.
Everything points towards an exciting and unpredictable encounter here.
#4 FC Porto vs Liverpool
FC Porto and Liverpool have clashed eight times till date. The Merseysiders have never lost to the Portuguese side and have won five times. Liverpool got the better of Porto when the two sides met in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. The teams will battle at the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday night.
Porto did well in their Champions League opener where they played out a goalless draw against Atletico Madrid. However, defender Chancel Mbemba was shown a straight red card in second-half stoppage time for preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity for Antoine Griezmann.
The Merseysiders are yet to taste defeat in the new season but were held to a 3-3 draw by newly promoted Brentford in their latest Premier League game. Liverpool started off their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win over AC Milan.
Both teams will be desperate for a win as Group B, as mentioned earlier, is arguably the most competitive group this term.
#3 Manchester United vs Villarreal
A re-match of the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League final will take place at Old Trafford on Wednesday as Manchester United play hosts to Villarreal. The Red Devils had a frustrating outing against an enterprising Villarreal in the Europa League final last term.
The Yellow Submarine prevailed on penalties and their gameplan can't be much different here. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side is in desperate need of a win after suffering three losses in their last four matches.
Villarreal have drawn six of the seven matches they've played across all competitions this season. They will sit back and wait for the Red Devils to make a mistake and it's a plan that seems to work against Solskjaer's side a lot.
It'll be interesting to tune in to see if the world-class talent that United have on their payroll can make the difference against a resilient Villarreal side.
#2 Juventus vs Chelsea
Juventus have endured a difficult start to their new Serie A season. But they were able to follow up their 3-2 win over Spezia with a victory over Sampdoria by the same scoreline. However, two of their key players Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala were forced off the field after picking up knocks.
Both players are unlikely to be fit for the game against Chelsea. The reigning European champions Chelsea are arguably the most defensively formidable unit on the continent currently. There is no doubt that the Bianconeri will miss two of their main weapons in attack as they play hosts to Thomas Tuchel's men.
Chelsea were dealt their first defeat of the season as they fell 1-0 to Manchester City. But they have enough firepower in their ranks to be able to bounce back from that setback as they travel to Turin to take on Juventus on Wednesday night.
Juventus beat Malmo 3-0 in their Champions League opener while Chelsea ground out a 1-0 win over Zenit St. Petersburg.
#1 PSG vs Manchester City
Paris Saint-Germain were tipped to win the UEFA Champions League last term. They produced dominant performances against the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages. It looked like they'd finally get their hands on the elusive Champions League trophy. But they fell to Manchester City in the semi-finals.
Pochettino's men will be desperate to avenge their loss as the Cityzens come to Paris on Tuesday night. Although they have a 100% win record in Ligue 1, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the Parisians. Lionel Messi is a doubt after missing both their previous matches after suffering a bone bruise in the game against Lyon.
Manchester City will be buoyed by their weekend win over Chelsea, a side they've suffered three back-to-back defeats against this year. This will undoubtedly be an absolute cracker of a match and is the game to watch out for on UEFA Champions League Matchday 2.
PSG settled for a 1-1 draw in their Champions League opener against Club Brugge while Manchester City thrashed RB Leipzig 6-3.
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