4 biggest talking points ahead of this week's Champions League games 

UEFA Champions League & UEFA Cup Draw
What surprises will the Champions League have in store for us this week?

After a thrilling opening set of games, the Champions League will return to our televisions this week, for the second round of fixtures.

Following a first round which featured several huge upsets, what kind of surprises will the tournament have in store for us this week? Let's take a look at four of the biggest talking points ahead of this week's action.


#4 Can Bayern Munich bounce back from their first defeat?

Allianz Arena Illuminated for UEFA Champions League Final
Will the Allianz be bouncing once again on Tuesday night?

After reaching the semi-finals of last year's Champions League tournament, German champions, Bayern Munich have to be considered among the favourites to go all the way this year.

The German champions host Ajax on Tuesday night, but they will be coming into the game off the back of their first league defeat of the season.

Munich lost 2-0 this past Friday night, away at joint league leaders, Hertha Berlin. Despite dominating the majority of the game, Munich couldn't find a way through the Berlin defence and two first-half goals condemned them to their first defeat of the season.

The Germans are one of the strongest sides in this year's competition, and their fans will be expecting an emphatic response against a very good Ajax side on Tuesday night.

#3 Do Tottenham have what it takes to topple Barcelona?

Huddersfield Town v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Can Spurs put their opening day defeat behind them?

Tottenham's first game in the Champions League ended in disaster when Inter Milan stunned the London club with a late comeback in Italy.

Mauricio Pochettino's men are one of the four teams that make up Group B, which has been labelled by many pundits as this year's 'group of death'.

Two consecutive defeats in the group could find Spurs playing catch-up, especially if Inter Milan can pick up another victory away at PSV Eindhoven.

Unfortunately for Tottenham, their second group game is against reigning La Liga champions, Barcelona. Barca looked incredibly comfortable in their first game, defeating PSV 4-0 at home, and given Spurs' inconsistent form so far this season, things aren't looking too good for the North London club.

That being said, Barcelona aren't in the best form themselves at the moment, with the Catalan giants failing to win any of their last three La Liga games.

Spurs showed that they could compete with the best in Europe last season when they topped Real Madrid 3-1 at Wembley, could we see a repeat of that scoreline on Wednesday?

#2 Can Manchester City bounce back?

Oxford United v Manchester City - Carabao Cup Third Round
Pep Guardiola will have one eye on Sunday's game with Liverpool

On paper, Manchester City should comfortably defeat German side, Hoffenheim, on Tuesday night.

The Bundesliga side are in their maiden season in the Champions League and they have not exactly started their domestic league campaign strongly. They currently sit 12th in the Bundesliga and lost at home 2-1 to RB Leipzig this past Saturday.

Manchester City, on the other hand, are flying high in the Premier League, having defeated Brighton 2-0 at the weekend to take back top spot in the division.

Regardless of league form though, Manchester City have famously struggled in Europe in recent years, and their opening game defeat to Lyon could have set a precedent for the rest of the campaign.

With one eye on this weekend's clash away at Liverpool, is there a chance City could take their eye off the ball and end up suffering a second straight loss in this year's Champions League?

#1 The on-going Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba saga

West Ham United v Manchester United - Premier League
Will Pogba and Mourinho be able to focus on the task in hand on Tuesday night?

It is literally impossible to pick up a newspaper in England right now and not be confronted with headlines about Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba.

The high-profile spat between the two Manchester United stars has dominated the football conversation in England over the last week, and with United hosting Valencia in the Champions League this Tuesday night, it seems unlikely it is going to go away anytime soon.

United's horrendous start to the season continued this weekend, with the former Premier League champions falling to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham United, and fans will be hoping that the team can put their problems behind them for tomorrow's clash.

United's first victory in the Champions League, a 3-0 win away at Young Boys, was inspired by Paul Pogba, and they will no doubt be relying heavily on him against a much stronger Valencia side on Tuesday night.

Will the Frenchmen be able to keep his composure on Tuesday night and help guide United to another victory, or will the off-field distractions lead to yet another defeat for the Manchester club?

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram
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