UEFA Champions League 2018-19: 8 Matches to look forward to on Match Day 2

The second Match Day of the UEFA Champions League will be played on 2nd and 3rd October. There are many important fixtures to look forward to in this round as Napoli take on Liverpool in the group of death, while a troubled Manchester United side takes on Valencia at Old Trafford.

All the teams are coming out of tough matches in their respective leagues as well and the Champions League will prove to be an even sterner test for them. Teams will be looking to solidify their places for the knockout stages while some weaker teams will be aiming to get the third place to ensure Europa League football.

Here, we take a look at the 8 most important matches to look forward to on Match Day 2:

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#1 Manchester United vs Valencia

The Old Trafford side is going through some troubled times

Manchester United will be facing Valencia on Match Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League. United are going through an extremely tough phase both on and off the field.

The on-going chaos between Mourinho and the players has not been good for the team as they lost to West Ham in the Premier League and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Championship side Derby County.

Amidst the current turmoil, Manchester United have managed only 10 points out of their first seven games. Valencia, on the other hand, are having a tough start to the season as well as they failed to record a single victory in their first six games.

However, their win over Real Sociedad in LaLiga will give them confidence in their match against United. On Match Day 1, Valencia faced off against a strong Juventus side and despite being down to 10 men, Juve managed to win 2-0.

Marcelino and his men would be extremely motivated to get their European campaign back on track with a win against Manchester United.

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#2 Napoli vs Liverpool

Liverpool will take on Ancelotti's Napoli

Liverpool have made a great start to their Premier League campaign this season and are currently second in the table with 19 points from 7 games, their only draw coming yesterday against Chelsea.

Klopp has revamped his squad this season with new signings Keita, Alisson and Fabinho, while Sturridge seems to back to his old form. The dynamic front three and a strong midfield performance saw Liverpool get the better of PSG on Match Day 1 at Anfield in the Group of Death.

Liverpool's opponents on Match Day 2 are Napoli, who under new coach Ancelotti have managed 15 points from their 7 games with losses coming against Sampdoria and Juventus.

On Match Day 1, Napoli could only manage a draw away from home against Red Star Belgrade and will be looking to improve on that performance against a very strong Liverpool side.

#3 Tottenham vs Barcelona

Barca will take on Tottenham in an exciting encounter

Ernesto Valverde's Barcelona travel to face off against Tottenham on Match Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League. Tottenham started their Premier League campaign strongly before losses to Watford and Liverpool raised a few questions for Pochettino.

On Match Day 1, Tottenham were in full control at the San Siro against Inter, but a lack of concentration in the final stages of the game saw them surrender their lead, losing 2-1 in the end. But things are looking brighter for Tottenham since that defeat as they have managed to bounce back with wins against Brighton and Huddersfield.

Barcelona started their La Liga campaign on a strong note winning all of their opening four matches before a decline in form. Recently, they lost to bottom-placed Leganes while only managing draws against Girona and Athletic Club.

Valverde has rotated his squad quite a bit this season keeping his key players fresh for the Champions League matches. Messi and company will, however, be wary of Pochettino's side as they did defeat Real Madrid last season in the group stage match at Wembley.

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#4 PSV Eindhoven vs Inter

Inter have managed to turn things around after a tough start

Inter will face off against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on Match Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League. After enduring a tough start to their Serie A season where they managed only 4 points from their opening 4 games, Inter have improved.

Their victory over Tottenham at the San Siro seems to have boosted their confidence as they have now gone on to win against Sampdoria, Fiorentina and Cagliari in Serie A and have 13 points from 7 games.

PSV Eindhoven have a perfect record so far in the Eredivisie with 21 points from 7 games, including a 3-0 victory against Ajax. But, in the Champions League, they lost 0-4 at the Camp Nou to Barcelona.

The Dutch side has been placed in a very tough group and if they are looking to make it through to the knockout stages, they must win against Inter.

#5 Hoffenheim vs Manchester City

Guardiola will be looking for his first win in the Champions League this season

The Premier League champions Manchester City will travel to face off against Julian Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim side.

Guardiola and his men have done their job in the Premier League this season as they were expected to do and are now sitting at the top of the table with 19 points from their 7 games. A shock defeat to Lyon at home for Manchester City on Match Day 1 means that they must get their act together in the European games as well, in a group also containing Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.

Hoffenheim, meanwhile gave their lead against Shakhtar away from home to draw 2-2 on Match Day 1. In the Bundesliga as well, it has been a mixed bag for Nagelsmann registering only 7 points from 6 games.

Hoffenheim would be hoping to regain some of their momentum against Manchester City but might be too much of an ask for the German side.

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#6 CSKA Moscow vs Real Madrid

Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio will be key for Real Madrid

Real Madrid face off against Russian side CSKA Moscow on Match Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League. Lopetegui's side has started this season strongly, but a 3-0 defeat against Sevilla and a draw with Atletico has seen Real Madrid experience a dip in form.

They are level on points with Barcelona though, and on the first Match Day, did register a 3-0 victory over a strong Roma side. The likes of Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio have been in terrific form recently and their performances will surely play a huge role if Real are to retain their crown.

CSKA showed character on the first Match Day as they came back from a two-goal deficit to manage a draw against Plzen. But Real Madrid would be a tough test for them and will be looking to provide stiff competition to the reigning three-time Champions League winners.

#7 Bayern Munich vs Ajax

Robben and Ribery are still important for Bayern Munich's success

Bayern Munich face Dutch side Ajax on Match Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League. Under new coach Nico Kovac, Bayern had made a perfect start to their Bundesliga season winning all of their opening four matches, but a recent slump in form has seen them draw against Augsburg and lose to Hertha Berlin.

They are now second in Bundesliga behind rivals Borussia Dortmund. On Match Day 1, Bayern registered a comfortable 2-0 victory against Benfica away from home and Kovac would hope that his side maintain the same form and go back to winning ways again.

Ajax are second in the Eredivisie this season and have already lost to PSV in their domestic league, managing only 15 points from 7 matches. On the opening day of the Champions League, they won 3-0 against AEK Athens and will hope to make things difficult for the Bundesliga champions.

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#8 Borussia Dortmund vs Monaco

Dortmund are currently top in the Bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund, under new coach Lucien Favre, have improved a lot from last season and now sit on top of the Bundesliga table with 14 points from 6 games, ahead of Bayern Munich.

They will face Ligue 1 side Monaco on Match Day 2 of the Champions League. The Yellow Submarines had won 1-0 against Club Brugge on Match Day 1 and will be looking to continue their league form in Europe as well.

Monaco meanwhile has started this season poorly and are 18th in the Ligue 1 standings with only 6 points from 8 games. Most of their important players have left for other clubs now and coach Jardim has a tough ask to rally his young side against a well organised and resurgent Dortmund side.