Author: Monojit Mandal
AC Milan-Newcastle United
The group stage of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League kicked off with a thrilling match between AC Milan and Newcastle United. Milan’s pride had suffered a severe blow after the humiliating 5-1 defeat to arch-rivals Inter Milan in the Derby della Madonnina last Saturday. The Serie A defeat marked the end of an impressive run of three consecutive wins. Milan coach Stefano Pioli finds himself in a precarious position ahead of Tuesday’s clash.
On the other hand, Newcastle United ended their run of three consecutive defeats with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brentford in their most recent Premier League match. Newcastle are currently 11th in the league, a long way from their lofty ambitions. However, Eddie Howe, the team’s coach, has an optimistic outlook, believing that this achievement could spark a revival.
Although Milan are the favorites, it wouldn’t be wise to rule out the possibility of an away win for Newcastle.
PSG-Borussia Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain’s home game against Borussia Dortmund is one of the most intriguing matches on Tuesday’s schedule. The Parc des Princes has been a fortress for PSG in the UCL, with the French club winning 26 and drawing six of their last 33 group games. The only setback came in October 2020 against Manchester United, highlighting PSG’s strong chances against BVB.
Barcelona vs. Royal Antwerp
Meanwhile, Barcelona will face Royal Antwerp, with the Spanish giants strong favorites to win. Antwerp coach Mark van Bommel faces a challenging task after failing to win in any of his nine Champions League games in charge, with four draws and five defeats. His record puts him among only three managers to have overseen more UCL games without a win.
Lazio-Atletico Madrid
In Rome, Lazio will face Atlético Madrid, and the Spanish side are favorites to take all three points. The contrast between Lazio’s 19 consecutive Champions League games without a clean sheet and Atlético Madrid’s reputation as clean sheet specialists in the tournament (50 clean sheets in 117 games, an impressive 43%) explains why the odds are in their favor.
Manchester City-Red Star Belgrade
Defending champions Manchester City begin their title defence at home against Crvena Zvezda, better known as Red Star Belgrade. Pep Guardiola’s side have a great chance of winning at the Etihad Stadium, as tradition favors the champions in their first group game. In the previous 28 seasons, the reigning champions have lost their first group game just once, with Liverpool going down 2-0 to Napoli in 2019-20.
Real Madrid-FC Union Berlin
Real Madrid, with eight UEFA Champions League titles to their name (14 if you include the old European Cup), will be a formidable challenge for FC Union Berlin in their UCL debut. Union Berlin become the fifth team to face Real Madrid in their first Champions League clash, and the record suggests a difficult start, as all four previous opponents were defeated.
Arsenal-PSV Eindhoven
Arsenal are the big favorites in their match against PSV Eindhoven. This marks Arsenal’s return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Notably, Arsenal’s only UEFA Europa League defeat in the previous season was to PSV, who secured a 2-0 home win. Arsenal’s previous four away games against the Dutch team have ended in draws or defeats.
Bayern Munich-Manchester United
The clash between Bayern Munich and Manchester United at the Allianz Arena is undoubtedly the highlight of Matchday 1. Bayern Munich have never lost to Manchester United at home in the UEFA Champions League, with three wins and two draws in their five previous meetings. However, Manchester United’s unforgettable triumph in the 1999 final remains a fond memory in soccer history. Despite recent challenges, Bayern Munich’s new star striker Harry Kane continues to pose a significant threat to United.
In other matches: RB Leipzig will be favorites away to Young Boys, while Porto should pick up three points away to Shakhtar Donetsk. Celtic are confident of their prospects in the away match against Feyenoord. Galatasaray await Copenhagen, while Benfica will probably beat RB Salzburg in their own stadium. Reigning Italian champions Napoli are the favorites for the away match against Braga. Sevilla must also beat Lens at home, while Inter must beat Real Sociedad away.