Champions League MD2 Preview: BIG test for improving Newcastle
It’s still early in the Champions League group stage but teams are already desperately fighting for points. Here are 6 BIG matches to look out for this week.
Tuesday 3rd October
Things are always eventful in the world of Galatasaray striker Mauro Icardi. The ex-Inter skipper missed a penalty in a recent match against Istanbulspor after his teammate Kerem Aktürkoğlu rolled the ball to him from the spot. The pair did combine for the winning goal 5 minutes later, and Galatasaray have won their last 6 in the Turkish Süper Lig. Icardi has 7 league goals in 7 outings this term. The pressure is on Man Utd after their 4-3 defeat at Bayern Munich, and they’ve also lost 2 of their last 3 matches at the Theatre of Dreams.
The Gunners announced their return to the Champions League with an impressive 4-0 win against PSV. They can take control of Group B here, but that won’t be easy against a Lens side with a pair of Ligue 1 wins on the bounce since their 1-1 draw with Sevilla in their first group game. Arsenal’s last 4 wins in all competitions have been accompanied by clean sheets.
The Italian champions created a serious situation for themselves by insulting star striker Victor Osimhen on TikTok, but the Nigerian talisman has since restated his love for the club. They’ll need him against the 14-time European champions in arguably the standout match of Group C. Napoli have bagged 8 goals in their last 2 Serie A games, with 7 different players scoring in those matches. Osimhen has 2 in 2. Real Madrid shrugged off a 3-1 derby loss to Atlético to chalk up consecutive clean sheet wins in LaLiga. This should be an awesome contest.
Last season’s Champions League runners-up have started their Serie A campaign strongly. They’ve claimed 18 points from 7 games and sit top alongside city rivals AC Milan. They’ll also be happy to have claimed a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in their first Group D outing thanks to a late strike from skipper Lautaro Martínez. Benfica are already playing catch-up after their 2-0 defeat to RB Salzburg but can call upon good domestic form with 6 consecutive league wins in Portugal, most recently a 1-0 triumph against rivals Porto at the weekend.
Wednesday 4th October
BVB appear set for another compelling title race in Germany but they’ve got work to do in the Champions League after kicking off with a defeat to PSG. Marco Reus could be key here; he’s scored in each of his last 3 Bundesliga matches. AC Milan are unbeaten in 4 games since a 5-1 derby defeat to Inter.
After a tricky start to the campaign, Newcastle have found some serious form. They claimed a 0-0 draw with AC Milan at San Siro on their Champions League return, a result forming part of a sequence of 5 consecutive clean sheets in all competitions. A glamorous fixture with PSG awaits. The French giants have kept 3 consecutive clean sheets themselves after a run of 4 encounters without a shutout in all competitions.
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