The Champions League is back tonight! Desh Parthab highlights five players who could shine on the biggest stage, including Darwin Nunez and Ousmane Dembele.
Whilst Copenhagen, Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk managed draws against European heavyweights, it was Maccabi Haifa who stole the show on Tuesday. The Israeli outfit shocked Juventus on their way to a 2-0 victory.
Wednesday’s action also features a couple of fascinating ties. Bayern Munich made it three wins out of three with a 5-0 hammering of Viktoria Plzen at the Allianz Arena during MD 3. That was the 26th time the Bavarians scored at least five goals in a Champions League game.
Its advantage Inter, in the group of death. Turkish star Hakan Calhanoglu’s strike was enough to secure victory for the Italian outfit against Barcelona. The sides meet again tonight at the Nou Camp.
Atletico Madrid find themselves rooted at the foot of Group B in what could be another underwhelming European campaign. Despite averaging 14 shots per game in the competition, they’ve only scored twice.
Diego Simeone’s men are up against a highly motivated Club Brugge side. The Belgians will progress to the competition’s knockout rounds for the first time if they win tonight.
Son to sink Eintracht Frankfurt?
Heung-min Son has only scored in one of his 12 appearances for Spurs this season, scoring a 13-minute hat-trick against Leicester in the league. The South Korean hasn’t managed an attacking return in Europe yet. Tottenham welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to North London this evening. They could only manage a draw against the Germans last week, missing several gilt-edged opportunities. Son and Co will want to be more ruthless in front of their home faithful.
🇰🇷 Tottenham Hotspur forward Heung-Min Son has won the ‘Goal Of The Month’ competition for his second goal against Leicester City in the Premier League.
— Last Word On Spurs (@LastWordOnSpurs) October 2, 2022
📺 [@BBCMOTD]#THFC | #COYS | #MOTD2pic.twitter.com/JZDCL4MiSP
Griezmann takes aim at Brugge after committing to Atletico
Antoine Griezmann was in the headlines earlier this week, after signing a deal that will keep him at Atletico until 2026. The Frenchman’s 90+11 winner on MD1 ended a run of eight Champions League home games without a win for the Madrid side. The forward will look to add to his tally and comes up against a Club Brugge side who have won all three of their European games without conceding.
Feliz de estar donde quiero estar ! Gracias a TODOS ! ❤️🤍 Aupa @Atleti ! pic.twitter.com/ZrHz5qLayY
— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) October 10, 2022
McGregor to thwart Nunez again?
Darwin Nunez could open his European account this evening at the Ibrox. The Uruguayan international has attempted nine shots in the tournament so far, with five of those being on target. He was brilliantly thwarted last week by the evergreen Allan McGregor. Nunez was on target for Liverpool in domestic action on the weekend and will fancy his chances against a Rangers side who have conceded at least twice in all of their European games this term. The Merseysiders are one of only four clubs to average 20+ shots per game ahead of this round of fixtures. McGregor could be in for another busy night.
McGregor vs Liverpool (A)#RangersFC pic.twitter.com/nget9ETLG8
— stevo (@stevonevo1) October 4, 2022
Kvaratskhelia at the heart of Napoli’s early-season form
Napoli’s fine start to the season sees them sitting pretty atop the Serie A standings and Group A in the Champions League. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been one of several standouts for Luciano Spalletti, returning a goal and an assist as the Italians beat Ajax 6-1 last week. The Georgian has attempted a tournament-leading 16 shots this season. Napoli led the scoring charts ahead of this matchweek with 13 goals and could be eyeing PSG’s 2017/18 group stage record of 25 goals.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is playing unbelievable, I don’t know what’s harder how to say his name or for Liverpool to contain him. #Khvicha #Kvaratskhelia #Liverpool #UCL #Champions_league #ChampionsLeague #Napoli pic.twitter.com/acXD8LC4KI
— Nicolo (@gabe_nicolo) September 7, 2022
Dembele’s Bara renaissance continues
Barcelona found the back of the net five times in their last European home appearance. Ousmane Dembele was at the heart of that performance, returning two assists against Viktoria Plzen. The 25-year-old has attempted six shots during his three competition appearances. He appears to have put his off-field issues behind him and is proving to be an integral attacker in Xavi’s plans.
Ousmane Dembele vs Viktoria Plzen
— Ziad is NOT in pain (@Ziad_EJ) September 7, 2022
What a player
What a performance 🦟
pic.twitter.com/sLYzBqflHb
