Champions League MD1 Preview: Newcastle and Arsenal are back
The famous Champions League anthem will soon be playing again in front of excited European crowds. We’ve picked out 6 of the BIGGEST matches to enjoy on matchday 1 of the continent’s elite club competition.
Tuesday 19th September
Newcastle got a much-needed win against Brentford to end a string of 3 successive EPL defeats. The Magpies travel to Milan with that winning feeling, to face a Rossoneri side smarting after a 5-1 defeat to Inter in the Derby della Madonnina. That ended their own 3-match winning streak. A glamorous San Siro trip is the type of occasion Newcastle have been craving.
It’s been a summer of change for PSG. Lionel Messi, Neymar and Marco Verratti are all gone. Their start to the 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign has been indifferent, with just 8 points from their first 5 Ligue 1 games, most recently losing 2-3 at home to Nice. Kylian Mbappé scored both their goals. Dortmund travel to Paris with confidence after their 4-2 win from behind away to Freiburg.
Both sides arrive after defeats. Lazio lost 3-1 at Juventus in Serie A, continuing a poor start that has seen them claim 3 points from 4 outings despite winning away to champions Napoli. Atleti lost 3-0 to Valencia. With Scottish champions Celtic and Dutch champions Feyenoord rounding out Group E, qualification from this section is unlikely to be straightforward.
Wednesday 20th September
A 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen showcased the best and worst of Bayern Munich. Harry Kane already has 4 goals from 4 Bundesliga appearances and will be raring to go against a Man Utd side that have conceded 10 goals in their last 4 outings.
The Gunners are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2017 and will be fancied to qualify from a group containing PSV, Lens and Sevilla. PSV should provide them with a stern test, as they did in last season’s Europa League, having won all 4 of their Eredivisie games this season, conceding just 1 goal and scoring 13. Arsenal are also unbeaten in the league and just claimed a win against Everton at recent bogey ground Goodison Park.
The Nerazzurri will be buzzing after battering AC Milan 5-1. Not many pundits expect them to repeat last season’s run to the Champions League final, but they’ll be confident they can qualify from a group containing RB Salzburg, Benfica and MD1 opponents Real Sociedad. The hosts are unbeaten at home this season (W1 D2) but haven’t kept a clean sheet at the Anoeta.
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