It will be the Jose Mourinho show as Man Utd take on Fenerbahce but there’s also a Champions League final repeat and Arsenal trying to be a sensible football team again. Also, will Jurgen Klopp face the wrath of Liverpool fans?
Game to watch: Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
A repeat of the 2024 final in the third match week of the all-new Champions League is Exactly What The All-new Champions League Is All About, and actually, although we’ve complained about the lack of jeopardy involved when European giants meet in these early stages, making what would typically feel like big and interesting games entirely missable, Real Madrid could be in some trouble if they don’t get a result here.
Madrid currently have three points from two games after a relatively comfortable win over Stuttgart and the shock defeat to Lille. They’ve got RB Salzburg (H) and Brest (A) in their last two games, which they will see as very winnable despite Brest’s 100% record thus far, but before that they’ve got AC Milan (H), Liverpool (A) and Atalanta (A). Not easy.
The perennial champions will probably need another four wins to ensure automatic qualification for the last 16, with another two probably enough for a play-off spot.
While defeat to last year’s finalists won’t cause panic, it will certainly ramp up the pressure ahead of Milan’s visit to the Bernabeu, and Dortmund are currently top of the Champions League table having eased to victory against Club Brugge on the opening day before giving Celtic a lesson.
READ MORE: Five ‘new’ Champions League formats that would be better than the current sh*tshow
Manager to watch: Jose Mourinho
We’re very unlikely to see good football and it probably won’t be a hugely entertaining game, but the exhibition will be on the touchline; for once we’re thoroughly looking forward to missing the actual action through the television cameras being trained on the technical area and Mourinho in particular, who will want to win this game against Manchester United over all others this season.
Mourinho and Erik ten Hag are kindred spirits in a way. They’ve got very different styles of coaching but both showcased their hugely effective methods up until they arrived at Old Trafford, with The Impossible Job leading them to be mercilessly mocked during a steady downward trajectory.
Ten Hag hasn’t done something quite so memorable as Mourinho’s “three for me, two for them” Premier League trophies gambit but continues to use his Two Trophies In Two Seasons schtick in various forms to defend his failing team and claw back a bit of “respect, respect, respect”.
Fenerbahce aren’t doing badly in the Super Lig, currently fourth, eight points behind leaders Galatasaray having played a game less, but Mourinho will surely be focused on the European campaign, when more eyeballs will be glued to his team and him specifically, and no more than in this game.
Team to watch: Arsenal
The defeat at Bournemouth was Arsenal’s first of the season. Ten games, seven wins, three draws before that. It’s been a good if slightly underwhelming start. There are reasons for the plodding, chiefly the injury to Martin Odegaard, along with three instances of them shooting themselves in the foot by needlessly going down to ten men.
Mikel Arteta has wisely suggested they stop doing that, because it’s quite difficult to mount a title challenge or succeed in Europe while quite frequently playing with a man less.
Shakhtar Donetsk at home shouldn’t provide too tough a test. The Ukrainian side has played nine games in England and have lost eight of them, conceding 24 goals, though their last trip in 2019 did see them claim an impressive point at the Etihad.
They drew in Bologna on the opening day before losing 3-0 at home against Atalanta and no one will fancy their chances at the Emirates on Tuesday, when Arteta and his side need to avoid more foolishness and prove – as they have done for most of the last two-and-a-bit seasons – that they are a sensible outfit.
READ MORE: Arsenal conspiracies powerless against mistake-ridden reality in defeat to Bournemouth
Player to watch: Lamine Yamal
An assist in the 5-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday makes it 11 goal contributions in 12 games this season for Yamal, the star of a back-on-track Barcelona under Hansi Flick, whose presence at the Nou Camp makes the visit of Bayern Munich particularly intriguing as he led the Bundesliga giants to the treble in the 2019/2020 season.
Both sides have lost to teams in the Champions League they would consider inferior – Barcelona to Monaco; Bayern to Aston Villa – adding further bite to this clash, while the battle between Yamal and Alphonso Davies could really be something.
Frequently and unreasonably compared to Lionel Messi, if Yamal is to get anywhere near the legendary Argentinian’s levels he will need to drive his team to victory in games like this, and keep doing it time and again to the point where we’re shocked when he doesn’t.
Head of Global Soccer to watch: Jurgen Klopp
We can’t imagine the Liverpool fans will follow the lead of the Mainz ultras and unfurl banners of disappointment following their once much-loved coach selling his soul to work for a fizzy drinks brand. ‘Have you forgotten everything we gave you?’ read one banner at Mainz’s recent clash with RB Leipzig. It would be very funny though.
EFL game to watch: Cardiff v Portsmouth
22nd and 23rd in the Championship respectively but both will be feeling pretty good about themselves on the back of victories. Cardiff spanked Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth 5-0 under interim boss Omer Riza while Portsmouth condemned QPR to bottom spot by beating them 2-1.
A win either here could see them move as high as 15th ahead of a promotion push come March, as is the way in this ludicrous league.
