The 2014-15 UEFA Champions League resumes Wednesday with the rest of the Matchday 1 games from the group stage.
Sportsnet’s panel of soccer writers and broadcasters preview the major matches and offer their predictions.
Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City
James Sharman: The mystique and infallibility surrounding the German champions aren’t what they were at this time last year but that is not to say they should not be considered among the favourites this time around. Pep Guardiola is struggling with high profile injuries, including yet another to the immensely unfortunate Holger Badstuber this past weekend, who after almost two years out returned in time to tear a thigh muscle. Call it bad luck, or the predictable fallout after a World Cup run, the fact is Bayern are missing some stars, but just as the national team demonstrates, the depth is still there to cope.
The same can be said for City, having fought to a 2-2 draw with Arsenal without Yaya Toure who returned late from international duty. Still, Yaya has been off form so far this season, and City, who have generally kept the status quo for this season transfer wise, is yet to hit top gear. Regardless, this is a marquee tilt, with the Bavarians perhaps as vulnerable as they have been for some time.
Prediction: A 1-1 draw.
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City on all four main Sportsnet channels, Chelsea vs. Schalke on Sporsnet World, and Barcelona vs. APOEL on Sportsnet ONE. Also, watch these games exclusively online at Sportsnet World NOW: NK Maribor vs. Sporting Lisbon, Athletic Bilbao vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto vs. BATE Borisov, Ajax vs. Paris Saint-Germain and AS Roma vs. CSKA Moscow. Coverage begins at 2:30 pm ET/11:30 am PT. || TV schedule
Chelsea vs. Schalke 04
Gerry Dobson: Since the domestic season began a month ago the pre-season favourites in England have only enhanced their position among the pundits with increasingly dominating performances. They’ve scored 10 goals in their last two Premier League victories, with newcomer Diego Costa proving his worth already. In the entire history of the Premier League, nobody has come close to what he has done in his first four games. Seven goals is a season for many players. Manager Jose Mourinho complained, rather truthfully as it turned out, that last year’s side was never going to be a championship team as he simply didn’t have the players required to do the job. He has them now, and everyone else better be careful. Chelsea is built to win titles both domestically and in Europe.
Schalke on the other hand are not. They finished a poor third in the Bundesliga a year ago, although given what Bayern Munich did that’s nothing to be ashamed about. But they got smacked by Monchengladbach to the tune of 4-1 on the weekend, their second loss already of the young season. They were victimized time and again by the counter attack in the most recent loss and if that happened this week Chelsea will tune them up as well.
Prediction: Chelsea wins 3-1.
Barcelona vs. APOEL
Brendan Dunlop: It’s been another summer of change for Barcelona, but they’ve started their La Liga charge with three straight wins. Lionel Messi and Neymar’s performances at the weekend should drive the bookies’ prices up come Wednesday’s kickoff. While I applaud the Cypriots for adding John Arne Risse’s wealth of experience to their squad, this Champions League journey will end just like their last—with a group stage exit. A night at Camp Nou will be unforgettable for the players and travelling support, but by the end of it they’ll wish to forget the score line.
Prediction: Barcelona wins 6-0.
AS Roma vs. CSKA Moscow
Dan Riccio: When you look at Serie A right now, you see two teams—Juventus and AS Roma—and then everybody else. The Giallorossi burst back on to the scene last season by winning their first 10 league games and going on to set a franchise record with 85 points in Serie A. It was only good enough for second place, though, and Roma have looked to build on last year’s performance. The continued message from ownership is that they want to be a global brand. The best way to do so is with success in the Champions League. Unfortunately, drawn into the “Group of Death” with Manchester City and Bayern Munich, Roma must take all three points at home versus Moscow if it is to survive from this deadly group.
Prediction: AS Roma wins 2-0.
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