The 2018-19 UEFA Champions League kicks off this week with the start of the group stage.
Sportsnet’s soccer panel of broadcasters, writers and pundits offer their picks and predictions below.
VALENCIA vs. JUVENTUS
Dan Riccio: It didn’t take long for Cristiano Ronaldo to book a trip back to Spain, did it? Juventus visits Valencia on Wednesday with their new talisman fresh off scoring his first two goals for the club in a weekend victory over Sassuolo. The Bianconeri are off to a perfect start in Serie A, but it hasn’t always looked pretty as coach Max Allegri is still trying to find the best shape for his squad with Ronaldo.
Juventus purchased the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to help them win this competition. They’ve finished runners up three times since last winning it in 1996. Ronaldo has scored 120 Champions League goals in his career. He has won this trophy five times. Needless to say, his arrival in Turin makes this a “trophy or bust” situation for Juventus, which makes them one of the most intriguing teams to watch here in the group stage.
Prediction: Juventus wins 2-1.
REAL MADRID vs. AS ROMA
Peter Galindo: Both sides didn’t exactly cap off their weekends on a high note ahead of Wednesday’s clash in Spain. Isco salvaged a draw for Real Madrid against Athletic Club at San Mames on Saturday. Roma, on the other hand, blew a 2-0 lead at home to Chievo Verona and settled for a point. In fact, a Robin Olsen save prevented a late winner from Chievo’s Emanuele Giaccherini.
Roma’s defence has been incredibly poor thus far. Only Chievo (11) and Frosinone (10) have allowed more goals than the Roman outfit in Serie A. The Giallorossi have also conceded an average of 18 shots per game, the third-highest total in the league. Left-back Aleksandar Kolarov has been especially poor, which is an issue given Madrid’s strength out wide.
The likes of Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio will be salivating at the prospect of facing Roma’s leaky defence. Combined with the superiority in midfield, this should be Madrid’s match to lose.
Prediction: Real Madrid wins 3-1.
BENFICA vs. BAYERN MUNICH
John Molinaro: Bayern’s injury crisis deepened on Monday when it was revealed that midfielder Leon Goretzka suffered an injury in training and is now questionable for Wednesday’s game in Lisbon. There are also health concerns over veterans Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
All of his comes on the heels of this past weekend when Corentin Tolisso suffered an ACL tear in a Bundesliga match versus Bayer Leverkusen. Rafinha is expected to be out for a while after suffering an ankle ligament injury in the same game. And, of course, the Bavarians were already missing Kingsley Coman, who is out log-term after injuring his ankle in August.
So, new manager Nico Kovac has a few selection headaches to deal with, but even with all of these injuries, he still has plenty of depth and quality to choose from that it’s difficult to see the Germans, considered one of the pre-tournament favourites, dropping point against Benfica.
Prediction: Bayern wins 2-0.
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INTER MILAN vs. TOTTENHAM
James Sharman: It was almost eight years ago that Tottenham and Inter Milan played to one of the more entertaining Champions League fixtures, a 4-3 win by the Nerazzurri that included a Gareth Bale hat trick in a losing cause. Bale is long gone, but Spurs have grown into a perennial Premier League contender, while Inter have finally climbed back to the Champions League after a six-year absence. They’ll reacquaint themselves on Tuesday at San Siro.
Both clubs are off to stuttering starts in their domestic campaigns. Inter rested several starters in Serie A this weekend and ended up losing to newly-promoted Parma to drop to 14th in the table, while Tottenham is riding a two-match losing streak, including Saturday’s loss to Liverpool.
Group B has Barcelona as the favourites, with PSV also a tricky opponent, so Inter vs. Tottenham promises to be an important fixture, with both teams raring to make some noise in Europe.
Prediction: Tottenham wins 2-1.
LIVERPOOL vs. PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Geoff Lowe: Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain clash at Anfield on Tuesday in what is surely the most anticipated game of Matchday 1. Both sides sport identical 5-0-0 domestic records and have proven to be prolific in attack and stout in defence – PSG has scored 17 goals and allowed four in Ligue 1, while Liverpool has notched 14 and surrendered four in the Premier League.
And if you’re looking for star power, this match has plenty: Kylian Mbappe and Neymar lead the line for the French champions, while Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino make up Liverpool’s vaunted attacking trio. One concern for the Reds, however, is Firmino’s ugly eye injury suffered on Saturday that may force the Brazilian to miss the game, which would be big loss for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Prediction: PSG wins 3-2.
AS MONACO vs. ATLETICO MADRID
Donnovan Bennett: The best game on Matchday 1 might be Tuesday’s contest between two teams who fancy their chances to win Group A and maybe even go on to win the tournament.
Diego Simeone is hoping to get Atletico Madrid’s over the Champions League hump and bring home the elusive trophy. Atletico have been runners-up in the tournament three times before. Despite their rich history they have had a slow start in La Liga, with their worst performance of their four games coming in their most recent tie vs. Eibar at home. Monaco reached the Champions League semifinals as recently as the 2016-17 tournament, but have fallen back from the pack in Europe after selling the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy.
Atlético Madrid have a selection headache with Lucas Hernández, Vitolo, Santiago Arias and Nikola Kalinic all struggling with injuries. Monaco has injury issues, too. World Cup stars Danijel Subašić and Alexsandr Golovin have missed all five of Monaco’s games. Also, in doubt are Rony Lopes, Pietro Pellegri and Andrea Raggi.
Prediction: A 1-1 draw.
