The 2018-19 UEFA Champions League resumes this week with Matchday 2 of the group stage.
Sportsnet’s soccer panel of broadcasters, writers and pundits offer their picks and predictions below.
TOTTENHAM vs. BARCELONA
Geoff Lowe: The recent form of these two sides won’t dampen the anticipation of this crucial Group B match on Wednesday, but neither Tottenham nor Barcelona have been at their best over the last few weeks. Spurs have won their last two Premier League matches, but started September off with a three-game skid, including a brutal 2-1 loss at Inter Milan on Matchday 1 of the Champions League.
Barcelona, on the other hand, have taken just two points from their last three matches in La Liga (a loss and two draws), a shocking run considering the Catalan giants put together a 43-game unbeaten streak just last season. However, Messi and Co. tend to step it up on the Champions League stage, and are likely to hand Tottenham a second straight defeat in Europe’s biggest tournament.
Prediction: Barcelona wins 2-1.
NAPOLI vs. LIVERPOOL
Dan Riccio: Carlo Ancelotti taking over at Napoli has come with some bumps in the road. They have suffered two defeats in Serie A already, including a 3-1 defeat on Saturday at Juventus. However, the majority of their disappointments come away from home. The Stadio San Paolo gives them a fighting chance in this one against last season’s runners up on Wednesday. Napoli won three and lost once at home last season in the Champions, and they’ll need to a good result here after drawing their opening match.
I’m expecting an open match with Napoli’s dangerous attacking front led by Lorenzo Insigne causing Liverpool’s defence all kinds of problems. This will be key for Liverpool, who gave up a pair of goals in a thrilling win on the first matchday against PSG – they’ve conceded at least two in each of their last four Champions League matches. Liverpool will be looking for a bounce back after cup loss and league draw to Chelsea last week.
Napoli knows they will need a result if they hope to advance through the group. We’ll see that desperation play out on Wednesday.
Prediction: Napoli wins 2-1.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs. AS MONACO
Peter Galindo: Monaco’s annual fire sale of its best players hasn’t worked out thus far. The replacements are either inexperienced youngsters or are relatively unproven at this level. That’s contributed to the slow start. However, they have been quite wasteful in front of goal and could have an extra two victories if it weren’t for sloppy finishing.
The real problem has been Monaco’s defence, which Atletico Madrid exposed on Matchday 1. The high line and lack of pace at centre-back can surely cost the principality against Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion. Marco Reus, Christian Pulisic and Paco Alcacer – plus Jadon Sancho coming off the bench – are lethal if they’re released into open space.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund wins 3-1.
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MANCHESTER UNITED vs. VALENCIA
James Sharman: Given how poor Manchester United have started the Premier League season, they should be quite grateful that their opening two games of the Champions League are against Young Boys and Valencia. United dealt with Young Boys on Matchday 1, but will be tested on Tuesday against Valencia, who are off to a very average start to the season in La Liga, but did win on the weekend against Real Sociedad.
United’s pathetic 3-1 loss to West Ham on Saturday sees the club creep closer and closer to crisis. An ineffective Paul Pogba was subbed off in that match while his side was down 2-0. The Mourinho vs. Pogba narrative is dominating the headlines at the moment, but the Frenchman owes it to his fans to put in a top performance on Tuesday. Old Trafford will be a poisonous place to be with another loss, and one wonders if that would also force ownership to do something?
Prediction: A 1-1 draw.
CSKA MOSCOW vs. REAL MADRID
Donnovan Bennett: Real’s Champions League campaign got off to a good start with a convincing 3-0 win over AS Roma on Marchday 1. But tougher tests await, starting with Tuesday’s contest. Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos have not even made the flight to Russia. Bale was taken off during the Madrid derby on the weekend due to a groin injury. Dani Ceballos came on for him against Atletico Madrid and the Spaniard will likely play against CSKA, as will 17-year-old Brazilian Vinicius Junior.
CSKA Moscow are underdogs, but they are at home at VEB Arena and are catching Real at a good time. Real is second in La Liga, but have won only two of their last five in all competitions, and have scored just twice in the league since Sept. 1. Isco, Marcelo and Bale are all out injured, while Ramos is being rested.
CSKA won’t feel bad for Real Madrid’s lack of health, as they have seven first team players ruled out due to injury, including Iceland defender Hördur Magnússon, while Uruguay forward Abel Hernandez is in a race to be ruled fit.
Prediction: Real Madrid wins 3-0.
BAYERN MUNICH vs. AJAX
John Molinaro: Crisis at Bayern? No, not quite. But is is fair to say the German champions are going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment. Bayern started the season with seven wins in all competitions, but have dropped points in their last two outings, a 1-1 draw against Augsburg and a 2-0 loss to Hertha Berlin last week in the Bundesliga.
“Augsburg and Hertha didn’t have many chances but they were efficient. We had enough opportunities to score goals but we didn’t use them. That’s how simple football can be sometime,” Bayern’s Arjen Robben said in the buildup t Tuesday’s home match against Ajax.
Ajax beat AEK Athens 3-0 at home in their Group E opener, while Bayern won 2-0 at Benfica. As great as it was to see the Dutch giants excel on Matchday 1, it’s difficult to envision them earning a result at the Alianz Arena, where much better European teams have fallen to Bayern in the past.
Prediction: Bayern wins 2-0.
OTHER GAMES
Wednesday
Atletico Madrid 1, Club Brugge 0 (John Molinaro)
PSV Eindhoven 1, Inter Milan 2 (Peter Galindo)
Paris Saint-Germain 2, Red Star Belgrade 0 (James Sharman)
Porto 1, Galatasaray 2 (Geoff Lowe)
Lokomotiv Moscow 0, Schalke 2 (Donnovan Bennett)
Tuesday
AEK Athens 1, Benfica 1 (Peter Galindo)
Hoffenheim 0, Manchester City 3 (Geoff Lowe)
Lyon 1, Shakhtar Donetsk 0 (Donnovan Bennett)
AS Roma 2, Viktoria Plzen 0 (James Sharman)
Juventus 3, Young Boys 0 (Dan Riccio)
