Today, eight matches will be played in the UEFA Champions League. Teams from groups A-D will test their strength against each other, and the largest Lithuanian football news portal EuroFootball.com will help review what to expect from two of the most interesting matches of the evening.
"Manchester City" - "Sevilla"
Last season, losing the fight for the English champions title to London's "Chelsea," Manuel Pellegrini's team started this year excellently and is currently at the top of the tournament table. However, as usual, the start in the Champions League was not easy for the "City" team - in their first match at home, they lost to Turin's "Juventus," who have not yet found their best form and currently occupy only the fourteenth place in the "Serie A" championship. "Man City" barely managed to beat Monchengladbach's "Borussia" in the last round of the strongest tournament on the Old Continent, but it is likely that the first victory can be a turning point after which the English team will start to play well in Europe as well.
Sevilla's footballers had a similar start - the winners of the UEFA Europa League lost to "Juve" by the same result 0-2, but had less trouble with the Germans and beat them 3-0. However, things have not gone as planned for Unai Emery's team so far, as after eight rounds in the Spanish championship, they have only managed to score nine points and are currently ranked second in the tournament table. The team from Andalusia will have a difficult task tonight, as their opponents at the "Etihad" stadium certainly do not want to lose for the second time in a row. Failure in the first round will only give them additional motivation.
"Manchester City" could surely be called the favorite of the match if not for one aspect - almost half of the main squad is currently recovering from injuries. Manuel Pellegrini's troops will surely not be helped by the duo of leaders Sergio Aguero and David Silva, as well as defender Gael Clichy, and the appearance of Fabian Delph, Samir Nasri, and Aleksandar Kolarov is also unlikely. If the latter does not play, the "City" team will be left without a true left-back, and this position will most likely have to be taken by Eliaquim Mangala.
On the other hand, although there are no significant injuries in Sevilla's ranks, the excellent form currently shown by newcomers Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne will certainly not make things easier for the Spanish defense. In addition, striker Wilfried Bony is gradually regaining form. Therefore, the injuries of the opponents are certainly not encouraging for the Seville team. It remains to be seen whether the reigning Europa League champions will show what they are capable of and present a statement in the fight for a place in the next stage of the Champions League.
Madrid's "Real" - "Paris Saint-Germain"
This is undoubtedly the most anticipated match of the evening. The Parisians, who have dominated in France in recent years, do not lack ambition this season to finally cross that fateful quarter-final barrier. Laurent Blanc's team proved last year by defeating London's "Chelsea," the Premier League champion, that they are capable of competing for the title of the most powerful team in Europe, but then injuries and, ultimately, the victorious "Barcelona" club in the entire tournament stopped them. The situation is far from bad this time - the only player absent from PSG's ranks is the often criticized David Luiz. While injured defender Marco Verratti may still appear on the field.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, will seek redemption this season, as after a record tenth Champions League triumph in 2014, they were dethroned last season. Many are also already writing off coach Rafa Benitez's team, so the direct fight for the first place in Group A will be a great reflection not only of the ambitions of the "Royal" club but also of the fruits of the coach's work. Madrid's players are currently undefeated in both the La Liga championship and the international front, but the French, who are showing identical form, will try to break this successful streak.
Without a doubt, PSG will have the advantage of playing at home, but it is worth noting the good form of main striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the increasingly integrated Angel Di Maria into the Parisian mechanism, facing his former team. The Argentine has greatly strengthened the midfield of PSG, although the most important aspect of this transition is that with the arrival of the winger, the team has come even closer to success in Europe. One of the main reasons why they could not maintain good form until spring last year was the lack of depth on the bench. With such a caliber player as Di Maria complementing their lineup, it is not even worth doubting the success of tonight's opponents.
Real Madrid will not be able to count on James Rodriguez, Daniel Carvajal, and Karim Benzema, and the situations of Gareth Bale and Pepe are also questionable. The team from the Spanish capital has more than one excellent player on the bench, but without Benzema and Bale, more responsibility will fall on Cristiano Ronaldo's shoulders. On the other hand, if the Portuguese manages to attract several opponents around him at the same time, spaces will open up for his teammates. The need to stop the best player in the world last year before the match was also emphasized by PSG coach Laurent Blanc, but this may cause some problems for the French, as Real is not the Portuguese national team, where Ronaldo does not have such high-level helpers around him.
One thing is clear - the match will be intriguing and extremely interesting. Both teams like to control the ball and make many passes, more than 90% of which are accurate. Both cannot wait to secure a place in the next stage and aim to take the first place in the group. The audience gathered at the "Stade des Princes" will certainly not want to be disappointed.
