(Football news) The UEFA Champions group stage is back for the 2nd set of games. Wednesday nights fixtures feature Juventus, Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona.
Bayern Munich host Dynamo Kiev at the Allianz Arena. In their last UCL game, Bayern Munich dismantled FC Barcelona 3-0 away from home. Kiev on the other hand drew at home against Benfica. Bayern are currently flying under new manager Julian Nagelsmann and have won all but 1 game this season. Kiev aren't doing too bad themselves having won 8 and drawn 2 games in all competitions this season. Bayern Munich are hot favourites to make the match a goal fest, but if Kiev somehow manage to pull off a result then it heavily betters their chances of a knockout stage qualification.
Kingsley Coman's availability after a minor heart surgery is still unclear while Sven Ulreich and Corentin Tolisso will miss the game. As for Dynamo Kiev, defender Denys Popov along with attackers Eric Ramirez, Artem Besedin, Vladyslav Kulach and Ibrahim Kargbo are all expected to miss the game.
Also read: Tottenham Hotspur: From almost there to far from it in less than 3 seasons
Manchester United play Villarreal at the Old Trafford hoping to take revenge for the Europa League final last year. Manchester United have lost 3 of their last 4 games in all competitions. Their last UCL game against Young Boys turned into a nightmare after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's red card as they lost 2-1. Manchester United desperately need to win this game to avoid a major calamity at the club. Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire went off injured in the weekend's loss against Aston Villa and their availability is still unclear. Wan-Bissaka is already suspended which makes things very tricky for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Villarreal drew their first UCL game against Atalanta 2-2 and come into this game after a well fought draw at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid. United will have to work very hard to win this game and get their season back on track.
The big game is Juventus Vs Chelsea in Turin. Chelsea's incredible season got halted after they lost against Manchester City on the weekend. This match will define whether it was just a bump in the road or the start of a slope. N'golo Kante has been ruled out of the game with illness Christian Pulisic, Jorginho, Reece James and Mason Mount are doubts. Juventus have had a terrible start to their season as they currently sit 10th on the Serie A table. To make matters worse two of their stat performers Alvaro Morata and Paolo Dybala will miss the game via injuries. Both the teams won their first games and the winner of this game will have a massive advantage in the group.
