This week’s second round of Champions League group fixtures includes a blockbuster clash between Manchester City and Paris St Germain in the French capital and Chelsea taking on Juventus in Turin.
Here, the PA news agency examines the four opposition sides for English clubs across Tuesday and Wednesday.
Paris St Germain
🔛 @ChampionsLeague #UCL pic.twitter.com/21d7J7fDve
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 27, 2021
Entertaining City on Tuesday evening, PSG’s first Champions League home match since signing Lionel Messi sees them face the side who knocked them out of last season’s competition in the semi-finals. The 2019-20 runners-up opened their Group A games being held to a 1-1 draw at Club Brugge two weeks ago – domestically, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have won eight out of eight so far as the club look to regain the Ligue 1 trophy they were pipped to last term by Lille.
Porto
Sergio Conceicao’s team, quarter-finalists last season, host Liverpool on Tuesday looking to build on the 0-0 draw secured at Atletico Madrid in their Group B opener, which concluded with their former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba being sent off in stoppage time. Ex-Reds midfielder Marko Grujic is also among their ranks. Second in Primeira Liga last term behind Sporting Lisbon, they are unbeaten so far this time around, taking 17 points from seven matches.
Villarreal
Four months on from defeating Manchester United on penalties in the Europa League final in Gdansk to give boss Unai Emery a fourth triumph in that competition, the Yellow Submarine meet the Red Devils again at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Villarreal – whose squad includes Francis Coquelin, Etienne Capoue, Alberto Moreno and Juan Foyth – kicked off their Group F fixtures with a 2-2 home draw with Atalanta. They lost a shootout to Chelsea in the Super Cup, and are 11th in LaLiga with eight points from six games, having won one and drawn the other five.
Juventus
Juve have made a mixed start to the season after bringing back Massimiliano Allegri as boss to replace Andrea Pirlo and selling Cristiano Ronaldo to United following last term’s last-16 Champions League exit and fourth-placed finish in Serie A. They host Chelsea on Wednesday having begun their Group H games by winning 3-0 at Malmo, while their league campaign to date has consisted of two wins, two draws and two losses. Forward Moise Kean is also back at the club, returning on loan from Everton to a squad that features the likes of Alvaro Morata, Aaron Ramsey, Juan Cuadrado and Wojciech Szczesny.
