With 18 matches over three days, there will be something for everyone in the first round of Champions League matches this season.
The new format kicks off with a handful of big ties, including AC Milan vs Liverpool and Manchester City vs Inter, as the road to Munich begins for Europe’s 36 players.
Here are ten things to watch out for in the first gameweek.
Juventus brought in manager Thiago Motta this summer, impressed by his performances with Bologna.
He may have overachieved with Bologna, but the expectations in Turin are different, and Tuesday’s clash with a PSV Eindhoven side who have scored 20 goals in their first five games of the campaign will be a huge test for Motta and Juventus.
Juve come into this match with two draws in a row but the fans will want to get back to winning ways.
If your club is looking to sign a new striker, chances are you are very familiar with the names Viktor Gyokeres and Jonathan David.
The two will go head-to-head when Sporting CP host Lille, fighting to show who should be at the top of the transfer window for Europe’s top clubs.
Gyokeres already has eight goals to his name this season, while David, who is in the final 12 months of his Lille contract, netted two goals in the qualifiers as his side beat Fenerbahce and Slavia Prague.
Erling Haaland has 99 goals to his name for Manchester City and is hoping to make it 100 when Inter travel to the Etihad on Wednesday.
If Haaland scores this time, he will break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of few games needed to reach a century for one club. The former Real Madrid star did it in 105 games for the Spanish club, while Haaland has now played 103 games.
This next outing will be his last chance to claim a record of his own, and he just knows he’s going to go out like a ghost.
After a disappointing 2023/24 campaign, Bayern Munich have changed hands. Vincent Kompany is in the dugout, Michael Olise is honing his skills on the wing and Matthijs de Ligt has been moved to Manchester United.
Three wins from three to start the season has helped build momentum, but European eyes will be watching to see how they fare internationally.
Bayern face a tricky Dinamo Zagreb side that includes 21-year-old midfielder Martin Baturina, who is reportedly being targeted by both Man Utd and Real Madrid.
Real Madrid haven’t been very good this season, unless 11 points from five games would suggest. Kylian Mbappe’s start to life in Spain is still unclear.
As we all know, however, Madrid are a different animal in the Champions League, and they may have to avoid an upset at home to Bundesliga overachievers Stuttgart.
The German club are still finding their feet after losing most of their top talent in the summer, but Sebastian Hoeness is a fine young manager who will be keen on his chances to exploit the holes in a shaky Madrid squad.
For years, Pep Lijnders was synonymous with Jurgen Klopp, but the former Liverpool assistant has now spread his wings and is back to find another difference in management with Red Bull Salzburg.
The Austrian side remains a favorite outfit among neutrals, many of whom are watching to see if their favorite soccer wonderkids can live up to the hype in real life.
Eyes will be on Oscar Gloukh, Amar Dedic, Mads Bidstrup, Lucas Gourna-Douath and Bobby Clark, as well as Stefan Bajcetic who is on loan from Liverpool.
Many feared Paris Saint-Germain following Mbappe’s exit in the summer, but the French side wasted little time in changing their image and came back with a bang.
Their young side have been on fire under Luis Enrique, winning four out of four thanks to impressive performances from Bradley Barcola and Joao Neves, and they will be eager to show they can fight for the trophy even without Mbappe in the side.
Girona will head to Paris on Wednesday looking to bounce back from a 4-1 defeat against Barcelona.
Diego Simeone fought and fought and fought for Conor Gallagher to join Atletico Madrid from Chelsea this summer, and the midfielder has quickly lived up to the hype.
Given a hero’s welcome, the 24-year-old has won over fans at his new club and even scored his first goal for Atleti in a 3-0 win over Valencia at the weekend.
Gallagher will lead his new team on Thursday against RB Leipzig.
Barcelona disagree i the in-form team in Europe. They have been flying under Hansi Flick and have quickly forced their way back from the pre-tournament favorites list to take the lead this season.
Their first test under the Champions League lights comes against Monaco, who are unbeaten in Ligue 1 and boast a defense that has conceded just once in four games this season – and that was a penalty.
With Dani Olmo missing through injury, Lamine Yamal will need to step up and produce one of his top performances to guide Barca this time around.
Arsenal will welcome Declan Rice back into the squad after his suspension at home, but the Gunners are without the injured Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino. There are fears that Bukayo Saka may be included in the teams.
A trip to last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta on Thursday will prove a major test for the troubled side, not least because Mikel Arteta also needs to keep one eye on Sunday’s clash of titans against Manchester City.
Arteta will need all his tactical acumen to navigate this difficult period and keep his big names healthy in what could be a season-defining four days.
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