Got your vote in, America? Good. While we await the final presidential results over the next 48 hours, we get to glue our eyes on some tasty Champions League football clashes.
Here are the five matches worth paying attention to during match week four of the new 36-team revamped league phase.
Sporting Lisbon vs Manchester City (Tuesday, 8pm GMT/3pm ET)
“If the result is negative, the expectations about me will drop…But if we win, they will think the new Sir Alex Ferguson has arrived!”. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
New Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim may have nothing else to prove when his team lines up against Pep’s formidable City side. After all, Sporting have won all of its 10 league games this season, scoring 35 and conceding 3. The 39-year-old also distanced himself from Mancunian allegiances by declaring himself a Red Devil. Amorim was a top candidate to become Guardiola’s replacement next summer.
“Links with Man City?,” he said. “My club is Manchester United, it’s been my clear choice. I wanted to sign for Man Utd, it’s the club I want.”
City is coming off a shock 2-1 loss to Bournemouth over the weekend. That’s two losses in a row after “bowing out” of the Carabao Cup against Tottenham. Guardiola and team will be looking to reinsert their intentions with a hammering of Amorim on his final home game.
Sporting and City currently share seven points a piece in the Champions League standings.
Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen (Tuesday, 8pm GMT/3pm ET)
Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso makes his long-awaited return to Anfield, this time as boss. The Leverkusen head coach was tipped to take over for the exiting Jurgen Klopp this summer. But Alonson extended his deal with the Bundesliga winners, gifting Arne Slot the gig.
Both coaches have praised each other before the clash at Anfield. “He is special, that’s clear,” Slott said about Alonso in the press-match press conference.
Alonso hailed Slot’s side as “one of the best, if not the best in Europe.”
The Reds will be looking to extend their winning run in Europe. They sit comfortably atop the Champions League alongside Aston Villa with 9 points. They take on Villa in Premier League action this Saturday.
Alonso’s team is flying high again under the attack of Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface, but the defense has been shaky as of late.
Real Madrid vs AC Milan (Tuesday, 8pm GMT, 3pm ET)
European heavyweights Real Madrid and AC Milan have ten more UCL titles than all the other teams in the tournament. Some icons, including David Beckham, Ronaldo, Michael Essien, and Clarence Seedorf, have laced it up for both sides.
So, can we expect a classic tonight? Maybe. Both sides will be looking to bounce back from their respective struggles. Madrid is still reeling from their 4-nil loss in El Clasico, and the Rossoneri are looking to build up some momentum.
Can Captain America Christian Pulisic continue his hot-scoring streak, or is majestic winger Rafael Leao’s return from the bench enough to bust heads?
Inter Milan vs Arsenal (Wednesday, 8pm GMT/3pm ET)
Time will tell what kind of resolve Mikel Arteta’s players have after a gut-wrenching start to their Premier League campaign. Creative stalwart, Martin Odeggard, expects to make a much-needed return after being absent in Arsenal’s last three winless domestic matches.
But goals won’t come easy against a stingy Inter Milan side, thriving under Inzaghi’s masterclass football.
Arsenal was the first English club to beat Inter Milan at San Siro during the 2003-04 Champions League group stage. Can they run it back against 20th league Serie A title holders, Milan?
Both teams should nonetheless favor their chances of advancing to the round of 16.
PSG vs Atletico Madrid (Wednesday, 8pm GMT/3pm ET)
This will be a game of UCL stragglers: PSG and Atletico sit 19 and 27 in the table, respectively.
While dominating Ligue 1, Luis Enrique’s side must give Atletico a run for its money to avoid league-phase elimination. “Our fans will help us massively,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
Their future fixtures are daunting. The Parisians face off against Bayern Munich and Manchester City in two of their four remaining Champions League matches.
Meanwhile, Diego Simeone’s side needs a Champions League spark after conceding seven goals in the past two UCL games due to an uncharacteristic leaky defense.
Get ready for an intense match.
