Champions League Matchday 2 Preview
Champions League Matchday 2 brings us a number of exciting clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights! Have a look at our picks this week.
Manchester United vs. Galatasaray [Tuesday 21:00]
Manchester United will be looking to recover from a painful 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Pressure is mounting on the Devils as they`ve now lost 5 of their 9 opening games of the season in all competitions, this includes 4 of their first 7 Premier League fixtures – marking their worst league start in history. Ten Hag is now tasked with recovering from a 4-3 defeat to Bayern in the opening game, and with a lack of a clear style of play, this might be difficult against a well-drilled Galatasaray side.
Galatasaray now hold a 14-game unbeaten run in all competitions this season. The Turkish outfit goes into the game on the back of a 2-1 victory against Ankaragucu and sitting 2nd on the Super Lig table – yet to taste a league defeat this season. Galatasaray forced a 2-0 draw against Copenhagen in the opening fixture, scoring 2 goals in the last 5 minutes of standard time. However, the Turkish giants have lost 14/17 away games in the Champions League. It is hard to pick a winner here, however, with United`s leaky defence we are bound to see goals. We expect over 2.5 goals and both teams to score.
Napoli vs Real Madrid [Tuesday 21:00]
Napoli go into the fixture on the back of a 4-0 victory over Lecce, having beaten Udinese 4-1 the game before. The Naples outfit is in a good position going into the game, having secured the first 3 points in the opening UCL clash against Braga. The Blues have met Madrid in the UCL before, when they lost 6-2 over the 2 legs in the Round of 16 back in 2017. However, they have a significantly different side this time and are likely to cause some problems for the visitors.
The Spanish giants have been flying this season, having only lost 1 game in competitions. They go into the game on the back of a 3-0 away victory over Girona and have kept 2 clean sheets in their last 2 fixtures. They opened their UCL campaign with a 1-0 victory over Berlin, although they will be asked more questions this time. Regardless, the Spaniards are incredible in the UCL and have won 8 consecutive games against a Serie A opposition. This is likely to be a close game and we do expect under 2.5 goals, but Real Madrid to win.
Newcastle vs PSG [Wednesday 21:00]
The Magpies stood their ground in their return to the UCL in a 0-0 draw against AC Milan. They followed the draw up with 3 consecutive victories, including a cup tie against Man City, and have managed to keep a clean sheet in all 3, and scored 11 in total. Newcastle does have a home advantage, having lost just 5 home games since the start of 2022. However, seeing how they fare against an overwhelming dangerous Parisian giants will be interesting.
PSG travel to England on the back of a goalless draw against Clermont and are now 5th on the Ligue 1 table. The Parisians kicked off their UCL campaign with an impressive 2-0 victory over Dortmund, with another tough task ahead. PSG have only lost in the knock-out stages last season, having held a fairly good group-stage form, and have not lost a single away game in the group stage. Overall, the Parisians hold more experience in the Champions League against Newcastle, and we expect them to grind out a win here. Both sides are extremely efficient in attack, so we expect to see goals this time out. Therefore, we expect both teams to score, and PSG to win.