Champions League format, but the last round of games did deliver drama and upsets, with two of Europe’s biggest beasts cut down to size. Aston Villa repeated their 1-0 European Cup final win over Bayern Munich, with Jhon “Duran” Durán bringing the 80s vibes back to Villa Park.
Unai Emery’s side have an opportunity to make it three wins from three at home to Bologna tonight. The Italians are back at Europe’s top table for the first time since 1965 – making Villa look like precocious upstarts in comparison – but have made a slow start to the season after their former manager, Thiago Motta, hightailed it to Juve this summer.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid need to shake off the indignity of a 1-0 defeat to Lille last time out, and will take on Dortmund in a rerun of last season’s Wembley finale. Will it end in similar fashion tonight, with the side currently top of the leviathan Champions League table carving out several chances before conceding late on? Probably.
In their post-Mbappé era, Paris Saint-Germain are still flying in Ligue 1 but have made an indifferent start in Europe, getting lucky against Girona before a meek surrender against Arsenal last time. Tonight, they host PSV in the PS Derby. The Dutch champions have won nine from nine in the Eredivisie this season, but continue to underwhelm in the Champions League.
And we still haven’t mentioned Arsenal v Shakhtar (which you can follow over here), Juventus seeking a third straight win against Stuttgart, Rúben Amorim’s Sporting swashbucklers taking on Sturm Graz, or, er, Girona v Slovan Bratislava. Yowza!
Source: theguardian.com
