Five Champions League Ties We Can't Wait To Watch
It feels like only last week that Bayern Munich lifted Ol’ Big Ears – but already, we’re speeding towards the start of another UEFA Champions League season! The reshuffled calendar means the tournament will race through the group stages barely pausing for breath – and looking at what’s in store is enough to get your heart racing!
From grudge matches and timeless rivalries to a showdown between the modern eras finest players, you’ll catch every single game live on Virgin Media Sport, Virgin TV 400. And as for the highlights? Well, we’d be here all day if we tried to list the lot, but here are five ties that are already making our mouths water – beginning with a pair opening week clashes that promise to get things going with a bang...
SEVILLA v CHELSEA
The last two winners of the UEFA Europa League squaring off, eager to prove they’ve got what it takes on the biggest stage of all? Sign us up! If cup-winning pedigree is a bonus, then both sides have it in spades; they’ve also got the prospect of a battle for top spot, because with all due respect to Krasnodar and Rennes, neither are all that likely to upset the group favourites. By this Tuesday evening, we might already have the first major statement of the tournament...
BAYERN MUNICH v ATLETICO MADRID
Bayern might be the reigning kings of Europe, but Atletico’s record speaks for itself; they’re perennial contenders in the latter stages of the tournament. Indeed, they were the ones smiling the last time the sides met, when an away goals victory saw them through in 2016. While there’s loads of new faces since then, there’s still no mistaking the clash of two continental powers to kick things off – there’s only one place to be come Wednesday night!
JUVENTUS v BARCELONA
There might be two teams involved, but for most fans this one boils down to just two men; Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While the dynamic duo of modern football used to lock horns on a regular basis while CR7 was in Madrid, it’s now a different story – which makes this meeting truly something to savour; as the years tick by, there may not be too many of these occasions left!
MANCHESTER UNITED v PSG
While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges might not have started the season in the greatest form, there’ll still be a shiver down Parisien spines when Man Utd arrive in Paris; that’s what the memories of the stunning events of 18 months ago will do! On that famous night, United staged an incredible comeback to secure passage to the quarter-finals. With RB Leipzig also in the group, passage is far from guaranteed for either side – and how poetic it would be if this is once again the fixture to decide it all!
REAL MADRID v INTER MILAN
Two of Europe’s most decorated sides – even if Real’s 13 titles are quite a way ahead of Inter’s three! – ensure plenty of glamour in Group B. Zinedine Zidane’s men will start as favourites, but write the Italian side off at your peril; from Milan Skrinier at the back, through Lautaro Martinez in midfield and Romelu Lukaku leading the line, they’ve got all the quality required to bring the galacticos down to earth…
Catch every game of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League on Virgin Media Sports – click here to find out more!
