Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

Spanish, German soccer royalty clash in Champions League third round

POSTED ON October 22, 2024 •   Sports      BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara
Madrid: Borussia Dortmund coach, Nuri Sahin takes part in a press conference for the team at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League soccer match against Real Madrid. l Credit: Alberto Gardin/ZUMA Press Wire

It's the top team in Spain facing off against the elite German soccer clubs in the latest Champions League matches.

A rematch of last season’s final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund is the headliner on Tuesday, before Barcelona hosts Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the next chapter of what has been a fairly one-sided rivalry in Europe’s top club competition.

All four teams have been European champions inside the last 30 years and they’ve made mixed starts to this season’s revamped format.

Dortmund has won both of their opening matches — 3-0 at Club Brugge and 7-1 at home to Celtic — to be the early leader and top scorer of the league stage, which sees all 36 teams play eight matches: four at home and four away.

Just like last season when reaching the Champions League final against the odds before losing to Madrid, Dortmund has been far more impressive in Europe than in the Bundesliga. Indeed, after thrashing Celtic, Dortmund lost at Union Berlin four days later.

Madrid, meanwhile, is coming off a surprising 1-0 loss at Lille, the defending champions’ first defeat in the competition since the semifinals in the 2022-23 season.

In fact, the second round of matches threw up a few shockers, including Bayern losing 1-0 at Aston Villa to end its unbeaten run under new coach Vincent Kompany.

Now Bayern heads to Barcelona in search of a seventh straight win in their head-to-head, a streak that includes a humiliating 8-2 loss for Barca in the quarterfinals in 2020. Hansi Flick was in charge of Bayern that night and is now the coach of Barcelona.

Man City record

If Manchester City beats Sparta Prague at home on Wednesday, the English champions will set the record for consecutive games undefeated in the history of the competition — even stretching back before 1992 into the European Cup era.

City is currently on 25 matches unbeaten, tied with Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United team from 2007-09.

The last loss for Pep Guardiola’s team in the Champions League was the 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the second leg of the semifinals in 2022, which cost City a place in the final that season.

Since then, City has won 17 matches and drawn eight, having won the competition in 2022-2023 and been eliminated on penalties by Madrid in 2023-24 after back-to-back draws in the quarterfinals.

Unlikely high-flyer

Of the seven teams on a maximum six points, Brest is undoubtedly the most surprising.

This is the unheralded French team’s European debut — in any competition — after an unexpected third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. It couldn’t be going any better.

A 2-1 win over Austrian champion Sturm Graz was followed by a 4-0 thrashing of another Austrian team, Salzburg, in the second round of games.

They will be the easiest opponents Brest is going to face. Now the hard work begins, with German champion Bayer Leverkusen next up on Wednesday.

Leverkusen won’t be heading to Brest, a pretty port city in Brittany, but Guingamp — about 114 kilometers (71 miles) away. That’s because Brest’s stadium doesn’t meet UEFA standards so its home games have been relocated.

Bad starts

With each team playing eight games in the new league system, opening with back-to-back losses isn’t the nightmare start it would have been in the old format when there were six matches per side in the group stage.

Still, AC Milan, Leipzig, Girona, Salzburg, Sturm Graz, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade will be desperate to get at least one point on the board in the third round of fixtures.

Salzburg and Young Boys haven’t even scored a goal.

One of the eight pointless teams is sure to get off the mark, with tournament newcomer Girona hosting Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday.

Leipzig could easily be on zero points after three games, though, with Liverpool visiting on Wednesday — a match that has more intrigue since former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was signed as the head of global soccer at Red Bull, whose international network of clubs includes Leipzig.

 

READ ALSO
NFF denies resignation rumors surrounding Super Eagles coach
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 2, 2025 0

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has refuted claims that Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle is cons...

READ ALSO
Super Eagles coach aims to revamp team ahead of September qualifiers
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara March 31, 2025 0

Still feeling the effects of a lackluster performance by some of his players during the recent 2026...

READ ALSO
Sabalenka, Paolini set for Miami semifinal after quarterfinal victories
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara March 26, 2025 0

World number one Aryna Sabalenka staged a comeback in the second set to secure her place in the semi...

READ ALSO
Son Heung-min blames poor pitch conditions for South Korea's World Cup qualifying struggles
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara March 26, 2025 0

Son Heung-min criticized the poor condition of South Korea's pitches for their struggles in the 2026...

READ ALSO
Nigeria gains unexpected edge in 2026 World Cup quest qmid South Africa's player eligibility controversy
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara March 26, 2025 0

Nigeria's emerging quest for a spot in the 2026 World Cup received an unforeseen advantage over the...

READ ALSO
Super Eagles stumble in World Cup bid, Late equalizer denies Nigeria victory against Zimbabwe
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara March 25, 2025 0

Nigeria’s ambitions to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup took a blow as the Super Eagles wer...

READ ALSO
Boxing legend George foreman passes away at 76
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara March 22, 2025 0

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman, who fought and lost to Muhammad Ali in the legendary 197...

READ ALSO
Nigeria secures first win in 2026 World Cup Qualifying with Osimhen's first-half brace
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara March 22, 2025 0

Nigeria achieved their first victory in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday, thanks to...

OUR CHANNELS:

Lagos faces severe traffic chaos as Independence Bridge repairs begin after Sallah holiday
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

LAGOS, NIGERIA - Lagos residents faced a challenging situation yesterday as they returned to work fo...


FG signs $174.6M agreement with UNIDO to enhance Nigeria's industry
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

The Federal Government and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) have enter...


U.S. shows highest anxiety over AI Job loss amidst technological advancements
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

Despite its advanced status, research indicates that the United States of America (USA) has the high...


Bayelsa communities threaten to halt oil production over security contract dispute
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

BAYELSA, Nigeria - Nigeria’s struggling oil output may be on the brink of another crisis as co...


NITDA Partners Afrovision technologies to bridge job gap for Nigeria’s Tech Talent
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

In an effort to tackle the ongoing challenge of job placement for Nigeria’s expanding tech tal...


Falana advocates for accountability and rule of law
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

Human rights Lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has called on Nigerians to seek accountability from their le...


FG signals tough stance on underdeveloped Oilfields, calls for strategic IOC investments
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

The Federal Government expressed its worries on Tuesday about the growing number of idle and underde...


OpenAI valuation hits $300 billion after SoftBank-led fund
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

The Japanese telecommunications company, alongside a group of investors, has recently announced yet...


Fuel prices expect to fall below N750 by Year-End - NIPSS
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 3, 2025 0

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has said that with Dangote Refinery...


Nigeria imposes N20m fine, 10-Year Jail Term for Ponzi scheme offenders
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 2, 2025 0

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has stated that promoters and operators of Ponzi scheme...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu