The Champions League heats up for the Spanish teams
Tonight, the most prestigious club tournament resumes as the iconic Champions League ball is once again rolling across Europe. For the Spanish teams there’s much at stake.
We're turning the spotlight on our five La Liga teams - Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona - as they step onto the Champions League stage. First up, we've got Sociedad making their way to FC Salzburg, while Sevilla is set to square off with PSV over in Holland. The highlight of Tuesday night will be Real Madrid’s visit to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Napoli. On Wednesday, we'll be watching as Barca's coach, Xavi, reaches a significant milestone in a match against FC Porto while also following Diego Simeones side at home to Feyenoord. Stick around for a closer look at these games.
Tuesday’s early game features Real Sociedad traveling to Austria to face FC Salzburg, who secured a 0-2 victory away against Benfica in the first round. This performance speaks volumes about a team that certainly isn't planning on making it easy for Imanol Alguacil’s men. At home, the Austrians boast a strong record, having lost only one of their last eight European games.
The boys from San Sebastián nearly clinched all three points at home against Inter, but a late equalizer from Lautaro Martinez spoiled the party at Reale Arena. La Real, sparkling once again this season, head into tonight’s game on the back of a sensational 3-0 victory against Athletic Club in the Basque Derby over the weekend. They should be brimming with confidence, and if Salzburg hope to gain anything from this encounter, they might want to keep a watchful eye on Kubo who seems to have found his right element at Real Sociedad.
The real show of the night will unfold in Southern Italy as Napoli welcomes Real Madrid to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Although the Italian champions haven't had the best start to their season in Serie A, they'll enter tonight’s game confidently after dismantling Lecce 4-0 over the weekend.
Los Blancos enter the game fresh from an important victory against Girona, with Jude Bellingham in the form of his life. The Englishman has been absolutely unstoppable since his transfer to Real Madrid. Despite being a midfielder, he leads the scoring chart in LaLiga with six goals to his name. His last-minute goal made him the match-winner against Union Berlin, and he might prove to be the difference tonight in Napoli as well. Ancelotti’s men, however, need to put up a better display than their performance against Union Berlin if they hope to secure a result. The former Napoli coach can take comfort in having Vinicius Junior back at his disposal, which could prove crucial tonight.
The Andalusians have a single point in the bank following their 1-1 result against Lens in the first round and need to secure a win to improve their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages—a feat they haven't managed in the last two editions of the Champions League. Despite a narrow 0-1 defeat to Barcelona over the weekend, they come into the game with confidence, having previously gone four games unbeaten.
Wednesday night's encounter between FC Porto and Barça will mark Xavi’s 100th game in charge of FC Barcelona, which started its Champions League campaign spectacularly with a classic 'manita' against Antwerp. The Catalans will be hoping for another win against FC Porto, who lost to their rivals Benfica over the weekend.
It could also prove to be a historic night for Barça’s young talent, Lamine Yamal. If the 16-year-old manages to score, he will overtake Ansu Fati’s record as the youngest goal scorer in the competition's history.
At Wanda metropolitano, Atlético Madrid welcome the dutch champions from Feneyoord who are leading Group E after beating Celtic 2-0 at home.
As the Champions League heats up, there's sure to be plenty of drama with crucial matches on the horizon for the La Liga clubs. Rest assured, we'll be there to witness all the moments as they unfold.