After the dramatic conclusion of the last season with Manchester City's winning goal, in the UEFA Champions League final that brought the coveted title to Manchester for the first time in history, tonight (Tuesday) the Champions League returns to our lives. So what can we expect on the first day of the first round of the Champions League?
Group E
Feyenoord - Celtic - the champions who dream of returning to the distant past
The Dutch champion returns to the Champions League for the first time in five years. They come after an incredible victory in the league last Saturday when they defeated Heerenveen 6-1. They will play without their top scorer Santiago Giménez, who will be absent due to yellow card accumulation in the qualifiers. The Dutch team will also have to do without the team's captain from the previous season, Orkun Kökçü, who signed with Benfica Lisbon in Portugal. This season, Feyenoord has opened the league with 11 points in five rounds.
On the other hand, the Scottish champion has stood out in 11 out of the last 12 years. They opened the season with 13 points in five games, coming after a 3-0 victory over Dundee in the last round. The team's top scorer is Japanese player Kyogo Furuhashi, who has already scored four goals this season, adding to the 27 goals he scored last season. Our representative in the team, Liel Abda, as mentioned, is injured and will be absent for four months.
Both teams have been European champions in the past, with Celtic being the first British team to win the European Championship in 1967, while Feyenoord achieved it three years later in 1970. Celtic's recent highest achievement is reaching the round of 16 in the 2012/13 season, after the group stage, which included a victory over Barcelona. Feyenoord has not advanced past the group stage since the round was established.
Lazio - Atletico Madrid: the duel of the disappointed
Both teams are coming into the game after losing in the league last week. Lazio lost 1-3 to Juventus in their last match, continuing their poor start to the season with only three points from four rounds. The team will be hoping for a wake-up call from their captain, Ciro Immobile, who has scored just one goal this year and hasn't provided any assists. The only victory for the Eagles this year came against the reigning champion, Napoli.
On the other hand, Atletico Madrid, who actually started the season wonderfully with a draw and three victories, including a dominant 0-7 win in a local derby against Rayo Vallecano. However, in their last match on Saturday, the Colchoneros suffered a defeat, losing 0-3 to Valencia. Up until that loss, the team had conceded only one goal. Alvaro Morata leads the team in scoring with three goals, followed by Memphis Depay and Marcos Llorente with two goals each.
The peak achievement of Atletico was reaching the quarter-finals in the 1999/2000 season. Atletico Madrid has reached three finals, with the most memorable ones being the derbies in the 2013/14 and 2015/16 seasons, where they lost to their city rivals, Real Madrid.
Group F - the home of death of the Champions League
Milan vs. Newcastle: The runner-up in the Champions League against the rising power
Milan is an empire in the European football scale, being the team with the most Champions League titles after Real Madrid with seven, in addition to four runner-up titles. However, in recent years, they have drifted away from the European elite. Two years ago, they returned to the Champions League after an eight-year absence. Last year, they managed to reach the semi-finals where they lost to their city rivals Inter, who defeated them 5-1 last Saturday.
Despite the heavy defeat, Milan has shown good form since the beginning of the season, winning their last three league matches, including a 2-1 victory over Mourinho's Roma. On the other hand, Newcastle, which is returning to the top league in the world after twenty years, has had a disappointing start to the season with three losses in five rounds. The team's best achievement is reaching the second group stage in the 2002/03 season.
The player who won't be playing is Sandro Tonali, who grew up in Milan and parted from the club with pain last summer, and he will be absent due to an injury. As for Callum Wilson, who was the club's top scorer last season with 18 goals, he has already scored three goals this season.
PSG - Borussia Dortmund: A duel between the "almost"
The team from the City of Lights (Paris) lost Lionel Messi and Neymar in the summer but built an interesting young squad. The club, owned by Qatar, dreams of its first-ever victory after years of disappointments, but they face a tough group, one of the most challenging in recent years. Of course, the center of attention will be Kylian Mbappé, who, after another summer of links to Real Madrid, remains in Paris and hopes to make history with the team.
The team they will be playing against is one of the most disappointed teams from the past season. After needing a victory in the final round to win their first championship in 11 years, they ended in a draw and lost the title to Bayern Munich. The team also lost its top goal scorer from the previous season, Jude Bellingham.
Karim Adiyemi, the talented young left winger, who is 21 years old, remained with the team. In the past season, he scored nine goals and hopes to make progress this year and lead the team in Bellingham's absence. PSG's highest achievement is reaching the UEFA Champions League final three years ago when Borussia Dortmund won the European championship in 1997 after defeating Juventus 3-1 in the final.
Group G - One above all and Barak Bachar
Manchester City - The Red Star in Belgrade: No match for them
The reigning European champion is beginning its journey to defend the title and hopes to be the first team, other than Real Madrid, to win the title two consecutive times since Milan in '89 and '90. Erling Haaland is at the forefront, continuing to score this season with seven league goals in five rounds, alongside the talented Julian Albrecht, who played a significant role in Argentina's recent World Cup victory, even without Kevin De Bruyne. Manchester City is not expected to face much difficulty at home.
On the other hand, Barak Bachar and his disciples will stand in the return to the Champions League after three years, facing what could be the toughest challenge, especially after being eliminated last season by Barak Bachar and Maccabi Haifa. The star hasn't started the season well on their terms, with just one league win in three seasons, standing at two wins after seven rounds.
Both teams have one European championship, with Manchester City achieving it last season, while the Red Star did so in the 1990/91 season.
Young Boys-Leipzig: Will they get another big win in the Champions League?
Even in the second-place scenario, there shouldn't be much competition, as the young and spirited Leipzig is expected to easily secure it. Leipzig managed to start the season with a convincing 3-0 victory over the reigning champion Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup. The team's striker, Danny Olmo, has had an excellent start to the season with two league goals and one for the national team, and he is expected to be at the center of attention tonight as well.
Facing them is the talented and tactically astute Swiss team that eliminated Maccabi Haifa on their way to the competition. This Swiss team, which has lost its star Fabian Rieder to Real Madrid and will meet Maccabi Haifa in the Europa League, is the reigning champion of Switzerland, having won the title five out of the last six years. They are returning to the Champions League after a one-year absence. In their previous appearance, they finished last in their group with five points, earning four of those points against Manchester United.
Group H - A struggle of Xavi and his apprentices?
Barcelona - Royal Antwerp - the journey begins
Since winning the Champions League in 2015, Barcelona has suffered disappointment after disappointment, with painful losses and changes that have been made to the team. The lowest point was in the last two years with two consecutive eliminations in the group stage. This season, in addition to the favorable draw they received, Xavi's pupils have been performing excellently from the beginning of the season, with 13 points in five rounds, including a 5-0 victory over Real Betis in the last match.
Alongside experienced players like Robert Lewandowski, talented youngsters like Lamine Yamal, and precise acquisitions like Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, Barcelona shouldn't face any special difficulties in this group. They will face Royal Antwerp, who are returning to the Champions League after 66 years and are hoping for a respectable showing after a dramatic final round of qualification. In their team, the young midfielder Arthur Vrmaren stands out, as he played a significant role in their dramatic championship win. However, this season hasn't started well for them, with 11 points from seven games.
Shakhtar Donetsk-Porto: in the shadow of the war
Shakhtar is not the most talented team in recent years, especially considering Ukraine's ongoing conflict with Russia. Our representative in the team, Stav Lemkin, the young defender, signed there last summer and hopes to follow in the footsteps of his teammate Manor Solomon and progress from there to one of the top leagues in the world.
On the other hand, there is Porto, who last season reached the round of 16 where they were eliminated by Inter after a tough battle. In the previous season, they finished second in the league, two points behind the champion Benfica Lisbon. The team's captain is Pepe, the veteran who is now 40 years old. They started this season with 13 points in five rounds, winning four of them by a one-goal margin.
