Hey y’all. Here are the Champions League games that we will be watching this week. Leave a comment to let us know which of these Champions League games was your favorite and let us know if you enjoyed our sleeper game of the week:
Champions League games on Tuesday, November 2nd
Atalanta v Manchester United
Where: Gewiss Stadium
Time: 4pm Eastern | 3pm Central
How to Watch: Paramount+
Atalanta expects Manchester United to hit the ground running in Bergamo with ‘high intensity’ — but reckons Atalanta can upset the odds. Having stormed into a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford, the plucky Italians were on the receiving end of a trademark United comeback a last group stage match. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner to make it 3-2 in the 81st minute, after Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire got the ball rolling on another memorable Champions League evening.
United have fallen upon testing times in the last 13 days, since that Old Trafford encounter, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his team were able to repair some damage from their heavy and humiliating 5-0 defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool when beating Tottenham on Sunday afternoon. That performance and result was enough to alert the attention of Atalanta who will be taking nothing for granted.
Champions League games on Wednesday, November 3rd
RB Leipzig v PSG
Where: Red Bull Arena Leipzig
Time: 4pm Eastern | 3pm Central
How to Watch: Paramount+
Lionel Messi has been left out of Paris Saint-Germain’s squad to face RB Leipzig due to a couple of fresh injury complaints. Messi has not been named in Mauricio Pochettino’s 21-man squad for the Champions League group-stage clash, having come off early in their last Ligue 1 outing against Lille. There is a place in the squad for Kylian Mbappe, however. Mbappe, 22, missed the win over Lille with an infection.
Also missing along with Messi are Marco Verratti, Leandro Paredes and Sergio Ramos, with Les Parisiens otherwise at full strength and finally able to call upon Angel Di Maria once more after he served his suspension over the first three Group A fixtures. PSG sit top of Champions League Group A, with seven points from their first three games.
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid
Where: Anfield
Time: 4pm Eastern | 3pm Central
How to Watch: Paramount+
After Liverpools 3-2 win at the Wanda Metropolitano last month, Simeone was perceived to have run down the tunnel in defiance of Klopp’s offer of a post-match handshake. It was soon apparent, though, that this was simply a custom the Atletico manager follows every game, rather than a direct attack on his Liverpool counterpart.
Liverpool can clinch a place in the last 16 with victory over Atletico, who are expected to have only 200 fans in attendance due to concerns over COVID-19 and travel. Klopp is hoping his side can benefit from home advantage this time around. There has been a bit of bite in the last three meetings between the two teams and Klopp is expecting the same again.
Borussia Dortmund v Ajax
Where: Signal Iduna Park
Time: 4pm Eastern | 3pm Central
How to Watch: Paramount+
Borussia Dortmund will be out for revenge when Ajax travel to Signal Iduna Park for the fourth round of Champions League games. It has been just two weeks since the Dutch side humiliated Dortmund 4-0, but the hosts have won three consecutive games since then.
Their impressive victory last time out took Ajax to within touching distance of the Champions League knockout stages, despite the groups having only just reached the halfway point, with a six-point gap to third-placed Sporting Lisbon meaning they could wrap up qualification if results go their way. De Godenzonen’s perfect record in Europe to this point is only slightly more impressive than their domestic form.
Sleeper Game of the Week
Bayern Munich v Benfica
Where: Allianz Arena
When: Tuesday, November 2nd
Time: 4pm Eastern | 3pm Central
How to Watch: Paramount+
Bayern Munich hosts Benfica on Matchday Four of the UEFA Champions League group stage. After defeating Benfica in their last game. Bayern will be looking for another resounding victory to secure progression to the Round of 16. Entering this match, Bayern lead Group E by five points as Benfica occupy second place with four points.
Bayern is just one of two clubs left who have yet to concede a goal in the Champions League group stage. With three group stage fixtures remaining, it’s plausible that Die Roten could not concede a goal for the remainder of the group stage. It would be an accomplishment for Bayern’s backline to finish the campaign with no goals allowed, and they could be the only club to not concede a single goal when all is said and done.
