Barcelona and Bayern hosted by Galatasaray and Viking
Barcelona and Bayern continue their winning streak in the Champions League
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
Dubai (AFP) – Spanish side Barcelona, German club Bayern Munich, and English team Arsenal all hope to continue their strong starts, while Italy’s Inter Milan and Spain’s Atletico Madrid will look to regain their balance in the second round of the unified group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Both Barcelona and Bayern struck hard in the opening round, with the former defeating Dutch side Feyenoord 5-1 and the latter beating Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt 5-0. In contrast, Inter lost to Spain’s Real Madrid 1-2, and Atletico Madrid fell to England’s Liverpool by the same scoreline.
Barcelona travel to Turkey as heavy favorites to face Galatasaray, carrying a perfect record in all competitions so far in a promising start that could be among the best in the history of Europe’s major clubs.
The Catalan club won their first nine matches of the season for the first time since the 1935-36 campaign.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich travel to face Viking in what is expected to be a relatively easy test in the Norwegian side’s first home match in the competition.
Viking lost 3-1 to Germany’s Stuttgart in the opening round, marking their debut in the tournament. Facing a new German opponent, they will rely heavily on their strong home form, which has seen them win their last 11 official home matches.
The Gunners, who beat Italian hosts Napoli 1-0 in the first round, boast an impressive recent record, having suffered only two defeats in their last 31 group stage matches.
On the other hand, Lille find themselves in a difficult position after a 3-2 home loss to Spain’s Real Betis, though they responded well by winning two of their next three official matches.
Since their defeat to Real, the Italian side have bounced back strongly, scoring 10 goals in three league matches without losing (two wins and a draw), with their standout result being a 3-0 victory over Parma.
Napoli also aim to avenge their loss to Arsenal when they travel to face Villarreal, who lost 3-2 to German hosts Borussia Dortmund.
Manchester United prepare for a difficult trip to Spain to face Atletico Madrid, who secured their fourth consecutive league win with a 2-1 victory over Alaves, but are also eager to secure their first European points.
Meanwhile, manager Michael Carrick is experiencing Manchester United’s worst league start in 40 years, adding pressure on the coach after his players squandered a lead and settled for a 1-1 draw against Tottenham, who finished the match with ten men.
