It’s another Champions League Tuesday! That means only one thing, it’s time for some UCL Shorts! Matchday 2 will be taking place across Europe today and tomorrow. I’ve highlighted three matches that will undoubtedly tickle your fancy! Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea. Bayern Munchen vs Paris Saint Germain. So without further ado, let’s delve into these marquee fixtures. They’ll surely have us fanatics replicating Fenerbahce’s passionate Turkish support seen at the weekend (cue video of fan punching screen during Fenerbahce vs Besiktas match)— well, maybe not that passionate.
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid CF
UEFA Champions League: Group Stage, Matchday 2
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany
Tuesday, September 26th, 2017 2:45PM EST FOX Sports | ESPN
The premier fixture of the day! Dortmund and Madrid square off in the Group Stage for the second consecutive season. The Whites may have won the Champions League last year, but the Black and Yellows got the better of Real during the the Group Stage. Dortmund recorded a win and a draw over the two legs, which went a long way into securing a first place finish ahead of Madrid in Group F. Will this go around be any different? Dortmund is currently in fine fettled form as BVB are sitting atop the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Madrid has stubbled out of the gates domestically as Los Merengues are positioned fourth in LaLiga (7 points behind Barcelona). Thus, this match has all the making of deja vu. The key men to watch for Real are Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Since returning from suspension two matches ago, Ronaldo is 0 for 180. CR7 missed a whopping 11 shots in the home loss to Real Betis. As for Bale, he too hasn’t let the house on fire either. Gareth showed off his cheetah-esc speed in route to his goal against Real Sociedad, but outside of that the Welshman hasn’t done much of anything. On the flip side, American Christian Pulisic has been tearing up Germany with goals and assists. But, can the teenager produce the goods against Los Vikingos? I’m not quite sure.
LSB Prediction: The famed Yellow Wall will be ever-present on the banks of the Rhine come Tuesday night. The intimidating atmosphere always poses a threat to intruders, Real Madrid included. However, I simply don’t believe that Cristiano will be dormant three matches on the bounce. Thus, I expect two thunderous finishes from the Portuguese international. In addition, Gareth Bale will act like he’s the firing breathing dragon once again with an assist and goal to his credit. 3-1 Real Madrid CF
Club Atletico de Madrid vs Chelsea FC
UEFA Champions League: Group Stage, Matchday 2
Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain
Wednesday, September 27th, 2017 2:45PM EST FOX Sports | ESPN
On Wednesday, we have two dynamite games. First up is Atletico vs Chelsea. This will be the first of many Champions League fixtures to be played inside the brand new Wanda Metropolitano. This stunning state of the art facility, which houses the the Red and Whites, has already been selected to host next season’s Champions League Final. In addition, the stadium will also be home to Diego Costa come January of 2018. Yup, the former Atletico and current Chelsea striker is headed back to Madrid come the opening of the winter transfer window. Thus, this match has been dubiously called by some the “Diego Derby”, even though he won’t actually be playing come Wednesday night. As for players actually set to take the pitch, look no further than Madrid born Alvaro Morata. The Chelsea striker’s cleats are cooking as he fired home a hat trick this past weekend against Stoke City. Therefore, the matchup to watch out for is indeed Morata vs Jan Oblak. Atletico shot-stopper Oblak is LaLiga’s best goalkeeper and one of the finest in the world. Who’ll rise to the occasion in this game?
LSB Prediction: As aforementioned, this will be Wanda’s first UCL match. Thus, the Atletico crowd will be suffocating, and the Rojiblancos will be in top gear. It’ll be a scoreless night in Morata’s Madrid return as Oblak and his stout defense will shut Chelsea down. And as for Diego Costa, you know he’ll be smiling at home. Who knows, he may even upload a video to social media for all to see. 1-0 Club Atletico de Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain vs FC Bayern Munchen
UEFA Champions League: Group Stage, Matchday 2
Parc des Princes, Paris, France
Wednesday, September 27th, 2017 2:45PM EST FOX Sports | ESPN
Last, but certainly not least, it’s PSG vs Bayern! This has game will perhaps be the best of the bunch! Les Bleus new look front three in Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani, and Neymar Jr. will finally get a stern challenge in the Bavarians. Everyone wants to see if PSG has the goods to take the next step— become one of Europe’s elite. Despite it being still early days for PSG’s new three pronged attack, this match against Bayern will certainly provide an inkling od the games to come. As for FC Hollywood, Robert Lewendowski is the go-to-guy per usual. If you feed him the ball, the ball tends to stroke the back of the net. Lewandowski has been scoring at such a clip over recent seasons that he’s even been dubbed Lewangoalski as of late! This fixture is destined to be a spectacle in City of Lights. Still, who’ll shine brightest?
LSB Prediction: The Parc des Princes will be electric come kickoff. With baited breath, we’ll all be waiting to see Neymar, Mbappe, and Cavani light up the Parisian sky, but the Bavarians have other plans. PSG’s trident will be stifled by German internationals Matts Hummels and Jerome Boateng. To cap things off, Lewandowski will net a brace and the Bavarians will be celebrating Oktoberfest on the flight back! 2-0 FC Bayern Munchen