Sports|Football

Arsenal, Man Utd, Bayern Munich: 5 key Champions League football matches

Troubled Man United travel to Munich, Arsenal mark Champions League return by hosting PSV, last year’s finalists Inter Milan take on Real Sociedad.

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Arsenal had to wait six years to get back into the competition. [Phil Noble/Reuters]
Published On 20 Sep 2023

A highly anticipated match between European giants Bayern Munich and Manchester United headlines the eight-match lineup in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

The Champions League returned on Tuesday with Manchester City, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain among notable winners.

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Here are the five matches to watch out for on Wednesday:

Bayern Munich vs Manchester United

Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
When: 19:00 GMT

Manchester United will be without injured defenders Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka as they face a daunting trip to Munich. Erik ten Hag’s team have not started the season well with three losses in five league games.

Bayern, who have won 11 Bundesliga titles in a row, will measure their success this season on how far they progress in the Champions League. Harry Kane will make his tournament debut with his new club against his former English rivals.

Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven

Where: Emirates Stadium, London
When: 19:00 GMT

After qualifying for the Champions League for 19 straight years under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal had to wait six years to get back into the competition.

It’s clear the team has been looking forward to this moment: The tournament’s famous anthem was blaring from the speakers in the gym at the club’s training centre this week, according to striker Gabriel Jesus.

PSV have won all four of their league games so far and scored 13 goals while conceding just one in that stretch.

Real Madrid vs Union Berlin

Where: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid
When: 16:45 GMT

Real Madrid will be without right back Dani Carvajal and forward Vinicius Junior against tournament newcomers Union Berlin at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The record 14-time European champions are making their 27th consecutive appearance in the competition’s group stage while Union Berlin are making their tournament debut.

Braga vs Napoli

Where: Braga Municipal Stadium, Braga
When: 19:00 GMT

Italian champions Napoli blew their opponents apart in last year’s group stage – winning five of their six matches and scoring 20 goals in a fantastic season for the club.

Portuguese side Braga lost at the weekend after a draw and a win. Their last Champions League appearance came in 2012 when they won just one of their group stage matches.

Real Sociedad vs Inter Milan

Where: Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastian
When: 19:00 GMT

Last season’s runners-up, Inter Milan, head into their Champions League opener at Real Sociedad off a 5-1 win over city rivals AC Milan in the derby on Saturday as they maintained a perfect start to the season.

However, one of Inter’s key players, midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, has been ruled out of the trip to Spain with a thigh strain.

Sociedad lost at Real Madrid at the weekend after drawing their first three matches. This is Sociedad’s first season in the Champions League in 10 years. The last time they made it out of the group stage was in the 2003-04 season.

Source: News Agencies