UCL: GW 2 PREVIEW

Inter visits the Nou Camp, Spurs hosts the Bavarians and more; The Road to Istanbul - European Royalty. 

                                                                         Ref: UEFA via AA.

The two-day European soccer festival is back again in mid-week. A fortnight ago, game week one got underway and that left fans with awkward surprises. It may be a hectic week for players but one laced with admittedly pure excitement for fans.

Antonio Conte may not have expected to enjoy an easy ride in his early days at Inter Milan but he is bossing matters in Italy. He makes a tough trip to the home of the Catalan giants, FC Barcelona. Both teams played out a frustrating draw in the first game week. Pressure mounts as either would want to leap into the first position. Conte's machine seems to be well oiled now. 
The tactics of Ernesto Valverde have been called to question and fans are fuming with how football has been played at times. Happily, Messi and Dembele are back in training for the Blaugranas. 

Bayern Munich will make a trek to London as Spurs host the Bavarians at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It has not been rosy for Pochettino this season, with mixed results and players not being in sync with the general team approach. A hard-fought victory over the weekend and options for right-back limited. The draw at Olympiacos leaves the host with just a point after one game. 
Coutinho, on one hand, has been the lynchpin for Niko Kovac's side. He seems to have found his feet and the added threat he gives this Bayern side is one Pochettino should be looking to curb. A victory in the last game round keeps them so comfortable at the top of the table.

Early kickoffs for Real Madrid and Atalanta as they play Club Brugge and Shakhtar Donetsk respectively. Atalanta must redeem themselves after the 4-0 mauling in Zagreb. PSG after their heavy victory over Madrid will be looking to continue that fine form when they make the trip to Turkey to face Galatasaray. Bayern Leverkusen will travel to Turin to face Juventus. Mauricio Sarri must pick all the maximum points at home while Atletico Madrid does a dicey trip to Russia. Pep Guardiola will be expecting all 3 points when his side comes up against the Croatian outfit, Dinamo Zagreb.

Valencia and RB Leipzig will await the visits of Ajax and Lyon respectively. Early kickoffs on Wednesday for Dortmund and Napoli away also. Chelsea's trip to Lille will be difficult as Lille's manager, Christophe Galtier will be making up for the loss suffered in GW 1.
A disappointing start for the holders, Liverpool in the previous game week but chances are still wide and aplenty as Klopp faces RB Salzburg with red hot Haaland after getting a hattrick in his first UCL appearance. 

Another good week of football. We can only but enjoy it.