UCL Preview: GW 4

UCL Returns; Reverse fixtures begin and proviso quod for points to be bagged for qualification assurance.

Fixtures will reciprocate in the next game week ahead of clashes in the UCL. 

IC: gettyimages.

We are halfway through in the group stages. Chances of qualification are aplenty and with three games to go teams will pick as many points as possible to easily make it out of the groups.

Lucien Favre must make the most of the clash against Internazionale. A dagger in the final minutes from Candreva was hard to take. There is indeed another opportunity for Dortmund to make it right when Antonio Conte makes the trip to the Signal Iduna. Both teams have a win, draw and a loss and winning this game gives one the nod over the other. Barcelona, on the one hand, has taken the front foot and leads the group with 7 points. They face Slavia Prague who languish at the bottom of the group with just a point. They must protect their legacy and do their best.
The Reds will wait for the arrival of Genk at Anfield. Klopp gallantly dispatched Mazzu's men in the reverse fixture away from home. Anfield has been a fortress and Genk must be 200% motivated to be able to nick a point from the current holders come Tuesday night. RB Salzburg with Erling Haaland is prolific and was left gnashing in the previous encounter after his brace could not help salvage a point. Napoli did well to get the away victory but must finish the job when they meet again.

The Marvel-DC crossover got the victory far away in Amsterdam. Erik Ten Haag was utterly bewildered when Pulisic teed up Batshuayi to score the only goal. Odds were against Chelsea as they went away from home. Ajax must now dig deep to get points to keep the consistency. Ziyech was on song at the weekend and must replicate the same form when they make this trip to the bridge. Timo Werner played 45 mins of the encounter when these two met earlier. He scored three goals and assisted another three over the weekend and must win to be at the summit of the table. Nagelsmann has Zenit in his way and will trust his boys to deliver.

PSG had a blithe disregard for the footballing culture in Belgium as they dispatched Club Brugge with ease. Club Brugge must hope to ramraid the French champions to assure qualification proviso Real Madrid lose points when they face Galatasaray.
Crvena Zvezda will welcome the visit of Tottenham. It was a horror show in the last game week for Vladan Milojević as Spurs hit five past his team. Pochettino for all the troubles he is facing this season managed to get it right and must continue in the same vein on the road. It was not onesided when Bayern went away to Greece. They fought hard to get the victory. It would have been farcical a fortnight ago to say Bayern would make this clash without Niko Kovac but now it sure isn't.

Pep Guardiola showed some nerves of steel last weekend and can keep it going when they travel to Italy to face Atalanta who sit at the bottom. Juventus will also be going away in the coming game week with the clash against Lokomotiv in the waiting.
Bayer Leverkusen will play host to Atletico Madrid in Germany. Atletico were narrow victors in the last clash and were not so convincing but got the victory via Alvaro Morata. Peter Bosz finds his team at the bottom of the group with no points and has Diego Simeone to contend with.