Champions League Thursday: A Manchester City Homecoming | OneFootball

Being entirely candid, I’m not sure my blood pressure can handle another Champions League match day like the previous two! Banger goals, epic comebacks, debutantes earning points, last-minute winners… days one and two have had it ALL!

Early Games

Club Brugge vs. AS Monaco

Kickoff: 12:45pm ET Jan Breydelstadion, Brugge, BelgiumStreaming on Paramount+

Last year’s surprising story Brugge returns for another campaign. They’ve qualified for Champions League 8 of the last 10 years, but cannot shake that underdog label. Their form in the Jupiler Pro League hasn’t been great, With 3W, 1D, 2L they’re in 6th place.

AS Monaco made a killing in the summer transfer window, raking in over $90M off seven players. That doesn’t appear to have hurt them too much. They sit third in Ligue 1, but their last two wins have come against sides reduced to 10 men, so the jury is still out. The club raised eyebrows when they picked up Paul Pogba for free, but he hasn’t played a minute for them so far. Could that change here?

F.C. København vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Kickoff: 12:45pm ET Parken, Copenhagen, DenmarkBroadcast nationally on CBSSNStreaming on Paramount+

With all the stories surrounding Leverkusen’s start in the Bundesliga, managerial drama, etc. the upcoming Champions League might be a welcome distraction. Their 3 – 1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, when reduced to nine players, has given the team a much-needed boost. They’ll like their chances in Denmark as well.

København burst into soccer fan consciousness in 2023 when they finished second in Group A qualifying over Manchester United. This year they earned their group stage place by advancing from the 2nd qualifying round defeating Drita, Malmö and Basel. Message to København: do NOT give away a free kick where Alejandro Grimaldo can strike it!

Late Games

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Galatasaray

Kickoff: 3:00 PM ET Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt, GermanyBroadcast nationally on CBSSNStreaming on Paramount+

Right up until they visited Leverkusen, Frankfurt seemed unstoppable. And now? A visit from high flying Galatasaray won’t be an easy fixture. They’ve won five straight in the Super Lïg and scored fifteen goals. If this game was in Istanbul I would simply give Galatasaray the points; in Frankfurt this is a toss-up.

Sporting CP vs. Kairat Almaty

Kickoff: 3:00 PM ET Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, PortugalStreaming on Paramount+

No debutante club has gone pointless in this opening matchday. Bødo/Glimt and Pafos drew; Union St.-Gilloise won. Will Kairat Almaty continue this trend? Kairat is one of only a handful of sides who have survived the four qualifying rounds to make it into the tournament proper. That is quite an achievement, but probably not enough to take down Sporting at home.

Manchester City vs. Napoli

Kickoff: 3:00 PM ET Etihad Stadium, Manchester, EnglandStreaming on Paramount+

Three Manchester prodigal sons return, one blue and two red. Serie A player of the year nominee Scott McTominay, alongside fellow former Red Devil Rasmus Højlund, will receive nothing but jeers from the City crowd. Kevin De Bruyne, however, is a different story. His sky blue kit may be different, but he’ll always be a Cityzen in fans’ hearts. Unless he scores.

Newcastle United vs. Barcelona

Read our take here.