At the center of the second night in week 2 of the Champions League group stage is the match between Manchester City and Bayern Munich for Group D supremacy, while Manchester United and Real Madrid both try to find their groove again, with the Red Devils visiting Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid hosting FC Copenhagen.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Manchester United
Something’s not clicking quite right for the Ukrainian champions this season, already dropping 10 points after nine league matches, drawing their most recent outing in the Donetsk derby. However, things haven’t been sunnier for Manchester United, losing at home to West Brom and looking an absolute mess for most of the time under David Moyes. With confidence running low, a draw might be the most likely result for both teams.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Real Sociedad
Leverkusen’s defense might be a big soft when it comes to playing at the Old Trafford, but at home against Real Sociedad it should be enough, as the Germans are in excellent for in the league (six wins out of seven), while Sociedad have won only once in their 7 league matches so far.
Real Madrid vs FC Copenhagen
While Real Madrid do have their issues, they’re still a very talented team that shouldn’t have too many problems playing against the Danish champions, who might have surprised Juventus in the first match, but aren’t going to come up with anything on their visit to the Bernabeu.
Juventus vs Galatasaray
After not being able to convert chances in Copenhagen, Juventus are worried about the effect Mancini will have on the Turkish side. However, Galatasaray are doing poorly in the league, and it’s going to take more time for the Italian manager to fix the wrongs, as he’ll begin his new job with a loss in Torino.
PSG vs Benfica
Benfica continue to stutter on the local stage (drawing at home with Belenenses) while PSG aren’t playing brilliantly, and yet still coming up with wins through Cavani or Ibrahimovic. It won’t be any different this time.
Anderlecht vs Olympiacos
Even though Olympiacos have been doing very well in Greece (as always), there’s a world of difference between the two competitions. However, Anderlecht are struggling after the sale of Lucas Biglia, and won’t get more than a draw as they continue to look for that Champions League victory.
CSKA Moscow vs Viktoria Plzen
Both teams lost their opening matches, and it looks like Plzen will continue to remain with 0 points, as they’re very far off the quality needed to get points in this group, even if CSKA haven’t been doing very well in the league, losing their most recent match 2-0 to Terek Grozny.
Manchester City vs Bayern Munich
A huge match for City as they try to stay out of trouble in a rather easy group. Bayern still haven’t lost in the league this season, while Manchester City are perfect when they play at home. Still, City are the inferior side, and a draw seems like something both sides will be happy with.