Musiala at his team’s Bayern stadium against Leverkusen, September 2024 (Marcel Anelbert/Getty)
European football fans are preparing to watch an anticipated confrontation between French Lille and Spanish Real Madrid, today, Wednesday, within the second round of the Champions League competition, in a confrontation that will be the first between the two teams on the European scene, as Lille and Real Madrid have never faced each other in any European competition. Before, which makes the meeting a unique event between two teams with a long football history.
Lille did not achieve distinguished results historically against Spanish teams, as it won only one match out of nine previous European confrontations, compared to three draws and five defeats, but its only victory came in its last confrontation with a Spanish club, when it beat Sevilla 2-1 in the League. European champions for the 2021-2022 season, which gives the French team some confidence in facing the giant Real Madrid.
On the other hand, Real Madrid has a not-so-good record recently in its visits to France in the Champions League, as it lost and did not score in its last two matches away from home against French teams, and both defeats were against Saint-Germain, 0-3 in 2019 and 0-1 in 2022. However, Real Madrid enters this match with a distinguished record at the European level, as it has not suffered any defeat in the last 14 matches in the Champions League, achieving 10 victories and four draws, a number that represents the longest unbeaten streak for the team since the period between April 2016 and May. /May 2017.
Lille is strong at home, having won seven of the last eight matches it played on its home field in European competitions since the beginning of last season, while the only exception was its 1-1 draw with Sturm Graz in the European Conference League, but despite this distinguished record at home. Lille is struggling in the Champions League, losing in its last three matches in the tournament, including a defeat in the first round this season.
If he loses to Real Madrid, his record will equal the longest in the history of the tournament, when he lost his first four matches in the 2012-2013 season. Attention is drawn to the upcoming confrontation between German Leipzig and Italian Juventus in the second round of the Champions League, in a match that carries great importance for both teams, as this will be the first time that Leipzig meets Juventus in the Champions League, and it is the third confrontation for Leipzig against Italian teams after facing Napoli and Atalanta in Previous European competitions.
The “Old Lady” team enters this match with confidence, especially with a strong record against German teams in European competitions, as the Italian team won its last four confrontations with German teams, without conceding any goals, including its confrontations with Bayer Leverkusen in the League. Champions 2019-2000, and Freiburg in the Europa League 2022-2023. On the other hand, Leipzig is seeking to compensate for its loss in the first round of the Champions League this season to Atletico Madrid, with a score of 2-1. The German team traditionally suffers at the beginning of the tournament, losing the first two matches in two of its last three appearances in the Champions League.
Despite Juventus’ strong start this season in the Champions League, with a 3-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the first match under the leadership of coach Thiago Motta, the team is suffering in external matches within the tournament, as it has lost four of the last five matches it played away from home in the Champions League, including… This is the last three matches in a row, which represents his worst series since 2014, but Thiago Motta is seeking to record a historic achievement, as he could become the third coach in the history of Juventus to win his first two matches in the Champions League after Marcello Lippi in 1995 and Fabio Capello in 2004. .
The match between Aston Villa of England and Bayern Munich of Germany is considered an exciting confrontation, as the competition is renewed between two teams with a distinguished history in European football, especially since this match is the second between them, after Aston Villa achieved a historic victory in the final of the European Champion Clubs Cup in 1982 by defeating… Bayern 1-0, marking their first and greatest achievements in European championships.
Bayern Munich is considered one of the strong clubs in the Champions League, as it lost only one match out of 10 matches it played against English teams, achieving seven wins and two draws, while the only loss was against Manchester City (0-3) in the quarter-finals of the 2022-2023 season. . He also started his Champions League campaign at an excellent level, as he achieved victory in his first match against the Young Boys team (3-0), which is considered a strong indication of their desire to compete, especially since his coach, Unai Emery, has experience facing Bayern.
Despite its great victory in the first match of the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia (9-2), Bayern Munich suffered in its last three matches away from home in the tournament, as it did not achieve any victories (one draw and two losses), so this situation may affect morale. The team in the next match. As for the rest of the matches, Girona of Spain will face Feyenoord of the Netherlands, Shakhtar of Ukraine will play against Atalanta of Italy, Benfica of Portugal will host Atletico Madrid of Spain, Monaco will travel to face Dinamo Zagreb, Bologna will also travel to face Liverpool, and Strom Grass of Austria will host Brugge of Belgium.
