Champions League preview: What to look out for on Matchday 2 and how to watch

Harry Kane has never won the Champions League but if Matchday 1 was anything to go by, the England captain is desperate to do so.

The Bayern Munich striker scored four times in their 9-2 hammering of Dinamo Zagreb and should return to English soil on Matchday 2 when the German giants visit Aston Villa — a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final — despite Kane suffering an ankle injury late in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.

Kane was not the only forward to catch the eye in the last round of matches. Barcelona’s 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal became the Champions League’s second-youngest scorer and Real Madrid’s Endrick, 18, scored on his debut in the competition.

The next set of matches in the new format (more on that here) is upon us, so here’s a reminder of what has happened, what to look out for, and how to watch in the U.S. and UK.

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First, what happened on Matchday 1?

Bayern’s 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb was a record for goals scored in a single game. Kane scored his 50th, 51st, 52nd and 53rd goals on his 50th Bayern appearance, while Michael Olise also hit two as he continues his impressive start since moving from Crystal Palace.

After scoring in Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Stuttgart, Endrick could become the youngest player to score in his first two appearances if he can repeat the trick in Lille. Kylian Mbappe is recovering from a thigh injury sooner than expected and could make a surprise return after being named in Real’s squad. However, his 17-year-old brother, Ethan, will not feature after the Lille midfielder confirmed he will be out for several weeks with a muscle injury.

Though Yamal became the second youngest scorer in the Champions League at 17 years and 68 days old (the youngest is team-mate Ansu Fati), Barcelona, who had Eric Garcia sent off inside 10 minutes, lost 2-1 at Monaco.

Villa began their first campaign in Europe’s elite competition since 1982-83 with a 3-0 away win in Bern against Young Boys and Liverpool won 3-1 at AC Milan. Scottish champions Celtic hammered Slovan Bratislava 5-1, while Manchester City and Arsenal were held 0-0 by Italian opposition — Inter Milan and Atalanta respectively.

Ligue 1 side Brest took no time to acquaint themselves with the Champions League, beating Austrian champions Sturm Graz 2-1 on their debut in the competition. They head for Red Bull Salzburg next.

What should I look out for this week?

Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain, Tuesday, October 1

Arsenal are looking to continue their unbeaten start to the campaign in all competitions. Following an ankle injury to captain Martin Odegaard, Mikel Arteta’s side need to retain an attacking threat. Against Atalanta, they had just nine touches in the opposition box in the 0-0 draw, their fewest in a Champions League game since March 2014, but they then put four past Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Their defensive record has been stellar having kept three clean sheets in their opening six Premier League games and goalkeeper David Raya was crucial in the draw with Atalanta, making an excellent double save to deny Mateo Retegui.

French champions Paris Saint-Germain sneaked past Girona 1-0, the victory coming courtesy of goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga’s calamitous own goal in the 90th minute.

PSG, whose most recent trip to England ended in a 4-1 defeat by Newcastle United last season, will have to be more clinical against Arsenal’s strong defence than they were against Girona. From 26 shots, they had an expected goals (xG) value, which measures the likelihood of a shot being converted, of 2.1. They only took the three points thanks to Gazzaniga’s error. They will face Arsenal without forward Ousmane Dembele, however, who was left out of the squad by head coach Luis Enrique for disciplinary reasons.

Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan, Tuesday, October 1

In Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-0 victory over Feyenoord, the German champions displayed the quality that saw them go unbeaten in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season.

Florian Wirtz, their 21-year-old attacking midfielder, became the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut and he has been directly involved in 24 goals in his last 26 starts for Leverkusen in Europe.

Milan have their own in-form player in Christian Pulisic. The 26-year-old USMNT winger has scored in his last two Champions League games and could become the first American to score in three consecutive appearances.

Despite Pulisic putting Milan ahead against Liverpool, they were beaten 3-1 on Matchday 1. He once again put Milan in front five days later when they recorded a 2-1 win over city rivals Inter Milan. Can he continue his scoring streak against Leverkusen?

Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic, Tuesday, October 1

Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic stormed to a 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava to start their Champions League campaign with a victory for the first time.

Japanese pair Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda were key to that win but Dortmund are a step up in class — and Celtic have failed to beat German opposition in eight attempts in the competition.

Dortmund, beaten finalists in June, started with a 3-0 win away at Club Bruges. It was the first time in the Champions League that three substitutes had all directly contributed to a goal. England’s Jamie Gittens scored two, Serhou Guirassy, a €17.5million summer signing from Stuttgart, dinked in a penalty and 23-year-old German midfielder Felix Nmecha chipped in with an assist.

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich, Wednesday, October 2

This will be the second meeting between the two teams — the first was the 1982 European Cup final, which Villa won 1-0 to lift their only title. While Bayern have history on their side with six European Cups, Villa have an accomplished manager in their dugout.

Unai Emery, the four-time Europa League winner, has beaten Bayern twice in the Champions League and could become the second manager to beat them with three different teams (Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal the others) after Jose Mourinho.

Emery’s counterpart Vincent Kompany has made a good start at Bayern. They have stormed to the top of the Bundesliga with four wins from their first five games and are scoring goals for fun.

They have 17 in the league to add to the nine scored against Zagreb. Kane loves playing at Villa Park too, with the former Tottenham Hotspur striker having been directly involved in seven goals in his six appearances there.

RB Leipzig vs Juventus, Wednesday, October 2

Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko scored on Matchday 1 for the second season running but RB Leipzig suffered late heartache when Jose Maria Gimenez’s 90th-minute header snatched Atletico a 2-1 win in Madrid.

Sesko scored two more in their 4-0 win over Augsburg at the weekend in an impressive start. Leipzig are yet to lose in the Bundesliga and ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 43-game unbeaten streak domestically.

Despite winning 3-1 against PSV Eindhoven with Kenan Yildiz, 19, becoming their youngest Champions League scorer since Pietro Fanna in 1977, Juventus have struggled to score in Serie A.

Thiago Motta’s side recorded three goalless draws in a row but clicked into gear with a 3-0 victory over Genoa at the weekend with Dusan Vlahovic scoring twice. Will their attack continue to build momentum in Germany, where they have won on each of their last four visits?

How and where can I watch the games?

Below is a full listing of what to watch and where this week (all UK listings on TNT Sports unless stated; all U.S. listings on Paramount +):

Tuesday, October 1
RB Salzburg vs Brest, 12.45 ET/17.45 BST
Stuttgart vs Sparta Prague, 12.45 ET /17.45 BST
Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST (UK: Amazon Prime)
Dortmund vs Celtic, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
PSV Eindhoven vs Sporting Lisbon, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Barcelona vs Young Boys, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Inter Milan vs Red Star Belgrade, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST

Wednesday, October 2
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Atalanta, 12.45 ET/17.45 BST
Girona vs Feyenoord,12.45 ET/17.45 BST
Benfica vs Atletico Madrid, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Liverpool vs Bologna, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
RB Leipzig vs Juventus, 3pm ET/8pm BST
Lille vs Real Madrid, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Sturm Graz vs Club Bruges, 3pm ET/8pm BST
Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST
Dinamo Zagreb vs Monaco, 15.00 ET/20.00 BST

(Top photos: Getty Images)