Champions League Matchday 1: Team News & Starting XIs
The UEFA Champions League is back, and Matchday 1 promises to be a thrilling spectacle with a plethora of blockbuster clashes. From the Premier League giants to the European heavyweights, every team will be eager to start their group stage campaign on a winning note. Let's take a look at the latest team news and predicted starting XIs for some of the most anticipated fixtures.
Group A: Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan
Bayern Munich:
- Team News: Bayern Munich will be without the injured Lucas Hernandez and Manuel Neuer. Sadio Mané is available after recovering from injury, and Thomas Müller is expected to return to the starting lineup.
- Predicted Starting XI: Neuer; Pavard, Upamecano, de Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Coman, Müller, Sané; Mané.
Inter Milan:
- Team News: Inter will be without Romelu Lukaku, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Joaquín Correa is expected to be available after recovering from a muscular issue.
- Predicted Starting XI: Onana; Skriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martínez, Correa.
Group B: Porto vs Atlético Madrid
Porto:
- Team News: Porto will be without Otávio, who is suspended. Evanilson is expected to return to the starting lineup.
- Predicted Starting XI: Costa; João Mario, Pepe, Marcano, Wendell; Uribe, Grujic; Galeno, Taremi, Evanilson.
Atlético Madrid:
- Team News: Atlético will be without Stefan Savic, who is suspended. Antoine Griezmann is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Oblak; Molina, Giménez, Hermoso, Reinildo; Koke, De Paul, Lemar; Correa, Griezmann, Morata.
Group C: Bayern Leverkusen vs FC Barcelona
Bayern Leverkusen:
- Team News: Leverkusen will be without Karim Bellarabi, who is injured. Patrik Schick is expected to lead the line.
- Predicted Starting XI: Hradecky; Frimpong, Tapsoba, Hincapié, Bakker; Palacios, Andrich; Diaby, Wirtz, Adli; Schick.
FC Barcelona:
- Team News: Barcelona will be without Jules Koundé, who is injured. Robert Lewandowski will lead the line.
- Predicted Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Araújo, Christensen, Balde; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Dembélé, Lewandowski, Raphinha.
Group D: Real Madrid vs Celtic
Real Madrid:
- Team News: Real Madrid will be without Karim Benzema, who is injured. Eden Hazard is expected to start in his place.
- Predicted Starting XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Modrić, Tchouaméni, Kroos; Valverde, Hazard, Vinícius Júnior.
Celtic:
- Team News: Celtic will be without Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is injured. Kyogo Furuhashi is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Hart; Juranovic, Starfelt, Jenz, Taylor; McGregor, Hatate, Mooy; Abada, Furuhashi, Maeda.
Group E: AC Milan vs Salzburg
AC Milan:
- Team News: AC Milan will be without Divock Origi, who is injured. Olivier Giroud is expected to lead the line.
- Predicted Starting XI: Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Bennacer, Tonali; Saelemaekers, Díaz, Leao; Giroud.
Salzburg:
- Team News: Salzburg will be without Noah Okafor, who is injured. Benjamin Sesko is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Köhn; Dedić, Solet, Pavlovic, Ulmer; Kjaergaard, Seiwald, Sucic; Šeško, Capaldo, Adamu.
Group F: Real Sociedad vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Real Sociedad:
- Team News: Real Sociedad will be without Brais Méndez, who is injured. Takefusa Kubo is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Remiro; Gorosabel, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Rico; Merino, Illarramendi; Kubo, Silva, Oyarzabal; Sorloth.
Shakhtar Donetsk:
- Team News: Shakhtar will be without Mykhailo Mudryk, who is injured. Lassina Traoré is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Trubin; Bondar, Matvienko, Krivtsov, Konoplyanka; Stepanenko, Sydorchuk; Mudryk, Zubkov, Traoré.
Group G: Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City:
- Team News: Manchester City will be without Kevin De Bruyne, who is injured. Erling Haaland is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Cancelo; Rodri, Silva, Gundogan; Mahrez, Haaland, Foden.
Borussia Dortmund:
- Team News: Dortmund will be without Karim Adeyemi, who is injured. Sébastien Haller is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Kobel; Süle, Schlotterbeck, Hummels, Guerreiro; Bellingham, Can; Brandt, Reus, Malen; Haller.
Group H: Benfica vs Paris Saint-Germain
Benfica:
- Team News: Benfica will be without David Neres, who is injured. Gonçalo Ramos is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Morato, Grimaldo; Enzo Fernández, Florentino Luís; João Mário, Rafa Silva, Gonçalo Ramos.
Paris Saint-Germain:
- Team News: PSG will be without Neymar, who is injured. Lionel Messi is expected to start in attack.
- Predicted Starting XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Mendes; Verratti, Vitinha, Ruiz; Messi, Mbappé, Ekitike.
These predictions are based on recent form, injury updates, and squad depth. The UEFA Champions League is known for its unpredictability, so expect surprises along the way.
Stay tuned for all the latest updates and analysis as the Champions League group stage gets underway!
