After the Premier League contenders in the Champions League went a collective 1-3 in the first matchday of the tournament, the four clubs look poised for a reversal of fortunes in matchday two.
It’ll be a strong shift in opponents’ strength for Chelsea, who will find themselves going from facing their easiest foe in their group at home to their hardest foe on the road. Arsenal will be hoping to avenge their road loss to Dinamo Zagreb with a home bout against Olympiacos.
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Manchester United will face another stiff test against gritty VfL Wolfsburg, and finally Manchester City will be out to prove their home loss to Juventus was a fluke when they take on Borussia Mönchengladbach on the road.
Here are the Champions League fixtures and predictions for matchday number two:
Group A:
Shaktar Donetsk vs. PSG – Winner: PSG
Angel Di Maria continues to prove his doubters wrong as he comes up big for the Ligue 1 champs in their first away game of the tournament.
Malmo vs. Real Madrid – Winner: Real Madrid
Ronaldo already has a hat trick against a tough Shaktar defence. Imagine what he and Karim Benzena can do against the Swedish giants.
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Group B:
Manchester United vs. VfL Wolfsburg – Winner: Wolfsburg
In a stunning upset, Julian Draxler proves he can carry the German giants to two wins in a row and make a major statement that they are Champions League contenders. Meanwhile, the absence of Luke Shaw may prove too hard for Man United to overcome.
CSKA Moscow vs. PSV Eindhoven – Winner: Draw
Moscow’s defence holds as Eindhoven fails to get a score on the road.
Group C:
Astana vs. Galasataray – Winner: Galasataray
The first-ever Champions League match hosted in Kazakhstan proves to be a total humiliation as Galasataray record a shutout and pour on the points…sorry, Astana!
Atletico Madrid vs Benfica – Winner: Draw
Two offensive powerhouses go blow for blow throughout the match but for their all of their scoring, neither one can take a decisive advantage.
Group D:
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City – Winner: Man City
Kevin De Bruyne helps the Citizens avenge their embarrassing loss to Juventus with a rare scoring frenzy as he both scores and assists the team to an overwhelming victory.
Juventus vs. Sevilla – Winner: Sevilla
The Serie A champs’ win over Man City proves to be a fluke as Sevilla roll to victory at Turin.
Group E:
Barcelona vs. Bayer Leverkusen – Winner: Barcelona
Messi’s loss proves tough but not unbearable as Suarez and Neymar take the reins and make life miserable for Leverkusen.
BATE Borisov vs. Roma – Winner: Roma
Roma keeps pace with Barcelona on the table by beating the Belarussian champs thanks to a near-constant barrage of shots.
Group F:
Bayern Munich vs. Dinamo Zagreb – Winner: Bayern Munich
Outside of an away game against Arsenal, the German champs look set to be the winners of every match on the table. Who could dare pick against them after what Robert Lewandowski did just two short weeks ago?
Arsenal vs. Olympiacos – Winner: Arsenal
Alexis Sanchez brings his hot streak to Emirates Stadium and proceeds to torch the Olympiacos defence.
Group G:
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs. Dynamo Kyiv – Winner: Dynamo Kyiv
The Israeli giants once again prove completely overmatched in the Champions League as Kyiv trounces them at home.
FC Porto vs. Chelsea – Winner: Chelsea
Jose Mourinho’s boys follow up a win from the easiest match on their group stage schedule with an equally impressive win in the hardest match on their schedule.
Group H:
Lyon vs. Valencia – Winner: Draw
This match is too close to call. Valencia’s loss to Zenit was a fluke and Lyon just got caught off guard. Both clubs should still be favored to finish first and second in the table despite their missing points.
Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Gent – Winner: Gent
In one of the biggest upsets of the week, the Belgian champs march into Russia with their confidence high and march out with a major victory.