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5 things to watch for in Wednesday's Champions League action 💫.


Following Tuesday's entrée, we now have the Champions League main course, which includes a marquee match in Madrid and the possibility of making history at Signal Iduna Park.

Here's what to expect in Wednesday's games.

⚔️ Match of the day

It's the game of the round, arguably the game of the season thus far, and one that will most likely define the season for these two clubs.

Real Madrid hosts Manchester City, with a spot in the Champions League last 16 on the line.

Last week's first leg was a mini-classic, with Los Blancos rallying from 2-1 down to win 3-2 in the final moments.
Carlo Ancelotti's side now has a slight advantage as they return to the Spanish capital thanks to Jude Bellingham's goal.

The expected returns of Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba, however, may benefit the Liga giants.

Although the Austria international is reportedly only ready for a bench spot, Rüdiger could return to the defence immediately and provide a capable opponent for Erling Haaland.

City's defensive duo, Rúben Dias and Nathan Ake, are expected to return to action.

Haaland has also trained following his injury scare over the weekend and is expected to lead the line.
It all adds up to a must-see match between two of the continent's best teams.

🔎 Team to watch.


Have Juventus finally turned the corner under Thiago Motta?

The former Barcelona and Inter midfielder joined the Old Lady last summer after his Bologna team emerged from nowhere to become an attacking force in Serie A.

The hope was that Motta could transform Juve from an uninspiring bore under previous manager Massimiliano Allegri to something like his Rossoblu outfit, albeit with a larger budget.

It's fair to say that the first half of the season wasn't exactly like that.

Prior to January, the Bianconeri were one of Europe's most perplexing teams, with Motta's side going unbeaten in the first 20 weeks while drawing 13 games.

Since the arrival of Randal Kolo Muani, however, the Turin side appears to have clicked into gear, with the France international providing a much clearer attacking fulcrum.

With Weston McKennie in support and in top form, Juve travel to PSV Eindhoven with a 2-1 lead from their first game and a real chance to prove that they are, finally, the real deal.

🔥 Player to watch.


There is currently no better player in Europe than Ousmane Dembélé.

Since his days at Rennes, the mercurial wide man has had a knack for making defenders look silly and keeping fans on the edge of their seats.

However, Dembélé lacked an end product.

Dembélé annoyed fans more than he impressed during his time at Borussia Dortmund and his ill-fated spell with Barcelona, and it appeared that the France international was destined to become a brilliant technician rather than a brilliant player.

This season, however, the 27-year-old has reached a new level, playing not only the best football of his career, but better than anyone else.

His usual pace, trickery, and craft are on display, and they've been topped off with an almost Thierry Henry-level of calm inside the penalty box.

Paris Saint-Germain is benefiting, and it would not be surprising if Dembélé adds to his 22 goals against Brest.

Potential upset.


The number of teams that have blown a three-goal lead or more in a two-legged Champions League match is small.

Milan collapsed against Deportivo La Coruna in 2004, Barcelona did the same against Roma before heroically fighting back against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and Liverpool did the same to the Blaugrana in 2019's legendary semi-final.

Sporting's history is against them as they travel to Borussia Dortmund after losing 3-0 in their first match last week.

But if any team can give up against the odds, it's Dortmund.

The Schwarzgelben have performed admirably in Europe thus far this season, but disaster has never been far away in the Bundesliga.

Another occurred this weekend, when lowly Bochum defeated Dortmund 2-0 for only their third win of the season.

Niko Kovač's team enters the play-off with low confidence but the opportunity to make history.

📊 A fascinating statistic.

If history is any indication, Real Madrid will almost certainly advance to the last 16.

Los Blancos' win over Manchester City last week marked the 40th time they had won a European first leg away from home.

Real Madrid has advanced to the next round 37 times out of the previous 39.

When was the last time they did not make any progress? That infamous Ajax last-16 game from 2018/19.

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