5 things to watch out for in Gameweek 4 of UEFA Champions League 2024/25

Gameweek 4 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League (UCL) is set to be played on November 5 and 6.

Here are some things to keep in mind.

A clash between European heavyweights

Fifteen-times winners Real Madrid will be up against seven-times champions AC Milan in Gameweek 4. Los Blancos showed their champion mentality last time round as they came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat last year’s finalists Borussia Dortmund 5-2, while Milan beat Belgian opponents Club Brugge 3-1 at home. 

Even though both teams have played reasonably well so far, the Galácticos must be hurting from the 4-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of Barcelona in El Clásico and will want to make amends by beating the Rossoneri, who are having a topsy-turvy season in the Serie A, lying a lowly eighth with four wins, two draws, and two losses in the league. 

These are the games football fans wait for in the Champions League. It will be interesting to see how Milan counter Real Madrid’s attacking threat and create chances of their own. 

A former Red returns to Anfield

Xabi Alonso will return to his former club as an opposition manager for the first time when Liverpool faces Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield in UCL Gameweek 4.

It will be an emotional return for the former Spanish midfielder, who won the Champions League with Liverpool after the famous “Miracle of Istanbul” game in 2005 and spent five years of his prime at Merseyside before leaving for Real Madrid.

Liverpool have been in great form under new head coach Arne Slot and came away with a point against fellow title contenders Arsenal in the Premier League last time out, while Leverkusen haven’t been able to replicate last season’s runaway form thus far and are currently lying third in the German Bundesliga table, having drawn too many games for their liking. 

This game has all the ingredients to turn out to be one of those fascinating tactical battles between two coaches that fans like to analyse comprehensively, as they both prefer a possession-based game. It will be a tough away game for Alonso, who will know better than most about the hostile environment of Champions League nights at Anfield for an opposition team.

Paris Saint-Germain FC vs Atlético Madrid: A battle of strugglers

Both PSG and Atlético Madrid have struggled in the Champions League so far, having lost two of their three games in the league phase, which makes this game even more decisive for both of them.

PSG at home are a difficult team to beat, and Luis Enrique’s men have the firepower upfront to blow away any team on their day, though their finishing has been letting them down of late, while Diego Simeone’s charges are known for their defensive prowess but have been leaking in goals. Both sides will look at this game as an opportunity to get things right.

Can the Gunners fire away to a win in Milan?

Arsenal will have a challenging encounter against Inter at the iconic San Siro. The two sides have only played each other twice in the UCL, winning one game each.

The Gunners have more injury issues to deal with, with defender Gabriel Magalhães having limped off against Liverpool and Riccardo Calafiori still injured as well. However, William Saliba returns to the side after serving his suspension in the league on the weekend.

On paper, there isn’t much quality difference between the two sides, Inter also being a tough nut to crack under Simone Inzaghi.

Both sides have won two and drawn one game so far and both were far from convincing in their last games, respectively, as Inter won through a late goal against Red Star Belgrade while Arsenal won at home courtesy of an own goal by Shakhtar Donetsk. 

This could be a cracking game of football given the two sides’ attack lines.

Other key encounters

LOSC Lille vs Juventus FC

Lille have surprised everyone by beating both the Madrid sides in the UCL, and hence Juventus will be cautious coming into this one aware of Les Dogues‘ attacking prowess, especially when Jonathan David is on the pitch.

Juve did lose to Stuttgart last time out in the UCL and hence will be looking to get back on track with a win here.

VfB Stuttgart vs Atalanta BC

Stuttgart are a team transformed under coach Sebastian Hoeneß in recent seasons and are certainly no pushovers, which they proved again by beating Juventus in Gameweek 3. 

But Atalanta, on the other hand, are the defending Europa League champions and can beat any side on their day. Managed by experienced Gian Piero Gasperini, the Bergamaschi will look to dominate proceedings and get a win to improve their chances of directly making the knockouts of the 2024/25 Champions League.

Also read: UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Sponsors