5 things to watch out for in Gameweek 2 of UEFA Champions League 2024/25

The second Gameweek of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League (UCL) will be held on October 1 and 2. Here are some things to look out for. 

Heavyweight clashes

The most attractive feature of the Champions League is to watch the best teams in club football tussle with each other. In Gameweek 1, we saw the battle between AC Milan and Liverpool, with the visitors going back with a win. Gameweek 2 is bound to keep up the excitement with similar fixtures and there are a couple of mouthwatering clashes.

Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain: This has the potential to be a great tactical battle between the two Spanish managers, Mikel Arteta and Luis Enrique. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan: The German champions will go up against European royalty in this thrilling encounter. Leverkusen started their Champions League campaign with a massive away win as Milan tasted defeat. This is an important game for the Italian giants to get back on track.

First-time and after-long-time encounters

As many teams are coming back to the Champions League after a long gap, there are some match-ups that are happening for the first time or after a long duration. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Salzburg vs Brest: Since this is the first time Brest are in the Champions League, this is the first time they play Salzburg. 

Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan: Even though these teams have played in several Champions League campaigns before, this is the first time they will be facing each other.

Barcelona vs Young Boys: The Catalan giants will play the Swiss club for the first time in the UCL history.

Lille vs Real Madrid: This is yet another first-time encounter in the UCL between Lille and the defending champions.

Leipzig vs Juventus: Another first-time encounter, even though both these teams have featured frequently in recent UCL editions.

Liverpool vs Bologna: The six-time UCL winners have never faced Bologna in the Champions League before.

Girona vs Feyenoord: With the Spanish club returning to the Champions League after a six-decade-long hiatus, this is the first time they will face Feyenoord while making their home debut in the competition.

Sturm Graz vs Club Brugge: Even though the Belgian outfit have been a regular part of the UCL in recent seasons, Sturm Graz are making a comeback to the competition after a long hiatus. 

Slovan Bratislava vs Man City: The Slovakian champions face the English champions for the first time ever.

Dinamo Zagreb vs Monaco: The Croatian club will also be playing their first encounter against Monaco in the Champions League. 

Repeat of 1982 European Cup Final

Aston Villa and Bayern Munich last met in the 1982 European Final, which Villa won 1-0.

Four decades on, Villa meet the same opponent in the league phase. While Villa played Young Boys away in their last game and won 3-0, while Bayern humiliated Dinamo Zagreb with a scoreline of 9-2.

Since they last met, Bayern have only gotten better and become one of the top European clubs, while this is Villa’s first UCL campaign in four decades. However, Unai Emery’s team are not to be taken lightly and boast great mentality, especially their forward line. It won’t be an easy game for Germany’s most successful club.

Also read: UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Sponsors

Front lines on a goal-scoring spree

The top side in Europe so far this season with the best attacking record are Bayern with 25 goals in all competitions. They are closely followed by Sporting and Barça with 23 goals each.

Defensive walls that have been difficult to break down

Juventus of the Serie A lead the way with only one goal conceded in five games so far. The other two teams with an enviable defensive record are Liverpool and Sporting, having conceded only two goals each in all competitions.