UEFA Champions League Preview (Matchday 2): Group F

Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona runs with the ball during the Joan Gamper trophy friendly match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Aug. 3, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

Group F

Slavia Praha vs Borussia Dortmund- Wednesday, 02 October 2019

Slavia Praha just might be the surprise package of this season. Might be. They reached the Europa League quarter-final last year, narrowly losing to eventual champions Chelsea. On their opening champions league night at Inter, they showed promise with a hard-earned 1-1 draw against one of the most in-form teams in Europe. On Wednesday, they welcome a side without a lack of attacking talent, Borussia Dortmund. Lucien Favre’s men must be feeling hard done by with a consecutive set of league draws, that have left them 8th on the Bundesliga table, 3 points off champions Bayern Munich. Without Hummels in the side, their defense which lacks experienced leadership has been guilty of letting in some more goals than needed. The Black and Yellow will be hoping to pick up on their impressive performance in an unlucky 0-0 draw against Barcelona on matchday 1 when they travel to a tricky Slavia Praha.

It’s still very much an open group with all four teams on a single point.

Barcelona vs Inter Milan- Wednesday, 02 October 2019

This must be the fixture of the round. The Spanish champions are looking anything but stable even after getting all 3 points against Getafe over the weekend. They needed an assist from star goalkeeper, Marc Andre Ter Stegen and fed off a defensive error by the Getafe shot-stopper to get the win. A growing injury list that has since sidelined teenage sensation Fati, Dembele and skipper Messi has them possibly biting their nails when they welcome Antonio Conte’s men who have won all their 6 Serie A league matches this season, effectively giving Juve a run for their money in the title race. Furthermore, Manchester United flop, Alexis Sanchez looks re-energized after he scored twice on his debut over the weekend in a 4-1 win over Sampdoria, even though he got sent off later on for a second yellow.

Who knows what might happen when a shaky Barca faces possibly the best Inter side since the heroes of 2009/10 who won a treble under Jose Mourinho.

UEFA Champions League Preview(Matchday 1): Group F

Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between Barcelona and Liverpool at the Nou Camp on May 01, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

(April 30, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

Dortmund vs Barcelona - Tuesday 18 September 2019

Barcelona will head to Germany for their first group clash against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening. Barca face the Black & Yellow without injured captain Lionel Messi who has been ruled out by Ernesto Valverde due to a calf injury. The Spanish giants are appearing in their sixteenth consecutive UEFA Group Stages and boast a better record against Dortmund in previous ties. Ousmane Dembele will also most likely not start this clash after being ruled out for five weeks due to a hamstring injury while Frenkie de Jong and Antione Griezmann will make their UEFA debuts for Blaugrana. Dortmund have no significant injuries to lament of and a win against Messi-less Barca could catapult them towards a probable top of the group finish. Dortmund’s star player Paco Alcácer who has scored 5 in 4 league games this season should relish possibly heaping misery on his former employers.

Inter vs Slavia Prague- Tuesday 18 September 2019

Czech side Slavia Prague drew a difficult group with Barcelona and Dortmund. They start their campaign against Inter Milan. This will be the Czech side’s second European campaign while Inter Milan is fairly seasoned. It’s a tight group, but Slavia has shown that they deserve the spot by winning the domestic league and the double in Czech Republic as well as remaining unbeaten in their last 22 matches. The match will be played at home for Inter where they’ve been historically more successful against Czech teams. Inter qualified after finishing fourth in Serie A last season ahead of AC Milan and currently at the top of Serie A with Juventus trailing. Antonio Conte’s Inter were the last Italian team to win the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2010 under then boss, Jose Mourinho.