Preview of Gameweek 4 | UEFA Champions League 2019-20
With half of the group stage already played, the picture has become clearer in the UEFA Champions League.
While some of the favourites like Manchester City, Bayern Munich and PSG have perfect records so far (3 wins in 3 games), others like Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have struggled to impress.
There have been huge clashes between almost-equal teams across the three game-weeks played so far, which have enriched the competition greatly.
Review of Gameweek 3
Gameweek 3 kicked off on Tuesday, 22 October as Group A action saw Real Madrid claim a vital 1-0 away win at Galatasaray thanks to a Toni Kroos strike. PSG continued its lead of the group with a 5-0 thrashing of Club Brugge in Belgium.
In group B, Bayern Munich put down a feisty Olympiacos side 3-2 in Greece while a wounded Tottenham Hotspur side ran riot, thumping Crvena Zvezda 5-0.
Manchester City blew away Atalanta 5-1 in Group C with Raheem Sterling getting a hat-trick. It was a very entertaining clash in Kharkiv as Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb played out a 2-2 draw.
As expected, the big dogs in Group D who were playing at home all won. Juventus beat Lokomotiv Moscow 2-1 while Atletico Madrid registered a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Defending champions Liverpool were ruthless in their 4-1 thrashing of Genk in Belgium in Group E. RB Salzburg meanwhile capitulated 3-2 to Napoli.
Inter Milan, with Lautaro Martinez in hot form, beat Borussia Dortmund with a goal in each half. Also in Group F, FC Barcelona were pushed all the way by a tenacious Slavia Prague side before winning 2-1 thanks to a Lionel Messi winner.
Marcel Sabitzer put up an early candidate for goal of the season in RB Leipzig’s 2-1 defeat of Zenit St Petersburg in Group G. Benfica gave themselves hope of qualification with a 2-1 win over Olympique Lyonnais.
Chelsea shocked Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena with a very late Michy Batshuayi strike earning the Blues a 1-0 win. Still in Group H, Lille grabbed a very late goal to earn a 1-1 draw with Valencia.
Preview of Gameweek 4
The action commences on Tuesday, 5 November with games from Groups E-H
Liverpool will want to complete the double over Genk when they meet at Anfield in Group E, while another thriller is expected in Naples when Napoli and RB Salzburg clash.
Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan know that a win for either side will dramatically help their chances of qualification to the next round. Their Group F clash at the Signal-Iduna Park promises to be feisty.
FC Barcelona will be eager to keep their leadership of the group with a good win over Slavia Prague at the Camp Nou.
Zenit St Petersburg will be out for instant revenge when they take on RB Leipzig in Russia in Group G, even as Lyon welcome Benfica to the Stade Groupama.
Chelsea and Ajax are looking the likeliest to qualify from Group H. The two sides will square off at Stamford Bridge while Valencia take on Lille at the Estadio Mestalla.
Action on Wednesday 6 November sees return leg ties in Group A between Real Madrid and Galatasaray as well as the clash between PSG and Club Brugge.
Bayern Munich will likely seal qualification for the next round with a win over Olympiacos in Germany. In Group B’s other game, Tottenham Hotspur will travel to Serbia to face Crvena Zvedza again.
Atalanta have been brilliant in Serie A but their European adventure could be ended by Manchester City in their return leg clash in Group C. Dinamo Zagreb will take on Shakhtar Donetsk as well.
Lokomotiv Moscow could cause problems for an under-performing Juventus side in Group D as Bayer Leverkusen take on Atletico Madrid.
Predictions for Gameweek 4
5 November
Liverpool VS Genk (1)
Napoli VS RB Salzburg (G/G)
Borussia Dortmund VS Inter Milan (G/G)
FC Barcelona VS Slavia Prague (Over 2.5 Goals)
Olympique Lyon VS SL Benfica (G/G)
Zenit St-Petersburg VS Zenit St. Petersburg (Over 2.5 Goals)
Valencia CF VS Lille OSC (Over 1.5 Goals)
Chelsea FC VS Valencia CF (Over 1.5 Goals)
6 November
Real Madrid VS Galatasaray (G/G)
PSG VS Club Brugge (Over 2.5 Goals)
Crvena Zvezda VS Tottenham Hotspur (G/G)
Bayern Munich VS Olympiacos (1)
Atalanta VS Manchester City (G/G)
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Dinamo Zagreb (G/G)
Lokomotiv Moscow VS Juventus (G/G)
Bayer Leverkusen VS Atletico Madrid (Over 1.5 Goals)