Champions League: What to look out for in every game on Wednesday, Matchday 2 | UEFA Champions League

The revamped league phase of the UEFA Champions League continues on Wednesday, with 18 teams in action at the conclusion of matchday two.

UEFA.com looks at all the fixtures and highlights the key stats and key storylines for the games on October 2nd.

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All kick-off times 9:00 p.m. CET unless otherwise stated

Wednesday, October 2nd

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Atalanta (18:45)

Mykola Matviyenko was philosophical after Shakhtar started their season with a goalless draw against Bologna. “I can't say we are completely satisfied, but if we evaluate the game as a whole, the result is probably natural,” said the defender. “A 0-0 draw is a good start to the Champions League. We want to at least get into the zone of the teams that are fighting for the play-offs.”

The Pitmen next face another Italian team and another team that was involved in a stalemate on matchday one where they wasted a penalty to take the points. Neither team is really on the right track so far, but both have proven domestically that it's difficult to keep them at bay when everything goes right.

Did you know?
Shakhtar are winless in their last nine UEFA competition games against Italian sides (D4 L5). Their last win was a 2-1 win against Atalanta in Milan in the group stage of the 2019/20 Champions League.

Girona vs Feyenoord (18:45)

Girona came close to a draw on their competitive debut in Paris and coach Míchel was full of praise for his charges. “I think we presented ourselves well,” he said. “We are a modest club, it is our first appearance in the Champions League and we were up to the task. This game will serve as a learning curve. We will collect points little by little. I am convinced that we will be competitive in every game.

Feyenoord also needs to learn quickly and clear their heads after the 4-0 defeat against Leverkusen on the first matchday. Goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther was keen to see the positives after that game, saying: “We had chances but didn't score any goals. We didn’t make them actually play poorly with the ball.”

Did you know?
Feyenoord has lost its last four Champions League games.

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich

It was certainly a stroke of fate when Villa were allowed to play Bayern in their first home game in the competition since 1983, after the English club famously won the trophy a year earlier with a 1-0 win against Munich in Rotterdam. Unai Emery's side showed they are keen to make up for lost time when they beat Young Boys 3-0 on matchday one, a result that left Youri Tielemans looking forward to the next challenge.

“Every game is going to be really tough,” said the midfielder. “This new format means everything will really matter; At the end of the eight games it will go into detail. It will be up to us to assert our game.” Bayern clearly prevailed in the last game and were the first team to score nine goals in a Champions League game (excluding qualification).

Did you know?
Bayern are unbeaten in 41 league/group phase games in the Champions League (37 wins, 4 draws) since a 3-0 defeat against Paris in September 2017.

GNK Dinamo vs Monaco

Monaco coach Adi Hütter was delighted with his young team after they achieved one of the outstanding results on matchday one, a 2-1 home win against Barcelona. “I’m really proud,” he said. “Especially with players like Eliesse Ben Seghir, who is 19 years old, Maghnes Akliouche, who played his first game (in the competition) and Lamine Camara, who is 20 years old. That’s the path we want to take here in Monaco.”

While the French prepared their appearance, GNK Dinamo went back to the drawing board and parted ways with coach Sergej Jakirović after the 9-2 defeat at Bayern. His successor, Nenad Bjelica, started his second spell as the club's coach with a 5-1 win over NK Lokomotiva but knows there is little room for error on matchday two. “The boys played well, I'm happy with the way we all met the requirements,” he said. “Now we can focus all our attention on Monaco.”

Did you know?
Monaco remained winless in the actual Champions League 14 times before this triumph against Barcelona.

Liverpool vs Bologna

Liverpool made a successful return to the competition with victory in Milan on matchday one, and captain Virgil van Dijk was quick to explain how Arne Slot's men plan to build on this victory. “It sounds very simple, but the key is consistency,” he said. “You have to stay fit, you have to do everything in your power to be ready for the next game whether you start or not and you have to feel like you are part of winning games .”

The Reds scored two headed goals in that game – one from a free kick, the other from a corner – and Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano has identified this as an area for improvement for his team. “We have to grow and improve in the final third,” he said. “We also have to do more with standard situations.”

Did you know?
Liverpool have won 12 of their last 13 league/group stage games in the Champions League (L1).

Lille vs Real Madrid

With ten men on the pitch, Lille lost 2-0 at Sporting CP on matchday one, although defender Alexsandro refused to despair, telling UEFA.com: “We took a lot of positives from this game despite the defeat. We had a defensive mistake that complicated the game.

Any more mistakes would be unwise when the reigning European champions visit France, although Madrid may have been flattered by scoring 3-1 in their last game against Stuttgart. “We are still looking for the best version (of ourselves),” coach Carlo Ancelotti said. Will they find it at the Stade Pierre Mauroy?

Did you know?
Lille have lost just once in eight home games against Spanish clubs in UEFA club competition, winning two and drawing the other five games.

Leipzig against Juventus

Leipzig suffered a late defeat at Atlético de Madrid, leaving midfielder Arthur Vermeeren keen to make amends in Germany. “We are a young team with young players and we have to learn from these moments and make sure we win in the next game,” he told UEFA.com.

Meanwhile, Kenan Yıldız's finish was the highlight of Juve's 3-1 win over PSV, but coach Thiago Motta expects an even better performance in their first meeting with Leipzig. “(The PSV) result is a good start to the competition,” he explained. “Now we just have to keep going and improve a lot of things.”

Did you know?
Juve have won three of their last five games in Germany (D1 L1), including 2-0 wins on their last two visits.

Sturm Graz against Club Brugge

“We were unlucky with some chances, but in the end we conceded two easy goals,” striker captain Jon Gorenc Stanković told UEFA.com as he reflected on his side's 2-1 opening defeat in Brest. The Austrian champions have to be sharper to be able to compete against their Belgian colleagues in Klagenfurt.

Nicky Hayen's Club Brugge caved late against Dortmund, conceding all three goals and losing 3-0 after the 75th minute, leaving goalkeeper Simon Mignolet frustrated. “We have to hold on for the next game,” he said.

Did you know?
Sturm's last Belgian visitors were Anderlecht in the group stage of the 2011/12 Europa League; The Brussels team won 2-0.

Benfica vs Atlético de Madrid

These teams have already met twice and won both their away games 2-1 in the group stage of the 2015/16 Champions League. Bruno Lage's Benfica defied a typically full-blooded home crowd to claim a 2-1 win at Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) in their opening game. They can expect to face intimidating opponents again, with Atleti recovering from a 1-0 deficit to beat Leipzig 2-2. 1 on matchday 1.

“We started with a defensive mistake,” said José María Giménez, the Spanish team’s match-winner in that game. “But the team didn’t stop fighting and believing.”

Did you know?
Diego Simeone's Atleti lost 4-1 to Real Madrid after extra time in the 2014 Champions League final at the Estadio do SL Benfica.

Further forward

• Last season's Champions League finalists will face each other again when Real Madrid hosts Dortmund on Tuesday of matchday three.
• The next day, two heavyweights meet when Bayern and Barcelona meet again – the German team having won all five meetings this decade.
• Matchday four will bring an emotional return to Anfield for Xabi Alonso as his Leverkusen side travel to Liverpool.