UEFA Champions League Preview (Matchday 1): Group D

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus scores the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Juventus and Club de Atletico Madrid at Allianz Stadium on March 12, 2019 in Turin, Italy.

(March 11, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

Atletico Madrid vs Juventus- Wednesday 19 September 2019

Two European giants who haven’t hit the right form in the new season square-off. Atletico Madrid slumped to their first defeat of the La Liga season, a 2-0 loss to Real Sociedad while Juve were quite lucky to get a point at Fiorentina. Diego Simeone’s men will particularly be interested in getting one over Ronaldo and the Old Lady who knocked them out of last season’s champions league in the round-of-16 on a 3-2 aggregate scoreline. Wanda Metropolitano will likely be hostile to Ronaldo who mockingly returned a cojones celebration after scoring the three goals that saw Atleti out, and at the same time hoping their new star Joao Felix can stand-up to challenge the heroics of his aforementioned compatriot.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Lokomotiv Moscow- Wednesday 19 September 2019

Leverkusen vs Lokomotiv might be the most unpredictable fixture of the round. The Bundesliga giants have had a mixed start to the season, worse off a 4-0 loss at the hands of the Dortmund over the weekend that confined them to an 8th position on the log. On the other hand, the Russian Premier League side haven’t done bad at all, sitting just 3 points off the top after 9 games. They are actually very capable of leaving Germany with all 3 points. Former West Brom’s Grzegorz Krychowiak and highly rated Kai Havertz will surely form an interesting midfield battle.