[VIDEO] Euro vision: City and Blues start UCL campaigns
The road to the Champions League final in Istanbul on 10 June 2023 kicks off on Tuesday, with Chelsea facing Dinamo Zagreb in the first game in Group E at 6.45pm.
The Blues, winners of the 2020/21 tournament, head into the opener in Croatia as firm favourites and will look to give a masked Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang his debut after his deadline-day arrival from Barcelona.
Aubameyang, 33, suffered a jaw injury when his house in Spain was burgled shortly before making his move to the Blues and was sidelined ever since.
While Chelsea are recent winners of Europe’s groot prys, Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City side are going after the trophy that has so far eluded them.
Having won four Premier League titles since arriving at the club in 2016, Guardiola has so far failed to win gold in Europe - losing to Chelsea in the final of the 2021 tournament.
Kova on Auba! 🤝
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 5, 2022
After three quarterfinals, one semifinal and one final appearance under Guardiola, City goalkeeper Ederson says ahead of Tuesday’s 9pm trip to La Liga’s Sevilla in Group G: “It’s a trophy that we all want to win… every year we are closer and closer to winning it…
“We have the quality and the capacity to win the only trophy left to add to our cabinet.”
The match of the opening day, though, takes place at the Parc des Princes, where PSG host Italian giants Juventus.
Watch our Monday morning training session live ahead of our opening #UCL game against Sevilla 💪
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 5, 2022
Tap to tune in ⤵️
With an attack comprising Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, sien Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri nie baie geluk vir sy span nie.
Allegri says: “PSG? Let’s be realistic; the match to win is the one at home with Benfica.”
📹 #PSGJuve ➖1️⃣
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) September 5, 2022
Follow the ⚪⚫ through training, their voyage to France and the pre-match presser ahead of tomorrow's #JuveUCL season starter ✨
Defending champions Real Madrid, who beat Liverpool in the final last season, kick off their lang pad to Istanbul against Celtic in Group F in Scotland at 9pm.
The Captain and Coach preview #PSGJuve with the press 🗣 pic.twitter.com/StbA3Fky6p
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) September 5, 2022
Tuesday’s Champions League fixtures
Dinamo Zagreb v Chelsea and Dortmund v FC Copenhagen (both 6.45pm); Benfica v Maccabi Haifa, Celtic v Real Madrid, PSG v Juventus, Sevilla v Manchester City, RB Salzburg v AC Milan, RB Leipzig v Shakhtar Donetsk (all 9pm).
dailyvoice@inl.co.za