2' min
It's the third matchday of the group stage in the new Champions League. Kicking off this evening's post-international break European action are Milan and Monaco, who will face Club Brugge and Red Star Belgrade, respectively. The Rossoneri are looking for their first win of the season in the top European competition, having lost their opening two matches. However, a worrying statistic for Milan is their last encounter with Club Brugge, 21 years ago (2003-2004), when the Belgian side won 1-0 at San Siro.
A different story for Monaco, who have started their European campaign in the best possible way. While they're co-leading the French league with PSG, in the Champions League, the Principality club pulled off an upset by defeating Barcelona in their opening match at the Louis II stadium, though they were held to a 2-2 draw against Dinamo Zagreb in the second matchday.
Arsenal hosts Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates, aiming to bounce back from their recent Premier League defeat to Bournemouth. The Gunners shone in their previous European outing, beating PSG 2-0. The Parisian side, looking to recover, will face PSV Eindhoven at home.
The other two Italian teams in action are Juventus and Bologna. The Bianconeri, led by Thiago Motta, couldn't have asked for a better start after victories against PSV and RB Leipzig. A third consecutive win against Stuttgart would further strengthen their position in the top spots of the single Champions League group. However, Stuttgart has only earned one point from their first two games and conceded four goals to Bayern Munich over the weekend. Hoeness' side will certainly be eager for redemption.
Bologna, led by Vincenzo Italiano, is also hunting for their first European victory of the season as they travel to face an undefeated Aston Villa. The Villains are a tough opponent, as Bayern Munich learned when they were beaten by Unai Emery’s side. After respectable performances against Shakhtar and Liverpool, Bologna will need a flawless game to try and conquer Villa Park.
Another intriguing clash takes place at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Real Madrid hosts Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of last season’s Champions League final, which the Blancos won 2-0. Jude Bellingham, in just a few months, will once again face his former club. The German side has won their first two games against Club Brugge and Celtic, while Madrid is looking to recover from a narrow loss to Lille as they prepare for El Clasico against Barcelona on Saturday night.
We stay in Spain for Girona’s matchup at the Estadio Municipal de Montilivi, where they host Slovan Bratislava. Both the Catalan and Slovak teams are currently tied at zero points in the group, making this direct clash a crucial opportunity to start moving up the standings. Also at the bottom of the table is Sturm Graz, who will try to reverse their negative trend against Sporting Lisbon, unbeaten and seeking their second win of the season in Europe's elite competition.
