Soccer
Aston Villa vs. Bayern Munich, Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain - This week's UEFA Champions League games to watch
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Matchday 2 of the revamped UEFA Champions League takes place this week, as the cream of the European crop prepare to enter the arena once again.
Plenty of excitement was served up across the opening round, but the jury remains out on whether this new format will pay off, with more matches than ever.
Nevertheless, some fascinating storylines are already bubbling away under the surface - and plenty could explode into life with this latest batch of games.
Here, DAZN picks out five games to keep a close eye on, and just what to watch out for, from the UEFA Champions League this week.
Aston Villa vs. Bayern Munich
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It feels strange to pick out a UCL debutant among the teams to watch - but then, Aston Villa are no stranger to success in this competition's predecessor, the European Cup.
Back at the high table of continental football for the first time in four decades, the club achieved their greatest triumph when they won the biggest prize on offer way back in 1982.
Their vanquished foe? Bayern Munich, of course, in the only meeting between the two teams in their respective history, setting the stage for a fascinating battle.
The Bavarian giants badly misfired last term, but secured a draw against incumbent Bundesliga holders Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend to maintain their unbeaten start.
Villa too slipped up in domestic competition, held to a 2-2 draw by newly-promoted Ipswich Town, but they will take heart from a bright result back in Europe last time out.
A 3-0 win on the road against Young Boys was the perfect way to start the campaign, though that doesn't stack up against Bayern's 9-2 rout of Dinamo Zagreb.
Harry Kane bagged four in that demolition job, and is expected to overcome a small knock to face Villa again. He has eight goals in 13 games against them across his career.
Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain
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There is a little less stardust about the Ligue 1 champions now several of their biggest and most expensive names have fled the coup, led by Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid.
Luis Enrique has overseen an unbeaten start at home and abroad to the new campaign however, with victory over Girona coming thanks to a Paulo Gazzaniga own goal.
Young winger Bradley Barcola has been their form player, with six goals across all competitions, but they will head across the English Channel without Ousmane Dembele.
A reported bust-up with his boss has seen the France international dropped from their squad to face Arsenal, in what will be a handy boost for Mikel Arteta's men.
Following their goalless draw with Atalanta to start their European campaign on a muted note, the Gunners played out a thrilling 2-2 tie with rivals Manchester City.
The match, which saw Leandro Trossard shown a red card for kicking the ball away, was followed by a Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers and victory against Leicester City.
That will have restored some forward momentum to Arsenal, who now trail Liverpool in the Premier League title race but nevertheless look like form contenders.
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Bayer Leverkusen vs. Milan
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The Bundesliga champions enjoyed an unbeaten season last term on the way to the UEFA Europa League Final, before dramatically choking at the last against Atalanta.
The result came as a shock, given the way Xabi Alonso's team had left their mark on every other opponent, but they will now tangle with a different rival from Italy's Serie A instead.
It has not been the perfect start envisioned to their domestic defence, with a loss against RB Leipzig in just their second top-flight game of the new term.
But a draw with Bayern Munich last time out at least ensured their main rivals could not open a further gap at the summit, and they will still boast ambitions of a European double.
While they recorded a comfortable win over Feyenoord to start their continental exploits, the same could not be said for Milan, who suffered a 3-1 loss against Liverpool.
Since then though, a massive 2-1 victory in the Derby della Madonnina over Inter, followed by a 3-0 dispatch of Lecce, has lifted them to third in the top flight back home.
They will face a tough test across the border and on the road, but Paulo Fonseca will have high hopes his team can kickstart their UCL campaign with another upset.
Slovan Bratislava vs. Manchester City
(Getty Images)
Manchester City finally ended their wait for the UEFA Champions League in 2023, and came close to another final last term, downed in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid.
But Pep Guardiola's hopes for a successful campaign this year got off to an anonymous start when they were held to a goalless draw by Inter Milan.
That saw the Serie A side attempt to throttle their creative juice by keeping Rodri under close watch - but Slovan Bratislava won't even have to do that this time around.
The Spain international and Euro 2024 winner, a leading contender for the Ballon d'Or, looks set to miss most of the season after suffering an ACL injury.
City appeared less fluid without him in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United, though even without his quality, they should be comfortable favourites on the road in Slovakia.
Bratislava were unpacked in a 5-1 drubbing by Celtic in their first matchweek, with Kevin Wimmer scoring the lone consolation goal for the visitors in Glasgow.
A comfortable domestic victory over Michalovce means they arrive in winning fashion, but even a draw would be considered a major upset for Vladimír Weiss and his men.
Lille vs. Real Madrid
Gonzalo Arroyo - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
The arrival of Kylian Mbappe into Real Madrid's attack this term was meant to underline their place as all-conquering kings of the world after last term's UCL triumph.
Yet while Los Blancos have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the new campaign under Carlo Ancelotti, it has not been as wildly entertaining as purists may have hoped for.
France captain Mbappe does have seven goals across all competitions, by no means a poor haul - but the stardust is yet to quite ignite at Santiago Bernabeu this term.
A return to his home country, to face one of the few sides to trouble him domestically during his Ligue 1 days, may be just the tonic for him to kick things up a gear again.
While Madrid arrive after a 1-1 derby draw with rivals Atletico however, Lille will be brimming with confidence after a much-needed 3-0 win over Le Harve.
They misfired in their UCL opener against Sporting, limping with ten men to a 2-0 defeat, only days after they had been edged narrowly by Saint-Étienne.
Brooklyn-born Canada international Jonathan David is their leading goalscorer this term, with seven in all competitions, and he will be tasked with finding a way to strike at Madrid.
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