Champions League: “Challenge” for Leipzig at the beginning

And this will be it for the German Bundesliga club. The Leipzig team started the championship with three defeats in four games. Most recently there was a clear 1: 4 home defeat against Bayern at the weekend. In terms of strength, Manchester City is in the same category as Munich. “It’s the Champions League, so we have to expect the best teams in the whole world. And we got one like that, ”said Marsch.

There is currently not much to be seen of the Germans being taken for granted and carefree. The coaching era at Marsch in Leipzig started bumpy. In American fashion, however, the 47-year-old is convinced that faith can move mountains. “It is a dream for every player to be in a situation like this. We have to play at full throttle and stay strong, ”said the Leipzig coach.

An increase compared to the appearances in the German Bundesliga must succeed, otherwise there will be nothing to be gained from Josep Guardiola’s team. “You have to bring your maximum performance,” demanded ÖFB team player Konrad Laimer. According to the march, the heads of the players are free. “We were disappointed with the result against Bayern, but we also thought the performance was okay,” said the coach. “I think we learned a lot too.”

Guardiola has great respect for Leipzig

City coach Guardiola is in any case wary of the Leipzigers and praised the opponent before the duel. “You have a strong philosophy. They have young players who are dynamic, physical and strong, ”said the Spaniard. Midfielder Rodrigo also expressed respect. “They have very, very good players who play a very special style,” said the Spaniard. “They can keep up with all teams.”

Guardiola demanded that his “Citizens” play for the title again after losing the final last season (0: 1 against Chelsea). A good start is important for this. “Especially at home,” he said. “The Champions League has 13 games. Last year we won eleven and lost one. People said we had failed. But I think we were incredibly good. “

Milan makes a comeback at Liverpool

While ManCity is a regular in the premier class, AC Milan is making its comeback in the Champions League after a seven-year break. However, the Italians have to do without striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the guest appearance at Anfield Road against Liverpool. The 39-year-old Swede, who only made his season debut at the weekend after a four-month break due to a knee injury, is absent due to Achilles tendon problems.

The fact that Milan was not represented in the competition for several years does not play a role for Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp. “You had a great season and started this season well,” said the German. Liverpool against Milan is a game that you have to watch, said the 54-year-old, who described the group with Atletico, Porto and Milan as a “real Champions League”.

In any case, Klopp is happy that his Liverpool FC is finally back in the premier class. “It’s been a long time since we had a Champions League game at home,” said Klopp. “We talked a lot about the European evenings in Anfield and I can’t wait to see it again.” Last season, the “Reds” were eliminated in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid.

Inter need “perfect game” at Real

The “royal corpses” for their part then failed at Chelsea. With the game against the Italian champions Inter Milan, Real is waiting for a difficult start to this CL season. With the Spaniards, Alaba is back in the squad after recovering from muscle ailments. The two teams met in the group stage last season. Real won both games. A 3-2 home win was followed by a 2-0 win away.

Inter have failed in the group stage for the past three years. The last time the “Nerazzurri” were in the knockout phase of the premier class was in 2011. “In the past, other teams were better than us, but now we’re breaking new ground. Compared to the previous teams, we are more experienced and more determined, ”said coach Simone Inzaghi. But the 45-year-old is aware of one thing. In order to get something at Real, “we need a perfect game”.