By Ayomide Otitoju
The UEFA Champions League resumes this week with high-stakes encounters, grudge matches, and daunting away trips for Europe’s elite clubs as Matchday 2 gets underway.
Real Madrid, still reeling from a humiliating 5-2 derby defeat to Atlético, travel to Kazakhstan to face Kairat Almaty at 5:45 p.m. on SS Football Plus HD (DStv Ch. 202). What looked routine on paper now carries added weight as Los Blancos seek redemption.
At 8:00 p.m., Liverpool face Galatasaray in Istanbul’s Rams Park, live on SS Premier League (GOtv Ch. 65, DStv Ch. 203). Arne Slot’s side, beaten by Crystal Palace at the weekend, must contend with a hostile atmosphere as the Turkish champions aim to turn home advantage into a decisive edge.
Chelsea, also kicking off at 8:00 p.m. on SS Football Plus HD, meet Benfica in Lisbon in what has been billed as a “Crisis Derby.” Both sides opened with defeats, and Enzo Maresca’s Blues arrive wounded after a 3-1 loss to Brighton, while José Mourinho seeks to steady Benfica’s campaign.
The headline clash sees Barcelona host Paris Saint-Germain at 8:00 p.m. on SS Premier League. Both teams are depleted by injuries: Barça are without Raphinha, Gavi, and Alejandro Balde, while PSG travel without Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and possibly Vitinha. The spotlight falls firmly on teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, as Barcelona look to build on their 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. PSG, meanwhile, enter on the back of a 2-0 victory over Auxerre.
Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola returns to Monaco—the site of Manchester City’s 2017 elimination—at 8:00 p.m. on SS La Liga (GOtv Ch. 66, DStv Ch. 204). City arrive in ruthless form after thrashing Burnley 5-1, but Monaco will be eager to stage another upset.
At the Emirates, Arsenal host Olympiakos at 8:00 p.m. on SS Football Plus HD after edging Newcastle 2-1 in the Premier League. Newcastle themselves face a tricky trip to Belgium to play Union Saint-Gilloise at 5:45 p.m. on the same channel.
