Accustomed to these first games which take place from mid-September to mid-December and allow a certain rise in power, the greats of Europe will not have any breathing space this time. The prospect of the World Cup in Qatar this fall (November 20-December 18) cuts the season in two, compressing the first phase of the C1 into just two months.
No joker for the top names, directly immersed in the bath like the PSG of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, opposed Tuesday to Juventus Turin for one of the first major European posters of the season (9:00 p.m.).
No net either for less upscale clubs, such as Olympique de Marseille, poured into a balanced group D with Frankfurt, Sporting Portugal and Tottenham, its first opponent on Wednesday (9:00 p.m.).
By playing every three days, the teams will have to rotate their workforce to reach the round of 16 and dream of the final in Istanbul (June 10, 2023), which Parisian coach Christophe Galtier understood, who left Neymar on the bench on Saturday at kick-off in Nantes (3-0).
“I have a quality group and in certain sectors there is the possibility of replacing a player without weakening. It seems important to me, at the start of this series (of matches), to inject fresh blood”, added launched Galtier.
– Group C without mercy –
Same situation for Real Madrid, defending champion and in search of his “Decimoquinta”, his 15th C1: coach Carlo Ancelotti will have to find the opportunity to breathe his striker and captain Karim Benzema, still holder Saturday against Betis Sevilla (2-1).
“We’re not going to kill him, don’t worry,” quipped the mad Italian technician. “We play every three days (…), so it is possible that he needs to rest on a game from time to time. But so far he has played every week, and I feel that very well physically.”
Real begins the defense of its European crown on Tuesday at Celtic in Glasgow (9:00 p.m.), in a group F in its hand with RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk. This could allow him to finish in freewheel, once the qualification for the eighth acted.
Conversely, group C promises to be ruthless with FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and the modest Viktoria Plzen. This promises one shock per day and a tenor left behind at the end of this probable three-way sprint, starting with an enticing Inter-Bayern on Wednesday (9:00 p.m.).
In this context, the depth of the workforce promises to be crucial for negotiating the obstacle course, with Liverpool (2022 finalist) or Chelsea (2021 winner) well equipped in this area.
– “Become even better”, launches Haaland –
In this regard, Manchester City is also well prepared: the team of Pep Guardiola, finalist in 2021 and semi-finalist 2022, has been further strengthened with the arrival of Erling Haaland (23 goals in 19 C1 matches).
The Norwegian is already reigning terror in the Premier League (9 goals in 5 matches) and he approaches his European debut with the Citizens with appetite, Tuesday in Seville (9:00 p.m.).
“That’s why I came here. You can see, we’re playing so well, we find ourselves well and we’re going to get even better. So it’s going to be nice,” smiled Haaland.
Launched in the footsteps of the greatest scorers of the European queen event, the Norwegian cyborg still has a little way to go to join the record holder Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals).
But Lionel Messi (125 goals), he has a shot to play in the absence of the Portuguese, who looked in vain for a Champions League team to welcome him in the offseason before having to stay at Manchester United, aligned in the Europa League.
The Argentinian can close the gap with his lifelong rival, provided he negotiates the indigestible sequence of matches as well as possible, at 35 years old. An ultra-attractive challenge, in an ultra-tough C1.
