European football is not standing still. After an exciting first matchday, the teams are challenging each other this week again for points in their respective leagues. Read all about these matches in this article.
Tuesday, October 1
This European football week kicks off with a major clash: top club Arsenal hosts a strong PSG in a duel between two European powerhouses in the Champions League. The English team can draw confidence from their recent convincing victory in the Premier League, where they won 4-2 against Leicester City. As the number 3 in the standings, Arsenal has not missed a beat. PSG, who secured their third consecutive domestic title last year, is also currently leading after 6 matchdays. This duel promises to be intriguing, especially since there seem to be some internal tensions at PSG: French international Ousmane Dembélé played against Rennes last week but will not be available this week. After the last match, he reportedly had a heated argument with coach Luis Enrique.
Wednesday, October 2
Also in the Champions League, Club Brugge visits Austria on the second matchday. Sturm Graz, who is currently at the top of the domestic league, gained confidence by solidifying their lead with a win against BW Linz. This boost was welcome for the Austrians, as their first Champions League match against Brest ended in defeat. Club Brugge also lost their first match, a difficult encounter against Borussia Dortmund, but Blue-Black showed resilience. They could not gain confidence in the Jupiler Pro League, as their match against Charleroi ended in a 1-1 draw. Coach Nicky Hayen started promisingly in his tenure at Club Brugge, with the national title as the icing on the cake, but now he must strengthen his team again.
Thursday, October 3
One day later than Club Brugge, Anderlecht plays their second match in the Champions League. The Brussels team started their European campaign with a narrow victory against Ferencváros: in just 6 minutes, Yari Verschaeren and Kasper Dolberg secured the lead, while the equalizer for the Hungarian side came in the 86th minute. However, in the domestic league, Purple-White has struggled for confidence, sitting in 7th place after a draw and a loss. Their opponent, Real Sociedad, is also not doing well in their own league, currently sitting in 14th place after 8 matchdays. They began their European campaign with a draw against Nice.
In their own league, the stress of relegation is causing headaches: Cercle Brugge has collected only 8 points after 9 matchdays, placing them third from last in the league. However, there was promise for the club: two weeks ago, they achieved an important victory against Gent at home, but in their most recent match, STVV managed to snatch away two points. With that context, they will host FC St. Gallen. This Swiss team finished last year in 5th place in their domestic league and is again in 5th place this year. The club has been around since 1879 but has not had a long European history. They have participated in the Champions League once and the Europa League three times, but have never advanced beyond the group stage. Their first Belgian opponent ever was Club Brugge in 2000.
The European week concludes with a home match for Union. The Brussels team, which was among the top contenders for the national title last year, has just missed the mark this year. After 9 matchdays, they are tied with Standard in mid-table, with 13 points. The reigning cup winners did manage to showcase themselves in their most recent match against KV Kortrijk: the match in Brussels ended 3-0. Their opponent is Bodo/Glimt, who you might remember from Club Brugge’s Europa Conference League campaign last year. In that round of 16, the Norwegians were eliminated, and they undoubtedly aim for a better result this time. Bodo/Glimt has also participated in the Champions League and the Europa League three times but has yet to advance beyond the group stage.
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