What to look out for on UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 Wednesday

The 16 teams involved in Groups E to H of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage will continue battling for the ultimate prize on 4 October. History could be made in the latest round of matches, with some elite names hoping to take centre stage.

We pick out some key talking points as European football's most prestigious club competition heads into Matchday 2.

Tuesday 3 October

Union Berlin 2-3 Braga
Salzburg 0-2 Real Sociedad
Man United 2-3 Galatasaray
Copenhagen 1-2 Bayern
Lens 2-1 Arsenal
PSV Eindhoven 2-2 Sevilla
Napoli 2-3 Real Madrid
Inter 1-0 Benfica

Wednesday 4 October

Atlético de Madrid vs Feyenoord (18:45)
Antwerp vs Shakhtar Donetsk (18:45)
Celtic vs Lazio (21:00)
Dortmund vs Milan (21:00)
Newcastle vs Paris (21:00)
Leipzig vs Man City (21:00)
Crvena zvezda vs Young Boys (21:00)
Porto vs Barcelona (21:00)

All kick-off times CET

What to look out for

Can Leipzig stop Haaland?
The last player Leipzig would have wanted to come up against in this season's competition was Erling Haaland after the Norwegian scored five in Man City's 7-0 home win against the Bundesliga club in last season's round of 16. That showing was not a one-off either as the 23-year-old also struck six times in four matches against Leipzig when he was a Dortmund player. His overall haul stands at 11 goals in just six outings.

"I'm a bit blurry in my head so I don't remember the goals," said Haaland after his five-goal showing last term. "I remember shooting, not thinking. I was so tired after the celebrations. It's a big night. I'm really proud to play in the Champions League – I love this competition, as everybody knows."

Pep Guardiola's talisman will certainly not be lethargic this early in the season, so Marco Rose's side will need a seriously effective plan to stop Haaland adding to his record against them.

Pulišić to reach US milestone
Back in 2021, Christian Pulišić metaphorically planted the United States flag at the summit of European football, becoming the first US national to appear on the winning side in a Champions League final when he came off the bench in Chelsea's 1-0 victory against Man City. "The Champions League, I always watched growing up," he explained recently, having aspired to playing in the competition before getting his dream move to Europe.

Now at AC Milan, the 25-year-old has long since eclipsed countrymen like DaMarcus Beasley, Jermaine Jones, Sacha Kljestan and Claudio Reyna to become the United States international with the most appearances in the world's top club competition, with Wednesday's game against Dortmund set to be his 50th in the Champions League.

"We know Christian Pulišić very well," said BVB boss Edin Terzić in his pre-match press conference, the 40-year-old having been on the coaching staff during Pulišić's time as a Dortmund player. The welcome mat may be laid out, but his old side are unlikely to be handing out gifts on the field.

Further ahead
• Teams face each other home and away on Matchdays 3 and 4, giving all 32 sides the chance to garner a head-to-head advantage over one of their section rivals.

• Ex-Inter defenders Milan Škriniar and Achraf Hakimi will know what to expect when former rivals Milan head to Paris for a pivotal Group F meeting on Matchday 3.

• Arne Slot's Feyenoord beat Roma in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg last season but were eliminated in the away return. How will they fare in their double-header with fellow Rome outfit Lazio this season?

Where is the 2024 UEFA Champions League final being played?

UEFA via Getty Images

The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League final will take place at Wembley Stadium in London on 1 June 2024.

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