Juventus’ nickname of ‘the Old Lady’ allows for an extremely satisfying moment in Group H. The Serie A champions have been drawn alongside Swiss side Young Boys. Young Boys vs the Old Lady.
2 The eternal battle
Cristiano Ronaldo has cemented his legacy by dominating Champions League knockout games in recent times. His long-running battle with Lionel Messi for global supremacy is finely poised in the context of group games. Both have exactly 60 group game goals to their name and the superhuman pair are also locked on seven hat-tricks each in the competition.
3 Name game
Man United complete the set alongside Juventus, Young Boys and Valencia. Which means we could see Ashley Young play against Young Boys and Antonio Valencia versus Valencia. Hopefully it’s as pleasurable as when the Ecuadoran right-back marked Michail Antonio…
4 Harry Kane chasing a beast’s record…
The World Cup Golden Boot holder has another goalscoring landmark in his sights. Kane needs to score in his first Champions League game this season (away to Inter) to become the equal fastest player to reach ten Champions League goals. And who co-owns the record currently? Adriano — the Brazilian beast who peaked in Inter’s famous blue and black stripes. If Kane wants a slice of the action, he’ll have to do it on the same pitch the current co-holder made his own all those years ago.
5 Clocking off early…
Champions League kick-off times have changed. 19:45pm starts have been ditched — games will now either begin at 17:55pm or 20:00pm (BST). Some may find this more annoying than pleasing, that early one may require some early exits from work. The good thing is that we can now watch two live games back-to-back. Those who spent a lot of weekday evenings last season trying to watch two games at once will be thankful for the change.
6 Liverpool v Carlo Ancelotti
No Champions League would be complete without the five-time winners from England or three-time mastermind of Europe’s top prize. Ancelotti was in charge of the Milan side that suffered in Istanbul in 2005 and the team who earned redemption against Liverpool in the 2007 final. This season they’ll meet home and away with the Reds set to take on Napoli in Group C.
7 Home coming
Ronaldo is far from the only player set to face a former club in Europe this season. But when Juventus drew Man United there was only one narrative that sprung to mind. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will step out at Old Trafford on 23 October, possibly for the last time before he retires. However, he certainly won’t be scoring against his favourite Champions League opponents this season. No team has conceded more Ronaldo goals in the competition than… Juventus.