The most decorated club competition in the world is back underway, and Wednesday's Champions League action promises some fireworks.
Winners in 2019-20, Bayern Munich will travel to the San Siro to take on Inter, while last year's runners-up Liverpool head to Napoli for a game they are favoured in.
Reigning Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt will look to keep up Germany's strong record against Portuguese teams when they host Sporting CP, and Harry Kane will be aiming to build on his superb European record as Tottenham host Marseille.
For a closer look, Stats Perform have dove into some interesting facts and nuggets about each matchup on Wednesday to give a clearer picture about how these clashes of champions may play out.
Inter v Bayern Munich
After their last Champions League run ended in a quarter-final loss to Villarreal, Bayern Munich will be desperate for a much improved result as they seek their seventh title, beginning their campaign away from home against Inter.
The sides have evenly split their seven previous European meetings, with three wins each and one draw, although it has been over a decade since their last Champions League fixture back in 2011.
While they do not have much recent history against Bayern in this competition, Inter's games against German opponents have turned into goal-fests, with 39 total goals (19 for, 20 against) in their past 10 matches.
Bayern have had much more success against Italian sides, going unbeaten in their past 10 (8W, 2D) – with their last loss coming in that 2011 battle with Inter, and the Nerazzurri were also the last side to keep a clean sheet against them in the 2010 final.
Romelu Lukaku will be a hard man to replace for the Italians as he will be absent after suffering a thigh injury. In his 16 European contests for Inter, he has 17 goal involvements (13 goals and four assists).
Napoli v Liverpool
This will be the third time in the past five seasons that Napoli and Liverpool have landed in the same Champions League group after back-to-back years in 2018-19 and 2019-20, with the Italian side winning all three of their home games.
Napoli have not featured in the last two editions of Europe's top competition, but they were a force in the group stage before their drought, with only one loss from their previous 12 matches (5W, 6D).
Mohamed Salah's seven goals in last season's group stage was the second-most ever in a group stage from a player on an English team, trailing only Ruud van Nistelrooy's eight during Manchester United's 2004-05 campaign. Salah is also one assist away from tying James Milner and Steven Gerrard for Liverpool's record number of assists in the Champions League (12).
Tottenham v Marseille
In the first ever competitive meeting between these two sides, Tottenham will likely be confident in their ability to get the job done at home against a Marseille side long removed from any Champions League success.
From their past 15 Champions League games, Marseille have only one win, against Olympiakos in 2020. English sides have given them particular trouble as well, as they have 12 losses against Premier League sides in their history in the competition – twice as many as against any other nation (six losses against Italian teams).
Harry Kane will be looking to add to his stellar European record, with 23 goal involvements (20 goals, three assists) in 24 career fixtures. Of all players with at least 20 Champions League goals, only Erling Haaland (64), Mario Gomez (102) and Lionel Messi (103.7) have a better minutes-per-goal figure than Kane's 104.4
Eintracht Frankfurt v Sporting CP
The reigning Europa League champions, Eintracht Frankfurt are making history with their first-ever Champions League berth, becoming the 14th German side to ever qualify – breaking the tie with Spain (13) for the most by any nation.
German sides have given Sporting trouble over the years, with 13 losses and one draw from 14 tries in European competition, with that emerging as a theme between the two nations.
Against all Portuguese sides, German teams are undefeated in their past 15 Champions League matches (13W, 2L) dating back to 2006.
After netting five times in last season's Europa League triumph to take his tally up to 11, Eintracht's Daichi Kamada can enter the club's record books as one of their top-three goalscorers in European competition with one more.
Other fixtures:
Ajax v Rangers
20 - Ajax scored 20 goals in their six matches in last year's Champions League group stage, winning all six. It is the most goals they have ever scored in a Champions League group stage, before being eliminated by Benfica in the first knockout round.
19 - This will be Rangers' first Champions League appearance since 2010-11, and in their history, only Anderlecht (17 per cent) have a worse winning percentage in the competition than Rangers' 19 per cent. They have lost all four of their previous European meetings against Ajax.
Atletico Madrid v Porto
13 - This will be Atletico Madrid's 13th Champions League campaign, moving them past Valencia into the third-most for a Spanish side, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 27). This is Atletico's 10th berth in a row, all under Diego Simeone.
26 - This is Porto's 26th Champions League, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid. If they were to be eliminated in the group stage this season, it would be the first time they failed to make it through the group stage in back-to-back campaigns since 1998.
Club Brugge v Bayer Leverkusen
1 - There has been only one win from a Belgian side against a German team in 24 Champions League meetings (18L, 5D) – and it was Brugge just last season, defeating RB Leipzig 2-1.
9 - Leverkusen have failed to win the opening match of their Champions League run the past nine times they have qualified (8L, 1D), with their last opening win coming in 2001.
Barcelona v Viktoria Plzen
33 - Barcelona striker Robert Lewandwoski is the top overall Champions League goal-scorer from the past three seasons, with 33 goals in 26 games. Last season, he netted nine goals in five home games,
24 - In their only two previous Champions League fixtures against Barcelona, Viktoria Plzen have averaged 24 per cent of the possession, and have lost the shot-count by a combined margin of 36-4.
Al-Hilal 1-1 Al-Nassr (5-4 pens): Ronaldo and company lose chaotic King's Cup final
Al-Nassr lost a dramatic Kings' Cup final featuring three red cards against Al-Hilal on Friday, with the Saudi Pro League champions claiming the treble with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win.
Former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic peeled away to the back post to head home the opener after just seven minutes, before Cristiano Ronaldo was denied by Yassine Bounou.
Al-Nassr looked to be imploding when David Ospina was sent off for a wild lunge on Malcom outside his penalty area shortly after half-time, but it was 10 versus 10 when Ali Al Bulayhi received his second yellow card late on.
Aiman Yahya took advantage to equalise in stoppage time, before Al-Hilal lost a second centre-back to a red card, Kalidou Koulibaly receiving his marching orders when he clattered into substitute goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
Neither team could find an extra-time winner, though, and it was Bounou who came up with the goods in the shoot-out.
He pushed Meshari Al Nemer's tame kick onto the post after Ali Al Hassan and Saud Abdulhamid had traded misses, claiming the trophy for Al-Hilal.
Data Debrief: Domestic sweep for Al-Hilal
Having also won the Saudi Super Cup and the Saudi Pro League, going unbeaten throughout their league campaign, Al-Hilal capped a perfect domestic season with their 11th King's Cup. Only Al-Ahli (13) have won the competition more often.
Al-Nassr, meanwhile, have now gone four seasons without a domestic trophy, with August's Arab Club Champions Cup all they have to show for their efforts in 2023-24.
Gauff gathering momentum after reaching fourth round at Roland-Garros
Coco Gauff booked her place in the French Open fourth round after seeing off Dayana Yastremska in straight sets at Roland-Garros.
The third seed is still yet to drop a set in her opening three matches, as she battled past her Ukrainian opponent 32 6-2 6-4 in 94 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Gauff's return game proved crucial against the 30th seed, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals as a qualifier back in January.
Indeed, the 2022 finalist won five of Yastremska's nine service games - taking her tally to 15-25 for the tournament - including two during a dominant opening set.
Another three followed in the second to put her on the brink of victory at 5-2 up, though she failed to convert match point as her opponent clung on to break back.
However, it proved a false dawn for the world number 30 - appearing in round three at Roland-Garros for the first time - as Gauff saved break points on her next service game to eventually hold and progress.
Her reward is a showdown with Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who will make her maiden fourth-round appearance at a major after defeating 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.
Data Debrief: Gauff matches Capriati at Roland-Garros
Gauff is only the second American in the Open Era to reach the last 16 at the French Open in four successive years before turning 21, after Jennifer Capriati (1990 to 1993).
That was also her 18th match win at Roland-Garros. Since 2000, only Iga Swiatek (21) and Ana Ivanovic (19) have registered more before the age of 21.
Her fourth-round opponent has made history, with 23-year-old Cocciaretto the youngest Italian to reach the fourth round here since Francesca Schiavone in 2001.
Ruud edges into French Open third round after rollercoaster match
Casper Ruud survived a scare after being pushed all the way by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the French Open second round on Thursday.
The Norwegian prevailed 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in an instant classic that lasted just over four hours on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Ruud knew he was in for a tough match after winning the tiebreak in the first set, and Davidovich Fokina fought back in brilliant fashion to take the second.
The momentum swung back in Ruud’s favour in the third as he regained the lead in the match, but the Spaniard ensured they could not be separated as he forced a decider after another tight contest.
Despite putting up a good fight, Davidovich Fokina failed to see out what would have been a stunning win, as Ruud edged one step closer to a potential first Roland Garros title.
Next up for Ruud is Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round.
Data Debrief: Ruud holds his nerve
Ruud lost his first-ever Roland Garros second-round match (v Albert Ramos in 2018) but is unbeaten in his six matches at that stage of the French Open since.
The Norwegian has now reached the third round at Roland Garros six times in his career, which is more than he has in all other three Grand Slams combined (two at the Australian Open, two at the US Open, 0 at Wimbledon).
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