A penalty deep into second-half stoppage time from Luis Suarez gave Atletico Madrid a dramatic 2-1 Champions League win over Milan at San Siro.

Antoine Griezmann scored his first goal since his return to the club to level the scores in the 84th minute after Rafael Leao had deservedly put the hosts in front.

Franck Kessie received a second yellow card after only 30 minutes, but Stefano Pioli's men remained impressively resolute until Griezmann's impact off the bench.

Suarez then converted from the spot in style in the seventh minute of added time after Pierre Kalulu was penalised for handball, the decision upheld after a VAR check.

 

 

Liverpool once again put Porto to the sword as they made it back-to-back wins at the start of a new Champions League campaign, coasting to a 5-1 victory at the Estadio do Dragao.  

The Reds had come out on top in a five-goal thriller in their Group B opener against Milan at Anfield, yet there were no such nerves on Tuesday against opponents they have made a habit of beating through the years.  

Jurgen Klopp was in charge for 5-0 and 4-1 wins on Portuguese soil when steering Liverpool to successive final appearances in the competition in 2018 and 2019, and this year's squad appear on course to make the knockout stages once more.  

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino scored twice, the latter after coming on as a substitute, while Sadio Mane was also on target, making it five goals for him in as many appearances against Porto. 

The result should not come as too much of a surprise, considering Porto had not managed a win in the previous eight meetings. The hosts were dealt a blow when Pepe was ruled out with an injury suffered in the warm-up, while Otavio's outing was cut short after 14 minutes.  

Not long after the enforced change, Liverpool went ahead. Curtis Jones' low shot was parried by Diogo Costa onto team-mate Zaidu Sanusi, leaving Salah with a simple close-range finish.  

The Porto goalkeeper did do better to deny Jordan Henderson a goal to mark his 400th appearance for the club, turning the visiting captain's fierce free-kick away, but his failure to cut out James Milner's low cross allowed Mane to tap home before the interval.  

Salah slotted away his second of the game on the hour before heading to the bench and while Mehdi Taremi headed in to pull a goal back, it only served to anger Liverpool into a response.

Costa rounded out a shocking performance by straying from his area to try to reach Jones' throughball, allowing Firmino to roll the ball into an unguarded net. The Brazilian added another just four minutes later when reacting quickly to a deflection, though only after a VAR check for offside. 

 

What does it mean? Liverpool show ruthless edge to seize control 

After a frantic 3-3 draw away at Brentford on Saturday – a game in which Liverpool trailed early before getting level, then twice let slip leads in the second half – this was far more routine for Klopp and his players.  

Such was his team's dominance, the German was able to substitute Salah, Mane and Milner with a weekend clash with Manchester City in mind, the latter set to deputise again for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold for the visit of the Premier League champions to Merseyside.  

Salah stays hot to surpass Eto'o  

Thanks to his double, Salah moves on to 31 Champions League goals in his career, putting him clear of Samuel Eto’o for second place on the all-time list for African players in the competition. Only Didier Drogba (44) has managed more.  

The Egyptian has also now scored in each of his last six appearances for Liverpool. That is the first time a player has netted in six in a row for the club since April 2018, when Salah himself managed to do so for seven successive games.  

Costa goes cold as Porto roll over 

Porto were largely toothless in attack and porous at the back, not aided by the performance of a keeper who could have done better with at least three of the goals he conceded. 

He saved just 61 per cent of the attempts that came his way and, after Taremi’s finish from Fabio Vieira’s cross made it 3-1, his decision to rush out in the 77th minute allowed Firmino to kill off any slim hopes of a comeback. 

What's next?  

Liverpool take on City at Anfield on Sunday in a huge clash prior to the international break. Porto, meanwhile, are at home again, this time taking on Pacos Ferreira in domestic action. 

Lionel Messi scored a gorgeous first goal for Paris Saint-Germain as the French side gained a measure of revenge for their 2020-21 Champions League semi-final defeat to Manchester City with a 2-0 win to get off the mark in Group A.

Messi's start to life at PSG had been somewhat muted but he came to life late in the day to seal a hard-fought victory at the Parc des Princes, an important result after a disappointing draw with Club Brugge on matchday one.

PSG made a wonderful start and were quickly in front thanks to Idrissa Gueye, but City had opportunities to pull level, with Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva both hitting the crossbar in quick succession.

The visitors were especially dominant in the second period, but they struggled to craft clear-cut chances as PSG picked them off on the break, Messi netting against his former boss Pep Guardiola in the Champions League for a record-extending seventh time.

Gueye may not be renowned for his goalscoring prowess but his eighth-minute finish was his fourth in six this season and a strike of great precision, smashing into the top-right corner when Neymar could not control Kylian Mbappe's cut-back.

The same quality was not exhibited at the other end, though, as Sterling saw his header come back off the bar and Silva inexplicably hit it as well on the rebound.

Kevin De Bruyne escaped a red card for catching Gueye late in the half and he almost set up the equaliser soon after, his corner finding Ruben Dias, whose header tested Gianluigi Donnarumma.

PSG's solid defensive work ensured big chances were otherwise a rare commodity for City, and Messi put the game beyond them 16 minutes from time.

He surged in from the right, played a one-two with Mbappe on the edge of the box and then caressed a first-time finish into the top-right corner.

Simone Inzaghi bemoaned Inter's inability to take their chances after they were held to a 0-0 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Inter are still waiting for their first win of this season's Champions League after Tuesday's stalemate in Ukraine.

Each side had just two shots on target, with Shakhtar finishing with a slightly higher Expected Goals (xG) of 1.3 compared to Inter's 1.1.

Nicolo Barella was denied by the crossbar for the Nerazzurri, leaving Inzaghi to wonder what might have been.

"In some moments they did very well technically, while we did not take advantage of our chances," Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.

"We had five in a not brilliant evening and we could have won."

Despite failing to find the net, Inzaghi praised the performance of forwards Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko.

"They had a great match, they sacrificed themselves," Inzaghi added. "Then I brought on [Joaquin] Correa and [Alexis] Sanchez who are starting to feel good.

"We knew it was a difficult away game: for once we didn't score a goal, but we were also good at not conceding it."

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed Trent Alexander-Arnold could be set to miss Sunday's game against Manchester City due to injury.

Alexander-Arnold did not travel with the rest of the Liverpool squad for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Porto, James Milner instead taking over at right-back for the Group B fixture.

The England international is also a major doubt for the upcoming clash against the reigning Premier League champions too, with the Reds hosting Pep Guardiola's side at Anfield.

Asked by BT Sport in his pre-match interview if Alexander-Arnold was out due to injury, Klopp replied: "Unfortunately. 

"it was shortly after training. Trent went in a little bit early, but it didn't look serious. 

"Then we did a further assessment and it was serious, so he is out for today, he didn't travel with us, and it doesn't look great for the City game as well. 

"It's a muscle thing. We thought he was a bit tired from the game, but it was more. Now we have to deal with that."

While Klopp refused to divulge any details, the club website confirmed it to be an adductor issue for Alexander-Arnold, who played the entire match as Liverpool drew 3-3 with Brentford at the weekend.

Milner would be the most likely candidate to deputise against City - one of his former clubs - having also filled in on the right side of the defence for the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier this season.

City won 4-1 when they travelled to Anfield last season, emphatically ending a run of 17 away league games without a win at Liverpool.

 

Giorgio Chiellini is urging Juventus not to focus all of their attention on Romelu Lukaku when they face Chelsea on Wednesday, also highlighting the qualities of Jorginho, who he is backing to win this year's Ballon d'Or.

Juve made a winning start to their Champions League campaign two weeks ago with a 3-0 victory over Malmo, though they will expect a rather trickier challenge as Chelsea visit Turin on matchday two.

The contest will see Chiellini renew hostilities with Lukaku, their pair having enjoyed some bruising tussles during the Belgian's time in Serie A with Inter.

But the Chelsea player Chiellini seems to hold in the highest regard is Jorginho, a player he featured alongside as Italy won Euro 2020 earlier this year.

That success coupled with Chelsea's Champions League win in 2020-21 saw Jorginho win the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award in August, and Chiellini believes he deserves to add the Ballon d'Or to his collection as well.

Asked about the prospect of going up against Lukaku again, Chiellini said: "Lukaku is a great player, we will have to be careful.

"It will be important not to allow the qualities of champions like Lukaku to come out. He's a great player, whom they paid a lot for. He's not there by chance, but maybe it's a bit diminishing to talk about just the meeting of me and Lukaku – it's not just Lukaku.

"Chelsea have many champions: let's think of our great friend Jorginho, who is the 'lighthouse' of this team.

"I truly hope he can win the Ballon d'or because he's a good friend of mine and it's also an award that would feel like it's mine as an Italian and a player who was involved in the [Euro 2020] win."

Jorginho has not always had it easy at Chelsea, with many critics sceptical of his suitability to the club and English football in general, but Chiellini believes the fact he has outlasted both Maurizio Sarri and Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge is telling.

"I always thought he was a good player but after two or three sessions in the national team under [Roberto] Mancini, I realised just how good he is," Chiellini continued.

"What a top player he is. He maybe doesn't have great physical qualities, but the real difference is in his head, his mentality, and I was really happy because many said he could only play with Sarri.

"Instead, two other coaches arrived at Chelsea and then in the national team. Wherever he goes he plays as a regular, so I'm happy for him and he definitely deserves an award, so I truly hope he wins the Ballon d'Or."

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri was questioned on the form of his own midfielders, specifically Adrien Rabiot.

The Frenchman has only impressed in spells since joining from Paris Saint-Germain two years ago and Allegri clearly wants more – though he is adamant Rabiot has the capacity to improve.

"It's similar to [Federico] Bernardeschi," Allegri said. "The difference among players is when they come to Juve – if a big club chooses them, there's obviously a reason, but the difference in their career depends on mentality, their specific objective in helping the team and the capacity to improve, being determined in training sessions, scoring, defending.

"These are the elements that make the difference. How many good, technical players haven't been able to explode in their careers because maybe there was something missing?

"Rabiot is a player, if I was him, I'd be very angry with myself because he's a player who's been here two years, how many goals he scored? Ten [six] in two seasons? That's not acceptable. He needs to improve in order to get much better and I'm pretty sure he'll be able to do that this year."

Raphael Varane is convinced Manchester United have a squad that is set up for success despite some alarming recent results. 

The last fortnight has seen United lose their Champions League opener to Young Boys and crash out of the EFL Cup against West Ham prior to Saturday's shock Premier League defeat at home to Aston Villa. 

Expectations are high for United in 2021-22 after World Cup winner Varane joined from Real Madrid, while long-term target Jadon Sancho came in from Borussia Dortmund and Cristiano Ronaldo made his sensational return from Juventus. 

The pressure is back on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer going into Wednesday's match with Villarreal, but Varane is not overly worried as he sees the ingredients required for success within the club. 

"What I've been able to see is, with my team-mates, there's a lot of quality in our squad," Varane said as he sat alongside Solskjaer at the pre-match news conference. 

"We've got huge potential, I'm convinced of it. 

"We're working really hard, we're working well in training and improving all the time. Since the start of the season I think we're on a positive, upward curve. 

"There is talent, there's experience there as well. We've got everything you need to have that belief that you can do well. 

"I think that's a really key issue - we've got to believe in ourselves, be convinced that we can do it. We have got to be ambitious, believe in our own potential and then I think you can achieve things when you do that. 

"Everything is there in the right place. Each time we go into a game, we go on that track and keep on that road of positivity, think on how we can improve in little details. 

"We are on the right road." 

Varane may have to hold a weakened United defence together when they face Villarreal at Old Trafford. 

Fellow centre-back Harry Maguire is out for a few weeks with a calf injury, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is suspended and Luke Shaw will be a late fitness check. 

United face a tough test, having failed to win in their five previous meetings with Villarreal, scoring just once in those contests. 

Villarreal are also unbeaten in their last 16 major European games (W12 D4) across the Europa League and Champions League, the longest current run of any side.  

Ahead of the key Group F clash, Varane agreed the pressure of playing for United can be compared with what he experienced during his time at Madrid. 

"Big clubs are always wanting a lot of their players, they expect a lot from the players," he said. 

"There are a lot of demands. It is always hard to make comparisons but I believe that it's fairly similar in terms of the hopes and demands and expectations at big clubs. 

"After a defeat or a draw, you know what it's like, it's always very negative when that happens.  

"The key is to keep up good runs of results and be positive. That pressure you kind of live with it at big clubs - there is always a lot of expectation, for sure." 

Inter struggled as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Shakhtar Donetsk in Tuesday's Champions League clash.

Nicolo Barella, who was denied by the crossbar, and Edin Dzeko spurned first-half opportunities, with Roberto De Zerbi's hosts also faltering with a multitude of chances at the Kiev Olympic Stadium.

Manor Solomon and Tete both went close for Shakhtar, but with neither able to beat Samir Handanovic, the Ukrainian outfit settled for a creditable goalless draw against the Serie A champions.

The teams are left on a point apiece in Group D as they suffer similarly timid starts and will need to make up early ground on Real Madrid and Sheriff, who meet later on Tuesday.

The opening chance of the contest saw Solomon surge inside and thrash his effort past the left-hand post before Barella blasted an effort against the bar from long-range at the other end.

Inter's carelessness in possession almost cost them, with Tete angling wide and Pedrinho smashing over either side of Lautaro Martinez's whipped effort failing to find the corner.

Dzeko should have opened the scoring after ghosting onto Federico Dimarco's corner but wastefully prodded over from close range as the two sides continued to trade first-half chances.

Milan Skriniar produced a vital last-ditch block after the break to deny Pedrinho following Dodo's cutback as the hosts boasted 66 per cent of the possession against their uncharacteristically sloppy opponents.

Mykola Matyvenko then gifted Martinez the chance to break the deadlock, but the forward could only skew over the bar when one-on-one with Andriy Pyatov before Dodo selfishly lashed high of Inter's goal.

Substitute Joaquin Correa offered Shakhtar a late scare as he drifted inside and curled towards the far corner, only for Pyatov to turn behind the post before denying Stefan de Vrij from the resulting corner as the match ended level.

Lionel Messi will start for Paris Saint-Germain against Manchester City in their blockbuster Champions League clash.

Messi has missed PSG's last two games because of a knee injury and was a doubt for the match at the Parc des Princes.

However, he will get the chance to face a City side led by former boss Pep Guardiola, with whom he won three LaLiga titles and two Champions League crowns during their storied time together at Barcelona.

Messi was named in PSG's starting XI, meaning he will line up alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in a frightening front three.

In his pre-match media conference, Guardiola conceded he did not have a plan to stop that trio.

"I don't know, with this amount of quality I don't know what we should do to stop them," he said.

"The talent cannot be stopped – we have to do it as a team. Individually we cannot put the pressure on one player to solve the skills and talents they have.

"We have to be compact, together and help each other, know we are going to suffer and be in pain, and how you handle the pain in these moments…you have to be able to suffer for 90 minutes."

Hoping to help heighten City's suffering will be midfielder Marco Verratti, who had also been troubled by a knee problem.

Verratti sustained the injury while on international duty with Italy and has made only two appearances for PSG this season, the last coming in August when Messi made his debut at Reims.

But Verratti also has a place in the starting XI and will hope to produce a more telling impact than in his previous Champions League appearance, which saw PSG knocked out by City in the semi-finals back in May.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Cristiano Ronaldo almost guarantees goals as Manchester United prepare to face Villarreal in the Champions League. 

United have drawn their last five meetings with Villarreal, including the 2021 Europa League final which they went on to lose on penalties, while managing to score just once. 

Therefore, the Premier League club will be hoping the 36-year-old, who is the Champions League's all-time leading scorer, can help them halt that barren run. 

Ronaldo has never netted against Villarreal in four previous appearances against them for United in the competition, only facing Lille and Benfica as often without finding the net. 

However, he scored 13 times against the Spanish side during his time with Real Madrid, a factor Solskjaer hopes will work in United's favour. 

Ronaldo has four goals in as many games for United, though he failed to strike for the first time since re-joining the club in the Premier League defeat to Aston Villa last time out. 

"Of course Cristiano, you can almost say when he starts it is one guaranteed goal," Solskjaer said at his pre-match news conference when asked if Ronaldo could be the difference. 

"He has that record and he will score goals.  

"It is not going to be easy for us, but it is not going to be easy [for Villarreal] to play against Cristiano.  

"He has 13 goals in 15 against Villarreal [for Madrid] which means he enjoys playing against them.  

"He knows Raul Albiol, Pau Torres, top defenders. He is determined to score every time he is on the pitch. We have to play well to create chances." 

Ronaldo will break former Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas’ record for Champions League appearances if he plays, setting a new record of 178 games.  

It will be the Portugal international's first Champions League game at Old Trafford for United since April 2009 against Arsenal. He was directly involved in 12 goals in his final 15 home games in his first spell for the Red Devils in the competition, netting seven and providing five assists. 

With Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka out, and Luke Shaw's status uncertain, United are poised for a defensive reshuffle, so Solskjaer will hope Ronaldo and the attack can carry the load with his team under pressure after losing the Group F opener to Young Boys. 

The United manager added: "It is a group stage, there are only six games and you need 10 or maybe 12 points to go through. 

"We lost three points last time. If you end up with zero or one point after two games you need to win the last four games probably, so not a must-win game but it is a very important one." 

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed N'Golo Kante will miss Wednesday's Champions League clash with Juventus after testing positive for coronavirus.

The France international made his sixth appearance of the season on Saturday when playing an hour of Chelsea's 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League.

However, Kante has since contracted COVID-19 and will serve a period of isolation, ruling him out of the Blues' European tie with Juve and league clash with Southampton ahead of the international break.

Speaking at a pre-match news conference on Tuesday, Tuchel also confirmed Christian Pulisic, Reece James and Mason Mount will not make the trip to Turin because of injury problems.

Juventus will also be without some key players at the Allianz Stadium as Paulo Dybala and former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata have been ruled out.

The Turin giants were in the relegation zone after picking up just two points from their first four Serie A matches, but back-to-back wins have lifted them up to 10th.

Massimiliano Allegri's side also saw off Malmo 3-0 in their opening Champions League match two weeks ago to make it 11 wins in their past 12 group-stage matches.

Despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United last month, Tuchel is still expecting a big test when Chelsea travel to Turin.

"They are so experienced and such a big club with so much Champions League experience," he said.

"They will enjoy the different competition. They have had a bit of a rough start according to their results in Serie A, but they were convincing in the Champions League.

"You never know with players that are missing. The guys who come in want to show they are reliable. We play Juventus at Juventus.

"It's a no-brainer that demands respect to the quality and tradition of the club. 

"We need to refocus and regroup and face a tough challenge with positive energy and determination to bounce back from our defeat to Manchester City."

Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 appearances for Juve across his three seasons at the club before returning to United, 14 of those goals coming in the Champions League.

Only six other players scored more goals in the competition than Ronaldo over that period, but Tuchel does not believe the Portuguese's surprise exit hinders Juve's chances of European success, even if they are now a weaker side.

"Time will tell, but every team without Cristiano is weaker. He shows it every time he is on the pitch, in the Premier League and in the Champions League," Tuchel said. 

"They have lost a great champion, a great personality, but you can be a great team and win things, too, even without him. 

"And they are. They have experience, talent, depth and a quality coach. They have winning DNA, the winning mentality.

"This is the first time I've played against Juventus. I will face a team of our level and these challenges make us a better team. "

Chelsea have lost each of their past four away games against Italian teams in the Champions League, with each defeat coming against a different side – including Juve in 2012-13.

The Blues scraped past Zenit 1-0 in their opening Group H match but, as reigning European champions, Tuchel accepts his side no longer enter any game as underdogs.

"It is difficult for that to be the case when you've won the title," the German coach said. "We won this competition last season when we weren't favourites.

"Now it's easy to consider ourselves as favourites and to accept that. We've won it before. We have showed all of our abilities.

"We need to play with freedom but also be realistic. The standards are high for us and hopefully the performances and results arrive step by step."

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been ruled out for Wednesday's Champions League match against Villarreal and could miss "a few weeks" of action with a calf injury.

Maguire and fellow defender Luke Shaw both suffered injuries in the disappointing 1-0 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa last time out.

And manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed the centre-back is set for a spell on the sidelines.

But he had more positive news on Shaw, who is in contention to face the Spanish side and does not look poised for a long spell out regardless of whether he is able to start the match at Old Trafford.

"Luke has been in on Tuesday, so I will give him a chance to be involved," Solskjaer said at his pre-match news conference.

"He did not train with the team [but] hopefully Luke can be involved.

"Harry is more or less definitely out, it doesn't look good. It is his calf, that might take a few weeks.

"Let's see how quickly he recovers. He wanted to play against Villarreal, he missed the last game [against them in the Europa League final]." 

With Aaron Wan-Bissaka already suspended after a red card in the opening Group F defeat against Young Boys, United could be forced to change three members of their regular back four alongside Raphael Varane.

Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles are among the candidates to come into the starting XI.

Solskjaer added: "We will have to make a few changes. You always look at the opposition and sometimes you need to make adjustments.

"But we look at ourselves mostly. The more injuries you get, you might need to do tactical changes. I have got Eric, Rapha, Victor. Alex and Diogo 100 per cent fit." 

The last five meetings in European competition between United and Villarreal have all ended in draws.

Four of those encounters were goalless, the exception being the 2021 Europa League final, which Villarreal won 11-10 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

"You expect what you have learned in the last few seasons," added Solskjaer. "We have played each other five times, every time has been a draw. 

"They are very well organised, technically very good. They can play from the back. It is hard to press against them, which I thought we did well in the final.

"Difficult to create chances against and we have to be better to create chances. It was an even final."

United go into the key game looking to end an unwelcome trend.

They are winless in their last seven matches against Spanish teams in the Champions League (D3 L4), with their last such victory coming against Real Sociedad back in October 2013 (1-0).

Julian Nagelsmann hailed Serge Gnabry's unique ability as Bayern Munich prepare to face Dynamo Kiev in Wednesday's Champions League clash.

Bayern crushed Barcelona 3-0 in their Group E opener and have won the most games (20), while scoring the most goals (73) across the last three Champions League campaigns.

Robert Lewandowski has been directly involved in 27 goals in his last 17 appearances in the competition and has ended on the winning side in all 17 games, the joint-longest run of wins by a player in the tournament's history.

However, Nagelsmann preferred to focus on Gnabry, who has scored three and assisted twice this term, ahead of the visit of Dynamo.

"I didn't do anything with [Gnabry] consciously and didn't have that many conversations," Nagelsmann told reporters on Tuesday when asked about Gnabry's form.

"I've known him for a long time, if not as long as Niki [Niklas Sule]. We already had a good connection in Hoffenheim and it works properly.

"For me, he is very important as a type, he brings in a good mood. In terms of play, he is of course also important, he has a good degree, a good feeling and good ideas.

"The player with quality in connection with the character, I look forward to seeing him every day.

"I see it that he has to be free and not think too much about what he is doing. He does a lot about instinct and has the street footballer gene."

Gnabry ranks fourth for chances created (12) across all competitions for Bayern this term, while also placing fourth for dribbles completed (16) as he continues to fight for his place alongside Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and the absent Kingsley Coman.

Whichever wingers Nagelsmann utilises, the head coach also appreciates the different challenge that the reigning champions of Ukraine – who have never won away at Allianz Arena in Europe – will propose as he looks to assert his dominance on the Champions League.

"They are always favourites in the league and play that way," he continued. "They are often very low in games in the Champions League. Benfica failed to score, it will be our main task to play around the block.

"We want to get three points and stay ahead in the table. Otherwise, the plan is more tactical. We want to put a lot of pressure on possession. We also have to avoid counter-attacks.

"It's about making it clear that we are one of the favourites. In the end, the team that lifts the trophy has to be the one that has won the most games. We want to be that team."

Ronald Koeman insisted Barcelona's Champions League visit to Benfica could not be classed as decisive in the early stages of Group E.

Barca endured a tough start to the Champions League against Bayern Munich, failing to attempt a shot on target for the first time in the competition since Opta records began in 2003-04.

The Catalan club are looking to avoid losing their first two matches in a European campaign for only the second time in their history, having previously lost both legs of their UEFA Cup first-round tie with Porto way back in 1972-73.

However, Koeman was in confident mood ahead of the trip to Portugal after crushing Levante 3-0 on Sunday, while shunning claims that Wednesday's tie was a must-win.

"Impossible, it is the second of six, it cannot be decisive," Koeman initially responded to reporters on Tuesday before outlining his intentions.

"Barcelona always plays to win the game. Our intention is to control, have the ball and look for spaces with the players we have.

"We expect a difficult game. I know the atmosphere that can be in the stadium and the strength that [Benfica] have at home.

"They play at home, and they will have the environment in their favour, they will try attack to win. It is not a team that plays not to lose. And we have the same intention at home or away, to take control of the game to win."

Koeman remained secretive as to whether the recovering Ansu Fati, who has now been involved in 17 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions following his strike against Levante, would feature.

Memphis Depay has scored in his past two games against Benfica in the competition, and he is expected to lead the line once more, though he did not attempt a single shot on matchday one against Bayern.

Whoever Koeman selects up top, Blaugrana centre-back Ronald Araujo is backing his side to compete and challenge for titles in both the Champions League and LaLiga this term.

"We are Barcelona, and we have to aspire to all the titles," Araujo told reporters.

"We cannot go to see what happens, we have to go to win and try to win as many titles as we can.

"It's an important game against a great rival, but we are going to win. We come from a great game at the weekend and I think that's the way to go. We have to go for the three points."

Milan must show courage if they are to overcome Atletico Madrid and keep their dream of advancing in the Champions League alive, according to the great Franco Baresi.

The Rossoneri have made an unbeaten start to their Serie A campaign with five wins and a draw from their first six matches, but they were defeated 3-2 by Liverpool at Anfield in their opening European game of the season two weeks ago.

That was Milan's first match in Europe's elite club competition in seven and a half years, and the narrow defeat leaves them bottom of Group B, with Atletico and Porto sharing a point apiece in the other match.

Milan welcome LaLiga champions Atletico to San Siro on Tuesday and history is not on their side, having won only won of their past 17 games against Spanish opposition in European competition, including an ongoing run of seven games without a victory.

The only previous meetings between the teams, meanwhile, saw the Italian side lose both legs to Atleti at the last-16 stage of the 2013-14 Champions League.

But Baresi, who won the European Cup three times during his 20-year playing career with Milan, insists his former side have nothing to fear when they play host to Diego Simeone's side

"At the draw, we knew we would be in the fourth-tier pot," Baresi told Stats Perform. "We knew we would draw high level opponents.

"This groups is very tough, but we want to have our say until the end and enjoy this moment, this comeback to the Champions League. 

"To me, in this group, all the clubs will lose points, because it is not easy to beat Atletico Madrid and Porto. This next one at home against Atleti will be so important for Milan if we want to dream about going through. 

"But we don't have to be too nervous, we have to live it with enthusiasm and courage – like Milan always did around the world."

Milan were runners-up in Serie A last season – their highest Serie A finish since 2011-12 – as they ended their long wait for Champions League football.

Head coach Stefano Pioli has been hailed for his work over the past two years, and Baresi believes Paolo Maldini, who has served as technical director since June 2019, also deserves credit for helping to turn things around at Milan.

"He started with great enthusiasm, giving out all his experience as a player and his ideas and prowess as a manager," Baresi said. "He is doing a great job and Milan have improved exponentially in the last two seasons. 

"We can do well this season. Even last season we did well as we qualified for the Champions League. Let's hope we can play well in the Champions League, too."

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