Joel Matip was the Liverpool hero as his thumping late header handed the Reds a much-needed 2-1 win over Ajax at Anfield on Tuesday.

The defender secured three priceless Champions League points with his 89th-minute heroics, a huge relief for boss Jurgen Klopp after last week's 4-1 humbling by Napoli.

Mohamed Salah earlier ended a seven-game goal drought in the competition to nudge Liverpool ahead, but Ajax were level before the half-hour mark as Mohammed Kudus capped a 26-pass spell of possession.

Ajax went close through Daley Blind late on, but Matip was more precise as his header crossed the line despite Dusan Tadic's desperate attempts to keep it out. 

The hosts edged ahead in the 18th minute as Alisson's kick reached Luis Diaz, who found Diogo Jota. From a central position, Jota fed the eager Salah, who lashed past Remko Pasveer and into the bottom-right corner.

Diaz and Jota went close as Liverpool threatened to add to their opener, but the Reds were caught out by a rapid Ajax break down the left, which culminated with Kudus' sublime finish into the top-left corner. 

Pasveer saved well from Virgil van Dijk's header, and then denied Trent Alexander-Arnold twice in quick succession before the interval.

Both Van Dijk and Matip then headed over the crossbar from set-pieces as Liverpool kept up the pressure after the break, but Blind almost stunned Anfield from Tadic's right-wing cross when he nodded a foot wide of the right-hand post. 

Liverpool Substitute Darwin Nunez shot wide with seven minutes remaining, but Matip came good with time running out, rising to meet Tsimikas' corner and power the ball towards goal.

While Tadic nodded away, the former Southampton man was was a foot behind the line when doing so, and the relief inside Anfield was obvious as the goal was awarded.

Bayer Leverkusen scored twice in the last seven minutes to condemn Atletico Madrid to a 2-0 defeat in the Champions League.

A scrappy clash at BayArena appeared to be heading for a stalemate until Robert Andrich broke the deadlock when he swept past Ivo Grbic.

And Moussa Diaby then rounded off a quickfire counter to secure Leverkusen’s first points on the board in Group B on Tuesday.

There were familiar frustrations for Atletico, who have now lost seven of their last eight Champions League away matches in Germany.

Robert Lewandowski's return to Bayern Munich was not a fruitful endeavour as a wasteful Barcelona were swept aside in a 2-0 Champions League defeat.

Second-half goals from Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane condemned Xavi's side to yet another loss in Bavaria, a historically poor hunting ground for the Catalan giants.

Barcelona were unable to capitalise on a dominant first half, with Lewandowski spurning some fine opportunities, while Pedri struck the post after the visitors had fallen two behind.

A fightback never appeared likely, with Bayern producing a stellar display in the second period after a frustrating first 45 minutes.

After an end-to-end start, Barcelona looked the more threatening, with Pedri forcing Manuel Neuer to make a smart save and Lewandowski passing up a chance on the volley.

Lewandowski, ever the threat, then saw a header from close range saved well, while Raphinha dragged a low shot wide from outside the box.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen was belatedly called into action early in the second half as Leon Goretzka tested his compatriot from distance, and the resulting corner provided the breakthrough.

Joshua Kimmich's delivery to the near post was met by the head of Hernandez, escaping Marcos Alonso's attention and applying contact ahead of Ter Stegen.

And the lead was doubled four minutes later when Jamal Musiala fed Sane, who raced away and poked a deft finish into the net.

Pedri clipped the upright after a one-two with Lewandowski created space in the area, yet that was as close as Barca would come on another difficult night.

Antonio Conte did not believe Tottenham deserved to lose to Sporting CP but suggested their late collapse was a reminder of the limited room for error in the Champions League.

Tottenham were below par in their Group D encounter but looked set to settle for a share of the spoils at Estadio Jose Alvalade. 

However, Paulinho's 90th-minute header from a near-post corner and a fine individual goal from Arthur Gomes gave Sporting a win that puts them in control of the group on six points.

Spurs now have plenty of work to do in a pair of games with Eintracht Frankfurt after falling to a result Conte did not view as reflective of their performance.

"I think the game in the first half was in balance between the two teams," Conte told a media conference. 

"Honestly, in the second half, we felt the opportunity to get the three points and win the game. We had the chances to score, but in the end we are talking about a loss.

"For sure, we can do much better in those last few minutes. We conceded a counter-attack with a one-versus-one. It was the player who shot and Hugo [Lloris] made a really good save, maybe the most difficult save of the game.

"After this, the corner we conceded a goal. I always say to my players that the details move the final result. I think that maybe we didn't deserve to win, but at the same time we didn't deserve to lose this game tonight.

"We try to analyse the game very well with the players to understand what were the positive things that we did and what are the negative situations that we can improve for the future.

"For sure, this level is a high level, the Champions League. Against Marseille was another tough game. Tonight was another tough game. We need to know that if we want to have the ambition to go to the next round, we have to fight, we have to fight a lot, especially in this group, because in this group I see a lot of balance between the teams.

"The Champions League level is high. You know that you have to reduce the mistakes because in the end you can pay. Tonight we paid a lot.

"Now we are talking about a loss, a loss against a team that showed they are used to playing this competition. It's a pity, and we have to analyse the game well, and all the players they know very well that this level is an important level.

"It's right to continue to improve this process. Don't forget that last season we lost against Mura in the Conference League, and I think we made an important step forward."

A small minority of Liverpool fans interrupted a pre-match silence to honour Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the Champions League game against Ajax.

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish had urged all supporters to respect the silence after the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance made a similar plea.

Some in Liverpool hold strong anti-monarchy views, but the club had hoped those represented among their fanbase would manage to respect a short silence before Tuesday's fixture.

Sporadic shouting at Anfield began with a "Liverpool, Liverpool" chant that was hushed by many other supporters, and the silence was halted after 25 seconds by referee Artur Manuel Soares Dias.

It had not been specified as a minute's silence, with Liverpool describing it on their website ahead of the game as "a period of silence".

The Premier League club laid a wreath at the stadium to mark the death of the long-reigning monarch, while captain Jordan Henderson signed an official book of condolence in the city.

Tottenham crashed to defeat in their Champions League encounter with Sporting CP as a stunning late show condemned them to a 2-0 defeat in Lisbon.

Spurs had produced a largely uninspiring performance at Estadio Jose Alvalade and appeared happy to settle for a share of the spoils.

But there was a twist in the tale in the closing stages when Paulinho turned home a corner at the near post in the 90th minute.

Sporting then made sure of the points in the third and final minute of injury time as Arthur doubled their tally with a superb individual effort on his debut.

Edin Dzeko and Denzel Dumfries guided Inter to a much-needed 2-0 win over 10-man Viktoria Plzen, kick-starting the Nerazzurri's Champions League campaign.

Defeat to Bayern Munich last Wednesday meant Inter needed to respond in the Czech Republic, and they never looked likely to drop points after Dzeko swept home in the first half.

Pavel Bucha's straight red card cemented Inter's superiority, with Dumfries making the points safe when Dzeko turned provider with 20 minutes remaining.

With Simone Inzaghi's men facing criticism after an inconsistent start to the season, the win provides a welcome boost ahead of the daunting prospect of back-to-back meetings with Group C rivals Barcelona.

Inter needed just 20 minutes to turn their dominance of possession into a deserved lead - Dzeko tucking a neat finish into the bottom-right corner.

Dzeko could have had a second when Marcelo Brozovic slipped him through on goal, but the forward's low effort was well saved by Jindrich Stanek.

Plzen were unable to test Andre Onana despite improving before the break, and were indebted to Stanek for saving Milan Skriniar's glancing header at full stretch three minutes into the second half. 

Dumfries missed a golden chance when he nodded over the crossbar from six yards out, but Plzen's chances of a comeback were left in tatters by Bucha's reckless challenge on Nicolo Barella, which saw him receive his marching orders following a VAR review.

The depleted hosts were put out of their misery in the 70th minute, Dumfries making amends as he latched onto Dzeko's pass and lifted a finish beyond Stanek.

What does it mean? Nerazzurri off the mark

Inter's meek defeat to Bayern led to an apology from chief executive Giuseppe Marotta, and the presence of two European heavyweights in Group C meant the Nerazzurri were under genuine pressure ahead of the trip to Plzen.

But Inzaghi's side produced the goods to boost their qualification hopes, ensuring Inter have still only started one Champions League campaign with back-to-back losses (under Roberto Mancini in 2006-07) in the process.

Dzeko steps up

With Romelu Lukaku injured and Lautaro Martinez starting on the bench, Inter's back-up strikers were handed an opportunity to shine on Tuesday.

Dzeko became the oldest player to play a Champions League game for Inter for over a decade last time out (since Javier Zanetti v Marseille in March 2012), but his cultured finish demonstrated the former Manchester City and Roma striker still has the quality to contribute.

Since Dzeko joined Inter in August 2021, only Martinez (28) has bettered his tally of 19 goals for the club in all competitions.

No joy for Plzen 

Few would have held out any hope for Viktoria Plzen after they were drawn into a group containing Inter, Barcelona and Bayern, and their back-to-back defeats have done little to reverse perceptions of them being Group C whipping boys.

Plzen have shipped 51 goals in just 20 Champions League matches, becoming just the second side to bring up an unwanted century in so few games; Malmo conceded their 50th Champions League goal in their 18th outing.

What's next?

Inter travel to Udinese for their next Serie A outing on Sunday, while Plzen host Slavia Prague in the Czech First League.

Jude Bellingham has conceded he did not expect to become as influential for Borussia Dortmund as quickly as he has, crediting the club's coaches for helping his development.

The 19-year-old England international has become an integral part of Edin Terzic's side, starting 52 matches since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

Moving to the Bundesliga two years ago from Championship outfit Birmingham City, Bellingham's rise has been meteoric – boasting 15 caps for England alongside his vast experience at club level.

While Bellingham has long been touted to become a star, he himself has admitted that things have moved far quicker than he ever anticipated.

"All of it has been a bit of a surprise - I didn't think I'd come here and have the impact that I've had as quickly," he said ahead of Wednesday's away Champions League clash against Manchester City.

"I thought I'd maybe have to wait a bit longer to get in the team and play a lot of minutes.

"But I've got to give credit to the staff, the coaches that I've had, Lucien Favre and Marco Rose, because they've thrown me into the deep end, given me the exposure, given me the chance to learn.

"I've got qualities that maybe I didn't know I had before I came, it's all down to them, giving me the trust and managing to get it out of me."

Bellingham and his Dortmund team-mates face a tough task against a familiar face in Erling Haaland, who left the club in the transfer window to join City.

Since moving to England, Haaland has been in blistering form with 12 goals in eight appearances across all competitions and Bellingham is not sure how the striker can be stopped.

"I'm not really sure to be honest, we'll have to find out [in the game]," Bellingham added. "He's a player with a lot of quality and a lot of physical attributes that make him so dangerous.

"It's not a thing that's an individual task, it's something the team has to deal with collectively. We stick together, try to do the right things without the ball, then it can be possible."

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho says the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel came as a "surprise", revealing the Blues' players feel partly responsible for his exit.

The German coach was axed last week in the aftermath of a surprise defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, which followed on from Premier League losses against Southampton and Leeds United during an underwhelming start to the season.

Chelsea moved quickly to appoint Graham Potter as Tuchel's successor at Stamford Bridge, with their first game under his guidance coming on Wednesday against Salzburg.

With last week's Premier League action postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Tuesday's pre-match news conference represented the first opportunity for questions on the managerial change.

Jorginho conceded it is something he has become accustomed to, with Potter the fourth Chelsea boss he has worked under, but says he was caught off guard by the latest switch.

"It's happening a lot, as everyone knows. We're adapting to the new coach, we're very excited to work with him and his staff. It's been quite good the first few days," he said.

"Of course, we had a great time with Thomas, we appreciate everything he did for us, for the club, for the fans, now we have a new challenge to look forward to and we're very excited.

"It was a surprise for everyone. What has been said between the players will stay there, sorry.

"There's always talking around what has happened, but now we have games coming and life is quick, so we don't have much time to stay and think. We need to concentrate on what we need to do."

Jorginho was then asked about Tuchel's repeated criticism of the team in the build-up to his departure, and the midfielder admitted there is work to do.

"It was his feeling, he said that to us as well. We tried to do what we could, we tried to do our best, it's what we do," he added.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't working anymore and the challenge now is to rebuild the confidence because Chelsea are a big club, we have a lot of work to do and to do that we need to work with everyone moving in the same direction.

"Of course, we feel responsible, we were a team, it's not one person who is responsible for what happened, everyone is responsible."

Barcelona sporting director Jordi Cruyff insisted the side's host of new additions joined in order to "follow their dream" as he hit out at criticism of the Blaugrana's transfer policy.

Despite concerns regarding the club's finances, Barcelona acquired Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso during a busy transfer window.

Xavi's new-look team have impressed this season, taking 13 points from their first five matches in LaLiga, but many onlookers were surprised by their ability to outmanoeuvre their rivals in the market.

Raphinha and Kounde, for instance, were both strongly linked with Chelsea before arriving at Camp Nou. Cruyff, however, insists Barca retain a unique draw.

"Barcelona has a magnet, it is beautiful," Cruyff told Guillem Balague ahead of the Cruyff Legacy Summit.

"You can see the pride in the eyes of the players when they get a chance to sign for Barcelona and that has helped a lot, being able to compete with clubs with bigger budgets and better salaries.

"They wanted to sign for Barcelona, and we are very grateful for these players because, believe me, they had better offers than us.

"And still they chose to follow their dream to be part of history. When you see the eyes shining in these players you know you are in a special place."

LaLiga's strict salary controls meant Barca were forced to wait to register some of their new signings, with Kounde sitting out the club's opening league game as they attempted to streamline their squad.

However, Cruyff believes those who criticised the club's transfer policy lack understanding, adding: "I have noticed 99 per cent of the people don't understand Spanish financial fair play, how to fit that puzzle.

"It is something you won't understand in one hour, it is more complex and complicated. Even when you have money, you can't spend it.

"The news that has come out about us is not always accurate, and I understand people listen to that and think what Barcelona has done is maybe not elegant.

"That is a question of understanding fair play. Our job was to, inside the strict rules of Spanish football, improve the team. Now we have a squad that can compete with everything."

Cruyff also believes Barcelona's purchases were made with the future in mind, adding: "Most of the players we have brought in have a lot of years in front [of them], have a transfer value.

"We have made financially good decisions because you can see in the last week of the window how values have gone up.

"We have a squad for the future. The future is here and the present is here. We have things we need to improve, but the club had to make that decision in the summer.

"January 2022 was not a moment to buy four or five players and repair what we needed to repair. In January we looked at the short term, now we looked at short, middle and long term.

"The team has started really well, with the manager doing a really good job. He has a positive headache... he has a good squad to choose from.

"If that continues the right way, the city is alive again. Even for the smaller games, it's a sell-out and that shows the mood. You see how the people are so happy with the players that have joined. You feel it is alive again, and this club needed that."

Graham Potter admitted the chance to manage Chelsea was too good to turn down.

Potter left Brighton and Hove Albion to take over as head coach at Stamford Bridge last week after Thomas Tuchel had been sacked by the London club.

Speaking at his first press conference as Chelsea boss ahead of the Champions League group stage clash against Salzburg, Potter said he was grateful for the trust the club's new owners put in him and is looking forward to getting started.

"You have to look at the football club here, the tradition, the quality, the size, the ambition of the club, to compete in the Champions League, to compete at the top of the Premier League," he said when asked why he left Brighton for this opportunity.

"It's a completely different challenge to the ones I've had.

"I'm very thankful for the ownership here, putting their trust in me and believing in me, to work with an exciting group of players, to be competitive, and to put a team on the pitch that supporters are really proud of.

"I'm very excited, as you can imagine, and looking forward to getting going."

The 47-year-old, who has also managed Swedish side Ostersund and Swansea City, admitted it has been a quick transition from one job to another, speaking just nine days after his former Brighton team had impressed with a 5-2 thrashing of Leicester City.

"It feels like nine weeks, or nine months!" he exclaimed.

"The beauty of football is you never know what's round the corner. Things happen quickly.

"It's been a whirlwind in terms of getting to know people, leaving Brighton, learning about the players, getting to know them, but so far it's been really positive, my first impressions have been really good. I'm looking forward to starting."

Potter is widely admired in the game for his style of football. Since the start of last season, only Liverpool (11.4) and Manchester City (9.9) have averaged more high turnovers per game than Brighton (9.8) in the Premier League.

He insisted he wants a team at Chelsea that plays his desired way, but also plays to win.

"The team that I'd like to see is one that is balanced in terms of attack and defence, a humble team, a respectful team that runs hard and fights," he added. 

"We want to entertain, of course we do, but we also want to win. I'm respectful of the Premier League, I'm respectful of our opponents, there's a lot of teams that want to do the same thing.

"We want to create our own team, our own identity so it's recognisable, and supporters understand what we're trying to do, can see what we're trying to do, and we'll fight every day for it."

Pep Guardiola is happy to lean on the knowledge of Manchester City's former Borussia Dortmund players ahead of Wednesday's Champions League meeting with the Bundesliga club.

Dortmund head to Etihad Stadium for their fifth meeting with City in the Champions League.

The clubs previously faced each other in the 2012-13 group stage and the quarter-finals in the 2020-21 campaign. City have won three of those matches, with the other one finishing as a draw.

Ilkay Gundogan, Sergio Gomez, Erling Haaland and Manuel Akanji have all spent chunks of their career at Dortmund, with the latter two having signed for City from the German side earlier this year.

Akanji made his City debut in the 4-0 thrashing of Sevilla last week, a game in which Haaland scored twice, taking his tally for the season to 12 goals from seven appearances in all competitions.

Asked in a press conference if Haaland was excited about facing his former side, Guardiola said: "We spoke in general. Not [a] special [conversation]. Of course, we spoke about some of their players, what he thinks, but in the end it's the quality of the players tomorrow that make the difference."

Guardiola is more than willing to take on board the advice of his four former Dortmund players, however.

"Yes, they are intelligent, players know about football," he said. "Some specific players have doubts... they know them better than me. They were two, three years with them, they know much more than me. I could watch a thousand videos.

"Their systems, formations, are less important than the fact of like how is the manager, how they thought they played against us two years ago – they know it, they know better than me."

It has been a remarkable start to life in England for Haaland, who is the first City player to score on both his Premier League and Champions League debuts for the club.

Haaland has scored 25 goals in 20 Champions League appearances, the most by any player in their first 20 games in the competition. He netted 15 in 13 games with Dortmund and could become just the second player to score a goal in the tournament both for and against the German side, after Ciro Immobile.

Guardiola believes it is too early, however, to judge if the striker can be the difference when it comes to City ending their Champions League duck.

"I'm not able to know it," he said. "The team and he, [so far] are playing well but right now, I don't know."

Asked what Haaland can improve, Guardiola replied: "He's young, he's hungry, he will be a better player, it's going to happen.

"At 22, 23 years old he can be better, for sure. It's a connection with his team-mates, a question of time, he will become a better player."

Stefano Pioli has no worries about continuing to select Olivier Giroud to lead the Milan attack in the continued absence of Divock Origi.

Giroud has played in all seven of Milan's matches so far this season, starting five of those, due to the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ante Rebic and new signing Origi being injured.

Origi has managed just 80 minutes of action since arriving as a free agent in the transfer window and has yet to open his goalscoring account for the club.

Pioli had hoped to call on the ex-Liverpool striker before next week's international break, but he has been ruled out of Wednesday's Champions League tie with Dinamo Zagreb.

France international Giroud, who turns 36 later this month, is now expected to start at San Siro as he looks to add to his tally of three goals and an assist so far this term.

Milan head coach Pioli is not overly concerned by Origi's injury-plagued start to life at the club and is happy for Giroud to continue in the role.

"Olivier can play every game, and I have many other players who can also play in that position," Pioli said at Tuesday's press conference.

"I'm not worried about Origi's injury, but sorry. He is a player we strongly wanted and I'm now hoping to have him back after the [international] break."

Giroud has scored only one goal in his past 11 Champions League appearances, managing just eight shots in total across that period – only five of which were on target.

Milan could do with the former Arsenal and Chelsea striker stepping up on Wednesday as they aim to improve on last week's 1-1 draw away at Salzburg in their Group E opener.

However, Zagreb enter the contest in good form having won six games on the spin, including a 1-0 victory over Chelsea that leaves them top of the early standings.

"We have to put our full potential into every game," Pioli said. "Tomorrow's match is very important, but not yet decisive because there are many other matches remaining.

"We could be on top of the group with a win. We have a chance, but it will be difficult because Dinamo deservedly won the first game [against Chelsea].

"If we play at a high level, we have a good chance to win both in Italy and in Europe. We have to play at our best."

Massimiliano Allegri believes coaches who are shown red cards should pay fines that are then passed to charities, rather than face touchline bans.

The Juventus head coach was sent off in stoppage time of his side's dramatic 2-2 draw with Salernitana on Sunday after protesting the referee and VAR overturning what would have been a last-minute winning goal from Arkadiusz Milik, who was also dismissed for taking his shirt off during the initial celebrations.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Bianconeri hosting Benfica in the Champions League group stage, Allegri said he considers the chapter "closed", but raised his idea that coaches pay fines rather than face bans following such incidents.

"I have never expressed any judgements of the referees," he said. "It's not up to me to express my opinion on that. I closed that chapter on Sunday.

"I don't know whether I will be able to take part in Sunday's game [at Monza]. Rather than being sent off, maybe it would be better to pay a fine for coaches so we can help charities, but I would like to be on the pitch.

"This is something that should be taken into consideration that could be food for thought, in my opinion." 

Juve have had an underwhelming start to the season, drawing four of their six Serie A games so far, while they lost their opening game in Group H of the Champions League 2-1 at Paris Saint-Germain last week.

Allegri expects his team to improve, but pointed to a lack of experience at the top level for several of his players, singling out new arrival Bremer, who signed from Torino in July.

"We certainly have experience, but at the same time we have other players who have not played in the Champions League very often, and have not played in Serie A very often, so they have less experience," Allegri said.

"Playing for Juventus is not easy at all, the players are always under pressure. Obviously we want to win all the time so we are pushed from the outside.

"Bremer, I believe, will only be playing his second match in the Champions League if I'm not wrong. He's an extraordinary signing for the club of course but in terms of experience... he has to deal with some psychological pressure.

"We would like to have a different situation in Serie A. We have lost some points and I am sorry for that. We have time to recover, but as for the match, it will be a difficult and complicated match and we must be focused on it."

The former Milan boss did have some good news for Juve fans, saying Angel Di Maria has returned from injury and could start at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, while first-choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is also back in training.

"Di Maria has recovered," he said. "I don't know if he will start, but he has been training with the team. Szczesny has also been training so may be available, I will know after this press conference.

"Alex Sandro had a problem after Sunday, he might be back for the Monza game, and [Adrien] Rabiot and [Manuel] Locatelli are out."

Ilkay Gundogan does not believe Erling Haaland is nervous about facing former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Haaland will line up against the team he left for Manchester City in June when Dortmund visit the Etihad Stadium for the Group G encounter.

The Norway international has scored 25 Champions League goals in 20 appearances, the most by any player in their first 20 games in the competition.

Fifteen of those came in 13 matches in the competition for Dortmund, and Haaland could become just the second player to score a Champions League goal both for and against the German side, after Ciro Immobile.

The smart money is on him doing so, given his remarkable start to life at City.

Haaland has 10 goals in just six Premier League games, that tally comprising two hat-tricks, and netted a brace in City's Champions League win at Sevilla last week.

Gundogan spent five years at Dortmund from 2011 to 2016 before joining City, helping the club win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double under Jurgen Klopp in 2011-12.

But Gundogan expects the occasion to be more special for Haaland than for himself, though he senses no trepidation in the 22-year-old.

"No, I saw him very happy," Gundogan told a media conference when asked if Haaland was nervous. 

"He was sitting next to me and was very happy, he was asking me [how I felt]. We're both very excited to play our former team.

"For me it's more in the past, but for him it's going to be a lot more special because he'll know 95 per cent of the squad.

"I know a few players and really looking forward to the game here and in Dortmund, it's a special occasion for both of us."

Sergio Gomez and Manuel Akanji also formerly plied their trade at Dortmund, the latter joining in the most recent transfer window, and Gundogan does not believe it is possible for the quartet playing their former club to take the emotion out of the game.

"'I'm sure it’s impossible to take it out because we will have memories attached to Dortmund, I believe all four of us have mainly positive memories, so quite difficult to take emotions out completely," he added. 

"You deal with them in the best possible way, about using them in your favour, not to be over excited, keep calm and cool, which can be the most difficult thing in football."

City lost the Champions League final to Chelsea in 2021 and then fell victim to a comeback from Real Madrid in last year's semi-final.

"The most important thing is the margin of making mistakes, the little details that decide, especially in quarter-finals, semi-finals and final obviously, the margin is so tight that no mistakes are really allowed," Gundogan said of learning from those experiences. 

"The last few years the way we got knocked out was maybe a bit tragic in the way it happened, but I don't think we should regret anything, it's always an experience for us.

"It was incredible to play in the final, even if we lost it, it was an incredible experience. As a competitor you learn from it, try to get there again and do better. The target for the season is the same, reach the maximum and see what can happen."

Asked if Haaland can be the difference in this competition this season, Gundogan replied: "We hope for it. Obviously having a proper number nine, proper striker, physically strong, determined is going to help us a lot, but we will see.

"Winning the Champions League is something incredible to achieve, a very tough competition, it's never easy and little details can decide the outcome. We'll try as hard as we can to go as far as possible."