Champions League matchday 1 in numbers

We examine the numbers behind the games as the Champions League group stage kicks off in style with PSG's visit to Liverpool.

Published : Sep 18, 2018 17:26 IST

PSG opens its champions league campaign with a trip to Liverpool.
PSG opens its champions league campaign with a trip to Liverpool.
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PSG opens its champions league campaign with a trip to Liverpool.

Last season's beaten finalist Liverpool comes up against the might of Paris Saint-Germain as the Champions League returns to mouth-watering action on Tuesday.

Anfield will be rocking for the arrival of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as Jurgen Klopp's side looks to get off to a flier in a tricky group, which also contains Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.

Tottenham and Inter will both be aiming to put testing league campaigns behind them when they clash at San Siro - with Harry Kane on course to join an elite group - while in Group B's other game, PSV face a daunting trip to Barcelona. 

In the night's other standout tie, Radamel Falcao will hope to get one over his former employer as Monaco hosts Atletico Madrid in Group A.

 

Below, we examine key numbers behind Tuesday's matches.

Barcelona v PSV

24  - Barcelona has won 24 of its last 26 Champions League games at the Camp Nou (W24 D2 L0), with its last defeat there dating back to May 2013 against Bayern Munich (0-3).

- Current PSV coach Mark van Bommel made nine Champions League appearances for Barcelona between September 2005 and May 2006, including playing 61 minutes in the Spanish team's victory over Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final.

 

Inter v Tottenham

7 -  After qualifying for the competition for 10 successive years between 2002-03 and 2011-12, Inter will be competing in the Champions League for the first time in seven years, its longest wait since the rebranding of the tournament in 1992-93 (also seven between 92-93 and 98-99).

9 -  Tottenham striker Harry Kane has scored nine goals in 10 Champions League appearances so far in his career. The fastest players to 10 Champions League goals are Adriano, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino (11 appearances) – Kane could equal this if he scores in his first Champions League appearance of 2018-19.

Club Brugge v Borussia Dortmund

6 -  Only Benfica (7) is on a longer losing run in the Champions League among sides in this season's competition than Club Brugge (6).

12 -  Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus has scored 12 goals and delivered four assists in his last 16 Champions League games.

 

Schalke v Porto

23 - Porto has made it to the Champions League group stages for the 23rd time, which equals the record held by Barcelona and Real Madrid. It hasn't progressed further than the quarter-finals since it lifted the trophy in 2004.

5 -  Schalke has reached the knockout stages of the Champions League in each of its previous five appearances, with their best performance dating back to 2010-11 (semi-finals).

 

Monaco v Atletico Madrid

14 - Monaco have failed to keep a single clean sheet in their last 14 Champions League games, the longest current run of sides taking part in the 2018-19 edition of the competition (Galatasaray also 14).

6 -  This is Atletico's sixth consecutive Champions League campaign, the longest run in their history. They were beaten finalists in 2013-14 and 2015-16, while being eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2014-15 and semi-finals in 2016-17.

 

Liverpool v Paris Saint-Germain

8 -  Last season, Liverpool's James Milner (8) equalled the record set by current PSG star Neymar (8 in 2016-17) for the most assists by a player in a single Champions League campaign since 2003-04.

8 -  PSG striker Edinson Cavani has scored eight goals in 14 appearances in the Champions League against teams from England.

 

Red Star Belgrade v Napoli

8 -  Red Star Belgrade has not won any of its previous eight matches in the European Cup/Champions League against sides from Italy (D4 L4), including losing each of the last two, both to Sampdoria in the 1991-92 group stage.

12 - Napoli was knocked out of the Champions League despite amassing 12 points in the 2013-14 group stages, the highest points total to see a side eliminated since the new format in 2003-04 (finished third behind Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund).

 

Galatasaray v Lokomotiv Moscow

2 -  Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera has kept only two clean sheets in 27 Champions League games.

26 -  Yuri Semin has taken charge of all 26 Champions League games played by Lokomotiv Moscow (2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04).

 

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