Champions League: City hosts familiar foes, can Girona debut with a bang?

Recap of UEFA Champions League action, featuring Juventus, Bayern, and Man City. Preview of upcoming matches, including Dortmund,Celtic & PSG fixtures

The game of the night is between the two teams that played the 2023 finals of the Champions League. How will Inter Milan approach their visit to the Etihad? (Photo credit: GOAL)

On Tuesday night, the UEFA Champions League returned with aplomb, with bright lights on a dark night, colorful flags, and boisterous soccer fans singing the spiritual anthem. This is football tradition!

Juventus effortlessly defeated PSV Eindhoven at the Turin Stadium, while Unai Emery's team easily defeated Young Boys FC of Switzerland, winning 3-0, with the potential for more. What a return to the elite competition!

There were straightforward wins for Victor Gyorkeres-inspired Sporting Lisbon over Lille, who had Andre Gomes sent off, and Liverpool over AC Milan, but despite a 3-1 win, it wasn’t an easy night for Real Madrid against VFB Stuttgart.

Bayern Munich hammered Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in a weird European game that saw Harry Kane score four, three of which were penalties, to take his tally for the German side to 50 goals in as many appearances, an incredible number for the England striker.

On Wednesday night, Bologna's debut would be the talk of the city of Bologna in Italy, as they host Shakhtar Donetsk in one of the two early kickoffs of the night. Sparta Prague hosts Austrian champions RB Salzburg in the other game, which takes place before 6 p.m.

High-flying Scottish side Many anticipate that Celtic's match against Slovan Bratislava will be a routine match for Brendan Rodgers' team. The Bulgarian side could pose some threats, but the Scottish champions should have enough to deal with them.

Last year’s finalists Borussia Dortmund start their campaign away from home at Club Brugge; it’s a game that could go either way with Nuri Sahin’s side so unpredictable. It should be an interesting one for the neutrals, but this game could easily go either way.

The game of the night is definitely the one at the Etihad between 2023 champions Manchester City and the team they beat to win their first-ever Champions League title, Inter Milan. The Italian champions have endured an indifferent start in the Serie-A so far this season; they must put that aside on Wednesday.

Expect another Erling Haaland masterclass from Manchester City, who have blown away everything in their sights this season. Someone, Inzaghi, must be having a sleepless night preparing for this one.

The challenge lies in translating PSG's domestic dominance into intercontinental games. With Girona making their debut in Europe against the French champions, it’s a game to look forward to.