UCL Musings: Arsenal to beat Shakhtar, Can Madrid do it again against BVB?

Champions League preview: Milan's must-win, Arsenal seeks redemption vs Shakhtar, and Villa eyes a third consecutive victory against Bologna in Europe

Arsenal must put the embarrassing loss at Bournemouth aside to help their cause in Europe, a win over Shakhtar leads the Gunners into the top 8, which is where they'd love to be. (Photo credit: Opta)

Champions League football is back, from an interesting fixture in Milan to Arsenal’s shot at redemption at home and a need for Real Madrid to prove to Borussia Dortmund that the title indeed belongs to the reigning champions. Let’s look at some Tuesday fixtures.

AC Milan vs. Club Brugge: Milan’s last dance for qualification

The Italians must win this one or forget about this season’s Champions League altogether. They have already lost their opening two games, and any outcome other than a win should result in their elimination from any form of qualification.

Club Brugge might perceive this as an opportunity, increasing the pressure on the Italians. With three points from two games, the Belgians are on track for automatic qualification, but a draw could be a great outcome.

Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk This match presents an opportunity for the Gunners to redeem themselves.

The Gunners lost their unbeaten run on Saturday at Bournemouth, losing 2-0 and feeling hard-done by the officials who sent off William Saliba. It’s a huge opportunity for Arsenal to send the Saturday result into the bin; they can’t afford to drop points.

As a champion in their own right, Shakhtar Donetsk needs a positive outcome, and if Arsenal gives them the opportunity to showcase their skills, they won't hesitate. The Gunners should easily win this match at home.

Aston Villa vs. Bologna: Villa’s chance to soar higher

Unai Emery and Aston Villa are doing well in Europe; they have won two games in a row, and they have a chance to make it three if they defeat Bologna on Tuesday.

Villa is the clear favorite, but, despite being a little off-color this season, Bologna can trouble the two-time champions. It’s a fixture that could go either way, but Villa will build on that famous win over Bayern Munich.

Juventus vs. VFB Stuttgart: The old lady must shine at home.

VFB Stuttgart is struggling to reach the heights of last season, like it happens to the best of them; they got cherry-picked and now left with bare bones to rebuild with. They need a result here; will they get it?

Juventus has already won two games in the Champions League; a victory over the Germans has put them firmly on course for automatic qualification; a home game against Stuttgart is a game to be taken seriously; there won't be any tenable excuses for Thiago Motta.

Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund: A replay of last season’s final

The champions meet the team they beat to win their fifteenth title again; they have just one job: to prove to the Black and Yellow Wall that what happened at Wembley was not a fluke.

Real Madrid isn’t inspiring at the moment, while Borussia Dortmund knows how to swing from brilliance to mediocrity in split seconds. An example was how they destroyed Celtic 7-1 in their last UCL game and then went to lose 2-1 at Union Berling in the Bundesliga. It’s Madrid’s game to lose.