London, Oct 18: Losing at Young Boys last month created new doubts over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s suitability to manage Manchester United. A 4-2 loss at Leicester on Saturday only magnified them, with United unable to benefit significantly yet from the return of Cristiano Ronaldo by picking up only one point in nine in the Premier League.
Things do not get any easier for United, which hasn’t won a trophy since the Europa League in 2017, as Atalanta arrives at Old Trafford for the Group F game on Wednesday before Liverpool visits on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain has won 10 of its 12 games overall this season but there are serious questions being raised about the level of play. PSG again looked laborious in a league game against Angers on Friday.
At least PSG will have Lionel Messi and Neymar back from international duty for the home game against Leipzig on Tuesday, but midfielder Leandro Paredes is out with a thigh injury.
Pep Guardiola will make a late decision on whether goalkeeper Ederson and forward Gabriel Jesus should play in Manchester City’s match at Club Brugge on Tuesday after being unable to prepare with the team due to a prolonged period on duty with Brazil.
City, which reached the Champions League final last season, slipped to third in Group A after losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital last month.
Sitting in last place in Group E, Barcelona needs a home win against Dynamo Kyiv to have a realistic chance of advancing to the knockout stage. The Catalan club made it past the group stage every season since 2001-02.
Barcelona opened with 3-0 losses to both Bayern Munich and Benfica. It is a point behind third-place Dynamo and four behind second-place Benfica. Bayern leads the group with six points from two matches.
Striker Luis Suárez will meet former club Liverpool for the first time since joining Atlético Madrid from Barcelona.
For Tuesday’s Group B game, Atlético coach Diego Simeone is expected to count on a couple of players who had been doubtful because of injuries – midfielder Marcos Llorente and defender José María Giménez.
Bayern Munich returned to form with a 5-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Sunday, bouncing back from a rare loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in its previous game.
Next up is Benfica away on Wednesday in Group E. Bayern won its first two games and a third victory would go a long way to securing qualification. (AP)
