MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Josep Guardiola has never managed a competitive European game below Champions League level, and on Tuesday he took charge of Manchester City in the Champions League for the 100th time.
City will host Bayer Leverkusen and aim to extend their winning streak to 14 in a row against German teams at home, a streak that began before Guardiola took over as manager in 2016.
Guardiola doubled his record of 50 Champions League matches as he led Barcelona to two titles in four seasons. In three seasons with Bayern Munich, he managed 36 Champions League games, all of which ended in the semi-finals. City won one title under Guardiola, but lost to Chelsea in the 2021 final.
Also on Tuesday, Barcelona return to a famous venue: Chelsea – and Notorious for home fans — They reached the final in 2009, Guardiola’s debut season as manager.
At Stamford Bridge, the team 12th and 11th in the 36-team table will face each other, with both Chelsea and Barcelona in a qualifying play-off at the halfway point of eight rounds of league play.
Tuesday’s early kick-off game will see Ajax host Benfica in 36th vs. 35th, with at least one former European champion finally picking up a point on his fifth try.
Galatasaray, who are without injured Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who is currently the Champions League’s top scorer, host Union Saint-Giroise in their other early game.
Juventus will face Bodø/Glimt in the Arctic Circle, where temperatures are expected to remain below freezing.
Also Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal, Marseille vs Newcastle United, Napoli vs Qarabag and Slavia Prague vs Athletic Bilbao.
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