FC Bayern München

We’ll start in Dortmund, where BVB put up a masterclass against Manchester City, stifling Erling Haaland’s new team to a 0-0 draw despite having only 27% of possession — and outshooting the Citizens too, both in shots (11-8) and shots on target (4-3). By the end of the game, City were just waiting for the final whistle.

Xavi will want a win to galvanize his squad for the rest of the season, after deflating losses to both Inter and Real Madrid in previous weeks. Bayern, meanwhile, still have top spot in the group to secure, and Julian Nagelsmann will doubtless want to come away from the Camp Nou with a win. Pride is at stake here. When you play against a big team in Europe, you give it your all. That’s just how it is.

His absence will be most keenly felt by the back-line, his regular partners in distribution and early build-up. At his pre-game press conference, center-back Matthijs de Ligt commented on Neuer’s recent injury omission and deputy Sven Ulreich’s turn at the plate.

And when dropped points reared their unwelcome head again against Borussia Dortmund, Julian Nagelsmann and the team acted fast to ensure it was an aberration rather than a return to form. A window into the process:

The Nerazzurri have now officially beaten the Czech champions 4-0 with goals from Mkhitaryan, Dzeko, and Lukaku. So, Barcelona are back in the Europa League for a second season running. No, they cannot be dumped out of Europe altogether, as without a win in the group, there is no way for Plzen to overtake the Catalans’ tally of four points so far in the group stage.

Bayern did have to wait for their moments to come, but when they did, they made the most of them, which is something they had struggled with earlier on in the Hinrunde in the Bundesliga. Speaking after the match, Julian Nagelsmann was pleased with the patience his side showed to take their moments well to make the ultimate difference. Barcelona was still fighting for a result despite knowing their chances of progression were nipped in the bud by virtue of Inter beating Viktoria Plzen prior to kicking off against Bayern.

“Man of the Match? For me it was more like Serge Gnabry. But fine, I’ll gladly take it,” he told DAZN.

Initial reactions and observations If Robert Lewandowski wasn’t regretting his move to FC Barcelona from Bayern...

When else will we ever be able to give Robert Lewandowski an award again? Sadly, this won’t be the time to do it, either. Lewy made some flashy plays but couldn’t pull the attack together on his own, and faded into anonymity for large swathes of the action. He would eventually be substituted in the 80th minute in a waving of the white flag from coach Xavi Hernández.

Adding another goal to his tally for season, Choupo-Moting help lead the Bavarians to a 3-0 victory over a downtrodden FC Barcelona squad.