Champions League preview: What to look out for tonight

Serhiy Rebrov and Kylian Mbappé have personal matters to consider on Matchday 2.

Wednesday fixtures (click for live build-up)*
Group E: Krasnodar vs Chelsea (18:55 CET)
Group E: Sevilla vs Rennes
Group F: Dortmund vs Zenit
Group F: Club Brugge vs Lazio
Group G: Juventus vs Barcelona
Group G: Ferencváros vs Dynamo Kyiv
Group H: İstanbul Başakşehir vs Paris (18:55 CET)
Group H: Manchester United vs Leipzig

Rebrov up against his first love

Coach Serhiy Rebrov will be the centre of attention as Ferencváros play their first group stage home game since 1995. The 46-year-old sparkled during two stints as a Dynamo striker, then led the club to two Ukrainian titles as coach from 2014–17. "I didn't want to have a Ukrainian team in our group, especially Dynamo," he conceded. "But I'm coach of Ferencváros now and we'll treat them like any other opponents."

Mbappé out to end a barren spell

Paris' Kylian Mbappé was slated for a toothless showing in Matchday 1’s 2-1 loss to United; he featured on L'Équipe’s cover under the headline: "Unrecognisable". The 21-year-old bagged four goals in his first four Ligue 1 games this season but is enduring the longest UEFA Champions League barren spell of his career: six matches without scoring – so no goals in 2020. Will that sequence end in Başakşehir’s first group stage home fixture?

Juventus vs Barcelona: a heavyweight clash

A meeting of the Italian champions and the Spanish giants is always a big deal. Juventus' record in 11 UEFA games vs Barça reads W3 D4 L4, and they have not scored in the sides' last three encounters (D2 L1). Curiously, Andrea Pirlo's last Juve outing as a player came in the 3-1 loss to Barcelona in the 2015 UEFA Champions League final; could he now mark his arrival as a coach with a victory here?

Can Chelsea make their mark in Russia?

Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Sevilla on Matchday 1 was overshadowed in England by United’s triumph in Paris, but a clean sheet for Frank Lampard’s high-profile but occasionally absent-minded team was probably worthy of more comment. Beaten soundly by Bayern in last season’s round of 16, the Blues have not won a European game in 2020; will they upstage Krasnodar as the Russian newcomers play their first group stage home match?

*21:00 CET unless stated