Women's Champions League Matchday 2 preview: Thursday's games

The new-look league phase of the UEFA Women's Champions League continues with the second set of Matchday 2 games on Thursday.

This is the second of the six matchdays, following the openers last Tuesday and Wednesday, with the top four teams progressing directly to the quarter-finals and the sides finishing between fifth and 12th advancing to February's knockout phase play-offs, where they will compete to complete the last-eight line-up.

We preview the action, with Arsenal and Bayern München seeking to respond to opening setbacks.

Thursday's games

All times CET

Atleti vs Manchester United (18:45)

Atleti were quarter-finalists in 2019/20 but did not make their group stage/league phase debut until this season. They made a spectacular start as they won 6-0 at St. Pölten in which they were three up within 22 minutes.

Manchester United also won on their league phase debut on Wednesday, defeating Vålerenga 1-0 with a Maya Le Tissier penalty in a dominant performance hailed as a special night by Player of the Match Ella Toone. Atleti defender Vilde Bøe Risa joined from United in 2023.

Bayern München vs Juventus (21:00)

Bayern's 7-1 reverse at Barcelona was their first competitive defeat since the Champions League quarter-final losses to OL in March, but their fourth in a row in Europe since the 4-0 win against Juventus in December. They had also prevailed 2-0 in Italy two months before, while on Saturday Bayern had the boost of a 3-1 league win at Wolfsburg.

Juventus produced a 2-1 comeback win against Benfica on Matchday 1 courtesy of a double from defender Cecilia Salvai, who had never previously scored in Europe. Last season Juve's opening group win was followed by the home loss to Bayern and this time they are up against their former midfielder Arianna Caruso, who left Turin for Munich in February, initially on loan then permanently in the summer.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid (21:00)

A 4-0 defeat at Wolfsburg was not the start PSG were looking for especially having missed out on the group stage last season and lost key players in the summer. Madrid put on one of their finest European displays in their 6-2 defeat of Roma, Linda Caicedo, Caroline Weir and Alba Redondo all especially impressive.

They will now be taking on a player who made nearly 200 appearances for Madrid, Olga Carmona ending a five-year spell at the club in the summer to join PSG. Signe Bruun is also visiting her former club after leaving Paris in 2021; she scored a Women's Champions League quarter-final winner the summer before against Arsenal and came to the Spanish capital two years later.

Benfica vs Arsenal (21:00)

Benfica scored first at Juventus through Lucia Alves but went on to lose 2-1. Still, the Eagles' home results were the key to their quarter-final run two seasons ago, beating Rosengård and Eintracht Frankfurt before holding Barcelona 4-4, so they need not fear the visit of the holders to Estádio do SL Benfica.

Arsenal have made a mixed start to their domestic season and that continued as they began their European title defence with a 2-1 home loss to OL Lyonnes. Of course, recovering from defeats was Arsenal's speciality in their title run, not least the 5-2 reverse at Bayern on Matchday 1 of the group stage as well as losses in the first legs of all three of their home-and-away knockout ties.