After a positive first day (three victories, three draws), the French clubs return to battle this week on the European scene, with a program far from obvious. Focus on the opponents of the Ligue 1 residents.
Arsenal is solid
Opponent of RC Lens, the London club is in a good period. After outclassing PSV Eindhoven on the first day (4-0), the Gunners drew against Tottenham (2-2), before stringing together two away wins without conceding a goal. Mikel Arteta’s men, still undefeated this season, remain 4-0 on the Bournemouth pitch. This is a big deal for the Sang et Or, who reassured themselves by winning their last two Ligue 1 matches.
Newcastle is better
After a small scare at the end of August, with a series of three consecutive defeats, the Magpies recovered well. Eddie Howe’s men have just gone five matches in a row without conceding a single goal, including the 0-0 in Milan two weeks ago and the 8-0 success in Sheffield. It is a difficult formation to maneuver that PSG will face, in a Saint James Park stadium delighted to return to Europe.
Brighton wants to redeem itself
Hit of the summer in England, Brighton remains on several negatives. A defeat against AEK Athens in the Europa League (2-3), and a slap received against Aston Villa (6-1) on Saturday in the Premier League. Roberto De Zerbi explained that his men were having difficulty adapting to the rhythm of two matches per week, and promises to show a different face on Thursday at the Vélodrome. OM, which is going through a turbulent period, has been warned.
Rare enough to be noted: no country took more points than France 🇫🇷 in the UEFA index this week (1,500). It’s better than Germany 🇩🇪, Italy 🇮🇹 (1,428 each), England 🏴 (1,125), Spain 🇪🇸 (0.875) and… the Netherlands 🇳 🇱 (0.600).
— PUNO PENDES (I fb) (@SerrouyaD) September 22, 2023
LASK not in great shape
The Austrian club remains in two matches without a victory in its championship, and has just lost ground in the first two places in the ranking. The Linz players opened the scoring on the first day against Liverpool before cracking in the second half (1-3). Opposite, Toulouse raised its head by winning its first victory in a month and a half against Metz (3-0).
Villarreal, pale yellow
Beaten at Panathinaikos (2-0) on the first day, the Valencian club took only two points in three La Liga days during the following matches. The yellow submarine remains 0-0 at Getafe, with only 35% ball possession and three shots (zero on target), in a match weighed down by Alex Baena’s red card in the first period. For Stade Rennais, which remains in a controlled Breton derby against Nantes (3-1), there is perhaps a move to be made…
Klaksvik already champion
The first club from the Faroe Islands to play in the group stage of a European Cup, the KÌ Klaksvik has just won three fairly clear victories (5-1, 2-0, 5-0) which assure them a third consecutive champion title, the 21st in total. Losc will have to travel to a 4,000-seat stadium, 1,400 kilometers northwest of Lille. Watch out for the trap? KIK has played four European matches this season at home, drawing three and winning one.
