City host Bayer Leverkusen looking for a 14th consecutive win at home against German teams, extending a run that started before Guardiola’s arrival in 2016.
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Guardiola has now doubled his tally of 50 Champions League games while coaching Barcelona, where he won two titles in four seasons. At Bayern Munich he coached 36 Champions League games over three seasons, all of which ended in the semi-finals. City won one title in the Guardiola era and lost the 2021 final to Chelsea.
Also on Tuesday, Barcelona returned to Chelsea where it famously – and infamously for home fans – reached the final in Guardiola’s first season in 2009.
Stamford Bridge will pit the number 11 team against the number 12 team in the 36-team standings, with both Chelsea and Barcelona heading into the qualifying playoffs at the midpoint of the eight-round league stage.
It’s No. 36 versus No. 35 in Tuesday’s early kick-off, when Ajax host Benfica and look to see either of the former European champions earn a point at at least the fifth attempt.
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Galatasaray, without injured Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, who is currently the Champions League top scorer, hosts Union Saint-Gillois in the other opening game.
Juventus travels to the Arctic Circle to face Bodø/Glimt where temperatures are expected to be slightly above zero.
Furthermore, it is Borussia Dortmund-Villarreal, Marseille-Newcastle United, Napoli-Qarabag and Slavia Prague-Athletic Bilbao.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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