The third day of the Champions League continues this Wednesday, October 5 with eight matches on the program. Focus on the players of the continent who have some accounts to settle.
After the exploits of Kamal Sowah (FC Brugge), André Onana (Inter goalkeeper), Sadio Mané (Bayern Munich), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Zambo Anguissa (Napoli), who clearly contributed to the success of their teams, this Tuesday, October 4, for the first part of the 3rd day of the Champions League (LDC), we will see if as many Africans will still shine during the second part, this Wednesday 5. Of the eight games on the menu today, four will polarize our attention. They concern five players of the continent who face collective but also individual challenges.
1. Chelsea-Milan AC (Group E): Koulibaly back in Serie A
The Blues host the Italian champions for the summit of the second round of the third day of the CL. A meeting with a taste of Serie A for Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese defender arrived this summer from Napoli, where he spent eight seasons, during which he crossed paths with AC Milan on several occasions. But there will be a small change: while he used to face the Rossoneri with the status of undisputed starter, the Lion of Teranga will welcome them at Stamford Bridge as a substitute. Consequence of his dismissal by the new coach of Chelsea, Graham Potter. But this situation does not worry Koulibaly, who is convinced that his time will come. A state of mind welcomed by his manager, this Tuesday, October 4, in a pre-game press conference.
2. Chelsea-Milan AC (Group E) (Bis): Ballo Toure, take off
The Senegalese defender is expected to start in the Milan defense for the trip to Stamford Bridge. Extension of his interim position at left back with the absence of the incumbent, Theo Hernandez (injured). An opportunity also for the former player of Monaco to earn additional points, with the hope at the end of the towel in the team type Stefano Pioli. The context is all the more favorable as Ballo Toure is on a cloud. After regaining a starting place in the national team, he followed up with his first goal as a professional for AC Milan. He scored the second goal of the victory (3-1) of AC Milan at Empoli (8th day).
3. RB Leipzig-Chakhtar Donetsk (Group F): Abdou Diallo, finally wins a place
On an individual level, the Senegalese defender can be happy to have won a starting place at Leipzig, which he joined this summer. But collectively, especially in the CL, the former PSG player has no reason to jump to the ceiling. The eleventh-placed Bundesliga club's record in the prestigious competition is not very flattering. The German club occupies the fourth and last place in Group F. They have lost two of their games. They have lost two of their games and have scored six goals against only one. Against Celtic Glasgow tonight, Leipzig will try to win their first points in the prestigious competition. To do so, their strikers will have to be more adept in front of the goal and Abdou Diallo and his fellow defenders will have to be more firm.
4. Manchester City-FC Copenhagen (Group G): Riyad Mahrez to find the net (finally!)
The Algerian striker is far from his usual standards. After nine games with City this season, all competitions, he is at zero goals. In 2021-2022, he was the top scorer of his club. In the group stage of the CL, he scored four times in six games. The reception of FC Copenhagen is an opportunity for him to unlock his counter. In his defense, he is not the regular penalty taker at the Citizen, this role seems to devolve to Haaland. And Guardiola's team did not get many this season. Only one since the start of the 2022-2023 season. That was in the championship and the Norwegian phenomenon had successfully taken care of it.
5. Benfica-Paris-SG (Group H): Achraf Hakimi, back in the starting line-up
The Moroccan defender of PSG should find his place for the trip to Benfica. In Israel, the Parisian coach, Christophe Galtier, had invoked the need to give his player a break. But it is difficult to believe him. Even if Achraf Hakimi had shown, before the game in question, some signs of feverishness, he did not seem to go down on his knees. Some suspected that the PSG coach wanted to protect his player from the whistles that the Israeli public has been blowing for the past two years whenever he steps on its grounds. In Portugal, whistles could come from the Estdio da Luz in Lisbon. But, if it happens, they should not be systematically launched or aimed at him, let alone be motivated by the position of the Moroccan on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
