“The second title will be easier”

It is the first Champions League since the 2002/03 season that will take place without Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo – but Austria’s champions Salzburg have eleven ÖFB legionnaires on the ball. In addition to Gernot Trauner, things are getting serious for five others today.

Aleksandar Dragovic has the most difficult task with Red Star Belgrade: Serbia’s champions are visiting reigning Champions League winners Manchester City. “The second title will be easier”City coach Pep Guardiola described the path to defending their title. “The hardest thing is to win for the first time.” His hunger is far from satisfied. “We’ve only done it once and haven’t achieved anything extraordinary yet. How many clubs have won the Champions League once? Many.” Only 13 clubs have triumphed twice or more; the record winner is Real Madrid with 14 successes. David Alaba’s club only plays against Union Berlin tomorrow.

Sabitzer against Paris St-Germain

The list of winners since the introduction of the European Champions Cup in 1955/56 also includes Red Star Belgrade (1991) and Dortmund (1997), which today plays away against Paris Saint-Germain with Marcel Sabitzer. Dortmund’s sports director Sebastian Kehl denies that the French have said goodbye to the favorites after the bumpy start to the season under new coach Luis Enrique and the departures of Neymar and Lionel Messi: “This team competed to win the title.” He referred to Kylian Mbappe and the additions that cost a total of 350 million euros, including ex-Dortmund Ousmane Dembele and his French compatriot Randal Kolo Muani.

On paper, Xaver Schlager, Christoph Baumgartner and Nicolas Seiwald have an easier task: they play with Leipzig in Bern.

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