UEFA Champions League 2013: Teams with Most to Lose on Matchday 2

This year’s Champions League campaign has already thrown up a number of interesting results.

FC Copenhagen’s excellent 1-1 draw with Juventus headlined an opening round of fixtures that suggested the experienced teams are going to face a tough battle throughout the competition.

With Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund also among the elite sides notching up a loss, which clubs have the most to lose heading into Matchday 2?

Let’s take a look.

Chelsea

An away trip to Steaua Bucharest is never the kind of trip English clubs wish to face. While the journey to Romania is an arduous one, an intimidating atmosphere has the potential to significantly test visiting teams.

Having lost 2-1 to Basel in their first fixture, the Blues simply cannot afford to slip up away from Stamford Bridge. Worryingly for Jose Mourinho, Chelsea are yet to win away from home this season. Premier League fixtures against Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham have produced just two points and one goal, suggesting Steaua have a real chance of producing an upset.

The Romanian Premier League leaders are currently flying with an unbeaten seven-game domestic run. With this in mind, Laurențiu Reghecampf’s team have absolutely nothing to lose against a squad that is struggling to produce a definitive starting XI this campaign.

For Mourinho, dropping further points in this year’s competition will mean every remaining Champions League fixture becomes a must-win.

Manchester United

When Saido Berahino slammed home West Brom’s Old Trafford winner during the recent Premier League weekend, you can bet David Moyes’ face turned a paler shade of white at the thought of facing Shakhtar Donetsk.

Much like Chelsea’s venture into Europe, the journey to Ukraine is unwanted at the best of times. While Moyes dusts himself off from an intense battering in the English press, the Scotsman will be hoping his team of struggling players produce an attacking display akin to Matchday 1, which saw Manchester United rip through Bayer Leverkusen with a 4-2 win.

United’s defence continues to look shaky, and despite controlling much of the game against Sami Hyypia’s side, they still managed to concede two sloppy goals. Although Shakhtar have been forced to cope with the loss of world-class talents such as Willian and Fernandinho in recent times, the ability to replace quality with similar ability has seen the Donbass Arena develop into a fortress across previous years.

Currently sitting third in Ukraine’s Premier League, Shakhtar are unbeaten in seven domestic home games this year. Although a loss wouldn’t harm United’s quest for qualification too badly, Moyes’ men need to show real guts and a willingness to improve in order to halt the panicking around Old Trafford.

Juventus

Juventus forced Copenhagen goalkeeper Johan Wiland into 10 saves during their 1-1 draw at the Parken Stadium, as reported by WhoScored. Despite hitting the woodwork and racking up a ridiculous 27 attempts on goal, the Old Lady left Denmark frowning.

It’s testimony to Juve’s expectations that this draw was considered the result of Matchday 1, even though their next opponents lost 6-1 at home to Real Madrid. Galatasaray proved what a useful outfit they can be with a run to the Champions League quarterfinals last season, but the Italian crowd will be calling for blood when Wesley Sneijder and friends visit Turin.

Antonio Conte’s side are going well in Serie A and remain unbeaten after six games. With stars such as Carlos Tevez and Angelo Ogbonna added to an already stellar lineup, failing to beat their Turkish opposition on home soil would be classed as nothing short of failure.

An emphatic victory over their manager-less opponents is needed in order to really kick off the Italian champions’ European campaign, especially when you consider a trip to the Bernabeu awaits next.

Which teams have the most to lose during matchday two of the Champions League? Let us know in the comments section below and be sure to discuss the round of fixtures with me on Twitter:

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