5 Players to Watch on Champions League Matchday 3
It's Champions League time again, with Matchday 3 throwing up some fascinating and intriguing clashes including Roma against Bayern Munich in the Italian capital and Liverpool's meeting with Real Madrid at Anfield.
They aren't the only big games, though, with the results all across Europe likely to have a huge say in the eventual make-up of all of the groups.
But who'll be the players to keep an eye on over the next couple of nights? You'll all have names in mind, of course, but here are five.
Yaya Toure
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Rested for all but the final 16 minutes of Saturday's 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, Yaya Toure is likely to return to the Manchester City midfield for their must-win trip to Moscow to take on CSKA given that Fernando failed to impress in the Spurs win.
This fixture sparked some ugly scenes in last season's group stage. Toure was the victim of some awful racist abuse, and with further misbehaviour from the home fans seeing this clash take place behind closed doors, just as Bayern Munich's visit was last month, then the only talking points will be about the football.
Toure's football has been a talking point all season, of course, as the Ivorian has failed to hit the heights that we have so often seen him reach in the past, but this would be a good game to return to them.
After picking up just one point from two matches, City simply have to beat CSKA home and away, and so they'll need one of their talismans to be in full working order.
Markus Rosenberg
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West Bromwich Albion supporters could be forgiven for doing a double take when they saw the scorelines from the previous round of Champions League games, and particularly one coming in from Sweden.
Markus Rosenberg, a 32-year-old forward who failed to score in a staggering 33 appearances for the Baggies before leaving this February, managed to fire both goals to give Malmo a 2-0 win over Olympiakos to secure their first-ever Champions League points.
The forward steps back into European action at the home of the Spanish champions and last season's beaten finalists, with Atletico Madrid set to provide much tougher competition at the Vicente Calderon than Olympiakos did in Sweden.
Rosenberg might not see much of the ball, but when he does, he needs to make it count.
Adam Lallana
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A first season in the Champions League hasn't really gone swimmingly for Adam Lallana so far. The Liverpool midfielder was below-par in what was only his second game back from a pre-season injury in the win over Ludogorets, and then he was left out of the team for Liverpool's defeat in Basel.
A goal against West Brom before the international break underlined his growing importance to his new side, though, and as they take on the European champions still without the goal threat of Daniel Sturridge, the former Southampton man will be looked to get forward and help create chances.
The Reds might be needed to perform damage limitation against Real Madrid, but their famously suspect defence can be helped out by the players ahead of it, which includes Lallana.
There will be far more celebrated and expensive players on the Anfield pitch, not least Lallana's former Southampton teammate Gareth Bale, but if the Reds are to have any sort of a chance, then he is likely to have to perform well.
Francesco Totti
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Francesco Totti doesn't seem to get older, only better, and as he enters a huge clash with Bayern Munich in Rome, he'll be doing so with huge confidence.
Seemingly purring back on the Champions League stage, the 38-year-old became the oldest goalscorer in the competition's history in Roma's 1-1 draw at Manchester City last time around, when they impressed pretty much everyone and were somewhat unfortunate to only leave with a point.
A win would have almost killed off City already and set up these two clashes with Bayern extremely nicely, but Pep Guardiola's men will know that they'll be in for an incredibly tough time against a side who easily dismissed Chievo at the weekend.
Totti will be central to that, on what is almost certain to be one of the matches of the week.
Kostas Mitroglou
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Prior to that aforementioned loss in Sweden, Olympiakos had actually started the group stages incredibly well with their shock 3-2 victory over last season's finalists Atletico Madrid in Athens.
Forward Kostas Mitroglou, back on loan at the club, having taken a break from being a nightmare signing for Fulham, managed to plunder what proved to be the winning goal that night. He'll be crucial again as Juventus come to Greece looking to erase memories of their loss in Madrid last time.
Last season's Champions League group stages really allowed Mitroglou to demonstrate his talents before that bizarre move to west London, and he'll know that a goal against the Italian champions will let him do just that again.
Juve's defence will have to be on high alert, as another loss in this group would leave them in big trouble and potentially looking at a second successive group-stage exit.
