Pep Guardiola is set to take charge of his 100th Champions League match with Manchester City on Tuesday, a milestone for a manager who has never coached at a lower level of European competition. City will host Bayer Leverkusen aiming for a 14th consecutive home victory against German opposition—a streak that predates Guardiola’s 2016 arrival. The landmark game adds to Guardiola’s extensive resume, which includes two titles with Barcelona, three semifinal appearances with Bayern Munich, and one championship with Manchester City.
Elsewhere, Barcelona travels to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge for a fixture that evokes memories of their dramatic 2009 semifinal, a result famously celebrated by Barça and notoriously lamented by the home fans. In a clash at the other end of the standings, former European champions Ajax and Benfica will face off, with at least one of the struggling giants guaranteed to earn its first point of the campaign after five attempts.
In other notable fixtures, Galatasaray is set to host Union Saint-Gilloise, while Juventus faces a trip into the Arctic Circle to play Bodø/Glimt, where temperatures are expected to hover just above freezing. The day’s schedule is completed by several intriguing matchups, including Borussia Dortmund against Villarreal, Marseille versus Newcastle United, Napoli hosting Qarabag, and Slavia Prague playing Athletic Bilbao.
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