Champions League | ‘Maestro’ Pirlo faces mentor Lucescu in opener

Barca not among favourites, says Koeman; PSG to tackle United’s counter-attacks

Andrea Pirlo takes his first managerial steps in the Champions League at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday, a game which pits the fledgling Juventus coach against his vastly experienced former mentor Mircea Lucescu.

Lucescu, 75, with four decades of coaching experience, and 41-year-old Pirlo have both taken over their respective clubs this season.

It was the former Romanian international who gave a 16-year-old Pirlo his first Serie A start in the Italian’s hometown club Brescia 25 years ago.

Juventus is chasing a third Champions League title after 1985 and 1996, with seven runner-up finishing including in 2015 and 2017.

But for Pirlo, his Juventus is “under construction, a young team who need to gain experience”.

To complicate the task, Cristiano Ronaldo is quarantined because of coronavirus, and will miss the Kiev trip and possibly the game against Barcelona in Turin.

Meanwhile, Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman believes his side is not among the favourites to win this season’s title.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s visit of Hungarians Ferencvaros in their Champions league Group G opener, Koeman played down media talk that the Catalans could be European champion.

“When you’re at Barcelona you always want to be there fighting for trophies, be it in LaLiga or Europe. We aren’t the favourites, but we can go far,” he told a news conference.

The Ferencvaros game comes four days before the first Clasico of the season at home to Real Madrid but Koeman said his side is only focusing on the Champions League for now.

No ter Stegen

Koeman will be without goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Jordi Alba plus long-term injury absentee Samuel Umtiti.

Paris St. Germain will concentrate on combating Manchester United’s counter-attacks in its opener, 18 months after a heart-breaking elimination by the English side in Europe’s premier club competition.

Coach Thomas Tuchel warned that previous achievements would mean nothing on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes, where PSG’s all-time top scorer Edinson Cavani could debut for the visitor.

PSG will not have it easy as it is without injured mid-fielders Marco Verratti and Argentine Leandro Paredes, with the Italian out of action for three weeks with a thigh problem.

In addition, Argentina striker Mauro Icardi is absent with a knee problem, while the defensive pair of Thilo Kehrer and Juan Bernat is also on the sidelines.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard believes reigning European champion Bayern Munich is a benchmark for his young players as it targets improvements on all fronts ahead of its opener against Sevilla.

Chelsea has added Champions League experience to the squad in the close season with the arrival of defender Thiago Silva and forwards Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.

Sevilla visits Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s first match in Group E.

Fans for Leipzig

Meanwhile, RB Leipzig will be allowed to welcome fans to the Red Bull Arena for its opener against Istanbul Basaksehir.

Despite rising numbers of coronavirus cases across Germany, the local health authority in Leipzig has granted permission for up to 999 spectators to attend, down from the usual number of 8,500 fans allowed for home Bundesliga games.

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