Champions League previews and teams of the week from around Europe

Best XIs from the five biggest leagues, plus previews of Manchester City v Juventus, Real Madrid v Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma v Barcelona

Manchester City v Juventus

In perhaps the biggest fixture of the week, the Premier League leaders host the Serie A champions. The two clubs go into the game in contrasting form. Despite putting on their least convincing display of the season at the weekend against Crystal Palace, Manuel Pellegrini’s team not only continued their 100% winning record but also kept their fifth clean sheet.

Juventus, meanwhile, picked up their first point of the season on Saturday but Max Allegri’s team had to wait until the 83rd minute to equalise at home to Chievo. As many fans feared, they are struggling to cope with the departures of key players and leaders on the field.

Carlos Tevez, who has returned to Boca Juniors, was their top scorer, with 20 league goals, and second highest rated player (7.66) last season. Andrea Pirlo was still ranked third (7.41) despite his influence waning in an injury-hit campaign, while Arturo Vidal was sixth (7.34) in the rankings.

With all three having left the club, the onus was on Claudio Marchisio to step forward and lead the team from midfield but the 29-year-old has picked up yet another injury and will miss out. It has again left Allegri lacking balance in the middle of the park in the continued absence of summer signing Sami Khedira and Kwadwo Asamoah. Much of the pressure will be on Paul Pogba’s 22-year-old shoulders as he returns to Manchester, and a match-up against in-form Yaya Touré is a mouth-watering prospect.

City have problems of their own. They are unable to call upon Sergio Agüero, the only City player to score more than once in last season’s competition, but the return of David Silva, City’s highest rated player this season (8.03), and Raheem Sterling will make them considerable favourites. The game is a huge chance for the hosts to take a significant scalp against a weakened beast, and beating last season’s finalists would be a statement of their intent, having disappointed in the tournament to date.

Real Madrid v Shakhtar Donetsk

The 2014 champions begin their campaign with a tricky opener against Shakhtar Donetsk, with both sides entering the game off the back of thumping league victories. Appointing Rafa Benítez in place of Carlo Ancelotti was seen as a backwards step by many but the Spaniard has a strong record in Europe so he is likely to be judged on the team’s performances in the Champions League. Drawing Shakhtar Donetsk and PSG in the group stage will not have pleased the former Liverpool boss.

That said, despite the fact that the Ukrainian champions have reached the Champions League knockout stages in three of the last five years, Real Madrid will be strong favourites, particularly after a resounding 6-0 win at the weekend. Cristiano Ronaldo had a hand in every goal against Espanyol, scoring five and assisting the other for Karim Benzema. Ronaldo broke Raúl’s record for league goals for the club in the process, but in 347 fewer appearances. The decision to move Gareth Bale infield, somewhat imposed upon the manager by the board, is paying off thus far, with the Welshman having a direct hand in five league goals for a league-leading rating of 8.72.

Shakhtar Donetsk had a 5-0 triumph of their own on Saturday but are having to come to terms with life after Douglas Costa and Luiz Adriano. Luiz Adriano, who has since moved to Internazionale, scored nine goals in the Champions League last season and was the top scorer in the group stages, with eight, while Costa has enjoyed a sensational start to life at Bayern Munich.

Shakhtar don’t have the same quality in the side as a result but Alex Teixeira has taken on the mantle of the team’s star player. Nine league goals in seven appearances so far suggest he will be the one to watch – and could be the first player to score a competitive goal against Benítez’s Madrid.

Roma v Barcelona

Barcelona make the trip to Serie A runners-up Roma on Wednesday. The holders are aiming to become the first team to retain the Champions League since its inception 23 years ago, with both Lionel Messi and Neymar hoping to finish on top of the scoring charts once more. They scored 10 goals each in the tournament last season – along with Cristiano Ronaldo – and the Brazilian will be aiming to score in his sixth successive game in the Champions League.

Luis Enrique’s risky tactic of resting Messi against Atlético Madrid just about paid off at the weekend, although the Argentinian was required to change the game in the second half. In a 31-minute cameo he completed an astonishing eight dribbles – five more than any other player on the pitch – and scored the winner as Barcelona came from behind to pick up a crucial win against their La Liga title rivals. It was enough to earn him our man of the match award with a rating of 8.51. He looked back to his best after what had been a subdued start to the season for both player and club.

Roma, meanwhile, will be cursing their luck after another tough group draw, having faced Bayern Munich and Manchester City last season. They will be looking to avoid the sort of result that really derailed their season, following a humiliating 7-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich last year, so Rudi García should be more cautious this time around. With the pace of Mo Salah and Gervinho on the flanks, and Edin Dzeko a strong target up front, they are well suited to the counterattack and should play as such despite being the home side.

Premier League team of the week