Champions League Team of the Week: Joao Felix in top form, German defenders impress
Here is our first Champions League Team of the Week for the 2023/24 season.
This summer, Israeli national goalkeeper Omri Glazer moved from Hapoel Beer Sheva to Red Star Belgrade. In the difficult away match at defending champions Manchester City, he showed his new team what he is capable of.
Despite an xG value of 4.64, City were only able to beat Glazer three times. At 2-1 for City, he made a misjudgement and punched the ball into his own net. However, in view of his 13 sensational saves and a completely desperate Erling Haaland, that is absolutely forgivable.
The Norwegian forward was outdone on Tuesday by his strike partner Julian Alvarez. With a brace, the Argentine earned a nomination in the Matchday One XI, as did his pass-happy teammates in midfield, Rodri and Matheus Nunes.
The same applies to Joao Felix. The one-time super talent from Portugal came up trumps in the Barcelona jersey, scoring a brace in the Blaugrana's 5-0 win over Royal Antwerp. What's more, he was Barca's outstanding man in their 5-0 win over Betis in LaLiga at the weekend.
"I think Joao Felix is enjoying it. I can tell he's happy. The key is, on the one hand, his natural gift, which you can't train. And on the other hand, the diligence and dedication with which he works on himself," explained his coach Xavi Hernandez.
On the wings, we have two lesser-known names. Galeno was outstanding in Porto's 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
Calvin Stengs joined Dutch champions Feyenoord after a relatively unsuccessful spell at Nice. He scored the first goal of the game just before the break in their 2-0 win over Celtic. He also set up four other shots on target, including the final goal.
A couple of German internationals feature in our chosen back four. Benjamin Henrichs continued his outstanding form, convincing with his running and offensive drive from full back as RB Leipzig beat Young Boys.
Antonio Rudiger of Real Madrid forms the central defence in our selection together with PSG captain Marquinhos. The latter's teammate Achraf Hakimi makes up the back four.
