Champions League Team of the Week as Villa stun Bayern

Our Champions League Team of the Week for matchday two, as Aston Villa celebrate a statement win, Liverpool and Juventus maintain perfect starts, and Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund rack up huge scores.

Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa

Refused to be beaten as Aston Villa upset Bayern Munich 1-0 in a rematch of the 1982 final. Villa’s first home game in Europe’s top competition since the eighties ended in a huge result with Martinez a central part of their triumph. After smart saves from Michael Olise and Konrad Laimer in the first half, he denied Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane late on with fantastic stops.

Right-back: Rico Lewis – Manchester City

Rico Lewis started at right-back for Manchester City but showcased his tactical intelligence by spending most of his minutes in midfield. The teenager drove forward in possession and recorded the assist for Erling Haaland’s goal with an excellent pass in behind. It’s getting harder to see how Pep Guardiola leaves the academy product out of the side.

Centre-back: Filip Panak – Sparta Prague

After a man-of-the-match performance in Sparta Prague’s matchday one win, Filip Panak stood strong in Stuttgart to help the Czech champions to another impressive result. The centre-back made eight clearances and won 100% of his aerial duels (5/5) against the Bundesliga side, as Sparta held firm to earn a 1-1 draw.

It’s an incredible story for Panak, who was sidelined for more than 800 days due to a knee injury between 2018 and 2022. During that time, complications with his liver and kidneys after surgeries left the defender fighting for his life. He’ll be cherishing every moment of this campaign.

Centre-back: Pau Torres – Aston Villa

After the disappointment of seeing a first-half goal ruled out, Pau Torres was celebrating at full-time as Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich. The Spaniard shut down the threat of Harry Kane and created the winning goal with a splitting pass in behind for Jhon Duran – an exceptional performance from one of the few Aston Villa players with experience at this level.

Left-back: Alvaro Carreras – Benfica

Benfica produced one of the results of matchday two after thrashing Atletico Madrid in Lisbon. The Portuguese side ran riot to win 4-0 at The Estádio da Luz against an Atleti side who have often been famed for their defensive strength under Diego Simeone.

Alvaro Carreras was an eye-catching performer at left-back. The 21-year-old, who signed from Manchester United in the summer, won 100% of his ground duels (8/8), completed 100% of his dribbles (4/4), made four interceptions and created a goalscoring chance on route to a clean sheet.

Midfield: Pedri – Barcelona

Back to his best in Barcelona’s big win over Young Boys. In the week that it was revealed Andres Iniesta is set for retirement, the man billed as his successor did his best impression of the Barcelona great. So calm under pressure and elegant with every touch, Pedri broke lines with his passing to make things happen for Hansi Flick’s side.

He completed 6/7 long balls, won 6/7 ground duels, registered an assist and completed 92.5% of his passes. Stats only paint half the picture, however, with Pedri a player for which numbers do not do him justice. A great watch.

Midfield: Raphinha – Barcelona

Barcelona’s chief creator continued his outstanding start to the season. The Spanish league leaders thrashed Young Boys 5-0 with Raphinha the architect of several attacking moves from a central role. Wearing the captain’s armband, he created the opener for Robert Lewandowski and scored the second, ending the contest with seven chances created.

One of Europe’s most in-form players right now.

Right-wing: Mohamed Salah – Liverpool

It’s really time Liverpool got this contract situation sorted…

Another game, another performance oozing with attacking quality from Mohamed Salah. A wonderful early cross gave Alexis Mac Allister the easiest of tasks to open the scoring against Bologna before Salah sealed the win with a trademark goal. Cutting inside, he bent a beauty into the far corner to raise the roof at Anfield.

Left-wing: Karim Adeyemi – Borussia Dortmund

Absolutely electric. A first-half hat-trick for Karim Adeyemi as Borussia Dortmund dismantled Celtic at the Westfalenstadion.

Last season’s runners-up were too good for the Scottish champions, racing into a 5-1 lead at the interval with Adeyemi helping himself to three goals. Celtic were unable to deal with the German’s pace and will have been relieved to see Adeyemi withdrawn with injury after only 48 minutes.

Forward: Kai Havertz – Arsenal

Continues to answer his critics as Arsenal’s centre-forward. The Kai Havertz experiment continues to bear fruit for Mikel Arteta with the German delivering on the big stage this week. The clash with Paris Saint-Germain was dubbed a litmus test for Arsenal’s Champions League credentials and it was one passed with flying colours.

Havertz opened the scoring with a well-timed run and brave header and caused problems all evening for the visitors. His movement and presence open up opportunities for those around him.

Forward: Dusan Vlahovic – Juventus

Juventus have maximum points from two games after winning a see-sawing game with RB Leipzig. Thiago Motta’s team went down to 10 men and trailed 2-1 before turning the game round, with Vlahovic leading the charge.

He scored Juventus’ first of the night with classic centre-forward play, getting across his marker to steer home Andrea Cambiaso’s cross. His second was a thing of beauty, fired into the top corner after Juventus won back possession high up the pitch. A fine display from the Serbian.

Read – The longest unbeaten runs in Champions League history

See more – Brendan Rodgers and Celtic extend unwanted Champions League record

Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok