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Champions League: Real seek third win, United eye first

Last updated on: October 18, 2011 12:23 IST
Manchester United's Danny Welbeck (left), Wayne Rooney (2nd from left), Mame Diouf (2nd from right) and Phil Jones warm up during a training session on Tuesday

Real Madrid host Olympique Lyon aiming to continue their perfect start in the Champions League on Tuesday but some of the other heavyweights are still playing catch-up.

Last season's runners-up Manchester United lie third in Group C, still without a win and lagging behind Basel and Benfica after taking just two points from their first two games. So victory is of paramount importance against Romanian club Otelul Galati in Bucharest.

Inter Milan, winners of the trophy in 2009-10 did manage a win in the last batch of Group B fixtures but their opening night loss to Turkish club Trabzonspor means they cannot afford a slip in northern France against Lille.

Man City need win to make knockout round

Last updated on: October 18, 2011 12:23 IST
Manchester City's Vincent Kompany (left), Nigel De Jong (centre) and Micah Richards (right) joke around during a practice session

Manchester City, the new rich kids on the Champions League block, have even more ground to make up when they host Spain's Villarreal in Group A, having picked up just one point in their opening two matches against Napoli and Bayern Munich.

Defeat would leave Roberto Mancini's Premier League leaders struggling to make the knockout round.

Nine-times European champions Real Madrid face familiar foes in their Group D fixture in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real have been dominated by Lyon eight times

Last updated on: October 18, 2011 12:23 IST
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane (left) and Kaka (right) go through the motions during their team's training session

They have played Lyon eight times in the competition since 2005 and it was only last season that Real finally began to assert some authority over the French when they knocked them out 4-1 on aggregate in the first knockout round.

Until then Lyon had enjoyed the upper hand, including knocking out Real the season before on aggregate.

Lyon are second in the group, two points behind, with Ajax Amsterdam and Dinamo Zagreb, who meet in Croatia, looking as though they are fighting for third place.

Bayern Munich have also made a great start and have a 100 percent record as they prepare to take on Napoli who have not conceded a goal in their last six European home games.

Source: REUTERS
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