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Excitement returns as Europe’s top club competition, the UEFA Champions League, returns, with more teams vying for the prize in the four-month-long group stage. PUNCH Sports Extra takes a look at seven Nigerian players that will be striving for honours with their respective clubs in the new format. EBENEZER BAJELA writes
Up until the 2023/24 season, the Champions League featured 32 teams, which were divided into eight groups of four, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stages.
However, the 2024/25 season will see the competition expand to 36 teams playing in a newly-coined league phase instead of groups. Every team will play eight games against eight different opponents in a home-and-away format.
After the conclusion of the qualifiers and playoffs, the revamped UEFA Champions League begins in earnest, with seven Nigerians taking part in the first league-phase fixtures of the campaign.
Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan)
Chukwueze will be in action when old foes reunite in Tuesday’s league phase opener as AC Milan and Liverpool kick off their latest top-level European adventures under the bright lights of San Siro.
The 25-year-old is in his second season with the Rossoneri and has made four appearances this season.
Chukwueze had made 13 appearances in the Champions League, scoring four goals, achieving the feat on his debut for Villarreal against Young Boys in 2021 despite spending just a minute on the pitch.
The forward scored his second goal in the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich, his seventh appearance in the competition.
In his last two games against Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle, Chukwueze was on target on both occasions, taking his goal total to four.
Should he get a nod against the Premier League giants, the former Villarreal player will be aiming for his fifth goal in the competition and his third on the bounce.
Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge)
Onyedika and Club Brugge teammates welcome last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund to Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday.
While BVB came agonisingly close to European glory last term, Brugge missed out on qualification and now eagerly anticipate the competition’s new-look league phase.
Onyedika was close to leaving Brugge for Galatasaray in the summer, having agreed to a five-year deal with the Turkish side, but the deal fell through as both clubs failed to reach an agreement.
With his transfer now on hold at least until the next window, the midfielder is focused on helping Brugge defend the title they won last season while also doing well in the Champions League, starting with the game against Dortmund.
A key player for Nicky Hayen, the 23-year-old will make his eighth UCL appearance against Nuri Sahin’s side.
Operating as a defensive midfielder, Onyedika has neither scored nor assisted in the competition.
Boniface, Tella (Bayer Leverkusen)
Runners-up in last season’s UEFA Europa League, Bayer Leverkusen return to the UEFA Champions League with a trip to Rotterdam to face Feyenoord, with Nigerian duo Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella expected to feature for the Bundesliga champions.
While the German club are making only their third appearance in eight seasons in the competition proper, both Boniface and Tella will be making their debut in the competition and will hope to start on a bright note as they look to build on their historic 2023/24 campaign in which they claimed the Bundesliga title—the first in club history—without losing a game and also lifted the DFB-Pokal.
Peter Olyinka (Red Star Belgrade)
With 11 UCL appearances under his belt, Olayinka will look to take the tally to a dozen when Red Star Belgrade host Benfica.
The former Slavia Prague striker scored on his UCL debut against Inter Milan in 2019 and has since failed to hit the back of the net.
He will hope to end his five-year goal drought in the competition when Red Star welcome their Portuguese counterparts on Thursday.
Olayinka and co. failed to win any of their three home games (D1 L2) last season in the competition and conceded at least two goals in each of those matches. With the advantage of starting the new campaign at home, the Nigeria striker will be looking to help his Serbian club make a fine start.
Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
Surprisingly, Lookman, who was the star of last season’s UEFA Europa League, bagging the hat-trick that secured victory for Atalanta against Bayer Leverkusen in the final, has made just one appearance in the Champions League, but that will change when the Italian side play Arsenal at the Gewiss Stadium on Thursday.
The in-form Nigeria winger’s only game in the prestigious competition was against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg during his stint with RB Leipzig in the 2019/20 season. He was an unused substitute in the German club’s remaining seven games that season.
On Sunday, Lookman was on target and provided an assist as La Dea beat Fiorentina 3-2 in the Serie A. He will hope to continue his rich form when they host the Gunners and score his first Champions League goal.
Zachary Athekame (Young Boys)
Nineteen-year-old Athekame is another Nigerian player set to make his debut in this year’s edition.
Born in Switzerland to Nigerian parents, the young right-back has made five appearances for his team this season, providing one assist, and could be rubbing shoulders with the top guys when they face Aston Villa at Wankdorfstadion on Tuesday (today).
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