The greatest club competition on earth is back this week. After the close of the transfer window and the first international break of the season, football fans are eagerly anticipating the return of the Champions League and for good reason. The best players in the game face off in a bid to lift the famed trophy in Ukraine next May and with the increase in coverage across all platforms, it’s an opportunity to see Europe’s top performers in action.
While the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar take centre stage, here we run through five under the radar stars that are worth keeping an eye on in the Champions League this season.
Marcos Acuña – Sporting CP
25-year-old Argentine winger Marcos Acuña enjoyed a hugely successful final season with Racing Club, who finished fourth in the 2016/17 Primera Division. Acuña was central to their efforts having chipped in with nine goals and a league best 13 assists. His attacking quality was exhibited on a regular basis having made more key passes (65) than any other player in the top-flight of Argentine football. His good form attracted interest from Sporting CP, who spent just shy of £9m to bring him to Portugal.
Acuña has since transitioned to the rigours of Portuguese football with consummate ease. He already has the joint-most assists (3) in Liga NOS this season to maintain his creative form, while four clear-cut chances created is also the joint-best in Portugal’s top tier. Gelson Martins routinely draws the plaudits in Lisbon, but Acuña offensive output means he provides Sporting’s best chance of navigating one of the toughest groups at this stage of the competition.
Emil Forsberg – RB Leipzig
After RB Leipzig’s stunning debut season in the Bundesliga, much of the focus was on Naby Keita, who attracted widespread interest across the continent before Liverpool confirmed he will move to Anfield next summer. The attention was justified, of course, but the lack of interest in Emil Forsberg over the summer certainly raised eyebrows. No player has registered more assists than the Swede (20) in Europe’s top five leagues since the start of the 2016/17 season as he quickly took to the Bundesliga like a duck to water.
While he has failed to hit the heights of last season’s form so far this campaign, he has still created more clear-cut goalscoring chances (18) than any other Bundesliga player since last August. His creative qualities are crucial in a group where any side could feasibly qualify. If RB Leipzig are to make a stab at progression in their first Champions League foray, 26-year-old Forsberg is the man to make it happen.
Jorge – Monaco
Remaining with Group G and this time with RB Leipzig’s opponents on Wednesday night. Monaco secured domestic glory last term, but their key players moved elsewhere over the summer. Kylian Mbappe joined Ligue 1 rivals PSG on loan, Tiemoue Bakayoko secured a move to Chelsea, while Benjamin Mendy followed Bernardo Silva to Manchester City. While Mendy was impressive for Monaco last term, the Frenchman was somewhat expendable, even allowing for the French giants to command a top fee from City for his services.
Jorge made just two league appearances last season, but has since established himself as first choice left-back under Leonardo Jardim. He has one assist to his name, but doesn’t let his attacking freedom distract from his defensive duties with 26 tackles and interceptions combined rankly highly in Ligue 1 this term. His outing in Saturday’s 4-0 loss at Nice was a mere blip on his record for Monaco this season, though he can expected a baptism of fire on his Champions League debut this week. However, if he can maintain his good form, Monaco have themselves a destructive attacking outlet to help stretch opponents.
Daniele Rugani – Juventus
Leonardo Bonucci’s move to AC Milan was hardly ideal for Juventus over the summer, with the Italian arguably the best centre-back in Europe right now. Andrea Barzagli’s advancing years also means that Max Allegri can’t trust the experienced Italian for much longer before cracks begin to widen in his game. Medhi Benatia may have joined permanently, but it’s youngster Daniele Rugani who is tasked with filling Bonucci’s boots at the heart of the Juventus defence.
He’s started all three league games this season, two of which have come alongside Giorgio Chiellini, and while there remain some rough edges to his game that need ironing out, he has the potential to establish himself as a first team Juventus regular for years to come. A comfortable performer on the ball, Rugani’s pass success rate of 90.8% this term allows for Juventus to successfully build attacks from the back, with the 23-year-old making more accurate passes so far (217) than any other player in Italy’s top tier. Tuesday’s trip to Barcelona will be a real test of Rugani’s qualities as a defender, however he has the necessary tools to keep the likes of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi at bay.
Marco Asensio – Real Madrid
Arguably the hottest talent in European football right now, Marco Asensio continues to astound and amaze when called upon. He scored a stunning opener in Real Madrid’s 2-0 Super Cup second leg win over Barcelona last month having gotten his name on the scoresheet days earlier in the first leg of El Clasico at Camp Nou. Karim Benzema’s hamstring injury means there are likely to be more opportunities for Asensio to flash his brilliance in the coming weeks.
His rise to prominence has handed Zinedine Zidane a selection headache, albeit a welcome one, with the 21-year-old able to comfortably carry possession forward on a whim, all the while finishing chances with considerable ease. Indeed, Asensio is not one to falter on the grand stage, as his aforementioned goals against Barcelona suggest, and the Champions League this season could see him take his game to the next level. He’s aware of the demands that come with playing in Europe’s elite club competition – he netted off the bench in last season’s final against Juventus – and his influence, be it from the get go or late, could be the difference in Real Madrid landing a third successive Champions League.
