Starting with the hosts, last seen on Friday night putting in another sensational performance as they stormed their way to a thumping 4-1 victory at home against Drogheda, St. Patrick's will be dreaming of a repeat performance here. Despite spending the majority of last season sat in Premier Division limbo, Stephen Kenny's men have made a string of improvements this time around and have come flying out of the traps since opening up the 2026 campaign.
Despite dragging themselves over the finishing line last season as they clung to their Super Lig status, it is no secret that Erling Moe's men are pencilled in as a standout relegation candidate in 2026. In fact, the former Molde boss has seen his downbeat squad register just a single victory from any of their previous 11 consecutive appearances across all competitions - a rut that stems all the way back to November 29th.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich finished the top two point totals in the Champions League league phase -- Arsenal pulled a perfect 24 points from eight matches, and Bayern only dropped points against Arsenal -- and they have led their respective domestic leagues from virtually start to present.
Last seen over the weekend putting in a downbeat display as they slumped to a 3-1 loss away at Juarez, Diego Cocca's side have recorded just a sole win from any of their previous four domestic appearances. Including another 3-1 defeat at the hands of Pachuca, the former real Valladolid boss has also seen his squad show some worrying defensive struggles.
Starting with the hosts, while Darmstadt might have endured major frustration last season as they limped their way to a bottom-half finish, the Lillies have come roaring back in an impressive fashion this time around. Last seen heading into November's international break with an action-packed 3-2 victory away at Hannover, Florian Kohfeldt's men have their sights firmly set on mounting a genuine promotion charge this year.
Marking their return from September's international break with a stellar 3-1 romp away at Chicago, Pascal Jansen's men have come skyrocketing up the Eastern Conference standings. Last seen at the Yankee Stadium clinching an action-packed 3-2 victory against Columbus, the former AZ Alkmaar boss should find the mood in his camp at a red-hot high. In fact, since returning from September's fortnight interval, New York have won all of their previous three consecutive MLS showdowns by an aggregate score of 8-3.
