PARIS: The Champions League returns on Tuesday to a very different European soccer scene than it was before a three-month mid-season break.
In the interim, Lionel Messi won his first World Cup title. Kylian Mbappe almost won his second, then got injured. Early-season favorites for the European title fell into slumps at home.
Meanwhile, one standout team before the World Cup, Napoli, has marched on and aims for its first quarterfinals place in the competition’s 68-year history.
Off the field, the Super League project that tried to effectively kill the Champions League met a serious legal setback, and English title holder Manchester City faces Premier League charges of financial wrongdoing that can one day stop the club entering future Champions Leagues.