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Champions League preview: Barcelona aiming for fifth Champions League title in 10 years
Sep 16, 2015 09:00:00
The Catalan club can confirm their dominance in Europe's premier club competition by adding another title to the ones they won in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015
By Ignasi Oliva
No team has been able to claim back-to-back titles since the old European Cup became the Champions League in 1992-93. Pep Guardiola's Barcelona came close in 2010 and also in 2012, but were denied by Jose Mourinho's Inter and then a Chelsea side coached by Roberto Di Matteo. So the gauntlet has been laid down for Luis Enrique in 2015-16 as the current champions look to make history with yet another first.
The Champions League is the biggest goal for the Catalan club this term and although summer signings Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal cannot feature in the group stages due to Barca's transfer ban, the pair will be able to turn out in the second phase which starts in February.
In order to reach the knockout round, Barca will have to negotiate a group that features Roma (their opponents in Wednesday's opener), BATE Borisov and Bayer Leverkusen - one of the surprise teams from last year's competition. And without both Arda and Vidal for now, Luis Enrique has also seen his squad weakened by the departures of Xavi and Pedro in the summer.
The Asturian coach will hope his team can avoid injuries, especially in attack where there is no natural replacement for Pedro. Even if a player had arrived, however, he would be unable to feature until January in any case. That situation, plus Barca's traditional self-destructive streak, look like the major obstacles for the defending champions in this competition - especially as there is no clear favourite from any of Europe's other top leagues.
None of Barca's rivals possess a player like Lionel Messi, either. Leader in terms of goals (along with Cristiano Ronaldo) and assists in last season's Champions League, the Argentine will once again be the protagonist in a duel with Real Madrid's Portuguese forward, with the two players fighting it out to be the top scorer in the continental competition after both overtaking previous record-holder Raul last season.
But alongside Messi are two more prolific players: Neymar and Luis Suarez. The three formed a lethal trident last season and were the inspiration behind Barca's treble triumph along with defenders Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen also impressed in his debut season as the Catalans tightened up at the back in a true team effort to claim the title in Berlin.
El Barcelona ya ha demostrado que sus argumentos son muy válidos para lograr el título
Luis Enrique's men are the defending champions and will fear no-one, but perhaps eternal rivals Real Madrid are the team that will worry them the most - and particularly the fans at Camp Nou. A possible meeting with Los Blancos would represent much more than a knockout tie, due to the ridicule and derision aimed at the losing team in Clasico clashes - especially in Europe.
But there is no need for Barca to think about any of that. The Catalans will be expected to advance comfortably from their group and in any case, they have been more successful than any other team in the past decade, winning the Champions League four times (in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015).
A fifth title in a decade would make them the most dominant team in the modern game, while a successive title would represent another first for the Blaugrana - so there is plenty of motivation as they prepare to kick off their latest Champions League campaign in Rome on Wednesday.
Hummels delighted as Dortmund show their ´Bayern´ side
18 September 2015 09:19
Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels believes his team-mates replicated Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich during their Europa League win against Krasnodar on Thursday.
Thomas Tuchel's men got their Group C campaign under way with a dramatic 2-1 win over their Russian opponents - coming from a goal down to claim the points with a last-minute Park Jo-hoo header.
Matthias Ginter had cancelled out Pavel Mamaev's opener at Signal Iduna Park and Hummels was pleased to see Dortmund fight until the end, much like Bundesliga champions Bayern – who themselves were the beneficiary of late goals in Europe this week to beat Olympiacos 3-0.
Asked if Dortmund's strong form had helped enable the late winner, he told the club's official website: "That may be. It is also something that Bayern do often.
"They know they can still win, they know they still have a chance. That happens more if you have won your last few games.
"Last November, we would probably not have got the 2-1."
In Jurgen Klopp's final campaign last term, Dortmund struggled badly and were even bottom of the table during the winter break, before a strong second half to the season lifted them to seventh.
However, under Tuchel, Dortmund have now won all 10 competitive outings, with Hummels adding: "I don't believe we could have settled it sooner, we did not have enough chances and were not superior enough for a 3-0.
"The 2-1 reflects the game very well. It is of course perfectly fine that we won - we had more chances, more of the game - but still Krasnodar were always dangerous.
"Every attack had a situation in which an opportunity could arise because we were very wide and very open and Papa [Sokratis Papastathopoulos] and I occasionally had a one-on-one or two-on-two at the back.
"That is, of course, difficult to defend but that's our job, especially when it comes to games where the counter pressing does not work so well."
Ahead of his return to face his boyhood club, the Sweden international striker has revealed he has hired a widescreen TV to broadcast his European performance across the city
Zlatan Ibrahimovic claims he has hired out the central square in Malmo in order to screen the clash with Paris Saint-Germain on a big screen.
The 33-year-old star said it felt "like a dream" to play against his boyhood side this week as the Ligue 1 leaders beat the Swedish outfit 2-0 in the first game of the Champions League group stage.
Ibrahimovic has now opted to take special measures in order to ensure that his return to the city is enjoyed by as many local fans as possible.
Writing on his official Facebook page, he said: "I have previously said that the game will be heard all over Malmo. Now I've also made sure that all of Malmo will be able to watch the game.
"I've booked the Main Square where the game on Nov. ???? will be broadcast live. All are welcome! More surprises await that day.
Di Maria: It was difficult at Man Utd but I'm happy now
By Tom Doyle
Sep 22, 2015 09:39:59
The Argentina international is relieved to be back competing in the Champions League with his new club after his solitary season at Old Trafford
Angel Di Maria says he is happy to be back competing in the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain after a “pretty tough” year at Manchester United.
Di Maria, 27, joined United for a British-record fee of £59.7 million in the summer of 2014, but struggled to adapt to English football after a promising start.
The Argentina international was absent from Louis van Gaal’s U.S. pre-season tour squad and joined French champions PSG for £44.3m this summer.
Di Maria won the Champions League with Real Madrid the season before joining United, and admits that a year away from continental football was difficult to deal with at Old Trafford.
Asked about his absence from last season’s competition, Di Maria told UEFA.com: “Yes, I missed it a lot, actually.
“Last year was pretty difficult for me – I couldn't play and my injury was really complicated. Not being able to compete in the Champions League after having won it made it a pretty tough time for me.”
Di Maria capped his return to the competition with an early goal in the 2-0 Parc des Princes victory over Malmo last week, and has adapted to life in France quickly.
Speaking about his move to Paris, the midfielder said: “It's really nice here. I train every day with a smile on my face – I'm happy to be here, and I have been settling in well with my team-mates.
“Paris is a really nice city. My family has felt very good here from the first day they arrived. That makes it a lot easier for me to focus on football.
“From the day I arrived here, I could see the quality of the players here and the ambition they have to win [the Champions League] – the desire they show in every training session and in every match.
“We all have the same ambition and desire to fight for it. And I think that with the players here we can achieve it.”
Messi injury not cause for celebration - Hernandez
By Stefan Coerts
Sep 28, 2015 16:50:42
The Bayer Leverkusen attacker is sad to see Barcelona's star out of Tuesday's Champions League match after suffering a knee injury against Las Palmas
Bayer Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez has stressed he cannot take any pleasure from the absence of Lionel Messi in Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Barcelona.
The Argentina international famously netted five times against Leverkusen last time the sides met in Europe, but he will miss Tuesday's match due to a knee problem that will keep him out of action for up to two months.
Nevertheless, Hernandez saw no reason to celebrate Messi's absence as he feels sad to see a fellow professional sustain a serious injury.
"Messi's injury? It can't be good to celebrate any injury. There's nothing more important than your health," Hernandez told Marca.
"In life and in any profession what we all want is to be healthy. 'Bad luck', I thought when it happened. It's always bad when a player gets injured.
"Seeing another human being suffer is never a nice thing. You can't take any pleasure from it. Health is the most important thing in life."
Looking forward to Tuesday's meeting, Hernandez refused to speculate over whether Messi's injury could prove decisive but does accept it could work in Leverkusen's favour.
"It's a question for the coach whether his injury changes things for us. For my part, if I play, I'll do what the coach tells me," he explained
"We know they're the current champions. Of course his absence could have an influence given his ability and what he represents."
The coach has says the organisational qualities and competitiveness of the Croatian side were key to defeating the Gunners
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has warned his side that Dinamo Zagreb's win over Arsenal was no fluke.
The Bundesliga leaders host Zoran Mamic's side in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday after they shocked the Gunners in their opening game.
Guardiola believes Bayern's form is steadily improving this season but is under no illusions as to the challenge which awaits his side at the Allianz Arena.
"Every day and every week is important. The most important thing now is Dinamo Zagreb," he said.
"You'd normally think Arsenal would win in Zagreb, but then you watch the game and you see straight away why Dinamo won. They are very organised, very aggressive.
"They have very technical players and we need to approach the game with great seriousness.
"They played well in defence, with their players showing discipline by maintaining their shape. Forty-five games without losing... this must be a really strong squad - it won't be easy.
"It's a great opportunity to bring us into a good position for the game against Arsenal. You have to win your home games to get ahead.
"I have a lot of confidence in my team. Our development is good, we're getting a little better every game."
Guardiola revealed that Arturo Vidal is struggling with a minor knee complaint and Sebastian Rode may also miss the Dinamo clash, but there was better news regarding the returns of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
"I hope Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are back soon. Then we can play with width," he said, adding that Robben could be fit to face Borussia Dortmund on October 4.
"But it's good for Bayern to have young players like Kingsley Coman and Douglas Costa. I hope they can achieve that kind of quality.
"[Javi] Martinez's knee has responded very well, he has no pain. But if he can play three games in a row, I don't know."
Guardiola also hailed the recent form of David Alaba, who missed much of the latter part of last season due to injury.
"It doesn't matter where David Alaba plays, he's always amazing," added the former Barcelona boss. "We can play different systems with him. I really missed him last year, but he's great at the moment."
Barcelona can cope without Messi, insists Luis Enrique
By Chris Davie
Sep 28, 2015 13:48:00
The Argentine is sidelined for up to eight weeks with a knee injury but the 45-year-old maintains his side have the ability to adapt
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique insists his side can cope with the absence of Lionel Messi.
The Argentine has been ruled out for up to eight weeks with the knee ligament injury he suffered during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Las Palmas.
But while Luis Enrique admits Messi will be “impossible to replace”, he is adamant that his team have the ability to adapt their style ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen at Camp Nou.
"All my players give always their top so I can't ask them more due to Messi’s absence,” said the Barca coach.
"Messi and Rafinha injuries are challenges for us.
"We will do what we have to do without Messi, a player like him is impossible to replace but we showed during the preseason we know how to play without him, we will introduce new players.
“We have already thought about changing our playing style without Messi because our main goal is to be on the top at the end of the season.”
Luis Enrique also confirmed that Claudio Bravo and Jordi Alba took part in training on Monday and are available to face Leverkusen.
David Silva set for Manchester City return as Toure awaits diagnosis
Sep 28, 2015 13:15:00
The playmaker has missed the last three matches with a calf problem but is expected to play on Wednesday, and it is hoped Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany will also be available
By Sam Lee & Paul Clennam
Manchester City are confident of a triple injury boost ahead of their Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday, with David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart all in line for a return to action.
City lost their European opener against Juventus a fortnight ago and travel to Germany needing to pick up all three points if they are to keep in touch with the Italians and Sevilla, who sit joint top of Group D.
Silva has missed the club's last three matches with a calf problem but is set to return for the game at Borussia Park having trained over the weekend.
There could also be good news for Kompany and Hart, who both sat out Saturday's heavy defeat at Tottenham in the Premier League.
Kompany, who was forced out of the 2-1 defeat to Juventus with a calf injury, had initially been named on the bench at White Hart Lane but was forced to pull out altogether.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini said his captain was still struggling with his calf and that he would be assessed in the earlier part of the week, but Goal understands the club are now hopeful he will return to the starting line-up.
It is a similar situation for Hart, who also missed the 4-1 loss in north London. Pellegrini claimed his goalkeeper had been suffering with a back complaint in the days leading up to the encounter, which also kept him out of the League Cup victory at Sunderland.
But after watching on from the bench as Willy Caballero struggled, City are also confident their No.1 will return on Wednesday.
There are concerns that Yaya Toure could face three weeks on the sidelines, however, after he was withdrawn early in the second half on Saturday.
The Ivorian has a tight hamstring and City are awaiting the result of scans to ascertain whether there is any further damage, with a pull likely to rule him out until the end of October.
That would mean he would be in a race to be fit to face Manchester United at Old Trafford on October 23.
Following two defeats in their last two Premier League matches, City have slipped behind their local rivals in the table.
Wenger faces midfield reshuffle ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Olympiacos
By Chris Davie
Sep 28, 2015 13:15:00
The Gunners are without Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta but while Francis Coquelin has returned to training, the Frenchman may not be fully fit to play against Olympiacos
Arsene Wenger could face another reshuffle in defensive midfield for Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Olympiacos on Tuesday evening.
The Gunners are without Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta for the match against the Greek champions, but while Francis Coquelin has returned to training following a knee injury, Wenger admits he has not decided whether the 24-year-old is fit enough to play.
"Coquelin is back training but we will see,” the Arsenal manager said on Monday. “Arteta and Flamini are not available."
Arsenal are looking for their first points in the Champions League this season after they slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb earlier in September, but Wenger’s men head into the fixture following victories over Tottenham and Leicester City in the League Cup and Premier League respectively.
Alexis Sanchez opened his account for the season with a hat-trick in the 5-2 win against Claudio Ranieri’s side on Saturday and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has praised the Chilean’s mentality.
“He is one of the most passionate players I know,” said the Arsenal midfielder.
Casillas voted as Champions League's greatest ever goalkeeper ahead of Buffon
Sep 28, 2015 12:00:00
More than 50,000 Goal readers around the world took part in the poll, which crowns the Real Madrid legend as the finest No.1 to have graced the competition
Iker Casillas has been voted as the greatest ever goalkeeper in the history of the Champions League by Goal readers.
The former Real Madrid icon, who joined Porto in the summer, saw off Juventus hero Gianluigi Buffon and ex-Manchester United man Peter Schmeichel, with the pair finishing in second and third place respectively.
Casillas is set to break Xavi's Champions League appearance record against Chelsea this week when he plays his 152nd game in the competition.
To mark the occasion Goal polled readers on who was the competition's best ever goalkeeper since the tournament was re-branded in 1992.
More than 50,000 readers from our 37 editions around the world tabled their votes - with Casillas taking 33% of the ballot.
Juventus star Buffon was second with 19% of the vote, while Danish favourite Schmeichel earned 10%.
Another ex-Man Utd goalkeeper in Edwin van der Sar came fourth, just edging out ex-Bayern Munich glovesman Oliver Kahn and current Arsenal shot-stopper Petr Cech.
Manuel Neuer finished in seventh, former AC Milan man Nelson Dida was eighth, while former Barcelona star Victor Valdes earned the lowest number of votes in ninth position.
Casillas, who won three Champions League titles with Real Madrid and captained the club to La Decima in 2014, will play his 152nd UCL game on Tuesday for new club Porto - overtaking Xavi in the process.
Any Porto in a storm: how Mourinho caused Casillas' Madrid downfall
Sep 28, 2015 12:00:00
The two foes face off on Tuesday as the legendary keeper takes on the man who first put a target on his back and started the events that would end his 25-year stay at the Bernabeu
By Ewan Roberts
There is a certain twisted irony that Jose Mourinho and Iker Casillas should be reunited at a ground that gave birth to ‘the Special One’, and which now serves as the graveyard for one of his great opposers. The Spanish goalkeeping icon is now playing out the final days of his career at Porto, in the shadow of the man who began his downfall. When Mourinho arrived at Real Madrid in 2010, newly crowned world champion Casillas was at his peak. Since then he has been cast out and cut adrift.
In the belly of Estadio do Dragao lie countless reminders of Mourinho’s enduring legacy, in posters, mosaics and silverware, and now the latest chapter of another of his great battles will be written on the Porto turf, as the Chelsea boss takes his sluggish side to Oporto to take on both his old club and his old foe – though he might wonder if Casillas's place, like his own legacy in Portugal’s second city, would be better consigned to a museum. It was he who first questioned the goalkeeper’s ability, first challenged his authority and first dropped him from the Madrid starting XI. Now they meet again.
“Would I do anything differently if I had the chance to do the past three years over again,” pondered Mourinho as time ran out on his reign at Madrid, his tail not far enough between his legs to deny him a parting shot at the man he blamed for his unsuccessful stay. “I should have brought in Diego Lopez after my first year. We didn't do enough to sign him. It's a real shame.”
Mourinho has something of a penchant for rewriting history, and his mischievous comments betray quite how good Casillas had been in their first year together, long before the bust-ups, media inquisitions and eventual acrimonious departures. The then 30-year-old goalkeeper, at the very peak of his powers having lifted the World Cup, continued to excel in the 2010-11 campaign as Madrid finished just four points behind Pep Guardiola’s scintillating Barcelona side, though a five-goal evisceration at Camp Nou suggested there was still a gulf in class between the two sides.
A Champions League semi-final exit to that same foe, and the prolonged wait for La Decima, might have ramped up the pressure on Mourinho, but he was saved by a Copa del Rey title that was only made possible by Casillas. The keeper made countless fine saves, none more so than to deny Andres Iniesta in the final at Mestalla. Goalkeeper coach Silvino Louro claimed the sprawling, finger-tip stop was the best he had ever seen. Mourinho’s reaction on the bench suggested similar - but he would never admit it.
Casillas was so good, in fact, that Mourinho hailed him as the world’s best goalkeeper in 2011 and backed his skipper to claim the Ballon d’Or, though it would be Lionel Messi that took that honour. Nevertheless, the keeper was named the world’s best by IFFHS for the fourth straight year.
A record-breaking, goal-filled title triumph followed in the next campaign, and Casillas would concede one goal fewer and keep one clean sheet more, as Madrid lost just twice and broke the 100-point barrier. Six months later, in Mourinho’s final season, the Spaniard’s exile would begin, but, despite the public platitudes, the seeds of disharmony were already beginning to be sewn.
Mourinho was already concerned by Casillas's performances on the pitch, as uncharacteristic sloppiness and anxiety started to creep into his game. The coach was wary, scared even, of the power “the goalkeeper”, as he came to belittlingly reference him as, exerted in both the locker room and the Bernabeu’s corridors of power. He was uncomfortable, too, with the notion that the player’s partner – sports journalist Sara Carbonero – was privy to inside information. Mourinho is used to total control, but in Casillas he found a player who held more sway than any he had managed previously.
In those first two seasons, the pair disagreed over numerous issues, from the Portuguese’s seemingly negative, counter-attack focused philosophy to an increase in ugly, underhand tactics that eroded some of the gentlemanliness historically associated with Madrid and began to disrupt the harmony of the Spanish national team as La Roja team-mates became foes, routinely scrapping and brawling in increasingly controversial and heated Clasicos.
Mourinho’s eye gauge on Tito Vilanova, and the ‘us against the world’ siege mentality he once again tried to forge and harness, flew in the face of the notion of ‘Madridismo’. As an extension of the feistiness and dark arts the manager was installing, he also wanted to strip Casillas of the captaincy and give it to an outfield player who could more easily cajole and argue with the referee – even though, traditionally, the armband goes to the club’s longest serving player.
In the build up to Euro 2012, Casillas became concerned by the direction in which Madrid’s identity was heading and the impact it could have on Spain. He called Xavi and Carles Puyol to negotiate a ceasefire, taking ownership of the recent fracases and apologising, but this served only to incense Mourinho who felt it was a sign of weakness, an act of treachery and would reinforce Madrid’s ‘bad guy’ image. Vicente del Bosque would later describe the phonecall as the final nail in the coffin of his relationship with Mourinho.
But it was also key to a harmonious Spanish camp and another major international honour, after which Casillas's form unquestionably dipped. But Mourinho’s willingness to axe him against Malaga in December 2012 and instead field Antonio Adan, a 25-year-old keeper from the club’s academy with just three La Liga starts in his career, suggested it was not merely the “purely technical” decision the manager made it out to be.
By now Mourinho and Casillas hardly spoke at all, while there were rumours of friction between the goalkeeper and players represented by Jorge Mendes, a long-time ally of the manager. Defeat to Malaga had left Madrid a long way adrift of Barca and discontent was seeping into the newspapers. Marca published a detailed, verbatim account of a training-ground bust-up, and Mourinho’s suspicions as to the identity of the mole, or Topor, were firmly focused on one person.
But a fractured hand and the recruitment of Diego Lopez in January 2013 began to alter the narrative. The manager had been jeered over his decision to drop Casillas, though the whistles quickly died down as Madrid picked up 39 points from a possible 48 with Lopez between the sticks. The 6’5” shot-stopper was exuding the match-winning presence Casillas had only shown sporadically.
“I like Diego Lopez as a goalkeeper more than Casillas,” explained Mourinho. “It's not personal. I like a goalkeeper that comes out and dominates the airspace and plays with his feet. Iker is fantastic under the posts.” That appraisal was justified, with Lopez making 1.81 catches per game compared to Casillas’s 0.94, while his catch success was 13.3% higher, too. Lopez’s save percentage (73% compared to 66%) ranked him fourth in La Liga, while Casillas wallowed in 24th.
But Mourinho’s words, no matter their merit, were taken as public criticism of a player deemed beyond reproach by many in the squad. Sergio Ramos was livid, while Pepe – once considered a key ally of his countryman, captain material and the personification of the style Mourinho sought to impose – described the comments as “inappropriate”. The centre-back was rumoured to be one of three players, along with Ramos and Casillas, who told president Florentino Perez that he had to choose between them or the manager.
Perez sided with the players, though he may now wish he hadn’t. Carlo Ancelotti came in as Mourinho’s successor but stuck with Lopez as his No.1, and even Casillas's two-fingered salute to his old boss, namely winning La Decima, was caveated by the fact that his error (which came from an inability to command his box) almost gifted Atletico victory. By the time Cristiano Ronaldo had put the result beyond doubt, it was relief, not ecstasy, that was etched on his face.
For a long time, Casillas' axing by Mourinho was painted as something personal, a vendetta, a clash of egos, but his performances last summer for Spain, notably at fault as the then holders were hammered by the Netherlands, coupled with how fallible he appeared relative to Lopez, started to turn Madrid fans against him. Maybe Mourinho was right all along, they pondered, as Casillas' final campaign that yielded only the relatively minor successes of the Club World Cup and European Super Cup was drowned out by the jeers and whistles aimed at their once favourite son.
All the while, the spectre of David De Gea, ironically another Mendes client, had lurked menacingly. Casillas may have kept the 24-year-old at bay at international level - Del Bosque is yet to put down his most trusted lieutenant - but he has long been the heir apparent at Madrid, right up until the world's biggest club made the world's biggest clerical error. De Gea's lightning-fast reflexes and Premier League-honed authority represent everything Casillas once was, but a deadline day blunder could leave Madrid pining for both the keeper they just missed out on, and the one they turned their back on.
The key question, though, is whether Mourinho predicted Casillas's decline or caused it. The truth is probably somewhere in between. The 34-year-old’s dominance could not last forever – and, with or without the Portuguese's help, Madrid would have been looking for a successor by now anyway – but perhaps he might have left on a high had he not been ground down by the war with Mourinho. The manager exposed chinks in his own captain’s armour and accelerated his fall from grace. Yet, if there is life left in the old dog, Casillas could not have picked a more perfect time or place to prove it.
An original version of this article was first published on June 11, 2015.
The Germany international has risen to prominence in the Bundesliga and the Dutchman is wary of his threat, likening his ability to that of the ex-Monaco striker
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has singled out Julian Draxler as Wolfsburg 's main dangerman ahead of this week's Champions League encounter at Old Trafford and has likened the Germany international to Anthony Martial .
Draxler joined Wolfsburg from Schalke on deadline day as the Bundesliga club looked to replace Kevin De Bruyne following his move to Manchester City and Van Gaal still remembers the 22-year-old from his time with Bayerrn Munich.
"Draxler was a very young talent when I was in charge of Bayern, so I know him," Van Gaal told the official United website
"He has to go on a long road like Martial, although it could be a little bit shorter because he has been playing longer on that level.
"He is a very good player."
Wolfsburg were thrashed 5-1 by Bayern Munich last week as Robert Lewandowski netted five goals in nine minutes, but Van Gaal has warned that Dieter Hecking's men should not be underestimated.
"Of course I saw that game, but I also saw the first half and Wolfsburg were very strong. It is unbelievable that it happened in nine minutes," the Dutchman added.
United were beaten 2-1 by PSV in the first match of their Champions League campaign, while Arsenal and Manchester City also slumped to defeat, with Chelsea beng the only English side to bag the full three points.
However, Van Gaal remains optimistic all four Premier League representatives can progress.
He said: "The Premier League is a very difficult league. To beat your opponent every week is not easy, it is always a struggle and a battle. Then you have to play again mid-week in the Champions League and that is the difference between all the clubs in Europe.
"It is not predictable to say four teams in the Premier League shall overcome this group stage round, no, it is not like that. But I have to say that we have the teams to do it and we have the quality to do it."
BATE boss Aleksandr Yermakovich does not believe Roma will be any less of a threat as a result of a succession of injury problems.
Striker Edin Dzeko has been ruled out for a month with a knee injury and Wojciech Szczesny is due to be absent until November, while both club icon Francesco Totti and midfielder Seydou Keita are due to miss the Champions League group-stage clash this week.
Yermakovich, however, has warned his side not to underestimate Rudi Garcia's outfit.
"Three years ago we took on a Lille side coached by Rudi Garcia in the Champions League," he said. "His teams play nice, attacking football. They prefer short- and medium-length passes, with lots of players getting involved in attacks.
"We know Roma have a lot of injuries, but I don't think that will influence their game. They have many good replacements. They have leaders in every line: Daniele De Rossi in defence, Miralem Pjanic in midfield, and in general they can all put in great performances.
"We are not going to show our hand just yet. When the game starts, you will see how we are going to take on Roma.
"We want to give our fans something to celebrate, and we will try our best. If you want to take points from teams like Roma, you need a combination things: skill, luck, the fans' support. We need to be very focused and determined."
Roma held Barcelona to a creditable draw in the opening matchday, while BATE were beaten 4-1 by Bayer Leverkusen.
Porto head coach Julen Lopetegui has jumped to the defence of Jose Mourinho following Chelsea's poor start to the season.
The Premier League champions have lost three of the opening seven games of their title defence and sit eight points behind leaders Manchester United following their 2-2 draw with Newcastle United.
Mourinho has also come under fire as a result of the departure of club doctor Eva Carneiro after his public criticism of the medic, while he has persisted in a feud with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, specifically in the aftermath of Chelsea's win over the Gunners and the ensuing suspension of Diego Costa by the Football Association.
Lopetegui, however, has described the man who led Porto to the Champions League title in 2004 as "incredible" and says their league form has no bearing on the threat they pose in Europe.
"I have great respect for Mourinho. He has been incredible so far, very important to Porto because of his great achievements at national and international level," he said on Monday.
"Their league position does not influence their matches in the Champions League – they won their first game 4-0 [Maccabi Tel Aviv]. They are a great team with great potential and we need to play really well, to our limits, and be technically and tactically perfect."
Porto face Chelsea the day after their 122nd anniversary and Lopetegui admits it would be very special to mark the occasion with three points.
"It would be great to celebrate the club's anniversary with a win," he added.
"We are talking about a team that has top players and a top coach. We are a team with a lot of hopes, ambitions and belief, but they will push us to our limits."
Arsene Wenger says Tuesday's Champions League visit of Olympiacos is a "must-win" game for his side's hopes of progressing from Group F.
Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Dinamo Zagreb in their opening game of the competition earlier this month and welcome the Greek side to the Emirates Stadium in need of points ahead of a difficult clash with group favourites Bayern Munich in October.
Following a 5-2 success against Leicester City at the weekend, confidence is high among Wenger's squad, with Francis Coquelin in line for a return from his knee injury.
Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta are doubts however, as Wenger prepares for a crucial clash in north London.
"It is already a must-win. You sum it up well," he told reporters.
"We have to win at home to qualify, as simple as that. we cannot afford to drop points at home now.
"Both teams will always try to go forward. At home, teams try to regroup and you have to be clinical.
"Coquelin has been back in training since yesterday. He looks alright. Flamini and Arteta have slight muscular problems."
Alexis Sanchez got off the mark for the season with a hat-trick at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, with Theo Walcott also on target.
The pair will likely be tasked with helping cover the void left by suspended striker Olivier Giroud - the Frenchman sent off in Zagreb.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - who made his Champions League debut against the Greek side in December 2012 - added: "Alexis got off the mark and Theo was brilliant.
"Sanchez is one of the most passionate players I know. I look and learn from him."
Porto v Chelsea: Returning Mourinho seeks Champions League solace
27 September 2015 14:39
Jose Mourinho makes an emotional return to Porto on Tuesday and, not for the first time this season, he will seek some Champions League solace to make up for Chelsea's patchy Premier League form.
Mourinho famously led Porto to Champions League glory in 2004 before moving to Stamford Bridge for his first stint in west London.
After reaffirming his standing as one the world's best coaches during spells at Inter and Real Madrid, Mourinho returned to Chelsea in 2013, and won the Premier League title comfortably last season.
But Mourinho has endured a miserable start to 2014-15 domestically, with Saturday's 2-2 draw at Newcastle United leaving Chelsea with just eight points from seven league games.
Mourinho described Chelsea's first-half showing at St James' Park as "minus one out of 10", and he will be desperate for his side to show their quality in Tuesday's trip to Estadio do Dragao.
One plus for Chelsea - who routed Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-0 in their Group G opener - is that Diego Costa will be available for selection Mourinho citing the Spain striker's absence through a domestic suspension as a key reason for their sluggish performance at Newcastle.
Porto are also out to impress having failed to hit top form in Friday's 2-2 Primeira Liga draw against Moreirense.
Julen Lopetegui's side, who are unbeaten in the league this season, twice let a lead slip as they failed to build on the 1-0 victory over rivals Benfica in their previous fixture.
Porto missed the opportunity to win in their opening group match as a late Vitaliy Buyalsky earned Dynamo Kiev a 2-2 draw after Vincent Aboubakar's double had put Porto ahead.
Lopetegui may have to cope without Yacine Brahimi for Tuesday's clash, with the winger struggling with a knee injury.
As well as Mourinho's return, there are several other acquaintances that will be renewed this week.
Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas endured a difficult relationship under Mourinho's stewardship at Real Madrid, while Chelsea striker Radamel Falcao also returns to a club where he scored 41 league goals in 51 appearances before moving on to Atletico Madrid in August 2011
Lyon v Valencia: First win the focus after opening-game frustration
27 September 2015 15:01
Lyon and Valencia endured frustrating opening games in Champions League Group H and will seek to kick-start their qualification bids at Stade de Gerland on Tuesday.
Hubert Fournier's men were held 1-1 by a Gent side who had two players sent off - with Alexandre Lacazette missing a late penalty - while the Liga outfit suffered a 3-2 home loss to Zenit.
Valencia will hope to draw some inspiration from the previous group-stage showdowns between the two sides, when the Spaniards prevailed in both matches back in 2000-01.
That was during a memorable era for Valencia, who reached back-to-back Champions League finals at the turn of the century and won La Liga in 2001-02 and 2003-04.
But Nuno Espirito Santo's charges have failed to impress domestically so far in this campaign and their last four games have yielded only one win.
The five-goal thriller against Zenit was in stark contrast to Valencia's top-flight matches, where there have only been five goals in six games.
Only Malaga have scored fewer in La Liga, but Valencia do boast a defensive record better than every side except Real Madrid.
Valencia have already enjoyed some success against Ligue 1 opponents this season, having beaten Monaco over two legs to qualify for the competition proper. Indeed, in their last 11 away matches against French sides, Valencia have lost only twice.
Lyon, hosting their first Champions League pool match since 2011, head into the game licking their wounds from a 3-1 loss at Bordeaux.
Fournier declared himself angry with the performance and result, urging his side to bounce back against Valencia.
It was just the second defeat of the league season for Lyon, who sit sixth in the table but already eight points adrift of leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Lyon do not boast quite the same European pedigree as their visitors. Even during their seven-year dominance of Ligue 1, when they won the title every season from 2001-02 to 2007-08, Lyon never ventured past the last eight.
Their one foray into the semi-finals, in 2009-10, ended with a 4-0 aggregate drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Valencia will be without defender Jose Gaya (hamstring) and goalkeeper Matthew Ryan (knee), while Lyon's injury woes see the likes of Nabil Fekir (knee) Rafael (thigh) sidelined.
Having overcome Valencia in their opening Group H game, Zenit will be expecting to take another step towards the Champions League knockout stages at home to Gent.
Andre Villas-Boas, who is serving a six-match touchline ban in the Russian Premier League for confronting an official, oversaw a 3-2 win in Spain courtesy of Hulk's double and Axel Witsel's late goal.
And history favours the Russians, who have won all five previous home matches against Belgian opposition with an aggregate score of 12-1.
Gent showed they were no pushovers in their opening-game draw against Lyon, though, securing a hard-earned point despite finishing the match with nine men - Matz Sels' late penalty save from Alexandre Lacazette proving crucial.
Brecht Dejaegere and Thomas Foket saw red in that game and will be absent for the trip to a Zenit side whose domestic campaign has faltered of late.
A four-match winless run has left them playing catch-up, with Villas-Boas' revelation that he will leave the club at the end of the season potentially impacting on their form.
It is not the only controversy to have surfaced at the club this month, with star man Hulk claiming to have suffered racist abuse during Saturday's 2-2 Russian Premier League draw with Spartak Moscow.
Gent have suffered no such problems and are enjoying an 11-game unbeaten run, though six of those fixtures have ended in draws.
Coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck felt his side spurned an opportunity to claim maximum points on their competition debut against Lyon and urged his men to be "smarter".
With Gent being the underdogs for this match, Zenit may need to take a different approach to that which saw them overcome Valencia.
The Liga outfit had 62 per cent possession, racked up 15 shots to Zenit's seven and amassed 12 corners to two. Unsurprisingly, Villas-Boas cited his side's threat on the counter-attack as key, but they may be expected to take the game to Gent on home soil.
Oleg Shatov (muscular injury) is a doubt for Zenit after missing the last two matches, while Erik Johansson (knee) is out for the visitors.
