Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann is plotting to outsmart his idol Pep Guardiola when Manchester City attempt to get their Champions League campaign back on track by winning in Germany on Tuesday.
At 31, Nagelsmann is the youngest coach in Champions League history, and admits to being a keen student of Guardiola's methods.
Now he hopes to thwart the Spanish master tactician in Hoffenheim's first home Champions League match in the club's history.
But in Sinsheim, City will be aiming to bounce back from their shock 2-1 loss at home to Lyon in their first Group F game. Hoffenheim drew their opener 2-2 at Shakhtar Donetsk.
City beat Brighton 2-0 at home at the weekend to go top of the Premier League, but Hoffenheim's form is far shakier as they suffered their third defeat in six Bundesliga games on Saturday, losing 2-1 at home to RB Leipzig, who the ambitious Nagelsmann will coach next season.
This is the first time Nagelsmann will go head-to-head with Guardiola, who coached Bayern Munich to three consecutive Bundesliga titles from 2013 to 2016 before joining City.
Point to prove
Munich: Bayern Munich host Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday with Niko Kovac needing to fix a leaking defence and lack of finishing after yielding top spot in the Bundesliga.
The clash at Munich's Allianz Arena could well decide Group E after Bayern claimed a 2-0 win at Benfica in the opening round a fortnight ago while Ajax won 3-0 at Greek side AEK.
Dauntingly for Ajax, Bayern have won the last 12 matches at home in the Champions League's group stages.
However, the five-time European champions finished the weekend second in the German league after crashing to a shock 2-0 defeat at Hertha Berlin on Friday after being outplayed in the capital.
"It is an important game against Ajax. A win would make things easier for us going into our next four games," said Bayern head coach Kovac.
"Many people said we wouldn't lose a game in the (Bundesliga) this season, but now it has happened in no time at all," he added.
Uncharacteristically for Bayern, they leaked a late equaliser in a 1-1 league draw with Augsburg last Tuesday, which was followed by the defeat in Berlin.
Nevertheless, a win over Ajax would boost confidence before Saturday's home league match against Borussia Moenchengladbach when they can aim to make up the one-point gap behind new Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund.
Historically, there is nothing separating Bayern and Ajax, who have three wins each, plus two draws, in their previous eight meetings.
Modric visits russia
Madrid: Luka Modric returns to the Luzhniki Stadium on Tuesday, the scene of Croatia's World Cup final defeat to France, not only as FIFA's best men's player but the star of Real Madrid too.
For the first time in his six seasons at Madrid, Modric will line up for a Champions League tie without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was sold, or Gareth Bale, who is injured.
Bale is the last, and he would have been playing against CSKA Moscow, had it not been for a thigh injury picked up on Saturday.
In other matches of the game day 2, Italian champion Juventus will host New Boys in Turin without the services of posterboy Cristiano Ronaldo, who wil miss the game beacuse of suspension.
Also in the other clash of same group, Manchester City will face tough challenge rom Spanish club Valencia, who are heading into this game after losing to Juventus in their first group game.
Elsewhere, Lyon will face Shaktar Donetsk, while back on winning terms Roma will play against Viktoria Platen.