The nine-month, high-pressure ride of the Champions League has already gotten off to a flying start. For Kairat Almaty, first-timers from Kazakhstan, the journey began in the first qualifying round on 8 July, a full two months before the start of their first league phase campaign.

Kairat are one of four newcomers to the Champions League this season along with Union SG, Bodø/Glimt and Pafos, the latter two both also having to endure the drama of qualifying to seal their place. We were in Yerevan to see FC Noah’s Champions League debut at the start of July and it was clear just how much was already at stake. New coach Sandro Perković had only been in the job three weeks and in his first game in charge was facing arguably his biggest challenge of the season. Noah rose to the occasion, ultimately securing a return to the Conference League.

At the other end of the scale, in this issue we talk to Champions League winners Ousmane Dembélé and his coach Luis Enrique Martínez who have begun plotting a path back to the final. Graham Hunter also sits down with the brilliant Lamine Yamal to see how the 18-year-old is coping with stardom under the bright lights of Barcelona. The pressure is on.

Grab your copy at champions-journal.com or in select UK stores.