The first 16 games of the new UEFA Champions League campaign take place on Tuesday and Wednesday; and we take a look at some of the big games this week.
Liverpool are still glowing after June’s UEFA Champions League final win, but will be reminded just how fragile their campaign was at one point as they return to Naples. An added-time Alisson Becker save from Arkadiusz Milik on matchday six last season limited Jürgen Klopp’s side to a 1-0 loss – and therefore made it to the round of 16 at their hosts’ expense.
Dortmund and Barcelona are UEFA Champions League regulars, but this is their first meeting in the competition; their only past encounters came in the 1997 UEFA Super Cup. Injuries to Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez have contributed to a wobbly start to the season for Barcelona; can new arrival Antoine Griezmann put a spring in their Group F step?
Wednesday: Paris v Real Madrid
Real Madrid beat Paris on the way to winning the UEFA Champions League in 2015/16 and 2017/18. Two years on, does another meeting with the French side augur well for Zinédine Zidane’s side? Paris have a decent record against the Spanish giants, though, and in Keylor Navas they possess a member of the Madrid side that won the title three years on the trot. Will the goalkeeper come back to haunt them?
Wednesday: Atlético v Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick overturned a 2-0 first-leg lead for Atlético when these sides met in last season’s round of 16, the former Real Madrid man once more enjoying facing up to his old side’s city rivals. Diego Simeone’s side know from bitter experience that they can not afford to take their eyes off Ronaldo: the Portuguese has scored 22 in 31 games against Atlético.
Tuesday: Ajax v LOSC
Last season, Ajax became the first side in the history of the European Cup to make it to the semi-finals after having come through three qualifying rounds. Can they match that after losing Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt to bigger sides.
Wednesday: Olympiacos v Tottenham
Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs reached last years’s final, but made a meal of getting through the group stage, progressing despite taking just one point from their first three games. Will a trip to Piraeus catch them cold this time?
Wednesday: Dinamo Zagreb v Atalanta
Atalanta are the only side making their UEFA Champions League group stage debut this season, following a third-placed finish in Serie A which resulted in coach being made an honorary citizen of the club’s home city. How will they get on?
Champions League Fixtures
Matchday one
Tuesday 17 September
Napoli v Liverpool – Buy Champions League Tickets
Salzburg v Genk – Buy Champions League Tickets
Inter v Slavia Praha – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dortmund v Barcelona – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lyon v Zenit – Buy Champions League Tickets
Benfica v Leipzig – Buy Champions League Tickets
Chelsea v Valencia – Buy Champions League Tickets
Ajax v LOSC Lille – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 18 September
Club Brugge v Galatasaray – Buy Champions League Tickets
Paris v Real Madrid – Buy Champions League Tickets
Olympiacos v Tottenham – Buy Champions League Tickets
Bayern v Crvena zvezda – Buy Champions League Tickets
Shakhtar v Manchester City – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dinamo Zagreb v Atalanta – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atlético v Juventus – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leverkusen v Lokomotiv Moskva – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday two
Tuesday 1 October
Real Madrid v Club Brugge – Buy Champions League Tickets
Galatasaray v Paris – Buy Champions League Tickets
Tottenham v Bayern – Buy Champions League Tickets
Crvena zvezda v Olympiacos – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atalanta v Shakhtar – Buy Champions League Tickets
Manchester City v Dinamo Zagreb – Buy Champions League Tickets
Juventus v Leverkusen – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lokomotiv Moskva v Atlético – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 2 October
Genk v Napoli – Buy Champions League Tickets
Liverpool v Salzburg – Buy Champions League Tickets
Slavia Praha v Dortmund – Buy Champions League Tickets
Barcelona v Inter – Buy Champions League Tickets
Zenit v Benfica – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leipzig v Lyon – Buy Champions League Tickets
Valencia v Ajax – Buy Champions League Tickets
LOSC Lille v Chelsea – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday three
Tuesday 22 October
Club Brugge v Paris – Buy Champions League Tickets
Galatasaray v Real Madrid – Buy Champions League Tickets
Tottenham v Crvena zvezda – Buy Champions League Tickets
Olympiacos v Bayern – Buy Champions League Tickets
Shakhtar v Dinamo Zagreb – Buy Champions League Tickets
Manchester City v Atalanta – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atlético v Leverkusen – Buy Champions League Tickets
Juventus v Lokomotiv Moskva – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 23 October
Salzburg v Napoli – Buy Champions League Tickets
Genk v Liverpool – Buy Champions League Tickets
Inter v Dortmund – Buy Champions League Tickets
Slavia Praha v Barcelona – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leipzig v Zenit – Buy Champions League Tickets
Benfica v Lyon – Buy Champions League Tickets
Ajax v Chelsea – Buy Champions League Tickets
LOSC Lille v Valencia – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday four
Tuesday 5 November
Liverpool v Genk – Buy Champions League Tickets
Napoli v Salzburg – Buy Champions League Tickets
Barcelona v Slavia Praha – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dortmund v Inter – Buy Champions League Tickets
Zenit v Leipzig – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lyon v Benfica – Buy Champions League Tickets
Chelsea v Ajax – Buy Champions League Tickets
Valencia v LOSC Lille – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 6 November
Paris v Club Brugge – Buy Champions League Tickets
Real Madrid v Galatasaray – Buy Champions League Tickets
Bayern v Olympiacos – Buy Champions League Tickets
Crvena zvezda v Tottenham – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dinamo Zagreb v Shakhtar – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atalanta v Manchester City – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lokomotiv Moskva v Juventus – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leverkusen v Atlético – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday five
Tuesday 26 November
Galatasaray v Club Brugge – Buy Champions League Tickets
Real Madrid v Paris – Buy Champions League Tickets
Tottenham v Olympiacos – Buy Champions League Tickets
Crvena zvezda v Bayern – Buy Champions League Tickets
Manchester City v Shakhtar – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atalanta v Dinamo Zagreb – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lokomotiv Moskva v Leverkusen – Buy Champions League Tickets
Juventus v Atlético – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 27 November
Liverpool v Napoli – Buy Champions League Tickets
Genk v Salzburg – Buy Champions League Tickets
Barcelona v Dortmund – Buy Champions League Tickets
Slavia Praha v Inter – Buy Champions League Tickets
Zenit v Lyon – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leipzig v Benfica – Buy Champions League Tickets
Valencia v Chelsea – Buy Champions League Tickets
LOSC Lille v Ajax – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday six
Tuesday 10 December
Napoli v Genk – Buy Champions League Tickets
Salzburg v Liverpool – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dortmund v Slavia Praha – Buy Champions League Tickets
Inter v Barcelona – Buy Champions League Tickets
Benfica v Zenit – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lyon v Leipzig – Buy Champions League Tickets
Chelsea v LOSC Lille – Buy Champions League Tickets
Ajax v Valencia – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 11 December
Paris v Galatasaray – Buy Champions League Tickets
Club Brugge v Real Madrid – Buy Champions League Tickets
Bayern v Tottenham – Buy Champions League Tickets
Olympiacos v Crvena zvezda – Buy Champions League Tickets
Shakhtar v Atalanta – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dinamo Zagreb v Manchester City – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atlético v Lokomotiv Moskva – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leverkusen v Juventus – Buy Champions League Tickets
