Champions League: Fixtures, Results & Analysis | This Week

With European football back this week, football writer Ben Bloom previews the Premier League clubs’ ties and what to expect from their opponents.

The UEFA Champions League returns this week and it promises to be a campaign like no other for followers of English football, with an unprecedented SIX Premier League clubs involved.

In addition to last year’s Premier League top four of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea, fifth-place finishers Newcastle United also secured a place in the competition by virtue of England’s top-two finish in the UEFA coefficient table.

That quintet will be joined by Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Manchester United in last season’s UEFA Europa League final to claim their spot.

While there have already been three qualifying rounds and a play-off round over the course of the summer, all six English clubs advanced straight to the league phase of this year’s competition.

Introduced for the first time last campaign, the expanded league phase features 36 teams. Each club will play eight matches against opponents from other nations – fixtures were decided in last month’s draw – to determine the overall league standings.

The top eight teams will advance straight to the round of 16, the teams ranked ninth to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, and those who occupy 25th to 36th will be eliminated.

Fixtures will take place in their traditional Tuesday and Wednesday slot (ahead of the Europa and Conference Leagues on Thursday), although this opening week has exclusivity over all other European competitions, with matches spread across three days and also taking place on Thursday.

Athletic Club v Arsenal
Tuesday 16 September, 17:45 (BST)

Having made the quarter-finals in 2024 and semi-finals in 2025, Arsenal are hoping to continue their improvement this campaign.

They made light work of injury problems when brushing aside Nottingham Forest on Saturday and will be full of confidence against an Athletic team making only their third Champions League appearance (after 1998/99 and 2014/15).

Managed by Ernesto Valverde – in his third spell at the helm – the Spanish side finished fourth in LaLiga last season, while they lost against Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals.

Having won their opening three league matches this season, they head into this fixture off the back of a shock home defeat to Alaves.

Star man Nico Williams missed that loss with a muscular injury, and is ruled out of the Arsenal tie. Williams was linked by the media with a move to the Gunners this summer, but signed a 10-year contract extension to remain at his boyhood club. His older brother, Inaki Williams, should captain the team.

Tottenham Hotspur in Villarreal
Tuesday 16 September, 20:00 (BST)

Thomas Frank has never managed a club in the Champions League before, but the Spurs head coach reign has begun in fine fashion with three wins from four Premier League matches, including a comprehensive 3-0 derby victory over West Ham United last weekend.

He has also inherited a side with an imposing recent home European record – Spurs are unbeaten at home in their last 20 UEFA club competition games.

Villarreal reached the semi-finals the last time that they played Champions League football in 2021/22, and they secured a return by finishing fifth in LaLiga last season.

Worryingly for the Spaniards, they are yet to beat English opponents in 14 matches in the competition.

Much of their firepower on Tuesday will likely come from faces familiar to Premier League followers. Former Arsenal man Nicolas Pepe was named LaLiga Player of the Month for August, while ex-Newcastle and Leicester City forward Ayoze Perez struck 19 times in the league in 2024/25.

Spurs loanee Manor Solomon is eligible to face his parent club, although he is yet to feature since moving to Villarreal on deadline day.

Bayern Munich in Chelsea
Wednesday 17 September, 20:00 (BST)

Starting assignments do not come much tougher than Chelsea’s on Wednesday, when they face Bayern Munich at their Allianz Arena fortress.

The German champions are unbeaten in 34 Champions League group/league phase matches on home soil, dating back to a defeat by Manchester City in December 2013. You need to go back even further, to September 2002, to find the last time Bayern did not win their opening Champions League game.

Aware of the scale of the task, Enzo Maresca rotated several Chelsea players at the weekend, although the outcome was a disappointing 2-2 draw at Brentford. Cole Palmer did at least come off the bench and score after injury, so should be pushing to start.

The German side have won five matches in all competitions so far this season – scoring 19 goals in the process – and will be spearheaded by former Premier League talent in the form of Harry Kane (Spurs), Luis Diaz (Liverpool) and Michael Olise (Crystal Palace).

Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson may also face his parent club after coming off the bench for his Bayern debut last weekend.

Liverpool v Atletico Madrid
Wednesday 17 September, 20:00 (BST)

Liverpool were a force to be reckoned with early in last year’s Champions League, advancing top of the league phase before a penalty shoot-out defeat to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.

Arne Slot’s team are the sole Premier League outfit with a perfect record of four wins from four this season, but they have required winning goals in the last 10 minutes in each of those games.

Their opponents have begun in contrasting fashion, failing to win any of their opening three LaLiga matches before beating Villarreal at the weekend.

A number of players went off injured during that game, including ex-Man City man Julian Alvarez, who scored 29 goals in all competitions last season. His potential absence would be a major loss, while there should be a role for Conor Gallagher, who has excelled since moving to Spain from Chelsea.

Liverpool have won their last 14 home UEFA club competition group/league matches.

Manchester City in half
Thursday 18 September, 20:00 (BST)

Man City’s opening Champions League fixture will be notable for the hasty return of club legend Kevin De Bruyne, who joined Napoli in the summer after a decade in Manchester.

De Bruyne won this competition – and six Premier League titles – during that time, and has been signed as a crucial component of Napoli’s Champions League return following their Serie A win last year.

Watch De Bruyne’s best Premier League goals

Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay played a key role in that title triumph and he has now been joined by fellow Old Trafford departee Rasmus Hojlund, who scored on his loan debut last weekend.

City will be hoping to improve their disappointing Champions League performance last season, when they scraped through the league phase on goal difference, but fell to Real Madrid in the knockout phase play-offs.

With 49 Champions League goals in 48 appearances, Erling Haaland has 13 matches to beat Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record as the fastest player to score 50.

Newcastle United in Barcelona
Thursday 18 September, 20:00

The last time Newcastle played in the Champions League, in 2023/24, they had the daunting task of a group including Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund.

It was going to be tough to progress, but this return in an expanded league phase format should offer a far better opportunity.

Newcastle’s quest will begin against one of the toughest opponents though. Barcelona have scored 13 times in four LaLiga games this season and are unbeaten in second place. They warmed up for Thursday’s encounter with a thumping 6-0 win over Valencia on Sunday, with Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez all netting two goals each.

That victory came despite the absence of young prodigy Lamine Yamal, who is a doubt for this match with a back problem. Man Utd loanee Marcus Rashford could feature.

Nick Woltemade should lead Newcastle’s line again after scoring the winner on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.