Champions League Fixtures This Evening: Manchester City v Bayer Leverkusen & More

Greetings to another evening of exciting Champions League soccer. 9 games are planned for tonight, featuring 3 British clubs in play. Chelsea face Barça in the standout match of the night, whilst The Magpies visit the French side and City host Leverkusen.

Current Standings

It's the midway point of the league stage, meaning the standings is taking form. All six British sides are presently in the upper twelve, but there are only two points separating 5th and 16th place, so there's a hint of volatility about the whole thing. All remains open.

Match Schedule

These are this evening's games, each kicking off at 8pm except where noted:

  • Benfica lead Ajax 1-0 (5.45pm)
  • Galatasaray 0-0 Union SG (17:45)
  • Bodo/Glimt v Juventus
  • Barcelona take on Chelsea
  • Dortmund v Villarreal
  • Leverkusen visit Man City
  • Newcastle travel to Marseille
  • Napoli v Qarabag
  • Athletic Bilbao clash with Slavia Prague

Squad Updates

Wesley Fofana, Caicedo, Garnacho, Gusto and Estevao are included in the Blues lineup. Excluded are Tosin Adarabioyo, Santos, Jamie Gittens, Pedro and Delap.

Lamine Yamal starts for Barça; Rashford is among the substitutes.

Chelsea (probable 4-3-3) Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Chalobah, Marc Cucurella; Malo Gusto, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Estevao, Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho.

Substitutes: Jorgensen, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Delap, Bynoe-Gittens, Andrey Santos, Pedro, Hato, George, Joshua Acheampong, Marc Guiu, Facundo Buonanotte.

Barcelona (probable four-two-three-one): Garcia; Jules Kounde, Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Balde; Eric Garcia, Frenkie de Jong; Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Torres; Lewandowski.

Subs: Wojciech Szczesny, Diego Kochen, Raphinha, Marcus Rashford, Christensen, Casado, Gerard, Dani Olmo, Bernal, Dario Fernandez, Bardghji.

Official Vincic (Slovenian).

Historical Context

The sole past encounter involving Newcastle and Marseille was the Europa League semi-final of 2003-04, won by an emerging star from Ivory Coast. Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City have never met before. Chelsea and Barcelona have a notable history.

Initial Game Reports

Only a single goal during the opening period of the two early games. Samuel Dahl's 6th-minute sizzler has given Benfica under Mourinho a one-nil lead away to the Dutch side.

Marseille v Newcastle Preview

Even though The Magpies arrived in the French south coming off their confidence-boosting 2-1 home English top-flight victory against City on the weekend, and having beaten Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica and Bilbao in the European Cup, their sole on the road win since the start of April came in Brussels at Union SG.

It's not that Howe was overly keen to discuss the psychological aspect of this travel sickness. “The European Cup is distinct from Premier League games,” said the manager, whose side are sixth in the European table, with 9 points from a possible 12 and direct qualification to the knockout phase nearly secured. “I am not sure if you can compare them.”

A dedicated live feed is available for Barcelona vs Chelsea. Murray, the MBM version of Maradona is on duty for that.
Kelly Johnson
Kelly Johnson

A passionate writer and digital enthusiast with a knack for uncovering compelling stories and sharing actionable advice.