Soccer
Champions League Tuesday - What to watch out for as league phase kicks off with a bang
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With the 2026-27 domestic season now firmly underway, this week sees the return of Europe's biggest competition, as the Champions League steps into the limelight.
The league phase begins on Tuesday, as 36 teams kick off their European campaign across three nights of massive action from Matchday One.
The round begins with six games on Tuesday, and DAZN News picks out what to look out for on night one.
The headline act
If you want to get stuck straight into Champions League action, then games don't come much bigger than Real Madrid vs Inter Milan to begin the 2026-27 league phase.
Two of the heavyweights of European football clash, with the Italian champions heading to the Bernabéu to face the man who brought them Champions League glory in 2010, José Mourinho.
Since then, no Italian club has won the competition, but Nerazzurri could show their credentials with a win in Madrid, aided by their trio of new English names.
Having lost in La Liga at the weekend, Mourinho needs his side to bounce back quickly, in a competition he would love to lead the club back to the top in.
The new Aston Villa
Aston Villa are back at Europe's top table, but it's a very different Villa side from the one that qualified for the Champions League last season.
A summer of upheaval in Birmingham has seen the Villans recruit almost a whole new team, with names such as Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans now departed.
A slew of new faces have come in, but it will take time for Unai Emery's latest evolution to gel and rival the side that won the Europa League in May.
An away day against Club Brugge will be an early indication of what Villa will be able to offer in Europe this year.
EFE
Enzo's first European test
Enzo Maresca will be pretty pleased with his work at Manchester City thus far, having won three out of three in the Premier League.
Now the man charged with following Pep Guardiola will take charge of his first European game as he takes his troops to Portugal to face Porto.
It's a tough start to the Champions League campaign, with the Portuguese side having won the first five league games of their season.
Yet, the new-look City have so far shown no signs of a post-Pep downturn and can continue that form tonight.
Alex Pantling - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Betis are back
It's the first time Real Betis have been among Europe's elite for two decades, so what will the Spanish side offer against Lille?
Well, they have a Premier League-winning manager in charge in Manuel Pellegrini, and come into the game off the back of a massive win at the weekend.
Their 1-0 victory over Real Madrid was the perfect tonic to prepare them for a return to the Champions League, and with a squad full of familiar names - including Sunday's matchwinner Troy Parrott - they could be ones to watch.
Full fixture list for Matchday 1 of the 2026-27 Champions League
Tuesday September 8
- AEK Athens vs. LASK (5.45pm)
- Club Brugge vs. Aston Villa (5.45pm)
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Villarreal (8pm)
- Lille vs. Real Betis (8pm)
- Porto vs. Manchester City (8pm)
- Real Madrid vs. Inter (8pm)
Wednesday September 9
- Barcelona vs. Feyenoord (5.45pm)
- Stuttgart vs. Viking (5.45pm)
- Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (8pm)
- Napoli vs. Arsenal (8pm)
- PSG vs. Slovan Bratislava (8pm)
- Sporting CP vs. Galatasaray (8pm)
Thursday September 10
- Fenerbahçe vs. Roma (5.45pm)
- PSV vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (5.45pm)
- Bayern Munich vs. Bodo/Glimt (8pm)
- Como vs. RB Leipzig (8pm)
- Manchester United vs. Sabah (8pm)
- Slavia Prague vs. Lens (8pm)
How to watch the Champions League on DAZN in Canada and New Zealand
Canada: Watch every Champions League game with a DAZN subscription
New Zealand: Watch every Champions League game with a DAZN subscription. Now with a special 25% flex offer, now just $23.99.
