Key events
Nick Love
If * Paris Saint-Germain lead first at Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday they wonder whether it will stick or twist. The new Champions League format is, at least in part, designed to give Europe’s superpowers fewer opportunities to fail, thus risking confusion over their status. There is no way to qualify for the playoffs in February unless they improve on the 25th place and, with three league games remaining, are two points and three goals away from the gap.
Victor Gyokeres; formerly of Coventry, he clearly has a student social media manager.
The line leads to the game at Club Brugge.
Club Brugge v Toys
Club Brugge: Mignolet, Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper, Nwadike, Jashari, Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis, Jutgla. Substitute: Jackers, Romero, Vetlesen, Vermant, Nilsson, Nielsen, Spileers, Sabbe, Talbi.
Alluding to: Israel, Quaresma, Diomande, Inacio, Quenda, Hjulmand, Simoes, Araujo, Trincao, Catamo, Gyokeres. Substitute: Kovacevic, Callai, Matheus Reis, St. Scaligeri, Debast, Edwards, Harder, Fresneda, Ricardo Esgaio, Brito, Couto, Arreiol.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
Bayer Leverkusen v Inter Milan teams
Bayer Leverkusen: Kovar, Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie, Mukiele, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo, Frimpong, Wirtz, Tella. Substitute: Hradecky, Lomb, Andrich, Terrier, Arthur, Schick, Garcia, Stepanov, Onyeka, Belocian.
Between Milan; Sommer, Bisseck, de Vrij, Bastoni, Darmian, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Carlos Augusto, Thuram, Taremi. Substitute: Josep Martinez, Calligaris, Arnautovic, Lautaro Martinez, Buchanan, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Dimarco, Aidoo.
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
RB Salzburg v Paris Saint-Germain teams
RB Salzburg: Schlager, Capaldo, Dedic, Samson Baidoo, Guindo, Bidstrup, Gourna-Douath, Gloukh, Yeo, Ratkov, Dorgeles. Substitute: Oelz, Hamzic, Terzic, Blank, Okoh, Bajcetic, Clark, Diambou, Kawamura, Daghim, Mellberg.
PSG: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Fabianus, Lee, Goncalo Ramos, Barcola. Substitute: Safonov, Tenas, Asensio, Doue, Hernandez, Muani, Zaire Emery, Lucas Beraldo, Skriniar, Zague.
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Brest v PSV teams
Brest: Bizot, Le Cardinal, Chardonnet, Niakhate Ndiaye, Haidara, Camara, Fernandes, Magnetti, Del Castillo, Balde, Doumbia. Substitute: Coudert, Jauny, Lala, Camblan, Sima, Amavi, Pereira Lage, Sala, Irie.
PSV: Benitez, Karsdorp, Flamingo, Boscagli, Dams, Saibari, Junior, Tillman, Bakayoko, de Jong, Lang. Substitute: Drommel, Schiks, Obispo, Pepi, Til, Schouten, Veerman, Lozano, Oppegard, Ledezma.
Referee: Joseph Maria Sanchez (Spain)
Atalanta v Verus Madrid teams
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac, Bellanova, de Roon, Ederson Silva, Ruggeri, Pasalic, De Ketelaere, Lookman. Substitute: Rui Patricio, Rossi, Toloi, Kossounou, Godefridus, Zaniolo, Samardzic, Palestra, Retegui, Brescianini, Zappacosta.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Lucas, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Garcia, Diaz, Ceballos, Valverde, Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior. Substitute: Lunin, Mestre, Modric, Rodrygo, Guler, Endrick, Vallejo, Lekhedim, Asencio, Andres.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
RB Leipzig v Aston Villa
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi, Geertruida, Orban, Seiwald, Henrichs, Baumgartner, Vermeeren, Haidara, Nusa, Sesko, Openda. Substitute: Vandevoordt, Klostermann, Andre Silva, Sakar, Jatta, Kampl, Gebel.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Konsa, Diego Carlos, Torres, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, Cash, McGinn, Rogers, Watkins. Substitute: Gauci, Olsen, Mings, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Philogene-Bidace, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Onana, Bogarde, Swinkels.
Referee: Maurice Mariani
Shakhtar Donetsk v Bayern Munich teams
Shakhtar Donetsk: Riznyk, Konoplya, Bondar, Matviyenko, Ghram, Marlon Gomes, Zubkov, Bondarenko, Sudakov, Kevin, Sikan. Substitute: Fesyun, Traore, Stepanenko, Eguinaldo, Kryskiv, Shved, Azarov, Augusto, Nazaryna, da Silva Pedrinho, Newerton, Faryna.
Bayern Munich: Peretz, Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro, Kimmich, Goretzka, Olise, Musiala, Sane, Muller. Substitute: Schmitt, Dier, Ibrahimovic, Boey, Irankunda, Aseko-Nkili, Tel, Pavlovic, Aznou, Klanac.
Referee: Halil Meler (Turkey)
The beginning
“Absorptive” is a term often used by interpreters when trying to make a match about indifference. So let’s call this new scythe Champions League absorbing form
Tonight’s fixtures range from Atalanta v Real Madrid along with Bayer Leverkusen v Inter – unless you happen to be an Aston Villa fan, in which case the Villains’ away trip to RB Leipzig will command your attention.
Brest v PSV, Shakhtar Donetsk v Bayern Munich and Club Brugge v Ludicrum are also on the menu, while Paris Saint-Germain are at risk with RB Salzburg away on their day. Ludovic Enrique’s men need to lose to increase their winning streak to one of their five matches so far.
I will try to bring you all the incoming goals. Aren’t you absorbed? Come on! Or, as we say in England, Go ahead!
to kick 8 p.m