Champions League

That's all from us today before tonight's Champions League matches - thanks for joining us!

To relive our Champions League preview, just scroll on back through our coverage.

Tonight's live text coverage begins at 16:30 BST, as we build up to Aston Villa's match at Club Brugge.

You can also listen to live commentary on Manchester City's game at Porto on BBC Radio 5 Live from 19:00.

We will be back tomorrow with reaction from this evening's Champions League clashes and a look ahead to Wednesday's ties.

Goodbye for now!

Manchester City

Image source, Getty Images

• On his squad options, Enzo Maresca said Nico O'Reilly could be back for the weekend, when Man City face Manchester United, but they are "not sure" about Jeremy Doku's return date.
• Discussing Rayan Cherki dropping deep to receive the ball in recent City outings, he explained: "There is always a game plan. When we are in our side, Rayan also drops a little bit to manage the game - the tempo and the game. When the ball is in the opposite side we need Rayan in a position to be dangerous. So it depends a little bit where we are."
• Maresca was asked if his side where favourites for their Champions League match tonight against Porto, he replied: "We are here to do our best. This is a hard place to come. This season they have started very good. In the last 14 or 15 games in Europe I think they have lost one. That shows it's a difficult place to come but we are going to try our best to win the game."

Manchester City follow this evening away to Porto, here is what manager Enzo Maresca had to say before his first Champions League campaign as their manager...

Aston Villa

Image source, Getty Images

• Unai Emery confirmed summer signing Leon Gortezka has a knee injury and is "frustrated" to be sidelined until after the international break. Emery added: "Hopefully then he can get the consistency of training and playing so that we can add his experience."
• Another new signing, Johan Manzambi, has not travelled to Belgium. Emery said: "He is progressing very good. I don't know if for Saturday [Nottingham Forest], or next week, he will be available if everything goes well."
• Joao Gomes is available to play against Brugge as his three-match suspension for violent conduct is only for domestic games.
• On the excitement of being back in the Champions League, Emery said: "We are very motivated and very excited to play in this competition. Europe is something fantastic. We can continue feeling proud of how we achieved it."
• Emery said this is now a "a new and different chapter" after winning the Europa League last season because a lot of last season's "key players" have left.
• On the high player turnover, he added: "We must try to adapt them as fast as possible, and we are going to try and get them adapted to play comfortably and with confidence."

Aston Villa kick us off with a tricky opener at Club Brugge, let's see what Europa League-winning manager Unai Emery had to say in his pre-match news conference...

Champions League

Here is a reminder of this week's opening Champions League fixtures, which will be spread over the next three days:

Tuesday, 8 September

• AEK Athens v LASK (17:45)
• Club Brugge v Aston Villa (17:45)
• Borussia Dortmund v Villarreal
• Lille v Real Betis
• Porto v Manchester City (5 Live)
• Real Madrid v Inter Milan

Wednesday, 9 September

• Barcelona v Feyenoord (17:45)
• Stuttgart v Viking (17:45)
• Liverpool v Atletico Madrid (5 Live)
• Napoli v Arsenal
• Paris St-Germain v Slovan Bratislava
• Sporting CP v Galatasaray

Thursday, 10 September

• Fenerbahce v Roma (17:45)
• PSV v Shakhtar Donetsk (17:45)
• Bayern Munich v Bodo/Glimt
• Como v RB Leipzig
• Manchester United v Sabah
• Slavia Prague v Lens

Guillem Balague
Spanish football journalist

I love what Cesc Fabregas is doing with Como and the fact he has decided to stay despite receiving interesting offers in the past two years. He can get it wrong and nothing will happen, which gives the freedom to keep developing his ideas. He has swum against the tide and now he is very much in the train of modern football, and at the front. I expect them to reach the knockout stages.

In getting past Celtic, Austrian outfit LASK showed a big competitive level. A home win somewhere and a respectable points tally would be a fair result for their first campaign. But they probably will not qualify.

Azerbaijan side Sabah are very interesting - a success based on organisation - but trips to Arsenal and Manchester United and home games against Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund is a tough introduction. They will give us one or two surprising results, but not enough to go through.

Viking face Bayern, Atletico, Napoli and Aston Villa, but Norwegian football is full of clever, competitive coaches, players and teams. They could make it to the knockouts.

Image source, Getty Images

Talking about debuts, for the 2026-27 Champions League season there are four clubs making their first appearance in the competition:

Viking

Image source, Getty Images

After winning their first Norweigan title in 34 years, Viking beat Dinamo Zagreb in the qualifying round to reach the league phase.

Their previous participation in a European group stage came in the 2005/06 Uefa Cup.

Como

Image source, Getty Images

Led by former Arsenal and Barcelona midefielder Cesc Febregas, Como qualified automatically after finishing fourth in Serie A last season.

Como, who are the 12th Italian side to play in the Champions League, is their first appearance in a European club competition of any kind.

LASK

Image source, Getty Images

Austrian champions LASK will make their first appearance in the Champions League this season and beat Celtic 5-4 on aggregate in the qualifying round.

LASK, who won the domestic double by winning the Austrian Cup, did reach the last 16 of the 2019/20 Europa League.

Sabah

Image source, Getty Images

Sabah qualified through the play-offs after overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Hapoel Beer-Sheva with a 5-2 extra-time victory in the return leg.

Formed as recent as 2017, Sabah won its first Azerbaijani league title in 2025/26 and also retained the Azerbaijani Cup.

Image source, UEFA

Similar to what we saw in the World Cup, players making their first-ever appearance in the Champions League will from this season have the occasion marked with a new "debut patch".

The blue patch will only be valid when players make their on-pitch debut, which includes entering a match as a substitute.

It will be incorporated into the Champions League Starball badge worn on a player's jersey sleeve.

Once a player has made their Champions League debut, they will not wear the patch again.

Uefa said the patch will give clubs, broadcasters and partners a "visible way to recognise a significant career milestone in real time".

Patches will also be turned into a one-of-one trading card that will be signed by the player and sold as a piece of memorabilia.

Champions League

Image source, Getty Images

From the stars of the future, to this season's ones to watch in the Champions League, as picked by French football journalist Julien Laurens:

I have picked five players to watch in this year's Champions League. The first is Jude Bellingham. This is a very big season for him individually and collectively for Real Madrid under Mourinho in the number 10 role that I think suits him well. After a very good World Cup, I think that momentum will carry. I expect him to score a lot of goals and to be very strong and be decisive.

Como's number 10 Nico Paz is at the heart of everything they do with the ball. It's their first time in the Champions League. Cesc Fabregas is the manager, so they're a very entertaining team, nice to watch. Paz is a special player - very much in the making - but he will be a top player very soon.

Mr Champions League - Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. In the past two seasons, he's been incredible at PSG, especially last year on that left wing where he can cut inside or go on the outside, he's a threat with the right foot and the left foot, he scored some great goals, he's really good technically. I think he's in the running for the Ballon d'Or. He's one of those players that gets you on the edge of your sofa. He's the guy.

Lens are back in the Champions League having pushed PSG all the way last year in Ligue 1 - and Ismaelo Ganiou is arguably their best player. A strong centre-back, 21 years old, good on the ball, very quick and physical. I expect him to leave at the end of the season for a big Premier League club.

Since leaving Aston Villa to go to Roma, Donyell Malen has been incredible, scoring almost a goal per game as a lone striker for Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Roma being back in the Champions League is great and they're a very entertaining team to watch again. I think we will see Malen back to his best level.

Image source, Getty Images

Barcelona duo Vicky Lopez and Clara Serrajordi are among the five nominees for the Ballon d’Or women's young talent of the year award.

Chelsea's Veerle Buurman is the only player representing the WSL in this year's list of nominees.

Full women's young talent nomination list:

• Veerle Buurman (Chelsea/Netherlands)
• Vicky López (Barcelona/Spain)
• Felicia Schröder (Real Madrid/Sweden)
• Clara Serrajordi (Barcelona/Spain)
• Lily Yohannes (Lyon/USA)

Ballon d'Or

Image source, Getty Images

The main nominations for the men's and women's player awards are being announced this afternoon, to stay posted on those you will need to keep an eye on the BBC Sport website's news index.

However, we do have news of nominations for the men's young talent of the year award.

Premier League newcomers Ayyoub Bouaddi, Johan Manzambi and Bournemouth's Éli Junior Kroupi have all been nominated.

Full men's young talent nomination list:

• Kerim Alajbegović (Juventus/Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City/Morocco)
• Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona/Spain)
• Yan Diomandé (Real Madrid/Ivory Coast)
• Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich/Germany)
• Éli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
• Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
• Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa/Switzerland)
• Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen/Algeria)
• Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain/France)

We are going to mark your card on some of the exciting players to look out for in this season's Champions League in a moment, before looking ahead to tonight's matches involving Premier League teams.

But first, here is an update on the Ballon d'Or nominations, which are being announced today...

There is no doubt that Liverpool and Andoni Iraola could have been handed an easier opener, but they do have a decent record against last season's semi-finalists:

• Liverpool have won each of their last three Champions League ties against Atletico - the Spanish side has never lost four consecutive games against an opponent in European competition
• The Reds are unbeaten against Atletico in the group stage or league phase of the Champions League
• Andoni Iraola has lost all four games as a manager against Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid
• Atletico are one of only six teams - along with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich and Manchester City - to have featured in every Champions League campaign since the 2013-14 season
• Liverpool have never lost their opening game of a European Cup or Champions League campaign when playing at home - winning 10 and drawing two

Liverpool

There was quite a lot to take in from that Liverpool news conference, so let us break it down for you.

Here is what the club's Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said:

• There was a chance he could have left Liverpool in the summer after the club failed to offer him a new contract, but extended deals for Dominik Szoboszlai and Rayan Gravenberch
• His agent was in discussions with the club but they said they were not in a position to renew his deal, which runs out in 2028
• The arrival of Andoni Iraola influenced his decision to stay as this felt like the right club, in the right moment

And here is how Reds manager Andoni Iraola responded:

• There is still time to talk about Mac Allister's contract, the important thing is how he has responded
• He has not spoken with Mac Allister about his contract but hopes to help him to develop and believes all the problems will be resolved

Aadam Patel
Football Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It's fair to say that Alexis Mac Allister had quite a lot to get off his chest and he has done that and more here.

We walked into the press conference room at Anfield thinking the focus would be on Andoni Iraola's first game as a manager in the Champions League. Instead, the talk is all about Mac Allister.

Quite clearly, there is a sadness on his part that he hasn't had the same treatment as Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch when it comes to a new deal and it is interesting that Mac Allister has chosen to air his thoughts in such a public setting.

Now it remains to be seen how this saga will play out over the course of the season.

At 27, and with his proven quality, Mac Allister would command a hefty fee in a market where the value of midfielders is only rising.

But Mac Allister is clear that he loves Liverpool and Andoni Iraola's suggestions that the Argentine can develop as a player suggests that there could be another chapter to Liverpool and Mac Allister's relationship.

Liverpool

A final word from Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola on whether his side have time to improve the intensity of their play, with the amount of games they have coming up:

"It is something that has to be in us. We always have to be as intense as possible because we are better like that.

"Sometimes we have to control games, sometimes we have to have the ball more, but you can still do that and be intense, do things that make you a better team.

"I don't want my players to think we need to save energy because of a game in a few days. If you play 55 minutes for me and you are dead, then that is perfect.

"Let's push, let's do our best and I think we can increase our rhythm. The only way is pushing and being more demanding."

Liverpool

Andoni Iraola on how he will deal with his first Champions League match as Liverpool manager:

"It's a first game against one of the strongest opposition that we are going to face. At the end, it is football.

"We play against very good teams in the Premier League, I think I know Atletico Madrid quite well and some of their players.

"It is going to be a big test, even if I wasn't the manager. It's a massive test for the team overall and will show where we are as a team."

Liverpool

More from Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola on whether he will rotate the squad going forwards:

"This is going to be a challenge. I don't think this game is the worst scenario as we played on Friday, so we've had good recovery.

"I think it will be more difficult for next weekend and the next game against Spurs in the Carabao Cup. This is what big clubs do, you have to think about the next games.

"I will not tell you the starting line-up. My players still don't know the line-up, so I will not tell you.

"I have to consider we have more games and where they are physically. I don't think this match is the most difficult scenario we will have this season."