Key events
Brest v PSV teams
Brest: Bizot, Le Cardinal, Chardonnet, Niakhate Ndiaye, Haidara, Camara, Fernandes, Magnetti, Del Castillo, Balde, Doumbia. Substitutes: Coudert, Jauny, Lala, Camblan, Sima, Amavi, Pereira Lage, Salah, Irie.
PSV: Benitez, Karsdorp, Flamingo, Boscagli, Dams, Saibari, Junior, Tillman, Bakayoko, de Jong, Lang. Substitutes: Drommel, Schiks, Obispo, Pepi, Til, Schouten, Veerman, Lozano, Oppegard, Ledezma.
Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez (Spain)
Atalanta v Real Madrid teams
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac, Bellanova, de Roon, Ederson Silva, Ruggeri, Pasalic, De Ketelaere, Lookman. Substitutes: Rui Patricio, Rossi, Toloi, Kossounou, Godfrey, Zaniolo, Samardzic, Palestra, Retegui, Brescianini, Zappacosta.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Lucas, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Garcia, Diaz, Ceballos, Valverde, Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior. Substitutes: Lunin, Mestre, Modric, Rodrygo, Guler, Endrick, Vallejo, Lekhedim, Asencio, Andres.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
RB Leipzig v Aston Villa teams
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi, Geertruida, Orban, Seiwald, Henrichs, Baumgartner, Vermeeren, Haidara, Nusa, Sesko, Openda. Substitutes: Vandevoordt, Klostermann, Andre Silva, Sakar, Jatta, Kampl, Gebel.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Konsa, Diego Carlos, Torres, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, Cash, McGinn, Rogers, Watkins. Substitutes: Gauci, Olsen, Mings, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Philogene-Bidace, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Onana, Bogarde, Swinkels.
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
Shakhtar Donetsk v Bayern Munich teams
Shakhtar Donetsk: Riznyk, Konoplya, Bondar, Matviyenko, Ghram, Marlon Gomes, Zubkov, Bondarenko, Sudakov, Kevin, Sikan. Substitutes: Fesyun, Traore, Stepanenko, Eguinaldo, Kryskiv, Shved, Azarovi, Augusto, Nazaryna, da Silva Pedrinho, Newerton, Faryna.
Bayern Munich: Peretz, Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro, Kimmich, Goretzka, Olise, Musiala, Sane, Muller. Substitutes: Schmitt, Dier, Ibrahimovic, Boey, Irankunda, Aseko-Nkili, Tel, Pavlovic, Aznou, Klanac.
Referee: Halil Meler (Turkey)
Preamble
“Absorbing” is a term often used by commentators when trying to be nice about an indifferent match. So let’s also call this new-fangled Champions League format absorbing.
Tonight’s tranche of fixtures is headlined by Atalanta v Real Madrid along with Bayer Leverkusen v Inter – unless you happen to be an Aston Villa fan, in which case, the Villans’ away trip to RB Leipzig will be commanding your attention.
Brest v PSV, Shakhtar Donetsk v Bayern Munich and Club Brugge v Sporting are also on the menu, while there is jeopardy for Paris Saint-Germain in their away date with RB Salzburg. Luis Enrique’s men desperately need to add to their one win from five matches thus far.
I’ll endeavour to bring you all the goals as they go in. Are you not absorbed? Allez! Or, as we say in England, Go!
Kick-off: 8pm
