The third round of matches of the UEFA Champions League will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday with the ‘big boys’ aiming to make it three wins out of three in the group phase.
While it comes as no shock to see the likes of Porto, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United with 100 per cent records at this stage of the proceedings, the appearance on the list of Malaga and BATE Borisov is less expected, even if surprises are becoming more the norm in Europe’s premier club competition.
Chelsea Coach, Roberto di Matteo, remains unbeaten in eight Champions League games (five wins and three draws), though the defending champions will face a stern test of their abilities in Donetsk Shakhtar, who are tied with the Londoners on four points, impressed in holding Juventus to a 1-1 draw in Turin in their last game, and have won three and drawn one of their four home matches against English clubs.
Riding high in Serie A, the Italians have drawn their last eight matches in European competition, a run they will be anxious to end against Norwegian newcomers Nordsjaelland, who are still feeling their way on the big stage.
Champions League Fixtures
20:45 FC Nordsjaelland v Juventus
20:45 Shakhtar Donetsk v Chelsea
20:45 BATE Borisov v Valencia
20:45 Lille v Bayern Munich
18:00 Spartak Moscow v Benfica
20:45 Barcelona v Celtic
20:45 Galatasaray v CFR Cluj
20:45 Manchester United v Braga
October 24
20:45 Dinamo Zagreb v Paris S.G.
20:45 FC Porto v Dynamo Kyiv
20:45 Arsenal v Schalke
20:45 Montpellier v Olympiakos
18:00 Zenit St. Petersburg v Anderlecht
20:45 Malaga v AC Milan
20:45 Ajax v Manchester City
20:45 Borussia v Real Madrid
Europa League fixtures
October 25
21:05 Liverpool v Anji Makhachkala
21:05 Young Boys Bern v Udinese
21:05 Atletico Madrid v Academica Coimbra
21:05 Hapoel Tel Aviv v Viktoria Plzen
21:05 AEL Limassol v Fenerbahce
21:05 Monchengladbach v Marseille
21:05 Maritimo v Bordeaux
21:05 Newcastle v Club Brugge
21:05 Steaua Bucuresti v Molde
21:05 Stuttgart v FC Copenhagen
21:05 Dnipro D’petrovsk v Napoli
21:05 PSV Eindhoven v AIK Stockholm
19:00 Racing Genk v Sporting Lisbon
19:00 Videoton FC v Basel
18:00 Rubin Kazan v FK Neftchi
19:00 Inter Milan v Partizan Belgrade
19:00 Lyon v Athletic Bilbao
19:00 Sparta Prague v Ironi Kiryat Shmona
19:00 NK Maribor v Tottenham H.
19:00 Panathinaikos v Lazio
19:00 Rapid Vienna v Leverkusen
19:00 Rosenborg v Metalist Kharkiv
19:00 Helsingborg v Hannover
19:00 Levante v FC Twente Enschede