Paris, September 27
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich (Group D)
It is a repeat of last season’s semifinal at the Vicente Calderon as Bayern visit Atletico looking for revenge for their defeat in that tie. The Bavarians now have Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. The Italian had coached Real Madrid to their dramatic Champions League final win over Atletico in 2014.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico are formidable in front of their own fans and unbeaten this season so will be hopeful of ending Bayern’s perfect record so far in this campaign. Bayern are without Brazilian winger Douglas Costa while Atletico are missing Augusto Fernandez.
Celtic vs Man City (Group C)
The Hoops last beat Premier League opposition a decade ago when Shunsuke Nakamura’s superb free-kick saw off Manchester United, but the financial chasm between Scottish football and the EPL has only widened since then. City are a daunting prospect. Pep Guardiola’s EPL leaders have won all 10 games they have played this season although Kevin De Bruyne has joined Vincent Kompany on the sidelines.
Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Barcelona (Group C)
Barcelona’s trip to Germany to take on Gladbach will see goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen come up against his hometown team, which he left in 2014 to move to Spain.
The Catalans are without the injured Lionel Messi.
The Borussia-Park is not an easy place to go — Andre Schubert’s side have won their last 11 games in front of their own fans.
Arsenal vs Basel (Group A)
Things are looking up for Arsenal after they came from behind to hold PSG in their opener, seemingly putting them in control of the group. The Gunners marked Arsene Wenger’s 20th anniversary as manager by beating Chelsea 3-0 on Saturday, leaving them third in the Premier League and unbeaten in seven games in all competitions. — AFP
Live on Ten Sports, 00.15 (Thursday)