- Champions League matches continue on Wednesday night
- The group stage is halfway through and there are still plenty of games to be played
- Man City, Newcastle United and Celtic represent the British teams in European competition
The Champions League’s group stage is almost halfway through this season. Wednesday will bring another exciting match in Europe’s top competition.
Eight games are on the schedule. Last year’s Champions Manchester City will be in action. Newcastle United’s “group of death” is also bringing drama to their game. And Barcelona, who wants to win its third consecutive European match before El Clasico at this weekend.
Here’s a recap of the Champions League matches on Wednesday.
Feyenoord vs Lazio – Group E
Goalkeeper Ivan Provedel scored a late equaliser for Lazio on matchday one / Insidefoto/GettyImages
- Rotterdam is the location.
- Stadium: De Kuip
- Date: Wednesday 25 October
- Kick-off Time: 17:45 BST / 12:45 ET / 09:45 PT
- Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
- VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Lazio has been masters at late drama this season in the Champions League.
On the first matchday, Maurizio sarri’s team needed a goalkeeper’s (yes, a goalkeeper’s) equaliser in the 95th minute against Atletico. In Glasgow, a Pedro strike in the same moment earned the Italians three points during their last encounter with Celtic.
Feyenoord is a tough place to visit for Sarri and his team, particularly after the problems they caused Atletico Madrid during their 3-2 loss before the break. Arne slot’s team is currently third in both the Eredivisie, and in their Champions League Group. However, a win could propel them to the top of Europe.
| Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports 4, Discovery+, Discover+ App |
| United States | CBS Sports Golazo, Paramount+ and ViX |
| Canada | DAZN |
Barcelona vs Shakhtar Donetsk – Group H
Barcelona has won two games so far without conceding / Eurasia Sports Images/GettyImages
- Location : Barcelona, Spain
- Stadium: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys
- Date: Wednesday 25 October
- Kick-off Time: 17:45 BST / 12:45 ET / 09:45 PT
- Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
- VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Barcelona will aim to win all three games in the Group H, despite being injured. They welcome Shakhtar at Estadi Lluis Companies. The La Liga Champions will be confident that they can maintain their unbeaten record despite playing away from Camp Nou during its renovation.
Marc Guiu, a 17-year old La Masia player who scored the winning goal against Athletic Club on the weekend with his only second touch in the Catalan team. Whether Xavi rewards him with European minutes is yet to be determined.
Shakhtar is not to be underrated. Last time, the Ukrainian team won 3-2 against Royal Antwerp after coming back from two goals behind to earn their first European point of the year.
| Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports, Discovery+ and the discovery+ App |
| United States | Paramount+, FuboTV, TUDN.com, TUDN App, UniMas, Univision NOW, ViX |
| Canada | DAZN |
Celtic vs Atletico Madrid – Group E
Alvaro Morata scored twice against Feyenoord in the last match / Gonzalo Aroyo Moreno/GettyImages
- Location : Glasgow, Scotland
- Stadium : Celtic Park
- Date: Wednesday 25 October
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee Felix Zwayer, Germany
- VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
Atletico won their second match in the group after overcoming a disappointing draw against Lazio. Alvaro Morata’s brace, and Antoine Griezmann’s acrobatic effort helped Atletico to a 3-2 win. However, the Dutch team made them work after they had twice been behind.
Atletico, one of the most successful teams in European football with six wins in a row in all competitions, will be heavy favourites to beat Celtic.
Celtic has been impressive so far in Group E, but their two losses have put them in an extremely dangerous position. The double red card against Feyenoord in the first five minutes of the game in Rotterdam was not helpful in their 2-0 loss. And Lazio’s stoppage time winner has given Brendan Rodgers a mountainous task to overcome.
| Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports, Discovery+ and the discovery+ App |
| United States | CBS Sports Networks, Paramount+ FuboTV Galavision Univision NOW ViX |
| Canada | DAZN |
Newcastle United vs Borussia Dortmund (Group F)
Newcastle enjoyed one of their greatest ever nights against PSG / Richard Sellers/Allstar/GettyImages
- Location : Newcastle (England)
- St James’ Park stadium
- Date: Wednesday 25 October
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
- VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
Newcastle fans will welcome Borussia Dortmund in Tyneside with excitement after their best European night, where they thrashed Paris Saint-Germain by 4-1 before the break.
Eddie Howe’s team is in a very competitive Group F and Eddie Howe needs to win at home. Newcastle scored four more goals against Crystal Palace last week.
Edin Terzic has only lost one match this season, to PSG in the first game.
Dortmund is still looking for their first group-stage win despite a disappointing goalless draw against Milan.
| Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports, TNT Sports Ultimate and Discovery+ are all available as Apps. |
| United States | Paramount+ ViX |
| Canada | DAZN |
Paris Saint-Germain vs Milan – Group F
Mbappe was shocked at how bad PSG played against Newcastle / MB Media/GettyImages
- Location : Paris, France
- Stadium: Parc des Princes
- Date: Wednesday 25 October
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
- VAR : Nejc Kájtazovic
Luis Enrique has a bit of breathing space after a comfortable win over Dortmund, their Champions League debut. This is despite PSG‘s humiliation at St James’ Park. But dropping points isn’t an option.
In their last two Ligue 1 matches, the French champions have enjoyed a more exciting start. They have beaten Rennes and Strasbourg by three goals in commanding victories. PSG remains third in the table despite these victories. They are behind Monaco and Nice.
Milan can cause PSG a lot of trouble despite not having scored a single goal in Europe so far this season. It’s possible that two draws should have been considered as wins. A weekend loss to Juventus will not have helped boost confidence ahead of the crucial match in Paris.
| Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports 4, Discovery+, Discover+ App |
| United States | Paramount+, TUDN.com TUDN App, Univision NOW, ViX, FuboTV |
| Canada | DAZN |
RB Leipzig vs Red Star – Group G
Leipzig is looking to get further away from Red Star and Young Boys. Luciano Lima/Getty Images
- Location: Leipzig, Germany
- Stadium : Red Bull Arena
- Date: Wednesday 25 October
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez (ESP)
- VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
RB Leipzig will host Serbian Red Star in a Champions League group that is easy to predict on Wednesday night. RB Leipzig’s two European games in Group G have ended 3-1 – a win against Young Boys, and the defeat of Man City.
Marco Rose has had a strong season. His team won their first game in four this weekend against Darmstadt. Lois Openda scored twice and Emil Forsberg added a third to secure the three points. Leipzig is now five points behind Bayer Leverkusen, who tops the Bundesliga table.
Red Star, who had lost to Man City on their first matchday, needed Osman’s equalizer in the 88th minute to earn a point against Young Boys. Osman Bukari, the Ghanaian striker who has scored two goals this season in Europe, will not be travelling to Germany.
| Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports 6 dsicovery+ app, TNT Sports App |
| United States | CBS Sports Golazo, Paramount+ and ViX |
| Canada | DAZN |
Young Boys vs Manchester City Group G
Man City has won both games 3-1 in the Group G / RONNY HARTMANN/Getty Images
- Location: Bern, Switzerland
- Stadium: Wankdorf Stadium
- Date: Wednesday 25 October
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- referee Morten Krogh, Den (DEN).
- VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Man City is likely to score four goals in their match against Young Boys this Wednesday. They have yet to move out of the second gear.
Erling Haaland has yet to score a goal in the Champions League this season, despite playing five consecutive European games without scoring. Meanwhile, Man City is looking to continue their 17-game unbeaten streak on the continent.
Young Boys won a renowned victory at Wankdorf Stadium over Manchester United two seasons back, and it is hard to imagine lightning striking twice this time when the city rivals visit Bern.
| Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports, Discovery+ and the discovery+ App |
| United States | Paramount+ ViX |
| Canada | DAZN |
Royal Antwerp and Porto in Group H
Porto narrowly lost to Barcelona before the international break / Selim Sudheimer/GettyImages
- Location : Antwerp (Belgium)
- Bosuil Stadium
- Date: Wednesday 25 October
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Benoit Bastien (FRA)
- VAR: Benoit Millot (FRA)
Royal Antwerp’s debut Champions League campaign has been an intense experience. It began with a humiliating 5-0 loss to Barcelona in the first match. Royal Antwerp then suffered a devastating home defeat against Shakhtar, losing 3-2 after a two goal lead.
Porto started much better than their opponents on Wednesday, defeating Shakhtar by 3-1 in the Estadio do Drago. They then suffered a narrow and unfortunate 1-0 loss to Barca. Porto will travel to Antwerp as favourites, while the host team is desperate to win to maintain their slim hopes of qualifying for Euro 2016.
| Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports 7, Discovery+, Discover+ App |
| United States | Paramount+ ViX |
| Canada | DAZN |
