Football writer David Coverdale previews Matchweek 5 of the Premier League clubs’ UEFA Champions League matches and what to expect from their opponents.
Chelsea v Barcelona
Tuesday 25 November, 20:00 GMT
Barcelona return to English soil this Tuesday evening, aiming to claim their second Premier League scalp of their UEFA Champions League campaign.
Marcus Rashford was the two-goal hero for Hansi Flick's side when they beat Newcastle United in September.
And Rashford is expected to feature at Chelsea after recovering from the illness which ruled the Manchester United loanee out of last Saturday’s 4-0 win over Athletic Club, Barcelona's third straight victory in La Liga.
Ballon d’Or runner-up Lamine Yamal, who missed the Newcastle trip, is also in line to play his first Champions League match in England, when he will face his Spain team-mate Marc Cucurella.
On Monday, Chelsea left-back Cucurella joked that he had been marking another teenage winger, Estevao Willian, in training to prepare for his battle with Yamal.
"I told Estevao to put shin pads on because I started the training with him," he said.
Barcelona have only won one of their previous seven visits to Stamford Bridge, and that was back in 2006.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are unbeaten on their own turf in any European group or league phase game since 2019, a run of 16 matches undefeated.
Victory for the Blues – who are set to be without Cole Palmer after he broke his toe last week – would be a major boost to their hopes of finishing in the top eight to automatically qualify for the last 16.
Enzo Maresca's men sit 12th in the Champions League table, at the halfway mark of the league phase, just behind Barcelona on goal difference.
Manchester City v Bayer Leverkusen
Tuesday 25 November, 20:00 GMT
Another match, another milestone for Pep Guardiola.
Earlier this month, the Manchester City boss took charge of his 1,000th game as a manager.
Now Guardiola is about to embark on his 100th match with Man City in the Champions League, becoming just the third boss to reach that landmark with an English club, after Sir Alex Ferguson with Man Utd and Arsene Wenger with Arsenal.
"I realise I'm getting old because every week is a milestone," Guardiola said with a smile in his pre-match press conference.
Man City come into this tie off the back of a shock Premier League defeat at Newcastle.
But they are unbeaten in the Champions League so far this season and sit fourth in the table.
Guardiola’s side have also gone 23 matches without losing a group-stage or league-phase match at Etihad Stadium, so Bayer Leverkusen will have their work cut out when they visit.
The Germans have collected just five points from their four European ties so far and are 21st in the table.
But Kasper Hjulmand's men beat Benfica last time out and have won seven of their last nine matches in all competitions, climbing up to third in the Bundesliga.
Jarell Quansah, who left Liverpool for Leverkusen in the summer, is set to start, fresh from making his England debut during the international break. He's expected to replace the suspended centre-back Edmond Tapsoba.
Marseille v Newcastle United
Tuesday 25 November, 20:00 GMT
A familiar foe awaits Newcastle at the Orange Velodrome.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored five goals and registered three assists in eight Premier League matches against the Magpies for Arsenal.
So the 36-year-old Marseille forward will be licking his lips at the arrival of Eddie Howe’s side in the south of France, particularly as he has also scored in each of his last two Ligue 1 matches.
"Aubameyang is as good as ever," said Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe. "We’ll have to defend well."
Former Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi is the man in charge of Marseille, who are second in Ligue 1 but down in 25th place in the Champions League table.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have won their last three European clashes without conceding and sit sixth at the halfway stage.
They have been boosted by their Premier League win over Man City and the return to fitness of Anthony Gordon, who has scored four goals in the Champions League this season.
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Wednesday 26 November, 20:00 GMT
Arsenal are yet to concede a goal in a flawless start to their Champions League campaign.
But if any player knows how to breach their defence it is Bayern Munich hotshot Harry Kane.
During his time with their rivals Spurs, Kane scored more goals against Arsenal than any other Premier League player, with a tally of 14.
The England captain also notched for Bayern in a Champions League quarter-final at Emirates Stadium in 2023/24, and he returns there in red-hot form, having netted 26 times in 19 appearances for club and country this season.
Bayern actually top the Champions League table at the halfway stage, above Arsenal on goal difference having also registered four wins from four.
Another of their danger men is ex-Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, who was directly involved in five goals in last Sunday’s 6-2 thrashing of Freiburg.
The London-born France international is a former team-mate of Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze – and taught the north London derby hat-trick hero how to play chess.
Another of Bayern's wing wizards, Serge Gnabry, is expected to be fit to face his former club after missing their 6-2 comeback win over Freiburg on Saturday.
But Vincent Kompany’s side will be without the suspended former Liverpool star Luis Diaz, following his red card in their last Champions League match at Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal fans will need no reminding that they have failed to beat Bayern in their previous five meetings.
But Mikel Arteta's men have never been more confident at home in Europe, winning 15 successive matches at the Emirates in the Champions League league phase/group stage.
Liverpool v PSV Eindhoven
Wednesday 26 November, 20:00 GMT
A European fixture at Anfield may come as something of a welcome relief for Arne Slot.
The Reds were beaten 3-0 at home by Nottingham Forest at the weekend, their sixth defeat in seven Premier League matches.
But in the Champions League, Slot’s side have fared better so far this season, winning their last three matches, including a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid at Anfield last time out, to climb up to eighth in the table.
At home, Liverpool have won all of their last 16 European group-stage or league-phase games.
Yet the Reds’ dismal form means they can take nothing for granted, especially given Wednesday’s opponents, PSV Eindhoven, are top of the Eredivisie and unbeaten in 11 matches in all competitions.
Former Spurs winger Ivan Perisic is one of the stars in their ranks, while Netherlands international Guus Til is their biggest goal threat, having netted seven times in his last five league matches.
Of course, Slot needs no introduction to PSV. This will be the 11th time Liverpool's Dutch boss has managed against Wednesday's opponents, the most he has faced a single club.
The Reds actually lost their last meeting against PSV, a 3-2 away defeat in the final match of last season’s league phase. That result mattered little, given Liverpool had already qualified for the last 16 and topped the table. But another defeat this week would be a brutal blow for Slot and his struggling side.
Paris Saint-Germain v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday 26 November, 20:00 GMT
Little more than three months have passed since these teams last went toe to toe.
Paris Saint-Germain were the winners on that occasion, the Champions League holders beating the UEFA Europa League champions on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup final.
And the Ligue 1 leaders will be firm favourites again when Spurs visit the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
That said, Spurs are one of only five unbeaten teams in this season’s Champions League, registering two wins and two draws to sit 10th in the table.
Yet Thomas Frank’s side arrive in the French capital with their confidence shot after being brutally beaten by Arsenal in the north London derby.
Spurs will have to cope without Brennan Johnson, who is suspended after being sent off in the 4-0 win over Copenhagen.
But Xavi Simons is likely to line up against his former club, having been left out of Frank's starting XI at Emirates Stadium.
For PSG, 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele could return from the calf injury he picked up in the defeat to Bayern Munich three weeks ago.
Yet Desire Doue, who scored a brace in last season’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan, is definitely out after tearing his thigh last month.