European Highlights: Big names set to be tested in Champions League
Tuesday, November 5th
Sporting vs Manchester City - 20:00 GMT
Kicking off the Champions League's fourth round, there is a feast of football to enjoy on Tuesday evening with some of the world's biggest clubs in action. In one of the more intriguing clashes of the day, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City face Ruben Amorim's Sporting side.
It's not often that City lose, let alone lose two matches in a row, but that's where they find themselves heading into this fixture. Consecutive 2-1 defeats on the back of an injury crisis have cast doubts over their previously impressive start to the season. In the Champions League, they are coming off two big wins but Sporting pose a trickier test to their recent opponents.
Both Sporting and City are yet to lose in the competition and the Lisbon side boast a particularly interesting narrative of their own heading into this one as their head coach Amorim is off to City's neighbours Manchester United next week.
This will be Amorim's final European tie with Sporting and there's no doubt he'll want to go out with a bang, plus he'll be desperate to inflict an early wound on his future cross-town rivals. This match also showcases two of Europe's deadliest strikers: Viktor Gyokeres and Erling Haaland.
Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen - 20:00 GMT
Both Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen are also unbeaten in the Champions League so far this season with Liverpool sitting pretty at the top of the standings with three wins from three while Bayer dropped points last time out away at French side Brest.
On their respective domestic fronts, Liverpool will be buoyed going into this match as the outright leaders of the Premier League. Bayer, on the other hand, haven't been able to recapture their record-breaking form of last season in Germany. Xabi Alonso has seemingly failed to maintain his Midas touch but all is not lost for Bayer.
For Alonso, not only is the trip to Anfield a chance to get back to winning ways but it will be a homecoming for the former Reds midfielder, who won the Champions League as a player with the club. Can he spoil Arne Slot's excellent start to life in the Liverpool dugout? He'll fancy his chances!
Real Madrid vs AC Milan - 20:00 GMT
There was a moment in the last round of action when Real Madrid were trailing Dortmund 2-0 at home at the break and the footballing world wondered: Have Los Blancos lost their European magic? It wasn't to be the case though as they went on to score five second-half goals and steal the headlines with star man Vinicius Junior bagging a stunning hat-trick!
Despite that brilliant comeback, Real have stuttered this year in the Champions League, losing to Lille in the second round of matches. Their opponents on Tuesday, AC Milan, have struggled more so, losing two of three in the competition already.
These two old giants of European football may not be at their absolute peak this season - Milan are still finding their feet under new boss Paulo Fonseca while Real Madrid are yet to fully click with Kylian Mbappe disrupting last season's attacking dynamic.
However, there is so much heritage to these two clubs that it'll be hard not to tune in. What's more, last season's champions from Madrid will be eyeing a statement win at home to let everyone know they are still very much in this to win it.
Wednesday, November 6th
Wednesday evening is the thinner of the two nights of the Champions League in terms of blockbuster ties but there are still some intriguing matchups. Most notably, Arsenal's trip to Milan to face Inter. Both sides have collected seven points in the competition so far and this could be a really tight and tactical tussle.
The Italian champions haven't lost a match since the Milan derby in September and will be coming into this fixture with bags of confidence as a result. Arsenal, on the other hand, are coming off a deflating loss in the Premier League to Newcastle at the weekend and the news that their sporting director Edu has jumped ship for a new challenge.
Both Simone Inzaghi and Mikel Arteta have orchestrated their respective teams to play with steely defences so there is a chance this match could be decided by one or two moments of quality. Both sides have the attacking quality to make that difference but the question is, who will step up to the occasion? Don't expect many goals but do expect two of the best teams in Europe fighting for every inch!
Follow all the Champions League matches here.
Thursday, November 7th
Galatasaray vs Tottenham - 17:45 GMT
The standout fixture in the Europa League this Thursday sees Turkish champions Galatasaray hosting Premier League side Tottenham. Both sides have started the competition well, they are both unbeaten and Spurs are level top with three wins from three. What's more, both of these clubs will fancy themselves to go very deep in this competition.
As mentioned, Spurs have yet to put a foot wrong in the Europa League. However, Ange Postecoglou's flamboyant side have shown in the Premier League that they can be vulnerable. They attack with flair and in numbers but can come unstuck defensively as demonstrated by four losses in the league already.
Over in Turkey, Istanbul icons Galatasaray are the team to beat as they remain unbeaten in the league after 10 matches. In fact, coupled with their Europa League record, they are yet to lose since their failed attempt to qualify for the Champions League. With star striker Victor Osimhen settled in and scoring freely, they are a real force and perhaps the best Super Lig side for years. Whichever way it goes, this one will be fun!
