For all the valid arguments against the Champions League group phase using a ‘Swiss model’ – and there are many – it has at least produced an entertaining spectacle, with the bigger teams facing each other more regularly and the games, especially this season, producing lots of goals. Last night Manchester United discovered a new brand of chaos-ball to take centre stage, and take some heat off Michael Carrick, while Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain reminded us all why they are considered two of the favourites for the trophy, scoring nine goals between them. Tonight, it’s the turn of Manchester City and Arsenal, who are away at RB Leipzig and Slavia Prague respectively, with both expected to win and win well. Even away from the English teams, there are some interesting ties: Borussia Dortmund v Real Betis and Porto v Napoli stand out as having the potential to thrill, and there’s also Lens v Como, PSV v Club Brugge and the titans of Viking meeting the giants of Sabah. In the mean-time,
Champions League: Slavia Prague v Arsenal, RB Leipzig v Manchester City and more – live
Minute-by-minute report: Dominic Booth has live updates on seven 8pm GMT kick-offs, including Porto v Napoli and Dortmund v Real Betis




