Champions League Action Tonight: Marseille v Newcastle & Additional Games

Greetings to another evening of electrifying European Cup football. 9 matches are set for this evening, with 3 British clubs in play. The Blues take on Barça in the marquee match of the evening, while Newcastle visit Marseille and City welcome Leverkusen.

Current Standings

It's the halfway point of the league phase, meaning the standings is starting to take shape. Each of the six British sides are currently in the top 12, however there are only 2 points separating fifth and sixteenth position, so there's a whiff of snakes and ladders about the whole thing. It’s all up for grabs.

Match Schedule

Here are tonight’s matches, all kicking off at 8pm except where noted:

  • Benfica lead Ajax 1-0 (5.45pm)
  • Galatasaray 0-0 Union SG (17:45)
  • Juventus face Bodo/Glimt
  • Barcelona take on Chelsea
  • Dortmund v Villarreal
  • Man City v Leverkusen
  • Marseille v Newcastle
  • Napoli v Qarabag
  • Athletic Bilbao clash with Slavia Prague

Team News

Fofana, Moises Caicedo, Garnacho, Gusto and Estevao all come into the Blues team. Dropped are Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro and Delap.

Yamal starts for Barcelona; Marcus Rashford is on the bench.

Chelsea (possible 4-3-3) Sanchez; Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Chalobah, Marc Cucurella; Gusto, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Estevao, Neto, Alejandro Garnacho.

Substitutes: Jorgensen, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Liam Delap, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Santos, Joao Pedro, Jorrel Hato, Leo George, Acheampong, Guiu, Buonanotte.

Barcelona (probable four-two-three-one): Garcia; Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Balde; Garcia, Frenkie de Jong; Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres; Lewandowski.

Subs: Szczesny, Kochen, Raphinha, Marcus Rashford, Andreas Christensen, Casado, Gerard, Dani Olmo, Bernal, Dario Fernandez, Roony Bardghji.

Official Slavko Vincic (Slovenia).

Past Meetings

The only previous meeting between Newcastle and Marseille was the Uefa Cup semi-final of 2004, won by an emerging star from Ivory Coast. Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City have never met before. Chelsea and Barcelona have a notable history.

Early Match Updates

Just one goal in the first half of the two early games. Dahl's sixth-minute goal has given Benfica under Mourinho a 1-0 advantage at Ajax.

Newcastle’s Trip to Marseille

Although Newcastle traveled to the south of France fresh from their confidence-boosting two-one home Premier League victory over City on Saturday, and having defeated Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica and Bilbao in the European Cup, their sole on the road win since early April came in Brussels at Union SG.

Not that Eddie Howe was overly keen to talk about the psychological aspect of this away form issue. “The Champions League is different to Premier League games,” said the manager, whose team are sixth in the Champions League standings, with nine points from a available 12 and direct qualification to the knockout phase nearly secured. “I am not sure if you can compare them.”

A dedicated live feed is available for Chelsea v Barcelona. Murray, the minute-by-minute version of Maradona is handling for that.
Sarah Williamson
Sarah Williamson

Elara is a passionate storyteller and writing coach with a love for crafting engaging narratives and sharing creative techniques.