The Champions League continues tonight with six games taking place this evening – despite it being a Thursday.
While Tuesday and Wednesday fixtures are a traditional part of the competition, games taking place on a Thursday are a less familiar sight for Champions League audiences.
This is because UEFA has decided that the first week of the Champions League should be exclusive to the competition, with no fixtures from the Europa League and Conference League taking place.
The Europa League’s exclusive week, meanwhile, will take place on Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17.
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After the exclusive first week, the Champions League will revert back to its usual schedule with games staged across Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Incidentally, the Europa League will also return to its Thursday night programme from the second matchday onwards.
Manchester United are amongst the teams who will be playing in the Champions League tonight, with Michael Carrick’s men hosting Azerbaijani side Sabah at Old Trafford.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich welcome last season’s surprise package Bodo/Glimt to the Allianz Arena, while Champions League debutants Como play RB Leipzig.
Tonight’s Champions League fixtures
8pm kick-off unless otherwise stated
Thursday, September 10
- Fenerbahce vs Roma (5.45pm)
- PSV vs Shakhtar Donetsk (5.45pm)
- Bayern vs Bodo/Glimt
- Slavia Praha vs Lens
- Como vs RB Leipzig
- Man Utd vs Sabah
What about the early kick-offs?
The opening round of fixtures consists of six games starting at 5.45pm, and the early matches will continue to be a part of the Champions League schedule throughout the season.
The early kick-off time was introduced by UEFA for its club competitions in 2021 in an attempt to boost international viewing figures for matches.
The move hasn’t been universally popular, however, with one common complaint being that fans commuting home from work often miss the start of the match on TV.
The early start also leaves little time for match-going supporters to reach the stadium on time after work – and not to mention the fact they are often travelling during peak public transport times.