Eddie Howe has picked the team you expect him to. I guess Jacob Murphy might be disappointed to miss out, but Miguel Almiron has been in good nick recently, so. Paris, meanwhile, are playing a 4-4-2 – I think – with Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe flanking Manuel Ugarte and Warren Zaire-Emery in midfield, behind Goncalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani. It might, though, also be a 4-4-2 diamond – we shall see.
RB Leipzig v Manchester City, Celtic v Lazio and more: Champions League – live
In Antwerp, Shakhtar now lead 3-2; Atleti sare still 3-2 in front at home to Feyenoord.
Leipzig, meanwhile, will play 4-2-2-2, one of my least favourite formations. But they’ve been playing it pretty well so far this season, and Emil Forsberg is a player who might give City trouble.
We’ll stick with City to look who starts for them and, at the back, Josko Gvardiol replaces Nathan Ake. In midfield, it’s Rico Lewis and Rodri, not Matteo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes while, behind Haaland, Grealish and Bernardo replace Alvarez and Doku. City appear to have some strength in depth.
So yes, this – but with CARSON 33 on the back.

OH MY COMPLETE AND UTTER DAYS! The Man City players have turned up in cardigans and – as if that wasn’t enough – they’ve got their names and numbers on the back!
Group H
Porto v Barcelona
⚽𝕆 ℕ𝕆𝕊𝕊𝕆 𝟙𝟙 𝕀ℕ𝕀ℂ𝕀𝔸𝕃⚽#FCPFCB #UCL pic.twitter.com/UVXs2OIvqG
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) October 4, 2023
🚨 BARÇA XI!🚨#PortoBarça | @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/P65kcM9Y8U
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 4, 2023
Group G
RB Leipzig v Manchester City
Our side to take on @ManCity
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) October 4, 2023
this evening 🚨#RBLMCI #UCL pic.twitter.com/ysttxEEBHl
Your team to face RB Leipzig! 💪
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 4, 2023
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Stones, Ake, Kovacic, Doku, Alvarez, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb#ManCity pic.twitter.com/5JqW8VSOqA
Crvena zvezdza v Young Boys
Crvena zvezda starting XI vs Young Boys.
— Serbian Football (@SerbianFooty) October 4, 2023
This is a must win game in Belgrade !
🔴⚪️🔴⚪️🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/Ith1meoGRF
Unsere Startelf in Belgrad 🟡⚫️
— BSC YOUNG BOYS (@BSC_YB) October 4, 2023
YB ohne Imeri (verletzt), Lauper (krank), Zbinden (U21), Deme (U19).#bscyb #ybforever #ucl #rsbyb pic.twitter.com/ATTzpgAcT9
Group F
Borussia Dortmund v AC Milan
🚨 BVB STARTING XI VS. AC MILAN 🚨 pic.twitter.com/saVxkawXhC
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) October 4, 2023
Your Rossoneri XI for #BVBACM 📋#UCL #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/yEstuAcj4U
— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 4, 2023
Newcastle United v Paris Saint-Germain
⚫️ HOWAY NEWCASTLE! ⚪️#NEWPSG // #UCL pic.twitter.com/70HtENc2Ai
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 4, 2023
The Parisian starting 1️⃣1️⃣ for this evening of @ChampionsLeague. ✨#NEWPSG I #UCL pic.twitter.com/PUkKBNZ5sC
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) October 4, 2023
Group E
Celtic v Lazio
#UCL Match Day 2 Team News 🟢
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) October 4, 2023
📋 Here's how the Celts line up in Paradise against Lazio! #CelticLazio | #COYBIG🍀 pic.twitter.com/wMJqMq4nRb
✨ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐗𝐈 vs Celtic#UCL | #CelticLazio | #CMonEagles 🦅 pic.twitter.com/pSXnarFDOu
— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) October 4, 2023
Otherwise, let’s do some teams; on TNT, Eddie Howe is talking about how happy he is, and how when Newcastle lost to Cambridge, the Champions League seemed a long way away. I don’t know, maybe them getting there for this season was slightly surprising, but also, it was inevitable they’d get there at some point.
Goal-machine Alvaro Morata and what words those are to type, has put Atleti 3-2 up on Feyenoord.
Evening all, and welcome to another evening of Champions League football Champions League Football! I never thought I’d say this, but we’ll miss these group stages when they’re gone and tonight’s fixtures are part of the reason why.
I will, of course, be providing updates on Newcastle v PSG – a game you can follow in MBM form here – but there’s a surfeit of other behaviour to enjoy, so let’s get on with that, beginning with the other fixture in that group, Borussia Dortmund v AC Milan. The German unchampions competed well enough losing in Paris the other week, though looked worryingly impotent, while Milan will still be smarting they failed to beat the Geordies; in what looks like being a tight group, home wins are essential.
In Group E, Lazio – who drew 1-1 at home to Atlético in “gameweek 1” visit Parkhead with Celtic, beaten 2-0 in Rotterdam, in desperate need a result. Meantime, Atléti and Feyernoord are 2-2 with 50 or so minutes gone.
Group G serves us winners v winners and losers v losers, holders Manchester City travelling to face Leipzig with Crvena zvezda taking on Young Boys, while in Group H, two more victors from the first round of games meet with Porto entertaining Barcelona; the meeting between the losers sees Antwerp leading Shakhtar 2-1.
As Burna Boy sings, it’s plenty. It’s just a shame Uefa – and the clubs – aren’t listening.
Kick-offs: 8pm BST