Our long nightmare is over, and the Champions League group stage has returned. The schedule was kind enough to spit out some very appealing matchups during the first week, though it’s not loaded with marquee attractions. And that’s OK -- this is just about perfect for Week 1.
Champions League watchability, Week 1: 2 superb games, somehow both involving Serie A
Juventus and Roma are involved in the week’s best games, against Manchester City and Barcelona.
All games are on Fox Soccer 2 Go, and most are on ESPN3. You can find listings for other countries at LiveSoccerTV.
| Match | Day/time (ET) | TV/streaming |
| PSV Eindhoven vs. Manchester United | Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. | FS1, ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Real Madrid vs. Shakhtar Donetsk | Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. | Fox regional, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Manchester City vs. Juventus | Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. | FS2, Fox Deportes, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Paris Saint-Germain vs. Malmö | Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN2, ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Benfica vs. Astana | Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Wolfsburg vs. CSKA Moscow | Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Galatasaray vs. Atlético Madrid | Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Sevilla vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach | Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| AS Roma vs. Barcelona | Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. | FS1, Fox Deportes, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Olympiacos vs. Bayern Munich | Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN2, ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Chelsea vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv | Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. | Fox regional, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Valencia vs. Zenit St Petersburg | Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Dinamo Zagreb vs. Arsenal | Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. | FS2, ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Dynamo Kiev vs. FC Porto | Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Gent vs. Lyon | Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Bayer Leverkusen vs. BATE | Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. | ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2 Go |
Best Tuesday game: Manchester City vs. Juventus
And sadly, it's the least accessible one. This is the only game that you can't watch on ESPN3 on Friday. But if you do have access to FOX's streaming services, it should be the best game of the bunch. With Claudio Marchisio out, Paul Pogba is expected to run the show in the middle for Juventus, and he'll be given a chance to shine against a City team that won't have David Silva or Sergio Aguero.
Best Wednesday game: Roma vs. Barcelona
Is Roma actually good enough to give Barca a game and finish second in this group? We have no way of knowing, but at least we get to find out in the first round of Champions League play. Roma are the very narrow Serie A favorites at the moment, but they’ll be making a big step up in competition against the defending champs.
Second-best Tuesday option: Sevilla vs. ‘Gladbach
Two teams in an early-season crisis, but who are probably a lot better than their domestic records. Both are in big need of a win, both to jumpstart their season and give themselves a chance of getting out of this group, ahead of either City or Juventus.
Second-best Wednesday option: Olympiacos vs. Bayern Munich
This Olympiacos side doesn’t look as good as some of their recent knockout stage teams, but they’re good enough to give Bayern some problems at home if the Bavarians aren’t at their best. Between new signings, injuries and Pep Guardiola experimenting, Bayern don’t look like the best version of themselves quite yet.
Soccer hipster pick: Valencia vs. Zenit
There aren’t too many teams out there who are more fun to watch than Valencia. They’re loaded with young talent and they play fast. Zenit don’t do that, but they do have a multitude of stars you’ll want to pretend you know a lot about when they move to clubs in Europe’s biggest leagues.
See More:
