Champions League: Man Utd Target Perfect Start for English Teams as PSG Begin Title Defence With a Bang
Manchester United will look to complete a perfect opening round for English clubs in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League when they host Sabah on Thursday, after Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa all recorded victories in their opening league-phase matches.
United’s clash with Azerbaijani side Sabah is one of six Matchday 1 fixtures scheduled for Thursday, September 10, with the Red Devils aiming to make it five wins from five for the Premier League representatives.
The remaining Thursday fixtures are Fenerbahçe against Roma, PSV Eindhoven versus Shakhtar Donetsk, Como against RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich versus Bodø/Glimt and Slavia Praha against Lens.
PSG Begin Title Defence in Style
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain made a statement in their opening game, thrashing Slovan Bratislava 6-1.
Ferran Torres was the star of the night, scoring a hat-trick in his first Champions League appearance for PSG. Ousmane Dembélé added a brace, while Fabián Ruiz completed the rout as the French champions began their bid for a third successive Champions League title in emphatic fashion.
Barcelona Hit Feyenoord for Five
Barcelona also produced an impressive attacking display, defeating Feyenoord 5-1 at home.
Raphinha scored twice, including Barcelona’s early opener, while Lamine Yamal and Gabriel Jesus were also on target as the Spanish giants announced their arrival in the league phase with a convincing victory.
Liverpool Come From Behind to Beat Atletico
Liverpool secured a 2-1 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Marcos Llorente gave Atletico the lead, but Dominik Szoboszlai restored parity before Alexis Mac Allister fired Liverpool ahead with a powerful effort from outside the box. The Reds held on to claim all three points.
Arsenal Secure Away Win in Naples
Arsenal recorded the only away victory among Wednesday’s six fixtures, defeating Napoli 1-0 in Italy.
Captain Martin Ødegaard scored the decisive goal in the 75th minute, finishing a well-worked move with a shot that went in off the inside of the post.
The victory gives Mikel Arteta’s side a valuable three points from a difficult away fixture.
Sporting, Stuttgart Also Claim Victories
Sporting CP recovered from an early own goal to defeat Galatasaray 3-1 in Lisbon.
Gonçalo Inácio inadvertently put the visitors ahead before Geny Catamo levelled. Luis Suárez then converted a penalty and Rodrigo Zalazar sealed the victory with a superb free-kick.
Meanwhile, Stuttgart defeated Champions League debutants Viking 3-1, with Ermedin Demirović scoring a first-half hat-trick.
Champions League Matchday 1: Wednesday Results
- PSG 6-1 Slovan Bratislava
- Barcelona 5-1 Feyenoord
- Liverpool 2-1 Atletico Madrid
- Napoli 0-1 Arsenal
- Sporting CP 3-1 Galatasaray
- Stuttgart 3-1 Viking
The six matches produced 26 goals, underlining the attacking quality of the opening round.
Thursday Fixtures
- Fenerbahçe vs Roma — 5:45pm
- PSV Eindhoven vs Shakhtar Donetsk — 5:45pm
- Como vs RB Leipzig — 8:00pm
- Bayern Munich vs Bodø/Glimt — 8:00pm
- Manchester United vs Sabah — 8:00pm
- Slavia Praha vs Lens — 8:00pm
All times are Nigerian time.
With four English clubs already victorious, Manchester United now have the opportunity to complete a perfect five-from-five start for Premier League teams in the opening round of the 2026/27 Champions League league phase.
