Europe’s best clubs are going head-to-head on Tuesday and Wednesday and you can see the finest matches live on Sky Sports. Here is a selection of some of the unmissable fixtures
Tuesday 30 September 2014 15:11, UK
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN V BARCELONA
Luis Enrique's first steps in the Champions League with Barcelona were entirely underwhelming, a 1-0 home victory against an APOEL Nicosia side who finished third to Eintracht Frankfurt and Maccabi Tel Aviv in their Europa League group last season. Four-nil appeared a conservative prediction, but Enrique chose to rest a number of players. Still, APOEL kept Lionel Messi quiet.
One would expect Barca to improve dramatically in the Parc des Princes on Tuesday in a fixture that should go some way to deciding who will top Group F.
After PSG unexpectedly failed to beat Ajax in Amsterdam, it is also a match that they must win to have any realistic hopes of ensuring a favourable last-16 draw. Barcelona should be expected to beat Ajax both home and away, dictating that PSG must take four points from Tuesday's opponents. They must also do so without an injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Laurent Blanc's side should not be fearful, however, as Barcelona's recent away record in the Champions League is less than shiny. Since March 2012, they have won four of 13 matches on the road, including defeats by Ajax, AC Milan and Celtic.
Watch live on Sky Sports 1HD from 7.30pm on Tuesday
ATLETICO MADRID V JUVENTUS
This is a match that could loosely be billed as a battle between the Champions League's overachievers and underachievers.
Atletico have won five trophies in three years under Diego Simeone, but it is Juventus' inability to make meaningful progress in this competition that has been one of the biggest surprises of the last decade. They have failed to reach the semi-finals since 2003, and in the last four years have eliminated only Celtic in the knockout stages. In the last three years alone both Bordeaux and Galatasaray have relegated Juventus to Europa League football post-Christmas.
Simeone's La Liga champions require a response after a surprise 3-2 defeat by Olympiakos, but that Greek victory would have also caused concern in Turin. Lose in Madrid on Wednesday and Juve could sit third in the group with a trip to Athens next on the agenda.
Watch live via the Sky Sports 5 red button from 7.45pm on Wednesday
BASEL v LIVERPOOL
Liverpool's last-second reprieve against Ludogorets sustained the assumption that it is the matches against Basel that will decide who finishes second to Real Madrid in Group B.
With that in mind, Brendan Rodgers may be satisfied with a draw in St. Jakob Park, scene of England's impressive victory earlier in September. Such a mentality may appear to place a false ceiling on Liverpool's aspirations, but would leave them requiring only victories against Ludogorets in Bulgaria and Basel at Anfield to ensure safe passage.
Of more concern to Rodgers must be the manner in which his side barely flattered to deceive upon their return to the biggest stage. Basel beat Chelsea home and away last season (and yet somehow failed to qualify ahead of Schalke), and will punish any further sluggishness from Rodgers' side.
The likes of Fabian Schar, Fabian Frei, Derlis Gonzalez and the evergreen Marco Streller represent a noticeable jump in quality from that provided by Ludogorets.
Watch live on Sky Sports 5HD from 7pm on Wednesday
ARSENAL V GALATASARAY
While Arsenal's performance in the Westfalenstadion will not have improved in hindsight, the poorness of their display was tempered by Galatasaray's failure to beat Anderlecht in Istanbul, offering a rope to Arsene Wenger's side in order to climb back into Champions League contention.
History suggests that expectations of victory are not misplaced. The last time Arsenal lost at home in Europe to a team outside of Germany and England was in September 2003, and Galatasaray have lost four and drawn one of their last five away Champions League away games. They have also laboured to seven points from four Turkish Super Lig matches, a nervy 2-1 weekend victory achieved over a Sivasspor side managed by Roberto Carlos.
Watch live on Sky Sports 1HD from 7.30pm on Wednesday
