After a long hiatus, the UEFA Champions League returns this week for the Round of 16 first leg matches as clubs try and secure their place in the quarter-finals.
On Wednesday, Stan Sport’s Max Rushden, Mark Bosnich and Craig Foster will cover all the action in PSG v Real Madrid and on Thursday all eyes will be on Inter Milan v Liverpool, both matches streaming ad-free, live and on demand and from 6:35am AEDT. On Friday, the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference.
FEATURE MATCH: PSG V REAL MADRID
WEDNESDAY 16 FEBRUARY
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:35AM AEDT
The most successful team of all time travels to Paris to take on one of the richest teams of all time. 13-time champions Real Madrid start as slight underdogs against PSG who could potentially start one of the most formidable front threes ever in Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.
There is further intrigue to this match with the fact that Mbappé, who comes off contract in July, has been heavily linked with a move to join Real Madrid.
This match will also be the first time that Sergio Ramos – who won four Champions League titles with Real Madrid, including three as captain – will face his old side with whom he spent sixteen seasons.
FEATURE MATCH: INTER MILAN V LIVERPOOL
THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:35AM AEDT
Italian champions and Serie A league leaders Inter Milan host Liverpool at the historic San Siro.
Liverpool will be boosted by the returns of Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah. The two Reds strikers recently faced off in the African Cup of Nations final with Senegal and Egypt respectively, with Mané and Senegal coming out on top. But the potent pair will now be on the same side as they hope to get past Inter’s defence. New $72 millon signing Luis Diaz could make his UCL debut for Liverpool in this match, while Inter’s new signing Robin Gosens is still facing a battle with injury and may miss the match.
FEATURE MATCH: BARCELONA V NAPOLI
FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 4:40AM AEDT
Barcelona find themselves on unfamiliar ground as they make their UEFA Europa League debut against Napoli, who are appearing in the knockout phase of the competition for a record-equalling ninth time.
After 17 successive years competing in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona failed to progress from their group in the Autumn, picking up just seven points to finish third behind Bayern Münich and Benfica and cross over to the UEFA Europa League for the first time.
Napoli, meanwhile, were runners-up to Spartak Moscow in UEFA Europa League Group C, clinching qualification with a decisive Matchday 6 home win against Leicester City.
FEATURE MATCH: BORUSSIA DORTMUND V RANGERS
FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 4:40AM AEDT
The German Cup holders meet the champions of Scotland as Borussia Dortmund host Rangers in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League knockout round play-offs.
Dortmund’s sixth successive season in the UEFA Champions League group stage proved less successful than the previous three as they failed to make further progress, finishing third in Group C behind Ajax and Sporting CP on nine points, the same number as the Portuguese champions. Rangers clinched a UEFA Europa League knockout phase berth with a game to spare, finishing runners-up to Lyon in Group A with eight points, one more than Sparta Praha.
CELTIC V BODØ/GLIMT
FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:55AM AEDT
Celtic become Scotland’s first participants in the UEFA Europa Conference League proper as they play host in the first leg of the knockout round play-offs to one of the surprise packages of the competition’s group stage, Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt.
The Glasgow giants led by Ange Postecoglou won three and lost three of their UEFA Europa League group games during the Autumn and were confirmed in third place after a 3-2 defeat at section winners Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 5.
Bodø/Glimt, meanwhile, went unbeaten through their UEFA Europa Conference League group, yet their 12-point tally was only sufficient to give them the runners-up spot behind Roma, sensationally beaten 6-1 by Kjetil Knutsen‘s side in the Arctic Circle on Matchday 3.
LEICESTER V RANDERS
FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:55AM AEDT
Leicester City make their debut in the UEFA Europa Conference League with a home fixture against fellow domestic cup holders Randers.
The English club finished third in a fiercely contested UEFA Europa League Group C during the Autumn, two points behind both Spartak Moskva and Napoli, after losing 3-2 away to the Italian club on Matchday 6.
Randers, meanwhile, qualified from UEFA Europa Conference League Group D, drawing their first four matches but doing enough to finish runners-up to AZ Alkmaar with seven points.
Stan Sport is the only place to watch every match of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League.
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