Champions League: Why the matches of Manchester City and Newcastle will take place on Thursday.

Return of the Champions League

According to The Sun: This week, the Champions League is once again delighting football fans, as the best clubs in Europe compete.

This year, six teams from the English Premier League are dreaming of the title of the strongest team on the continent.

EPAThe Champions League returns this week

Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham are participating in the tournament.

All six teams are hoping for a successful start to their European campaigns, but two clubs will have to wait until Thursday for their first matches.

The matches of Manchester City against Napoli and Newcastle against Barcelona will take place on Thursday evening.

Why are the Champions League matches taking place on Thursday?

In the new format of UEFA's three European competitions, each competition is designated its own exclusive week in which no other competitions take place.

The exclusive week for the Champions League is planned for the first round of the group stage, with matches taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

18 matches will be evenly distributed over three days (from September 16 to 18).

UEFA introduced these exclusive weeks last year to draw attention to a larger number of matches and give fans the opportunity to follow competitions they may not have seen before.

The exclusive week for the Europa League will take place on Wednesday, September 24, and Thursday, September 25.

The Conference League will hold its matches on Thursday, December 18, with all matches taking place on one day.

In addition to these exclusive weeks, the usual schedule for the Champions League on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the Europa League and Conference League on Thursday, will still apply.

Which Champions League matches are taking place on Thursday?

This Thursday, six Champions League matches featuring two teams from the Premier League will take place:

• Club Brugge vs Monaco (17:45 BST)
• FC Copenhagen vs Bayer Leverkusen (17:45 BST)
• Manchester City vs Napoli (20:00 BST)
• Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray (20:00 BST)
• Sporting vs Kairat Almaty (20:00 BST)
• Newcastle vs Barcelona (20:00 BST)

It should be noted that the Champions League has always generated great interest among fans. This tournament brings together not only strong teams but also talented players eager to showcase their skills on the European stage. We look forward to thrilling matches that could be decisive in the fight for the title of the greatest football competition on the continent.