UEFA Champions League: what to watch for in every match on Wednesday of matchday 4 | UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League continues on Wednesday with 18 more teams in action on matchday 4.

UEFA.com details the key stats and storylines as we reach the halfway point of the new competition phase.

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Wednesday November 6

Club Brugge against Aston Villa (18:45)

Champions League leader Aston Villa travels to Club Brugge after the defeat Bologna 2-0 at Villa Park. Second-half goals from John McGinn and Jhon Durán lifted the home side to a third win in as many games and resolute defending earned them a third successive clean sheet. However, Unai Emery’s team will not rest on their laurels. “He (Emery) wants us to raise the bar every match. He always challenges us during the match,” midfielder Youri Tielemans said after the match.

Club Brugge was scaled back by Milan after their Matchday 2 win over Sturm Graz, but manager Nicky Hayen took some positives from the 3-1 defeat: “Until it became 2-1 we played well, but then we ran out of energy.” Will the home crowd return to the Jan Breydel Stadium after two games on the road?

Did you know?
Aston Villa have won just one of their four meetings with Belgian sides in UEFA competitions, beating Anderlecht on their way to European Cup glory in 1982.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs young boys (18:45)

Shakhtar then remains at one point a narrow defeat at the Emiratesbut the Ukrainian side takes encouragement from a positive showing. Striker Georgiy Sudakov believes they “deserved to score at least once”, while his coach Marino Pušić was “very proud of the performance”.

While Shakhtar are winless, their Matchday 4 opponents, Young Boys, are yet to score a point. After heavy defeats against Aston Villa and Barcelona, ​​the Swiss team provided stronger opposition against Inter recorded a 1-0 victory. Despite their defensive improvement, Young Boys are yet to find the answer to their attacking problems. Alongside Shakhtar, the Swiss champions are one of four teams who have not scored in three games. Interim manager Joël Magnin lamented the poor finishing against Inter, saying: “We had 19 shots, but only two on target. That’s not enough.”

Did you know?
Shakhtar have won eight of their 11 meetings with Swiss sides in UEFA competitions, including a victory over Young Boys in 2016.

Sparta Prague vs Brest

Sparta Praha, like them, suffered the first defeat of their campaign lost 5-0 to Man City. The Czech team is in 21st place, but remains optimistic despite the heavy defeat. Coach Lars Friis called Man City ‘the best team in the world’ and praised his side for the way they battled in the first half, which ended 1-0.

Champions League newcomers Brest have made a strong impression in the Champions League, finishing fifth after an unbeaten start to the competition phase. A draw with Bundesliga holders Leverkusen extended that run last time out and contributed to the French side’s growing reputation. “We are not afraid of anyone, it is our responsibility to show our teeth,” said midfielder Hugo Magnetti.

Did you know?
Sparta Praha have won just two of their 15 meetings with French sides in UEFA competitions, their last victory coming against Toulouse in 2007.

Bayern Munich vs Benfica

Former Bayern marksman Robert Lewandowski was on target as Barcelona handed Vincent Kompany’s side their second successive Champions League defeat. “We have to leave here and learn from this,” concluded Harry Kane, scorer of Bayern’s only goal of the match 4-1 defeat. Despite only gaining three points, the statistics paint a more positive picture for the German side, who rank second for ball possession (63%), joint second for goals scored (10) and fourth for passing accuracy (90, 3%).

Matchday 4 opponents Benfica suffered their first setback of the campaign, lost 3-1 to Feyenoord after victories over Atleti and Crvena Zvezda. “What we regret is the way we conceded the goals,” said coach Bruno Lage, who was otherwise satisfied with his team’s performance.

Did you know?
Bayern are unbeaten against Benfica in all ten of their UEFA competition meetings (W7 D3).

Inter vs Arsenal

Inter return to the Stadio San Siro with their unbeaten record intact after a 1-0 win over Young Boys in Bern. Marcus Thuram struck in injury time to take the win, prompting Simone Inzaghi to praise his side’s character: “The team believed until the end and we managed to get the win.”

Arsenal then travel to Milan a 1-0 home win over Shakhtar, with old fans with fond memories of their last European meeting with Inter. The London club was born 5–1 wins at the Stadio San Siro in November 2003 and have a strong record against Italian sides in UEFA competitions, losing only eight of 36 encounters. Manager Mikel Arteta won’t exactly be complacent, however, having expressed his admiration for Inzaghi in the past. “What Inter have done in recent seasons has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said the 42-year-old.

Did you know?
The last and only UEFA competition meetings between Arsenal and Inter took place in the group stage of the 2003/04 Champions League, with both sides claiming an away win.

Feyenoord against Salzburg

Feyenoord recorded consecutive victories with one 3-1 win above Benfica in Lisbon. Beaten only once in the Dutch first division, but eight points and three places behind leaders PSV, the Rotterdam club had less possession and fewer attempts and attacks than their Portuguese opponents, although they compensated for this with clinical finishing – 19-year-old striker Antoni Milambo struck twice to move into joint third place in the league scoring charts. “We scored some really nice goals,” said coach Brian Priske.

The start of the campaign in Salzburg was less encouraging. The Austrian side are without a point and are yet to score, conceding nine, including two in their highest tally recent defeat against GNK Dinamo. “It is clear that we have to improve,” said coach Pep Lijnders, appointed in July.

Did you know?
Feyenoord has only lost twice in fifteen games this season (W8 D5).

Crvena Zvezda vs Barcelona

Barcelona travel to Belgrade with gusto after their follow-up 4-1 win over Bayern in the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over historic rival Real Madrid in La Liga. “The way we created the chances and also how we finished them was unbelievable,” said coach Hansi Flick, who has guided them to the top of La Liga in his first season. Their opponents are one of six teams without a point in the league stage and there were few signs of the tide turning during the league stage 5-1 defeat against Monaco on matchday 3. “We played a dominant team in every respect. We had to constantly find solutions, but we couldn’t,” said coach Vladan Milojević.

Did you know?
All four previous European meetings between Crvena Zvezda and Barcelona have taken place in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, with the Catalan club winning three and drawing one.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Atlético de Madrid

The Parc des Princes will host the first Champions League meeting between Paris and Atleti, with both sides looking to improve on their mixed start to the season. The hosts came from behind 1-1 draw against PSV in their last match, but coach Luis Enrique was left dissatisfied. “We are in pain because we deserved a better result,” said the 54-year-old. Diego Simeone’s Atleti will have a similarly bitter feeling about their season after losing for the second time in a row at home against Lille as they struggled to convert their chances. “In the Champions League you pay for not taking your chances,” said Julián Alvarez, who scored his first Champions League goal for his new club during the 3-1 defeat.

Did you know?
Atleti’s loss to Lille was only their second against a French side in UEFA competitions, having won nine and drawn a further five.

Stuttgart vs Atalanta

Stuttgart grows in confidence on return to the Champions League, get three points against Juventus in Turin after gaining their first points against Sparta Praha. “Playing in the Champions League is great, but it is a new situation for players, so we have to take it one game at a time,” coach Sebastian Hoeness said after the dramatic 1-0 win.

Matchday 4 opponents Atalanta are one of five teams yet to concede in the league stage, and the Italian side boast an unbeaten record of one win and two draws as they travel to Germany. They were kept at bay by Celtic in their last matchwith coach Gian Piero Gasperini feeling his attacking talents were not at full strength. “If all our attackers are at their best, we will be a more complete team,” said the Europa League-winning coach.

Did you know?
Stuttgart has won just two of ten meetings with Italian teams in UEFA competitions.

All showtimes are 9:00 PM CET unless otherwise stated

Further ahead

• On matchday 5, Liverpool and Real Madrid meet at Anfield, after meeting in the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals. The Spanish club won both times.
• German champions Leverkusen will face Italian champions Inter in Germany.
• Bayern hosts Paris in a rematch of the 2020 Champions League final, which the German team won 1-0.