⚽ Have you missed the Champions League anthem? Those magical European nights are back on our screens tonight as the fifth round of the league phase kicks off in club football’s ultimate competitions, running through tomorrow with nine matches each day.

On everyone’s watch list is Chelsea and Barcelona’s meeting at Stamford Bridge at 10pm. The two giants have identical records in the tournament so far — two victories, one draw, and one defeat — and sit in 11th and 12th place respectively with seven points each, with Barça holding the edge on goal difference.

Manchester City will be welcoming Bayer Leverkusen at Etihad Stadium, also at 10pm. The Citizens sit fourth behind three teams with perfect records — Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and Inter Milan — with 10 points from three victories and a draw. Leverkusen have struggled with inconsistent results, sliding into the bottom half of the table with just five points.

Other matches to flip through today:

  • Ajax Amsterdam vs. Benfica (7:45pm);
  • Galatasaray vs. Union Saint-Gilloise (7:45pm);
  • Borussia Dortmund vs. Villarreal (10pm);
  • Napoli vs. Qarabağ (10pm);
  • Bodø/Glimt vs. Juventus (10pm);
  • Marseille vs. Newcastle (10pm);
  • Slavia Prague vs. Athletic Bilbao (10pm).

Qualifying matches for the 2025 Arab Cup are kicking off today and will continue into tomorrow with seven matches, each sending one team through to the finals, hosted by Qatar from December 1–18.

Tournament and qualifying format: The Arab Cup’s first round will feature four groups of four teams — 16 nations in total. The top nine ranked teams — Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE — qualified automatically. Fourteen additional nations will enter knockout round playoffs to determine the remaining group stage spots.

Today’s matches:

  • Mauritania vs. Kuwait (3pm) — the victor will join Group C with Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE
  • Palestine vs. Libya (6pm) — the victor will join Group A with Qatar and Tunisia
  • Syria vs. South Sudan (6pm) — the victor will also join Group A with Qatar and Tunisia

Today in the Egyptian Premier League: The Air Defense Stadium will be hosting Pyramids and Al Mokawloon Al Arab for the 14th round of the Nile League at 5pm. The Sky Blues currently sit in fourth place on the leaderboard with 20 points, nine behind leaders Ceramica Cleopatra, though the latter has four extra matches under their belt. Meanwhile, Al Mokawloon languish in 18th place, escaping the relegation zone on goal difference.

Tags: