🔗 Share this article European Cup Matches Tonight: Chelsea v Barcelona & Additional Games Welcome to a fresh night of electrifying Champions League soccer. 9 fixtures are scheduled for tonight, including three English clubs in play. Chelsea take on Barcelona in the marquee match of the evening, whilst Newcastle visit Marseille and City welcome Bayer Leverkusen. Current Standings We're at the halfway point of the league phase, meaning the rankings is taking form. All six British teams are currently in the top 12, however there are only 2 points separating fifth and 16th position, so there's a whiff of uncertainty about the whole thing. Everything is to play for. Tonight’s Fixtures Here are tonight’s matches, all starting at 8pm unless stated: Ajax 0-1 Benfica (5.45pm) Galatasaray 0-0 Union SG (5.45pm) Juventus face Bodo/Glimt Chelsea v Barcelona Dortmund v Villarreal Leverkusen visit Man City Marseille v Newcastle Qarabag play Napoli Athletic Bilbao clash with Slavia Prague Lineup Changes Wesley Fofana, Caicedo, Alejandro Garnacho, Gusto and Estevao are included in the Chelsea team. Excluded are Adarabioyo, Santos, Gittens, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. Yamal starts for Barcelona; Rashford is among the substitutes. Chelsea (probable four-three-three) Robert Sanchez; James, Wesley Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Gusto, Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Estevao, Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho. Substitutes: Jorgensen, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Liam Delap, Bynoe-Gittens, Santos, Joao Pedro, Hato, Leo George, Acheampong, Guiu, Facundo Buonanotte. Barça (probable 4-2-3-1): Garcia; Jules Kounde, Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde; Eric Garcia, De Jong; Yamal, Lopez, Ferran Torres; Lewandowski. Substitutes: Wojciech Szczesny, Diego Kochen, Raphinha, Marcus Rashford, Andreas Christensen, Marc Casado, Gerard, Dani Olmo, Noah Darvich, Dro Fernandez, Bardghji. Referee Slavko Vincic (Slovenian). Historical Context The only previous meeting involving Newcastle and Marseille was the Europa League semi-final of 2003-04, won by an emerging star from Côte d'Ivoire. Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City have not faced each other previously. Barcelona and Chelsea have a notable history. Early Match Updates Just one goal during the opening period of the early fixtures. Samuel Dahl's sixth-minute strike has earned Benfica under Mourinho a one-nil advantage away to the Dutch side. Newcastle’s Trip to Marseille Even though The Magpies arrived in the south of France fresh from their restorative two-one home Premier League win against Manchester City on Saturday, and having defeated Union Saint-Gilloise, the Portuguese side and Bilbao in the European Cup, their only away win since early April came in Brussels at Union Saint-Gilloise. Not that Howe was overly keen to talk about the psychological aspect of this travel sickness. “The Champions League is distinct from domestic games,” said the manager, whose team are 6th in the Champions League standings, with 9 pts from a possible twelve and direct progression to the knockout phase almost within touching distance. “I am not sure if you can compare them.” We have a separate live blog for Barcelona vs Chelsea. Murray, the minute-by-minute equivalent of Maradona is handling for that.