Six More Champions League Matches at Dawn: Van Bronckhorst Faces Barcelona, Two Major Clashes Highlight Schedule

At dawn on September 10 Beijing time, the first round of the UEFA Champions League will feature six intense matches. Barcelona will host Feyenoord, with Van Bronckhorst set to face the club he once played for; meanwhile, the high-profile clashes between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, as well as Napoli and Arsenal, are also highly anticipated.

At 00:45, Barcelona will face Feyenoord, with the match's manager being Barcelona's familiar figure Van Bronckhorst. He played for Barcelona for four years, winning one Champions League title and two La Liga titles during that period. Now returning to coach Feyenoord, his Champions League debut as manager is set against his former club. Barcelona have started the La Liga season with four consecutive wins and hope to make a strong start in the Champions League as well. They are currently using a strikerless formation, with Raphinha scoring six goals, Fermin and Yamal contributing four each, and Gordon providing five assists. Notably, 19-year-old Yamal has already scored 11 Champions League goals; if he scores two more, he will equal the record for the youngest U20 player in Champions League history to reach that goal tally.

Also at 00:45, Stuttgart will face Viking. Viking have reached the Champions League in each of the past two seasons, becoming a representative club of Norwegian football. Stuttgart hope to get a winning start upon their return to European competition, but they have struggled in opening European matches over the past four seasons, with one draw and three losses without a victory.

At 03:00, the match between Napoli and Arsenal has attracted widespread attention. The two teams have met frequently in history, with Arsenal winning three of their four encounters. This time, last season's Premier League champions Arsenal will face Serie A runners-up Napoli. Back in the 2013-14 Champions League group stage, both teams won 2-0 at home against each other, and Arsenal will aim to secure a winning start in this meeting.

In another match at the same time, Liverpool will face Atletico Madrid. Over the past two Champions League seasons, Liverpool have performed strongly, reaching the round of 16 on both occasions. In the new season, Liverpool, coached by Iraola, earned their first Premier League win in the third round and hope to maintain their momentum. Last season, Liverpool defeated Atletico Madrid 3-2 in the opening round, and their historical record against Spanish clubs has been impressive.

In addition, Paris Saint-Germain will face Bratislava. PSG have won the Champions League in each of the past two seasons, and their squad value for this match is as high as 1.36 billion euros, while Bratislava's squad value is only 36 million euros, making PSG the clear favorites. Meanwhile, coach Enrique won all of his first four Champions League opening matches and enters this game with confidence.

Finally, Sporting CP will face Galatasaray at 03:00, marking the first meeting between the two teams. Last season, Sporting CP reached the quarterfinals with an impressive performance, while Galatasaray were also formidable and advanced to the round of 16. However, Galatasaray have struggled against Portuguese teams, recording one draw and four losses in their last five matches against Portuguese clubs, and will hope to improve in this encounter.