Day 3 of Champions League Matchday 1 arrives on Thursday, September 10, with six matches set to round off the opening week of the 2026/27 league phase. Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Roma and PSV Eindhoven lead the list of clubs in action on the final night.
Bayern begin European campaign against Bodø/Glimt
Bayern Munich begin their Champions League campaign at home to Bodø/Glimt after reaching the semi-finals last season. The German champions were eliminated by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, losing 6-5 on aggregate after a 5-4 defeat in Paris and a 1-1 draw in Munich.
Bayern made a strong start to the new Bundesliga season, beating Stuttgart 5-1 before being held to a 0-0 draw away to newly promoted Schalke in their latest match. Moroccan international Ismael Saibari will be part of the Bayern squad as they look to return to winning ways in Europe.
Bodø/Glimt, meanwhile, reached the round of 16 of the Champions League in their debut campaign last season and arrive in Munich on an 18-match unbeaten run stretching back to July 12, with the streak covering Eliteserien, Champions League qualifying and Norwegian Cup matches.
Manchester United return to Europe’s top competition
Manchester United return to the Champions League for the first time in three seasons when they host Sabah at Old Trafford. Their last appearance in the competition came in 2023/24, when they finished bottom of their group with one win, one draw and four defeats.
Their most recent European campaign came in the 2024/25 Europa League, where they reached the final before finishing runners-up to Tottenham.
After missing out on European football altogether last season, United return to the Champions League hoping to make a strong run.
United qualified for this season’s Champions League after finishing third in the Premier League last term. They have made an inconsistent start to the new campaign, taking four points from their opening three matches before drawing 2-2 away to Everton in their latest game.
Sabah, meanwhile, are making their Champions League debut after winning their first Azerbaijani league title last season and progressing through the qualifying rounds to reach the league phase for the first time.
Roma make long-awaited Champions League return
Roma return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2020/21 season with an away match against Fenerbahçe. The Italian side spent last season in the Europa League, reaching the Round of 16 before their elimination by Bologna. Their return to Europe’s top competition follows a third-place finish in Serie A last season.
Roma have started their current Serie A campaign impressively, sitting atop the standings after three matches. Their most recent result was a 2-1 victory over Atalanta.
Fenerbahçe, meanwhile, have qualified for the Champions League for the first time since the 2008/09 season, having successfully navigated the play-offs. The Turkish side has also begun their Süper Lig campaign strongly, securing seven points from their first three matches.
PSV face Shakhtar in European opener
PSV Eindhoven begin their Champions League campaign at home to Shakhtar Donetsk after reaching the round of 16 last season. The Dutch champions were eliminated by Arsenal, losing 9-3 on aggregate after a 7-1 home defeat and a 2-2 draw in London.
PSV have made a mixed start to their domestic campaign but are unbeaten in their last four Eredivisie matches, including wins over Utrecht, Groningen and Excelsior.
Shakhtar have also won three of their opening four Ukrainian league matches, although they lost their latest game 2-0 to Polissya.
Two other matches complete Thursday’s program
The day’s schedule is rounded off by two more fixtures, with Como 1907 hosting RB Leipzig and Slavia Prague welcoming Lens.
Como 1907 will make their European debut when they host RB Leipzig, who return to the Champions League after missing out on European football last season. Como have made a strong start to their Serie A campaign, including a 4-1 win away to Genoa, and currently are sitting fourth in Serie A with 7 points, while Leipzig come into the match after a 3-1 Bundesliga defeat at Werder Bremen.
Slavia Prague welcome Lens in the other fixture. Slavia are appearing in the Champions League league phase for the second successive season after retaining the Czech title, while Lens return after finishing second in Ligue 1 last season.
Thursday’s Champions League schedule (Moroccan time)
17:45 matches
- Fenerbahçe vs Roma (Ülker Stadyumu, Istanbul)
- PSV Eindhoven vs Shakhtar Donetsk (Philips Stadion, Eindhoven)
20:00 matches
- Bayern Munich vs Bodø/Glimt (Allianz Arena, Munich)
- Como 1907 vs RB Leipzig (Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como)
- Manchester United vs Sabah (Old Trafford, Manchester)
- Slavia Prague vs Lens (Fortuna Arena, Prague)
