Aston Villa v Bologna, Real Madrid v Dortmund: Champions League – live
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Here’s the lineup for Aston Villa – Jhon Durán is starting instead of Ollie Watkins. There are three additional modifications from the victory over Fulham: Ian Maatsen and Ezri Konsa come in for Lucas Digne and Matty Cash in the defense, while John McGinn takes Jacob Ramsey’s place in midfield.
Real Madrid Vs Borussia Dortmund: Team Updates
Real Madrid (4-3-3) lineup: Courtois; Lucas Vázquez, Éder Militão, Rüdiger, Mendy; Valverde, Modric, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior. Bench: Lunin, González, Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Endrick, Jesús Vallejo, Ceballos, Fran García.
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1 formation): Kobel in goal; a defense consisting of Ryerson, Süle, Schlotterbeck, and Bensebaini; in midfield, Sabitzer and Nmecha; with Gittens, Brandt, and Malen supporting Guirassy up front. The substitutes include Meyer, Laurenz Lotka, Anton, Groß, Beier, Can, Campbell, Watjen, Mane, Kabar, and Azhil.
During the break in the early matches, we have two former European Cup champions facing off against past finalists. At San Siro, AC Milan is leading Club Brugge 1-0 thanks to Christian Pulisic, who scored directly from a corner kick after the visitors had Raphael Onyedika sent off.
In another match, Monaco is ahead of Crvena Zvezda, also known as Red Star Belgrade, with a score of 2-1. Takumi Minamino and Breel Embolo scored for Monaco, while Cherif Ndiaye converted a penalty for the Serbian team.
Opinions are still divided on the new Champions League format, but the latest round of matches certainly provided excitement and surprises, with two of the continent’s top teams facing unexpected defeats. Aston Villa showcased their historic strength by mirroring their 1-0 victory from the European Cup final against Bayern Munich, with Jhon "Duran" Durán reviving the nostalgic 80s spirit at Villa Park.
Unai Emery's team has a chance to secure their third consecutive home victory against Bologna this evening. Bologna has returned to the elite levels of European football for the first time since 1965, which makes Aston Villa seem like the more inexperienced side. However, Bologna has had a rocky start to the season following the departure of their previous coach, Thiago Motta, who left for Juventus this summer.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid is looking to bounce back from their disappointing 1-0 loss to Lille in their last match. They are set to face Dortmund in a repeat of last season's final at Wembley. Will the outcome be the same tonight, with the team currently leading the impressive Champions League standings creating numerous opportunities only to give up a late goal? Most likely.
After moving on from Mbappé, Paris Saint-Germain remains in strong form in Ligue 1, although their performance in Europe has been less impressive. They had a fortunate result against Girona but faltered against Arsenal in their last match. This evening, they face PSV in the PS Derby. The Dutch champions have been perfect in the Eredivisie, winning all nine of their matches this season, but have yet to impress in the Champions League.
We also haven't talked about the match between Arsenal and Shakhtar, which you can check out here. Juventus is aiming for their third consecutive victory against Stuttgart, while Rúben Amorim's bold Sporting team faces Sturm Graz. And let's not forget Girona going up against Slovan Bratislava. Wow!
