UEFA Champions League live updates: Scores, schedule, TV, streaming

Browns Wire

01 January 0001

UEFA Champions League live updates: Scores, schedule, TV, streaming

The UEFA Champions League is back! The group stage of the 2023-24 campaign kicks off Tuesday, with 32 teams vying to win club soccer's ultimate prize.

Each club plays two games (home and away) against the other three teams in their group, with match days scheduled into mid-December. The top two in each group advances to the Round of 16 (February/March), with the final scheduled for June 1 at London's Wembley Stadium.

Reigning champion Manchester City is the odds-on favorite – having also won back-to-back Premier League titles – and their championship defense begins Tuesday at home against Red Star Belgrade.

UEFA Champions League schedule, how to watch today

All times Eastern, home team listed first

AC Milan 0, Newcastle 0
RB Leipzig 3, Young Boys 1
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund – 3 p.m., Paramount+
Barcelona vs. Antwerp – 3 p.m., Univision, Paramount+
Feyenoord vs. Celtic – 3 p.m., Paramount+
Lazio vs. Atletico Madrid – 3 p.m., CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
Manchester City vs. Red Star Belgrade – 3 p.m., Paramount+
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. FC Porto – 3 p.m., Paramount+

Robert Lewandowski, own goal put Barça up 3-0

The rout is on in Barcelona.

Three minutes after Robert Lewandowski put Barcelona up 2-0, an own goal by Antwerp defender Jelle Bataille made it 3-0. João Félix continuing his hot start for Barcelona, was credited with the assist on Lewandowski's goal.

This could be a long night for Royal Antwerp, the reigning Belgian Pro League and Super Cup champions.

João Félix scores for Barcelona against Royal Antwerp

João Félix is acclimating himself well with the Catalonian side.

After scoring his first goal for Barcelona in the team's 5-0 demolition of Real Betis on Saturday, Félix opening the scoring against Royal Antwerp with a goal in the 11th minute.

Félix played 20 games and netted four goals in all competitions last season for Chelsea.

Barcelona vs. Royal Antwerp: TV channel, live stream, preview

After two consecutive group-stage exists, Barcelona begins this year’s campaign boosted by four straight victories in the Spanish league, when it scored 13 goals in total. New signings João Félix and João Cancelo both scored in the team’s 5-0 rout of Real Betis on Saturday, and coach Xavi showed confidence that the two Portuguese internationals will make the team more competitive heading into the Champions League this season. Antwerp defeated Greek club AEK Athens in a playoff to reach he group stage for the first time.

Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV channel: Univision
Live stream: Paramount+

– Associated Press

New-look PSG faces Dortmund in Champions League opener

After repeated failures, PSG has toned down its ambition to win the Champions League for the first time. However, the French champions hope the revamping of their squad during the offseason will result in a more balanced team less focused on individuals.

PSG has retained its main attacking threat, Kylian Mbappe, who should lead the attack against Dortmund. PSG will be without Marco Asensio and Presnel Kimpembe. Dortmund has been shaky in defense so far this season and has struggled to replace Jude Bellingham, who’s now starring for Real Madrid.

– Associated Press

Shakhtar Donetsk playing its UCL home games in Germany

Captain Taras Stepanenko told The Associated Press on Monday that Shakhtar’s opening Champions League game against Porto on Tuesday is part of his team’s duty to represent Ukraine and show his country’s resilience.

“Our soldiers fight in the battles and we fight in the sports arena. So it’s our duty like citizens of Ukraine,” he said.

For the second straight season, Shakhtar is playing its Champions League games outside of Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. Last year, Poland stood in as Shakhtar’s home venue. Now it’s Germany, a country which has welcomed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who fled the fighting.

Just getting to Hamburg took an “absolutely difficult” 10-hour journey, Stepanenko said, mostly by bus because Ukraine’s airports have been closed since the invasion. After winning a Ukrainian league game Saturday, the team drove to Poland from the border city of Lviv, spent about three hours getting through the border, then caught a flight from Poland to Hamburg. It’s technically a home game for Shakhtar, but the away team will get there much faster from Portugal.

– Associated Press

Can Manchester City repeat in Champions League?

History is not on Pep Guardiola’s side as he tries to lead Manchester City to back-to-back Champions League titles this season. Real Madrid is the only club to retain the trophy in the modern era by winning it three times in a row from 2016-18.

“We’re incredibly happy to defend this crown, but this competition doesn’t allow you mistakes,” Guardiola said ahead of City’s opening Group G game against Red Star Belgrade. “The competition gives us a new challenge so (we’ll) at least try.”

Guardiola finally lifted the trophy for a third time in his career after City’s 1-0 win against Inter Milan in Istanbul. He had previously won it with Lionel Messi and Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.

“I’d like to say that for our club to win the Champions League is incredible,” he said. “But in perspective for the Champions League, how many teams have won the Champions League once?

“A lot have won two, three, four, five. In perspective, we did nothing special. Just one.”

The defending English Premier League champions have are in first place domestically, winning their first five games of the new season.

– Associated Press

Newcastle holds dominant AC Milan to scoreless draw

Newcastle marked its return to Europe’s elite with a 0-0 draw at AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, despite being completely dominated at San Siro.

A combination of good saves by Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope and wayward finishing by Milan saw the visitors pick up a point in the club’s first Champions League match in 20 years.

Milan should have put the match to bed in the first half and the seven-time champion will perhaps rue its missed opportunities, with Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund also in Group F.

Milan had 25 attempts on goal to just six for Newcastle but the English side almost snatched a win at the end. Goalkeeper Marco Sportiello pulled off his only save off the match to fingertip Sean Longstaff’s effort over the bar.

The match marked the return of Sandro Tonali to San Siro after he moved to Newcastle from Milan in the offseason. The midfielder was welcomed back by loud cheers as he came out for the warmup and the Milan fans also sung his name and later gave him a standing ovation when he was substituted.

– Associated Press

Christian Pulisic, USMNT players in UEFA Champions League

This season's Champions League features 11 American players, including some of the biggest USMNT stars. Christian Pulisic, one of only two Americans to ever win the tournament, moved to AC Milan from Chelsea this summer and was joined by fellow U.S. World Cup veteran Yunus Musah.

Pulisic and Musah both came off the bench in Milan's 0-0 draw with Newcastle.

Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah – AC Milan
Diego Kochen – Barcelona
Gio Reyna – Borussia Dortmund
Cameron Carter-Vickers – Celtic
Zack Steffen – Manchester City
Sergiño Dest, Ricardo Pepi, Malik Tillman – PSV
Sam Vines – Royal Antwerp
Brenden Aaronson – Union Berlin

Newcastle fan stabbed in Milan

A Newcastle fan is reportedly in stable condition in hospital after being stabbed in Milan ahead of a Champions League match in the Italian city.

Italian media reports that a 58-year-old man was stabbed three times – once in the back and twice in the arm. The incident happened in the popular, bar-strewn area of Milan called Navigli, shortly after midnight (2200 GMT) on Monday.

It is not known whether it occurred during a clash between rival soccer fans or was a separate incident.

– Associated Press

2023-24 UEFA Champions League group stage draw

The draw for the group stage was held on Aug. 31 in Monaco.

Group A: Bayern Munich (Germany), Manchester United (England), Copenhagen (Denmark), Galatasaray (Turkey)
Group B: Sevilla (Spain), Arsenal (England), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Lens (France)
Group C: Napoli (Italy), Real Madrid (Spain), Braga (Portugal), Union Berlin (Germany)
Group D: Benfica (Portugal), Inter Milan (Italy), Salzburg (Austria), Real Sociedad (Spain)
Group E: Feyenoord (Netherlands), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Lazio (Italy), Celtic (Scotland)
Group F: Paris Saint-Germain (France), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), AC Milan (Italy), Newcastle (England)
Group G: Manchester City (England), Leipzig (Germany), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia), Young Boys (Switzerland)
Group H: Barcelona (Spain), Porto (Portugal), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Royal Antwerp (Belgium).