Champions League Matchday 4: Wednesday’s previews & how to watch on BT Sport

Matchday 4 of the Champions League is here and Wednesday night promises to bring more drama and entertainment.

With the second round of the Battle of Britain in Glasgow, a key match for Tottenham and a heavyweight clash between Barcelona and Inter, there’s plenty to look forward to.

Who will come out on top as the groups start to take shape ahead of the final two fixtures?

Wednesday 12 October

Napoli vs Ajax - 5.30pm (5.45pm kick-off) live on BT Sport 1

Napoli can seal their qualification for the last 16 with a win over Ajax at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Luciano Spalletti’s side have been exceptional so far this season, sitting top of both Serie A and Group A of the Champions League. 

I Partenopei are still unbeaten in all competitions, with three wins from three in the group stages, made even more impressive by the apparent difficulty of the draw.

Last season’s finalists were dispatched in Naples and Rangers were soundly beaten on home soil. And last week it was Ajax’s turn to face one of Europe’s most in-form sides. The result was a humbling one for the Dutch champions, who were thrashed 6-1 at the Amsterdam Arena.

If other teams in the competition hadn’t been paying attention to Napoli, they certainly are now. Such an emphatic scoreline away at a side with the qualities of Ajax is a statement of intent and a clear indication that the Italian outfit are not to be underestimated.

For Ajax, a win on Wednesday night is crucial if they are to have any chance of qualifying from the group.

Head coach Alfred Schreuder will be without Dusan Tadic, who was sent off in the 6-1 defeat.

Napoli are still missing star striker Victor Osimhen through injury, although that certainly hasn’t hindered their goal scoring of late.

Atletico Madrid vs Club Brugge - 5.30pm (5.45pm kick-off) live on BT Sport 4

Brugge are very much the surprise package of this season’s Champions League so far.

The Belgian side surpassed all expectations in the first three fixtures, winning all of them in a group many gave them no chance of qualifying from.

Carl Hoefkens’ team are only third in Belgium’s top flight, but they have clearly found a successful formula in Europe.

Incredibly, Brugge are yet to concede a goal in Group B. Atletico Madrid were beaten 2-0 at the Jan Breydel Stadium last week, and before that Bayer Leverkusen lost there 1-0. The most impressive result, though, is without doubt the 4-0 drubbing of Porto at the Estadio do Dragao.

Brugge are a well-organised, efficient outfit, and Diego Simeone’s Atletico will need to be at their ferocious best to inflict a first defeat on the group leaders.

It has been a slow start to the season for Los Colchoneros, although two wins in a row in La Liga have improved things somewhat.

But Atletico currently sit bottom of their group in the Champions League and need a win against a Brugge side defying the odds.

Rangers vs Liverpool - 6.30pm (8pm kick-off) live on BT Sport 2

The match many have been eagerly anticipating since the draw was made, Liverpool travel to Glasgow for the second Battle of Britain in a week.

Jurgen Klopp’s side came out on top at Anfield, cruising past Rangers thanks to a superb Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kick and a Mohamed Salah penalty.

But things might be different at Ibrox. Under the lights, in an intense, hostile atmosphere, Rangers will hope the gap in quality is made redundant.

Liverpool are wounded heading into the game, too, after their 3-2 loss against Arsenal in the Premier League, a result that left them 10th in the Premier League and raised more questions about their defensive vulnerabilities.

Alexander-Arnold is likely to miss Wednesday night’s game after coming off injured at the Emirates, so Joe Gomez may be asked to fill in at right-back. Luis Diaz also suffered a knee injury during the Arsenal defeat and is a doubt for the Rangers match.

The hosts have no new injury concerns, so Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s biggest dilemma is likely to be which of Antonio Colak or Alfredo Morelos starts up front.

Barcelona vs Inter - 7.45pm (8pm kick-off) live on BT Sport 4

The group of death is living up to its billing for Barcelona, who have struggled again in the Champions League despite their impressive La Liga form.

Xavi’s team are top of the Spanish top flight with 20 goals scored and only one conceded in eight games, but it’s a different story in the Champions League.

Last week’s 1-0 loss to Inter at San Siro left Barcelona with just three points in Group C and in third place.

That has put the pressure on the return fixture at Camp Nou, where the Blaugrana can move level on points with Inter if they secure a much-needed victory.

Robert Lewandowski is perhaps due a goal after a rare drought of two whole matches, and Xavi may take some solace in the fact that his side have now played the two most difficult away matches, albeit losing both.

With Bayern seemingly out of sight at the top of the group, this is a big game for both teams.

Barcelona have been boosted by the return from injury of Frenkie de Jong, while Romelu Lukaku could be back in action for Inter on Wednesday night after a spell on the sidelines.

Viktoria Plzen vs Bayern Munich - 7.45pm (8pm kick-off) live on BT Sport 5

Bayern are making a strong group look remarkably easy so far, scoring nine goals and conceding none after three games.

They will expect to continue that dominance with a win over the unfortunate whipping boys of Group C, Viktoria Plzen, in Czechia.

Julian Nagelsmann has seen his side stutter and drop points in the Bundesliga, conceding a last-minute equaliser at Borussia Dortmund last weekend, but it has been smooth sailing in the Champions League.

Plzen battled valiantly at the Allianz last time out but couldn’t do anything to prevent an imperious home win, with Leroy Sane netting a brace either side of goals from Sadio Mane and Serge Gnabry, before Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting completed the 5-0 rout.

A similar scoreline will be the expectation again as Bayern look to secure their place in the last 16 as early as possible.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Porto - 7.45pm (8pm kick-off) live on BT Sport 7

The other game in Group B is an important one for both teams, with Leverkusen, Porto and Atletico Madrid all level on three points at this stage.

Other than Brugge’s aforementioned exploits, this has been a group of ineffective attacking play and often questionable defending.

Porto might be the more fancied of the two sides, although their 4-0 loss to Brugge hardly inspired confidence. But Sergio Conceicao’s team did beat Leverkusen 2-0 last week and will hope to build on that result.

For Leverkusen, it has been a dismal start to the season. They are 15th in the Bundesliga and seemingly unable to put together a consistent run of form. A 4-0 win over Schalke on Saturday might give them a welcome boost, though.

The winner of Wednesday night’s game at the Bay Arena could be well-placed to qualify, but Group B is a very difficult one to call at the moment.

Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt - 7.15pm (8pm kick-off) live on BT Sport 3

Antonio Conte praised his players after their goalless draw in Frankfurt last week but he might quietly have wanted more than just a point.

Spurs had chances at the Waldstadion and will need to be more clinical in the return fixture. A win on Wednesday night could put Tottenham in a strong position to qualify from a group that looks wide open.

Their excellent home form makes the north London side clear favourites; Spurs have won all five matches in all competitions at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, scoring 15 goals in the process.

Conte also appears to have addressed some of his team’s defensive issues after goals were shipped against Arsenal and Sporting, with two successive clean sheets following Saturday’s 1-0 win at Brighton.

Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski is out with a thigh injury, while Lucas Moura remains on the sidelines.

Sporting vs Marseille - 7.45pm (8pm kick-off) live on BT Sport 6

Marseille kept Group D interesting with a 4-1 win over leaders Sporting last week, reminding everyone not to count them out just yet.

The Ligue 1 side will need to back that up in Portugal, though, where Sporting have already beaten Tottenham and still have Frankfurt to play.

This is clearly a group in which teams are all capable of beating each other, so nothing will be decided by the end of play on Wednesday evening.

But a win for Sporting will be a big step towards qualification and would leave Marseille in a precarious position, depending on the score at Tottenham.

Igor Tudor’s side have done well domestically to stay within three points of PSG, although they lost 2-1 to Ajaccio at the weekend, perhaps with one eye on the Champions League.

Sporting, meanwhile, are off the pace in the Primeira Liga, sitting fifth after a poor start. Are they saving their best form for the Champions League, or will they soon be displaced from the top of Group D?