Manchester United are back in the Champions League after a three‑year hiatus, set to meet Azerbaijan side Sabah on Thursday.
Three nights of Champions League action is pure gluttony.
Supporters might recall recent Europa outings as Carrick’s men stride through the Old Trafford tunnel on Thursday, but the anthem will sound and the elite stage is theirs again after the 2023‑24 season.
Although Tuesdays and Wednesdays dominate the calendar, the opening week spreads all 18 fixtures across three evenings.
In my view, this gives English fans a rare chance to gauge every club, with only Liverpool and Arsenal sharing the same slot.
Is this a recurring pattern?
Thursday fixtures have been part of the opening week since the competition expanded and adopted the league‑phase format in 2024.
UEFA announced that each of its three tournaments will enjoy an exclusive matchweek, spotlighting one competition at a time.
The Champions League alone receives the three‑night showcase; the Europa League’s exclusive week falls on Wednesday and Thursday, while the Conference League sticks to Thursday only.
From the second week onward, Europa and Conference matches will be confined to Thursday evenings.
Who else is slated for Thursday?
United will host debutants Sabah at Old Trafford, kick‑off slated for 20:00 UK time.
Cesc Fabregas’ Como also debut on Thursday, welcoming RB Leipzig after a strong 7‑point start in Serie A.
Bayern Munich take Thursday off, hosting Bodo/Glimt, the side that stunned Inter last season; Slavia Prague meet Lens.
Early Thursday games see Fenerbahçe host Roma in Istanbul, while PSV travel to Shakhtar Donetsk.
When does the Europa/Conference League kick off?
The Europa League’s league phase begins next week, on Wednesday 16 September and Thursday 17 September.
Sunderland face AZ Alkmaar, Bournemouth meet Real Sociedad, and Conference champions Crystal Palace host Lech Poznań.
With only six league‑phase weeks, the Conference League launches after the September international break on 15 October, opening on a typical Thursday featuring all three contests.
The Conference League’s exclusive week lands on the final league‑phase matchday, 17 December.
Will the new league phase reshape European football in the years ahead?
Both the Champions and Europa Leagues run eight rounds in a league‑table format with 36 teams.
The new league phase replaces traditional groups, using seeding to split 36 clubs into four pots and draw two opponents from each, guaranteeing four home and four away games.
Crucially, teams cannot face domestic rivals nor more than two clubs from the same association in this phase.
The table splits into three zones: the top eight advance directly, places nine to 24 enter a playoff, and the bottom twelve are eliminated.
Early surprises have emerged: City and Real Madrid’s struggles saw them clash in a 6‑3 aggregate loss for City in the last‑32 playoff.
Juventus fell to PSV in the playoffs, while Inter were upset by Bodo/Glimt last season.