Champions League Matchday 4 buildup: Lionel Messi out for PSG, with Chelsea, Man City, Juventus also in action

UEFA games coming thick and fast with RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Benfica also involved

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The UEFA Champions League is back again for another slate of matches this midweek with Tuesday and Wednesday boasting some massive showdowns between some European giants. 

On Tuesday, Milan vs. Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain vs. Benfica are the two box office encounters kicking off at 3:00 p.m. ET with Copenhagen vs. Manchester City and Maccabi Haifa vs. Juventus serving as the appetizers at 12:45 p.m. ET. If that was not enough, Borussia Dortmund vs. Sevilla and Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Real Madrid make for pretty interesting undercard tussles.

As for Wednesday, Napoli vs. Ajax and Atletico Madrid vs. Club Brugge promise early fireworks in the 12:45 p.m. ET slots before the second instalment of Barcelona vs. Inter and Rangers vs. Liverpool at 3:00 p.m. ET. Also keep an eye out for Sporting vs. Marseille and Spurs vs. Frankfurt in what is shaping up to be a tight Group F while Bayern are on the road at Viktoria Plzen.

It goes without saying that we will be bringing you the best of the buildup to these games on the Monday with a focus on the Tuesday matches as well as any big storylines developing ahead of Wednesday. You can look forward to all of this and more coming to you via Paramount+ these next few days.

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This week's full slate...

Tuesday

Group G: FC Copenhagen vs. Manchester City -- 12:45 p.m. (midday) ET and Borussia Dortmund vs. Sevilla -- 3:00 p.m. ET

Group H: Maccabi Haifa vs. Juventus -- 12:45 p.m. (midday) ET and PSG vs. SL Benfica -- 3:00 p.m. ET

Group E: AC Milan vs. Chelsea -- 3:00 p.m. ET and Dinamo Zagreb vs. FC Salzburg -- 3:00 p.m. ET

Group F: Celtic vs. RB Leipzig -- 3:00 p.m. ET and Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Real Madrid -- 3:00 p.m. ET

Wednesday

Group A: SS Napoli vs. AFC Ajax -- 12:45 p.m. (midday) ET and Rangers vs. Liverpool -- 3:00 p.m. ET

Group B: Atletico Madrid vs. Club Brugge -- 12:45 p.m. (midday) ET and Bayer Leverkusen vs. FC Porto -- 3:00 p.m. ET

Group C: Barcelona vs. Inter -- 3:00 p.m. ET and Viktoria Plzen vs. Bayern Munich -- 3:00 p.m. ET

Group F: Sporting CP vs. Olympique de Marseille -- 3:00 p.m. ET and Tottenham Hotspur vs. Eintracht Frankfurt -- 3:00 p.m. ET

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Chelsea pre-Milan

Graham Potter on...

Updates: "Hakim [Ziyech] is ill. N'Golo [Kante] were just waiting for his reaction from his training. It is certainly not ideal [his reaction] so we will have to wait and see the extent of it and go from there. It is certainly not ideal so we will have to wait and see the extent of it and go from there. It's not ideal and it is disappointing for him and for us. We'll have to see the extent of it and go from there."

Beating Milan at San Siro: "That's our challenge and it's what we have to try to do. It's an incredible place here and a very different game. AC Milan will try to use the home advantage like we did. Two good teams, too evenly matched teams. I'm looking forward to it."

XI: "I won't tell you about how we're going to line up, you can wait for that. But we're happy with the options that we have. We're expecting a really tough game because AC Milan have a lot of great players and are a really tough team."

Thiago Silva on...

Milan return: "I am very happy and excited to be here again 11 or 12 years after my last time. All the good experiences I've had here came back to my mind and tomorrow I will be even more excited and moved. It is going to be a great emotion. I don't think AC Milan are not highly competitive. They had a bad game last week against us, that can happen, but great clubs like AC Milan won't do it twice. They had a great result against Juve so they are strongly motivated to do a great match tomorrow night and I can tell myself and the team that we will need to make great efforts because it is never going to be easy to play here at San Siro against AC Milan."

Career end: "I have already made my history here at AC Milan so this isn't the case here anymore at the moment. If this could've happened, it should've been before I joined Chelsea. But who knows, I will have to see then."

Milan threats: "Tomorrow is is going to be a very difficult match. It will be difficult for us to defence. On Leao, we'll have to be very focused and make sure he can't get the ball. If those give him the ball, they will be dangerous because if he gets the ball, they can score. And it's not only him because Giroud is in the box. It's not going to be easy but that is why we have to be focused. Theo is a very good player, one of the best on the left side. He is also very good at defending. We have to be careful of the whole squad because a good team is not only one, two, three good players. It's the whole squad who work well so we have to be focused on all of them"

 
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More Galtier

The PSG boss on...

Messi: "Leo felt a problem in his calf during the first game with Benfica. We all thought he was going to be able to play in the second game, but it's not quite there. There's only six days between the two...He's a lot better, but he still has that feeling that could be problematic in a game of this importance, and he preferred to sit it out. We're going to see how it progresses during the week, and it's very probable that he's available for Marseille."

"You all know how important Leo is in our play, but the most important thing is his physical shape and his connection with Neymar and Kylian and the wing-backs. We'll have to find other solutions, other situations, other connections to create danger for the Portuguese defence."

Benfica draw: "First, you have to analyse the first game, and see how Benfica caused us problems. You have to ask yourself if everything was done right tactically. If we decide to go for another system, we have to be able to create new connections, we can get the players playing higher up the pitch, there's a whole analysis to do regarding the options. I speak a lot to my senior players, with my staff, to see how we can change in terms of the players who are missing."

Marseille on Sunday: "Every week is important at Paris Saint-Germain. There's this double-header with Benfica, there was the match with Nice before the international break, and the highly anticipated meeting with Marseille on Sunday. It's an important week in terms of the stakes and the games, but the week after will be very important and the week after that too. We take into account each player's shape, knowing that certain players will rejoin the squad soon."

 
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Gomez speaks up

Sevilla's Papu Gomez has spoken ahead of the clash with Borussia Dortmund with the Spaniards now led by Jorge Sampaoli after Julen Lopetegui's dismissal.

 
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City in Copenhagen

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on...

The XI: "I will decide on the selection. I will speak with players, doctors and physios and decide the best. We will see."

Qualification: "We play one week later and they (Copenhagen) have pride and they want to perform. But at the same time, we have a chance to conclude our qualification for the next stage and we are going to try."

Defender Nathan Ake on...

This season: "I am happy. I played a few games and then got a setback, but thankfully it was not too bad. I feel I am progressing well and hopefully, I will continue like this."

Form: "At the moment I am very happy and the team is happy, we are in a good flow, but it is only the beginning. We have so much more to do."

Copenhagen: "We have to be prepared and focused, like in the last game, and hopefully we can do well. In the second half, they changed their shape a little bit and created a few more dangerous moments."

 
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Srna's emotional plea

The former Croatia international who is now Shakhtar Donetsk director of football has addressed each Champions League participant to ask for support for Ukraine through Saving Lives after Russian aggression intensified: "Today Ukraine needs your support more than ever," he wrote. "So I addressed the European clubs and I am sure that many teams will not stay aside and show solidarity with our people and country."

 
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Real arrive in Poland

The defending champions' boss Carlo Ancelotti and Lucas Vazquez have been speaking ahead of the clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.

"What we have to do is to see how the players who played on the weekend are feeling," said the Italian. "This training session is important to see which players are line-up on Tuesday."

"It's a key game for us," added the Spaniard. "If we win we take a major step to qualify. It's not easy to achieve."

 
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Leipzig lines

RBL boss Marco Rose on...

Celtic Park: "A great stadium. We are expecting a good crowd with an audience who understands football and not only supports their team, but also appreciates it when the opposition plays well. It will be fun to play here!"

Regrets: "We are not looking back at the Rangers game. Our focus has to be looking forward to Celtic vs. Leipzig. To this great game in a great stadium with a great atmosphere in the Champions League. And obviously on the next three points!"

Striker Andre Silva on...

Celtic Park: "It will not be easy because of the fans and the atmosphere. We will need to give it everything right until the end and try to win. We need to be compact as a team and deliver the same energy we did in the first leg."

 
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Pioli and Tomori chime in pre-Chelsea

The AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli and defender Fikayo Tomori have been speaking ahead of Tuesday's UCL clash with Chelsea.

 
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Galtier confirms Messi absence

The PSG boss has confirmed that Messi will miss the Benfica clash. However, the Frenchman did hint that the Argentine will be back for this weekend's Classique vs. Marseille.

"Leo felt discomfort in the calf during the match at Benfica," said Galtier. "It is very likely that he will play against Marseille on Sunday. It's an important week! PSG is a club which plays every game to win."

Midfielder Vitinha also chimed in regarding his blossoming relationship with fellow schemer Marco Verratti: "I am off to a very good start this season," said the Portugal international. "Hard work pays off. Myself and Marco pair with each other well."

 
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Shakhtar put things in perspective

Although Real Madrid will face Shakhtar Donetsk in Poland, the Ukrainian giants are understandably preoccupied after the latest wave of Russian aggression at the start of this week.

 
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Postecoglou presser

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has speaking ahead of the crucial Champions League clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

 
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Messi to miss out

PSG boss Christophe Galtier is slated to speak a little later, but Lionel Messi will be missing once more with a calf problem. The Argentine picked up the issue in Lisbon against Benfica last week and will now  miss the return clash having sat out the Ligue 1 draw with Reims over the weekend. No risks being taken ahead of this weekend's Classique against bitter rivals Marseille reflected by Messi's absence until fully recovered.

 
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Atleti unblock Griezmann situation

This could potentially change things for Atletico Madrid and France international Antoine Griezmann who completes his return to the club on a permanent deal until 2026 from Barcelona. Until now, the 31-year-old's minutes had been limited due to the structure of his previous deal so now he will be able to feature far more prominently.

 
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Chiesa comeback close

Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri has given an update regarding Federico Chiesa's fitness which offers hope that he could soon be back in fold, just not this week. Meanwhile, this is the squad the Italian tactician has gone for to face Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday.

 
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Sevilla squad

This is the squad selected by Jorge Sampaoli as the Spaniards head to Germany with a drop into the UEFA Europa League already looking likely.

 
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Reyna update

Dortmund boss Edin Terzic has suggested that USMNT star Gio Reyna could be considered for a squad role once more after missing out on Der Klassiker against Bayern Munich this past weekend. However, Marco Reus is not yet ready to be considered to make his potential return from injury against Sevilla on Tuesday.

 
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Bayern's Musiala COVID positive

The German champions continue to be hit with a wave of COVID-19 absences with Jamal Musiala the latest player to test positive. The Germany international who is not yet 20 follows Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich as the latest member of Julian Nagelsmann's squad to be ruled out due to the virus which is starting to become a factor for European clubs again.

"Jamal Musiala has tested positive for COVID-19," read a brief Bayern statement. "The FC Bayern forward is doing well and is currently isolating at home."

 
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OL appoint Blanc

Champions League regulars Lyon are having a difficult start to this season and have parted ways with Peter Bosz after a five-game winless run in Ligue 1. Replacing the Dutchman will be Laurent Blanc who takes his first European posting since leaving PSG in 2016 and is expected to speak at Groupama Stadium later on Monday after his arrival was confirmed via an official OL statement.

"An in-house meeting was conducted in order to find the necessary levers to allow the team to get back on solid ground in order to be in line with OL's ambitions this season," read the communique. "After meeting with John Textor, Olympique Lyonnais announced that it had made the decision to appoint Laurent Blanc as the main coach of the professional team for two seasons, until June 30th 2024. This decision was made unanimously by the entire institution to give Olympique Lyonnais a very ambitious project for the future, both on the domestic and continental stage."

Blanc collected 11 trophies as PSG boss including the two maiden domestic clean sweeps in the history of the French game. The 56-year-old also enjoyed success with Bordeaux before taking over as France national team coach.

 
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Braga join Qatari stable

PSG owners Qatar Sports Investments have announced the purchase of 21.67% of Portuguese club SC Braga which raises the possibility of another Qatar-backed European outfit becoming a powerful force in the coming years. KAS Eupen also have Qatari links, but the French champions are by far the most known of the QSI sporting ventures.

Parisien chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi praised the Portuguese game which "has some of the most passionate fans and one of the best talent systems in the world." Braga regularly compete in the UEFA Europa League and are currently third in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

"SC Braga is an exemplary Portuguese institution -- with a proud history, enormous ambition and a reputation for excellence on and off the pitch," added the Qatari supremo. "As an investor and partner, we look forward to the Club innovating, growing and developing further -- across the men's and women's teams, on the commercial and brand side, and across all the communities and businesses it supports."

 
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Mwepu retires

Starting with some sad news from the Premier League as Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu has been forced to retire from professional soccer due to a hereditary heart condition. The former Salzburg man is only 24, but the Seagulls explained that there is an "extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event" for the Zambia international.

Mwepu fell ill on international duty in Mali recently and was hospitalized for four days. In a personal statement via social media, he affirmed that he had "lived his dream of reaching the Premier League" and spoke of how "some dreams come to an end" before confirming that "with sadness I announce the need to hang up my boots because of the medical advice I have received."