The next question is how can you follow the Champions League?

Well, you will be able watch highlights of Europe's showpiece competition on the BBC.

Much like in the previous two campaigns, from 22:00 [either BST or GMT] on the Wednesday of Champions League matchweeks, there will be match-by-match highlights available on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

You'll also be able to watch highlights, with analysis from our experts on the big stories and talking points, in Match of the Day on Wednesdays on BBC One at 22:40 and on Thursday, 10 September on BBC One at 22:40 BST.

There will be clips available on the BBC Sport website, app and on social media.

You will also be able to follow all the action online and on the BBC Sport app through our live text coverage, as well as listen to radio commentary.

BBC Radio 5 Live will continue to have live commentary of selected Champions League games this season.

Image source, Getty Images

Champions League

Each of the 36 teams plays eight different teams - four at home and four away - in the league phase.

Teams who finish in the top eight automatically qualify for the last 16, while those placing ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them.

Sides who finish 25th or lower will be eliminated, and will not drop into the Europa League.

Last season, eventual runners-up Arsenal topped the league phase standings with 24 points after eight wins from as many matches.

Liverpool were third - behind second-placed Bayern Munich - with 18 points while Tottenham finished one point behind in fourth.

Chelsea and Manchester City also qualified directly for the last 16 after finishing sixth and eighth respectively, while Newcastle finished 12th.

Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle and Spurs were knocked out in the last 16 last season while Liverpool were beaten in the quarter-finals by PSG, who also edged Arsenal in the final for their second consecutive title.

OK, we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves talking about the winners before a Champions League ball has been kicked.

So let's go back to the beginning for a reminder of how this competition works...

Arsenal, of course, made it all of the way to last season's final, only to lose to defending champions Paris St-Germain on penalties.

A meagre 7% of our readers think Luis Enrique's PSG side will win the Champions League for a third consecutive season, which is historically very difficult to do.

That might be why Opta also only give the French champions a 7.3% chance of winning it this season.

Image source, Getty Images

Our poll also has Arsenal pegged as Champions League winners this season, with 26% of readers currently crowning the Gunners as champions-elect.

Bayern Munich are second favourites in our poll, with 16%, followed by Liverpool (15%) and Barcelona (13%).

This is a live poll, though, so you can still affect the outcome.

Give this link a click and make your choice now.

Image source, Getty Images

According to Opta, last year's runners-up Arsenal are the overall favourites to win the Champions League (20.4%) although Bayern Munich, who lost to PSG in the semi-finals, are only marginally behind (20%).

PSG's chances of winning a third European title in a row are 7.3%, fourth overall, while 2023 winners Manchester City are third, having been given a 12.7% chance.

All five of the Premier League teams are ranked inside the top 10 for overall win probability and all have been given a more than 50% chance of reaching the last-16.

Richard and Sam think this is Arsenal's year.

Our friends at Opta agree with you fellas...

Right, that's a taster, the hors d'oeuvres, if you will, before the Ballon d'Or's main offering of the day - the nominations for the players' awards.

We will bring them to you when we get them, in the meantime, you can read about Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or chances here, or just stick with us for some Champions League chat [stick with us, stick with us]...

Ballon d'Or

And finally, the nominations for men's coach of the year, featuring two Premier League managers:

• Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
• Luis de la Fuente (Spain national team)
• Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
• Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich)
• Luis Enrique (Paris St-Germain)

Ballon d'Or

• Jonatan Giraldez (OL Lyonnes)
• Andree Jeglertz (Manchester City)
• Nils Nielsen (Japan national team)
• Pere Romeu (Barcelona)
• Elena Sadiku (Celtic/ BK Hacken)

Ballon d'Or

Here are the nominations for the women's club of the year award, which the Ballon d'Or organisers say have "raised the bar of excellence" in 2025-26:

• Barcelona
• Bayern Munich
• Club America
• Manchester City
• OL Lyonnes

Ballon d'Or

There are numerous awards in the Ballon d'Or, not just the men's and women's player of the year.

Nominations for the players' awards will be announced later today, but we have some details to bring you first about the nominations for men's club and coaches of the year, as well as the top women's clubs and coaches.

Here are the Ballon d’Or nominations for men's club of the year - according to the award organisers these five clubs have "surpassed the norm" in men’s football across 2025-26:

• Arsenal
• Bayern Munich
• Bodo/Glimt
• Flamengo
• Paris St-Germain

Right, we are going to unpick this season's Champions League shortly by:

• Reminding ourselves of the format
• Looking at how to follow the matches on the BBC
• Who are the favourites
• A lowdown on the sides making their debut
• The players to watch
• Past winners
• Which teams the English sides will be facing
• And where the final will be staged.

After all those insights, we will build up to Liverpool's news conference, which is scheduled for 13:00 BST, and check out the top lines from yesterday's Manchester City and Aston Villa media briefings.

But first, we have some Ballon d'Or news to bring you...

As ever, we need your input to make this page come alive.

Please tell us who you believe will win Europe's top club trophy this season and why.

If you are going for a surprise name, then maybe give us an insight into why you believe one of the less fancied teams has a chance of upsetting the odds (more on those in a minute).

And please also make the case for an English side lifting the trophy.

No Premier League team has managed it since Manchester City in 2023.

Just click the 'Get Involved' button to have your say...

Tuesday, 8 September

• AEK Athens v LASK (17:45)
• Club Brugge v Aston Villa (17:45)
• Borussia Dortmund v Villarreal
• Lille v Real Betis
• Porto v Manchester City (5 Live)
• Real Madrid v Inter Milan

Wednesday, 9 September

• Barcelona v Feyenoord (17:45)
• Stuttgart v Viking (17:45)
• Liverpool v Atletico Madrid (5 Live)
• Napoli v Arsenal
• Paris St-Germain v Slovan Bratislava
• Sporting CP v Galatasaray

Thursday, 10 September

• Fenerbahce v Roma (17:45)
• PSV v Shakhtar Donetsk (17:45)
• Bayern Munich v Bodo/Glimt
• Como v RB Leipzig
• Manchester United v Sabah
• Slavia Prague v Lens

We want to know which team you believe will win this season's Champions League.

We have highlighted 10 of the leading candidates in the poll below, including all five Premier League teams.

There is also an option to choose 'Other' if you think there will be a surprise name on the trophy.

For the record, 36 teams have qualified to take part in the league phase.

The first round of fixtures are coming up next, if you want to remind yourself about the full list of sides vying for the ultimate prize in European football...

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning...is it that time of year already?

The Champions League gets under way this week, with the first round of league phase fixtures stretched out across the next three days.

Join us as we preview the competition, looking at the five British teams taking part and who the experts believe has the best chance of winning it.

Aston Villa and Manchester City are in action tonight, with Liverpool and Arsenal following on Wednesday and Manchester United on Thursday.

We will look at what came out of yesterday's Villa and City news conferences and bring you the top lines from Reds manager Andoni Iraola and midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who are due to face the media at 13:00 BST.

Arsenal will also be holding an open training session today, so we will bring you the latest news from that too.

Oh, and the nominations for this year's Ballon d'Or awards are being announced today, so we will update you on all the details as the organisers drip feed them to us.