Europe’s elite return to the Champions League tonight, with the opening round of the new league phase offering six matches and a mixture of heavyweight names, European hopefuls and intriguing first-time challenges.

Manchester City’s trip to Porto is arguably the headline fixture, but it is also a fascinating test of how quickly the English side can adapt to life under Enzo Maresca. City have won all three of their Premier League games so far, while Porto have made an equally impressive start domestically. The Portuguese side have lost just once in their last 14 home European matches, making the Estádio do Dragão a difficult place to begin a campaign.

Borussia Dortmund also begin at home, taking on Villarreal. Dortmund won the only previous meeting between the sides 4-0 last season and have lost just twice in their last 15 home matches against Spanish opposition. Villarreal, however, are making successive Champions League appearances for the first time and will be looking to make a stronger impression than their recent record against German teams suggests.

There is an intriguing meeting in Belgium, where Club Brugge host Aston Villa in the early kick-off. Brugge have been particularly strong at home in Europe, losing only three of their last 22 UEFA matches there. Villa arrive with a very different challenge after a difficult start to their domestic campaign, although Unai Emery’s side have considerable European experience and won the Europa League last season.

The other early fixture sees AEK Athens welcome LASK. AEK are back in the Champions League league phase for the first time since 2018/19 and have an excellent record at home in Europe, winning nine of their last 11 UEFA matches there. LASK, meanwhile, are appearing at this stage of the competition for the first time after dramatically overturning Celtic in their qualifying tie.

Lille face Real Betis in France in another potentially close contest. Lille have scored in each of their last nine Champions League matches, while Betis are making only their second appearance in the European Cup proper and arrive with an encouraging record in recent UEFA competition.

For all the glamour and familiar names, that is what makes the opening night so appealing. The league phase gives every club eight opportunities to build momentum, and tonight several will begin the long journey towards the knockout rounds with very different ambitions.

The Champions League is back, and the first tests are already serious ones.