Wednesday’s Champions League Matchday 4 Fixtures are Crazy | OneFootball

If Tuesday’s curiously high number of fixtures between teams sitting close in the standings wasn’t enough, Wednesday’s offerings continue in that same vein. We present the Hooligan take on all nine of the matches from the second half of Matchday 4.

FK Qarabağ vs. Chelsea (12:45pm ET)

No walk in the park, this fixture. Outside of the thousands of kilometers Chelsea will have to travel, and the potentially hostile crowd, there’s the little matter of Qarabağ only sitting just below Chelsea in the standings (13th and 12th respectively). Premier League purists may scoff, but this Azerbaijani team just might have enough steel to put Chelsea through the wringer.

Pafos vs. Villarreal (12:45pm ET)

It’s a real battle of the bottom here, with a surprising twist. Pafos, despite their Champions League debutante status, actually have more points than Villarreal, former 2021 Europa League winners. Both sides have conceded the same number of goals (5), with Villarreal scoring two to Pafos’ one. That makes this fixture much tighter than the typical “La Liga side faces Cypriot upstart” narrative. Pafos could pull off an upset.

Ajax Amsterdam vs. Galatasaray (3:00pm ET)

It’s truly heart-breaking to see the state of Ajax right now. This is coming from a writer who grew up a handful of tram stops from Ajax’s old training grounds and spent many a damp and dismal Saturday morning watching their youth clubs play. They’re dead last in the standings, with a -10 goal differential. Offensively, they show zero spark, drive or passion. The Johan Cruijff Stadium is usually a miserable experience for a visiting team, but I suspect a good portion of the crowd will be supporting Galatasaray in this match.

Benfica vs. Bayer Leverkusen (3:00pm ET)

Seeing a team with Benfica’s pedigree below the likes of Kairat Almaty, FC København and Olympiacos in the standings is dumbfounding. They have conceded the same number of goals as 6th place Borussia Dortmund (7), but scored only once. Bayer Leverkusen sits in a similar dire position, having only scraped 2 points while conceding 10 goals. Given the nature of this group phase, all is not lost, but this is the one game you MUST win if you want any hope for escaping the indignity of an early exit. Let’s see who has the moxie.

Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund (3:00pm ET)

The teams are 7th and 6th in the standings. And there’s an Erling Haaland connection. Our colleague Stan Smith produced an in-depth analysis you can read here.

Newcastle United vs. Athletic Club (3:00pm ET)

The Magpies sit surprisingly in 8th place, buoyed by a vibrant offense that’s scored eight goals so far. Seven of these are shared between Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes, and the Bilbao defenders will have to be on their toes to blunt their sharpness. Athletic Club have scored half as many times, three of those from Gorka Guruzeta. Newcastle might be inconsistent in the league, but have shown up for the CL matches.

Club Brugge vs. Barcelona (3:00pm ET)

We know Barcelona are beatable, PSG proved that back in Matchweek 2. But Club Brugge is no PSG.

Inter Milan vs. Kairat Almaty (3:00pm ET)

The only question is just how badly will Kairat be beaten? Inter has yet to concede a goal, and they’re averaging 3 per game so far. Expect that number to increase. A lot.

Marseille vs. Atalanta (3:00pm ET)

In a day full of head-scratching fixtures, this one takes the cake. I discussed this with my co-host Gary Striker on our podcast the other day, and it sums up my thoughts very succinctly.