Nick Ames

When Paris Saint-Germain takes an early lead At Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday they may be wondering whether they should stay or bow out. The new Champions League format is at least partly designed to ensure that Europe’s superpowers have less chance of failing, leaving their position vulnerable to embarrassment. They won’t even qualify for the playoff round in February unless they improve above 25th place and are two points and three goals away from the cutoff with three league stage games remaining.

Club Brugge: Mignolet, Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper, Nwadike, Jashari, Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis, Jutgla. Substitute: Jackers, Romero, Vetlesen, Vermant, Nilsson, Nielsen, Spileers, Sabbe, Talbi.

Sporty: Israel, Quaresma, Diomande, Inacio, Quenda, Hjulmand, Simoes, Araujo, Trincao, Catamo, Gyokeres. Substitute: Kovacevic, Callai, Matheus Reis, St Juste, Debast, Edwards, Harder, Fresneda, Ricardo Esgaio, Brito, Couto, Arreiol.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)

Bayer Leverkusen: Kovar, Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie, Mukiele, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo, Frimpong, Wirtz, Tella. Substitute: Hradecky, Lomb, Andrich, Terrier, Arthur, Schick, Garcia, Stepanov, Onyeka, Belocian.

Inter Milan: Sommer, Bisseck, de Vrij, Bastoni, Darmian, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Carlos Augusto, Thuram, Taremi. Substitute: Josep Martinez, Calligaris, Arnautovic, Lautaro Martinez, Buchanan, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Dimarco, Aidoo.

Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)

RB Salzburg: Schlager, Capaldo, Dedic, Samson Baidoo, Guindo, Bidstrup, Gourna-Douath, Gloukh, Yeo, Ratkov, Dorgeles. Substitute: Oelz, Hamzic, Terzic, Blank, Okoh, Bajcetic, Clark, Diambou, Kawamura, Daghim, Mellberg.

PSG: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Fabian, Lee, Goncalo Ramos, Barcola. Substitute: Safonov, Tenas, Asensio, Doue, Hernandez, Muani, Zaire Emery, Lucas Beraldo, Skriniar, Zague.

Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

Brest: Bizot, Le Cardinal, Chardonnet, Niakhate Ndiaye, Haidara, Camara, Fernandes, Magnetti, Del Castillo, Balde, Doumbia. Substitute: Coudert, Jauny, Lala, Camblan, Sima, Amavi, Pereira Lage, Salah, Irie.

PSV: Benitez, Karsdorp, Flamingo, Boscagli, Dams, Saibari, Junior, Tillman, Bakayoko, de Jong, Lang. Substitute: Drommel, Schiks, Obispo, Pepi, Til, Schouten, Veerman, Lozano, Oppegard, Ledezma.

Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez (Spain)

Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac, Bellanova, de Roon, Ederson Silva, Ruggeri, Pasalic, De Ketelaere, Lookman. Substitute: Rui Patricio, Rossi, Toloi, Kossounou, Godfrey, Zaniolo, Samardzic, Palestra, Retegui, Brescianini, Zappacosta.

Real Madrid: Courtois, Lucas, Tchouameni, Rüdiger, Garcia, Diaz, Ceballos, Valverde, Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior. Substitute: Lunin, Mestre, Modric, Rodrygo, Güler, Endrick, Vallejo, Lekhedim, Asencio, Andres.

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

RB Leipzig: Gulacsi, Geertruida, Orban, Seiwald, Henrichs, Baumgartner, Vermeeren, Haidara, Nusa, Sesko, Openda. Substitute: Vandevoordt, Klostermann, Andre Silva, Sakar, Jatta, Kampl, Gebel.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Konsa, Diego Carlos, Torres, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, Cash, McGinn, Rogers, Watkins. Substitute: Gauci, Olsen, Mings, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Philogene-Bidace, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Onana, Bogarde, Swinkels.

Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)

Shakhtar Donetsk: Riznyk, Konoplya, Bondar, Matviyenko, Ghram, Marlon Gomes, Zubkov, Bondarenko, Sudakov, Kevin, Sikan. Substitute: Fesyun, Traore, Stepanenko, Eguinaldo, Kryskiv, Shved, Azarovi, Augusto, Nazaryna, da Silva Pedrinho, Newerton, Faryna.

Bayern Munich: Peretz, Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro, Kimmich, Goretzka, Olise, Musiala, Sane, Muller. Substitute: Schmitt, Dier, Ibrahimovic, Boey, Irankunda, Aseko-Nkili, Tel, Pavlovic, Aznou, Klanac.

Referee: Halil Meler (Türkiye)

“Absorbing” is a term commentators often use when trying to be nice to an indifferent game. So let’s call this new Champions League format exciting.

Tonight’s games are headlined by Atalanta vs Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen vs Inter – unless you’re an Aston Villa fan. In this case, Villans’ away game at RB Leipzig will catch your attention.

Brest v PSV, Shakhtar Donetsk v Bayern Munich and Club Brugge v Sporting are also on the agenda, while Paris Saint-Germain are at risk in their away game at RB Salzburg. Luis Enrique’s men desperately need to build on their one win from five games.

I will endeavor to share any goals with you as they are achieved. Aren’t you fascinated? Allez! Or, as we say in England, Go!

Start: 8 p.m