The Premier League barely pauses for breath before Europe’s elite return. Matchday four of the Champions League league phase takes place on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 November, and five English clubs are in action, with very different stakes for each of them.
Manchester United are fighting for their season, and possibly their head coach’s job. Aston Villa and Liverpool arrive with perfect records. Arsenal and Manchester City are trying to keep pace at the top of the 36-team table. Here is everything Irish viewers need to know, with all kick-off times in Irish time.
Tuesday 3 November: Old Trafford’s night of reckoning
Manchester United v Roma (8pm). This is the headline act. United have won just one of their three European games so far, beating Sabah 4-0 on the opening night before losing 2-0 at Atlético Madrid and 4-1 at Como, according to UEFA’s results. Add Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea and United are nine games without a win in all competitions, their worst run since 1984. Michael Carrick told TNT Sports he expects to be in charge for this one. A tenth game without a win would equal the club’s longest winless sequences on record, according to ESPN.
Barcelona v Aston Villa (8pm). Unai Emery’s side have been the English surprise package in Europe, winning all three games: 3-2 at Club Brugge, a 6-0 demolition of Fenerbahçe and 3-1 against Viking. A trip to Barcelona is the biggest test yet, and comes after Villa were held 1-1 at home by Fulham on Saturday.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the stand-out tie is Atlético Madrid v Bayern Munich (8pm), while Villarreal host Paris Saint-Germain and Feyenoord welcome Inter. The early kick-offs at 5.45pm are Galatasaray v Stuttgart and Shakhtar Donetsk v Sporting.
Wednesday 4 November: Liverpool, Arsenal and City on the road
Fenerbahçe v Liverpool (5.45pm). Andoni Iraola’s side have won all three European matches in entertaining fashion: 2-1 against Atlético, 6-3 at LASK and 4-3 against Villarreal. The early kick-off in Istanbul comes just three days after Sunday’s blockbuster against Arsenal, so squad rotation is likely. Liverpool are already without Northern Ireland full-back Conor Bradley through injury.
Slavia Prague v Arsenal (8pm). Mikel Arteta’s side are unbeaten in Europe, beating Napoli 1-0 away and Lille 3-0 at home before a thrilling 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. A trip to Prague looks more straightforward on paper, but Arsenal’s Carabao Cup exit to League Two Fleetwood last week shows nothing can be taken for granted.
RB Leipzig v Manchester City (8pm). Enzo Maresca’s side have won two of three, at Porto and at home to AEK Athens, but were beaten 4-2 at home by PSG. After back-to-back Premier League defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton, a performance in Germany is badly needed.
Also on Wednesday: Porto v Napoli, Borussia Dortmund v Real Betis, PSV v Club Brugge and Lens v Como, all at 8pm, with Real Madrid’s trip to AEK Athens kicking off at 5.45pm. Lens will be without their travelling support for their upcoming trip to Anfield after a UEFA sanction over flares, a story we covered earlier this week.
Why matchday four matters
Under the league-phase format, every club plays eight matches against eight different opponents. The top eight go straight through to the last 16, sides finishing ninth to 24th enter a knockout play-off round, and the bottom 12 are eliminated. Matchday four is the halfway mark, so a defeat now can drag a club from the automatic places into the play-off zone, or worse.
For United, three points from three games leaves them in danger of slipping towards the bottom 12. For Villa and Liverpool, nine points from nine means a win this week would put them within touching distance of the top eight.
What happens next
After this week, the league phase pauses for the November international break and resumes with matchday five later in the month. If Carrick survives Tuesday, United’s next European assignment will be one of the most closely watched nights of their season. If he does not, Roma could go down as the final chapter of his tenure. Either way, Irish fans will have plenty to watch across two packed evenings.
Kick-off times above are Irish time (GMT) as listed by UEFA and Sky Sports. Broadcast details vary by provider in Ireland, so check your TV guide on the day.
Sources
- UEFA: 2026/27 Champions League, all the league phase fixtures and results (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Sky Sports: Champions League scores and fixtures (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Sky Sports: Carrick expects to remain in charge vs Roma (31 October 2026)
- ESPN: Pressure piles on Michael Carrick as 10-man Man United lose at Chelsea (31 October 2026)
- Sports Illustrated: Liverpool vs Arsenal preview (1 November 2026)
- Sky Sports: Scores and fixtures, 31 October 2026 (31 October 2026)
- Sky Sports: Man City 0-1 Brighton report (31 October 2026)
Featured image: photo by Alex Simpson on Unsplash.
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