The Champions League group stage kicks off on Tuesday with Bayern Munich beginning their defence of the trophy won in Lisbon in August. AFP Sport picks out some of the storylines to watch over the next few weeks:

<h2>- Messi v Ronaldo -</h2>

They are the two greatest players of their generation with 11 Ballons d'Or between them, and the two highest scorers in Champions League history. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are now set to renew their individual rivalry when Barcelona and Juventus clash in Group G.

They have not faced off since the Portuguese superstar left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018.

Ronaldo is currently self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 and will need to pass a negative test before being allowed to feature against Barca in Turin on October 28. The return at the Camp Nou is on December 8.

Both sides should advance from a group also containing Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros, but both Messi and Ronaldo are running out of time to win the Champions League again. Messi, now 33, has featured in four victorious campaigns, while 35-year-old Ronaldo has won it five times.

&nbsp;

<h2>- Will Man Utd get out of their group? -</h2>

Manchester United begin their campaign at Paris Saint-Germain in a repeat of their dramatic last-16 meeting in 2018-19, when the Red Devils progressed thanks to a controversial late penalty.

That was arguably the high point of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign as Old Trafford manager. It was his 14th win in 17 games as caretaker, and soon after he got the job permanently. But United went out to Barcelona in the quarter-finals and did not qualify for last season's Champions League.

Solskjer's first full campaign in charge saw United finish third to return to Europe's top table, but serious doubts remain about his managerial ability and they are in a tough group, with last season's semi-finalists RB Leipzig and the Turkish champions, Istanbul Basaksehir, as well as PSG.

The knives will be out for the Norwegian if they fail to make the knockout stage.

&nbsp;

<h2>- Haaland to star again? -</h2>

Erling Braut Haaland was the star of last season's Champions League before the competition was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;

The Norwegian was a sensation for Red Bull Salzburg in the group stage, scoring eight times. After moving to Borussia Dortmund in the winter he scored two more in the defeat of PSG in the last 16, first leg, although Dortmund ended up losing on aggregate.

In total Haaland scored 44 club goals last season, all before turning 20 in July. He already has 11 this season for club and country and Dortmund will hope he can help them out of a group also containing Zenit Saint Petersburg, Lazio and Club Brugge.

&nbsp;

<h2>- Atalanta: Dark horses no more -</h2>

Atalanta's run to the quarter-finals, where they suffered an agonising defeat to PSG, would have been heartwarming even had it not coincided with their home city of Bergamo being devastated during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side qualified for the last 16 despite losing their first three group games and then beat Valencia 8-4 on aggregate in their debut Champions League campaign. They also finished third in Serie A to return to Europe's elite club competition.

But Atalanta are no longer a surprise package and are probably now favourites to advance from their group along with Liverpool, and ahead of Ajax and the Danish champions, Midtjylland. Will they continue to thrive despite no longer being the dark horses?

&nbsp;

<h2>- The debutants -</h2>

Atalanta may no longer be the new boys but four teams are appearing in the group stage for the first time.&nbsp;

The most interesting first-timers are Rennes, who had a best-ever third-place finish in France a year on from winning the French Cup. In Julien Stephan they have one of Europe's best young coaches, while midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is possibly the hottest young prospect in world football. They are in a difficult group, though, with Chelsea, Sevilla and another newcomer in Russian side Krasnodar.

Midtjylland will have it tough up against Liverpool, Atalanta and Ajax. Meanwhile, after breaking up the dominance of the Istanbul giants in Turkey, Basaksehir will hope to cause problems for PSG, Manchester United and Leipzig.

The Champions League group stage kicks off on Tuesday with Bayern Munich beginning their defence of the trophy won in Lisbon in August. AFP Sport picks out some of the storylines to watch over the next few weeks: - Messi v Ronaldo - They are the two greatest players of their generation with 11 Ballons d'Or between them, and the two highest scorers in Champions League history.

The Champions League group stage kicks off on Tuesday with Bayern Munich beginning their defence of the trophy won in Lisbon in August. AFP Sport picks out some of the storylines to watch over the next few weeks: - Messi v Ronaldo - They are the two greatest players of their generation with 11 Ballons d'Or between them, and the two highest scorers in Champions League history. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are now set to renew their individual rivalry when Barcelona and Juventus clash in Group G. They have not faced off since the Portuguese superstar left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018. Ronaldo is currently self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 and will need to pass a negative test before being allowed to feature against Barca in Turin on October 28. The return at the Camp Nou is on December 8. Both sides should advance from a group also containing Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros, but both Messi and Ronaldo are running out of time to win the Champions League again. Messi, now 33, has featured in four victorious campaigns, while 35-year-old Ronaldo has won it five times. - Will Man Utd get out of their group? - Manchester United begin their campaign at Paris Saint-Germain in a repeat of their dramatic last-16 meeting in 2018-19, when the Red Devils progressed thanks to a controversial late penalty. That was arguably the high point of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign as Old Trafford manager. It was his 14th win in 17 games as caretaker, and soon after he got the job permanently. But United went out to Barcelona in the quarter-finals and did not qualify for last season's Champions League. Solskjer's first full campaign in charge saw United finish third to return to Europe's top table, but serious doubts remain about his managerial ability and they are in a tough group, with last season's semi-finalists RB Leipzig and the Turkish champions, Istanbul Basaksehir, as well as PSG. The knives will be out for the Norwegian if they fail to make the knockout stage. - Haaland to star again? - Erling Braut Haaland was the star of last season's Champions League before the competition was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Norwegian was a sensation for Red Bull Salzburg in the group stage, scoring eight times. After moving to Borussia Dortmund in the winter he scored two more in the defeat of PSG in the last 16, first leg, although Dortmund ended up losing on aggregate. In total Haaland scored 44 club goals last season, all before turning 20 in July. He already has 11 this season for club and country and Dortmund will hope he can help them out of a group also containing Zenit Saint Petersburg, Lazio and Club Brugge. - Atalanta: Dark horses no more - Atalanta's run to the quarter-finals, where they suffered an agonising defeat to PSG, would have been heartwarming even had it not coincided with their home city of Bergamo being devastated during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Gian Piero Gasperini's side qualified for the last 16 despite losing their first three group games and then beat Valencia 8-4 on aggregate in their debut Champions League campaign. They also finished third in Serie A to return to Europe's elite club competition. But Atalanta are no longer a surprise package and are probably now favourites to advance from their group along with Liverpool, and ahead of Ajax and the Danish champions, Midtjylland. Will they continue to thrive despite no longer being the dark horses? - The debutants - Atalanta may no longer be the new boys but four teams are appearing in the group stage for the first time. The most interesting first-timers are Rennes, who had a best-ever third-place finish in France a year on from winning the French Cup. In Julien Stephan they have one of Europe's best young coaches, while midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is possibly the hottest young prospect in world football. They are in a difficult group, though, with Chelsea, Sevilla and another newcomer in Russian side Krasnodar. Midtjylland will have it tough up against Liverpool, Atalanta and Ajax. Meanwhile, after breaking up the dominance of the Istanbul giants in Turkey, Basaksehir will hope to cause problems for PSG, Manchester United and Leipzig.

Messi v Ronaldo, Man Utd, Haaland: Champions League storylines to watch

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/uefa-champions-league">UEFA Champions League</a> and Europa League are set to return after a prolonged break due to COVID-19. While the ‘Final-8’ of the showpiece tournament is set to be played in Lisbon, Portugal, the remaining second-leg matches from the UCL and UEL will be played as earlier scheduled.&nbsp;

The last 16 matches of UCL and UEL have stood postponed since the coronavirus shutdown in March which not only affected the world of football but almost every other sport. While the European leagues have now been completed, the focus shifts onto the Champions League and Europa League set to commence from August 7 and August 5 respectively.&nbsp;

<h2>Here are the full fixtures of UEF Champions League last 16 second legs.&nbsp;</h2>

<h2>Champions League last 16 second legs: Full fixtures</h2>

Friday, August 7

At Turin, Italy

Juventus (ITA) v Lyon (FRA)

Lyon won first leg 1-0

At Manchester, England

Manchester City (ENG) v Real Madrid (ESP)

Man City won first leg 2-1

Saturday, August 8

At Munich, Germany

Bayern Munich (GER) v Chelsea (ENG)

Bayern won first leg 3-0

At Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona (ESP) v Napoli (ITA)

First leg 1-1

Final stages to be played in Lisbon

Quarter-finals August 12-15; Semi-finals August 18-19; Final August 23

<h2>Europa League last 16: Full fixtures</h2>

Wednesday, August 5

At Kiev (1655 GMT)

Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Wolfsburg (GER) &nbsp;

Shakhtar won first leg 2-1

At Copenhagen (1655 GMT)

FC Copenhagen (DEN) v Istanbul Basaksehir (TUR)

Istanbul Basaksehir won first leg 1-0

At Manchester, England

Manchester United (ENG) v LASK (AUT)

Man Utd won first leg 5-0

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Inter Milan (ITA) v Getafe (ESP)

First leg postponed so being played as a one-off tie

Thursday, August 6

At Duisburg, Germany (1655 GMT)

Sevilla (ESP) v Roma (ITA)

First leg postponed so being played as a one-off tie

At Leverkusen, Germany (1655 GMT)

Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v Rangers (SCO)

Leverkusen won first leg 3-1

At Basel, Switzerland

Basel (SUI) v Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)

Basel won first leg 3-0

At Wolverhampton, England

Wolverhampton Wanderers (ENG) v Olympiakos (GRE)

First leg 1-1

Final stages to be played in Germany

Quarter-finals August 10-11; Semi-finals August 16-17; Final in Cologne on August 21 
&nbsp;

UEFA Champions League and Europa League are set to return after a prolonged break due to COVID-19. While the ‘Final-8’ of the showpiece tournament is set to be played in Lisbon, Portugal, the remaining second-leg matches from the UCL and UEL will be played as earlier scheduled.

UEFA Champions League and Europa League are set to return after a prolonged break due to COVID-19. While the ‘Final-8’ of the showpiece tournament is set to be played in Lisbon, Portugal, the remaining second-leg matches from the UCL and UEL will be played as earlier scheduled. The last 16 matches of UCL and UEL have stood postponed since the coronavirus shutdown in March which not only affected the world of football but almost every other sport. While the European leagues have now been completed, the focus shifts onto the Champions League and Europa League set to commence from August 7 and August 5 respectively. Here are the full fixtures of UEF Champions League last 16 second legs. Champions League last 16 second legs: Full fixtures Friday, August 7 At Turin, Italy Juventus (ITA) v Lyon (FRA) Lyon won first leg 1-0 At Manchester, England Manchester City (ENG) v Real Madrid (ESP) Man City won first leg 2-1 Saturday, August 8 At Munich, Germany Bayern Munich (GER) v Chelsea (ENG) Bayern won first leg 3-0 At Barcelona, Spain Barcelona (ESP) v Napoli (ITA) First leg 1-1 Final stages to be played in Lisbon Quarter-finals August 12-15; Semi-finals August 18-19; Final August 23 Europa League last 16: Full fixtures Wednesday, August 5 At Kiev (1655 GMT) Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Wolfsburg (GER) Shakhtar won first leg 2-1 At Copenhagen (1655 GMT) FC Copenhagen (DEN) v Istanbul Basaksehir (TUR) Istanbul Basaksehir won first leg 1-0 At Manchester, England Manchester United (ENG) v LASK (AUT) Man Utd won first leg 5-0 At Gelsenkirchen, Germany Inter Milan (ITA) v Getafe (ESP) First leg postponed so being played as a one-off tie Thursday, August 6 At Duisburg, Germany (1655 GMT) Sevilla (ESP) v Roma (ITA) First leg postponed so being played as a one-off tie At Leverkusen, Germany (1655 GMT) Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v Rangers (SCO) Leverkusen won first leg 3-1 At Basel, Switzerland Basel (SUI) v Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) Basel won first leg 3-0 At Wolverhampton, England Wolverhampton Wanderers (ENG) v Olympiakos (GRE) First leg 1-1 Final stages to be played in Germany Quarter-finals August 10-11; Semi-finals August 16-17; Final in Cologne on August 21

UEFA Champions League and Europa League: Fixtures, timings of remaining Round of 16 matches

UEFA is willing to resume the Champions League matches, which is suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic, on August 7-8. As per the recent proposal, the remaining matches of the Round of 16 will be played on August 7 and 8 followed by games every three days until August 29, when the final of UEFA Champions League is scheduled to be held.

The semi-final of UEFA Champions League is proposed to be held on August 18-19 and 21-22 before the summit clash in Istanbul. The current proposal could lead to the group stage matches of 2020/21 season of the Champions League to be postponed to October 20.&nbsp;

However, with UEFA mulling to make clubs play Champions League matches in every three days, there could be a sense of worry from clubs in regards to their fixtures in their respective domestic leagues.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/chinese-super-league-to-start-by-july-club-chairman-293517" hreflang="en">Chinese Super League to start by July: Club chairman</a>

The UEFA Champions League final was earlier scheduled to be played on May 30 in Istanbul. However, the outbreak of the dreaded coronavirus led to the postponement of the tournament with reverse fixtures of the Round of 16 matches left to be played. Only Paris St Germain, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Leipzig and Atalanta have qualified to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Earlier, there was a sense of confusion in relation to the date of the final with some reports quoting UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin as saying.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/premier-leagues-transfer-market-bubble-set-to-burst-293512" hreflang="en">Premier League's transfer market bubble set to burst</a>

“Champions League must finish by August 3”. However, UEFA completely denied the reports.&nbsp;

"It has been reported that UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin told ZDF in Germany that the UEFA Champions League must finish by 3 August. This is not true," said a statement from European soccer's governing body.

"The President was very clear not to set exact dates for the end of the season." 
&nbsp;

UEFA is willing to resume the Champions League matches, which is suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic, on August 7-8. As per the recent proposal, the remaining matches of the Round of 16 will be played on August 7 and 8 followed by games every three days until August 29, when the final of UEFA Champions League is scheduled to be held.

UEFA is willing to resume the Champions League matches, which is suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic, on August 7-8. As per the recent proposal, the remaining matches of the Round of 16 will be played on August 7 and 8 followed by games every three days until August 29, when the final of UEFA Champions League is scheduled to be held. The semi-final of UEFA Champions League is proposed to be held on August 18-19 and 21-22 before the summit clash in Istanbul. The current proposal could lead to the group stage matches of 2020/21 season of the Champions League to be postponed to October 20. However, with UEFA mulling to make clubs play Champions League matches in every three days, there could be a sense of worry from clubs in regards to their fixtures in their respective domestic leagues. ALSO READ: Chinese Super League to start by July: Club chairman The UEFA Champions League final was earlier scheduled to be played on May 30 in Istanbul. However, the outbreak of the dreaded coronavirus led to the postponement of the tournament with reverse fixtures of the Round of 16 matches left to be played. Only Paris St Germain, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Leipzig and Atalanta have qualified to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Earlier, there was a sense of confusion in relation to the date of the final with some reports quoting UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin as saying. ALSO READ: Premier League's transfer market bubble set to burst “Champions League must finish by August 3”. However, UEFA completely denied the reports. "It has been reported that UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin told ZDF in Germany that the UEFA Champions League must finish by 3 August. This is not true," said a statement from European soccer's governing body. "The President was very clear not to set exact dates for the end of the season."

Resumption of Champions League in August; postponement of 2020/21 UCL season likely: Reports

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Messi v Ronaldo, Man Utd, Haaland: Champions League storylines to watch

UEFA Champions League and Europa League: Fixtures, timings of remaining Round of 16 matches

Resumption of Champions League in August; postponement of 2020/21 UCL season likely: Reports