Champions League preview: Liverpool v Atletico Madrid headline Wednesday's matchday

Dubai: The Champions League returns with another star-studded night of European football, headlined by Liverpool’s clash against Atletico Madrid at Anfield.

Six matches are scheduled on Wednesday as the league continues. Following an entertaining Tuesday night, tonight’s fixtures will feature FC Barcelona opening their campaign along with last season's finalists Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

The two teams have met each other several times in the past with a contest that guarantees drama. Diego Simeone will face an old face in the opposing end as Andoni Iraola takes charge in his first Champions League match as Reds manager.

Liverpool have also made a strong start to their European campaign at Anfield, while Atletico will be looking to recover from a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in their most recent game. The two sides met on the opening matchday last season, with Liverpool winning a dramatic 3-2 encounter.

There is also a fascinating battle between the two managers. Iraola has yet to beat Diego Simeone in four meetings, losing three and drawing one during the Spaniard's time in La Liga. Simeone, meanwhile, will be hoping his side can produce a stronger away performance after struggling on the road in last season’s competition.

Alexander Isak leads the scoring for Liverpool with 3 goals in the Premier League. Meanwhile for Atletico, their star forward Julian Alvarez is facing scrutiny at the club after a failed move to FC Barcelona. He has been coming on as a substitute for Simeone's side, But with a fixture so big, Atletico may eventually need to start the Argentine forward.

Barcelona v Feyenoord: Barcelona begin their campaign at home after an undefeated start domestically. Lamine Yamal has already made his mark this season, while Hansi Flick will be looking to finally take the club back to European glory after their 2015 triumph.

Napoli v Arsenal: Arsenal travel to Naples looking to build on a perfect domestic start. The Premier League champions will be determined to go one step further in Europe after reaching last season’s final, while Napoli enter the contest struggling for form with one win in three games.

PSG v Slovan Bratislava: The defending champions begin their title defence at home against Slovan. PSG are looking to maintain their grip on Europe after winning the competition last season, despite a difficult start domestically. Luis Enrique's side are yet to register a win this season, hoping to kickoff their winning ways at Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

Sporting CP v Galatasaray: Two sides with ambitions of reaching the knockout stages meet in Portugal, with both seeing this fixture as an important opportunity to start strongly. Galatasaray's new signing Rafael Leao will return to his first home but in the opposing side.

Stuttgart v Viking FK: Stuttgart host Champions League debutants Viking FK, who will be hoping to produce one of the early surprises of the new campaign.

UAE fans can watch every Champions League match live and exclusively on beIN SPORTS, which holds the broadcasting rights for UEFA’s club competitions across the MENA region.