European club football is back this week and it looks set to be a critical midweek experience for several British clubs.
Here"s our pick of the sport to watch over the week.
Tuesday 7.45, Sky Sports 2- Benfica V Celtic
Glasgow Celtic’s European odyssey expands on Tuesday evening as the Scottish champions travel to Portugal in the hope of putting one foot into the knockout stages. Considering their last Champions League game was a 2-1 win over Barcelona, and one of the most incredible nights in the club’s history, this game has a lot to live up to for tension and excitement. A purposefully stubborn defensive approach seems likely from Neil Lennon"s men so while there is the possibility of glory, it doesn"t appear likely to be glorious.
the odds are, as usual, agaisnt Celtic but they haven’t disappointed their fans yet, so Tuesday could be another night of surprises from the Scots.
Wednesday 7.45, RTE 2- Man City v Real Madrid, Champions league group stages
Manchester City might have gone top of the Premier League table at the weekend following the casual dismissal of Aston Villa on Saturday, but if their European experiences are to continue then the Citizens could be in for a long night on Tuesday. Real Madrid travel to Manchester on Tuesday night and will be hoping to remind City of why it is they can win in the English league, but find European football so tricky.
The two sides met in Madrid in September and served up a thrilling match, with the Spanish champions winning 3-2. If Man City are to have any hope of qualifying from the group they need a win, and as we all know - must win games between massively over paid squads are one of the cornerstones of sporting television.
Thursday 5.50, 3e- Spurs V Lazio, Europa League group stage
Spurs travel to Rome on Thursday evening for an early kick off against Italian side Lazio. A win in the Italian capital could see spurs progress to the last 32 of the competition but Lazio have been in good form this year and will provide a tough test for a Spurs side who have just suffered a humiliating 5-2 derby defeat to Arsenal.
While the Europa League is patently not a major concern for fans, management or players at Spurs it is nonetheless a potential problem. Saturday"s derby mauling has confered a previously unpresent importance on this fixture as Spurs are now backed into a corner, or at least AVB is. A win is very much desired, and the performance should match that desire.
