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UEFA Youth League group stage begins

Just as their senior counterparts are starting their UEFA Champions League bids, so the 32 Under-19 squads will open the UEFA Youth League group stage on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Last season's Paris team reached the final
Last season's Paris team reached the final ©Sportsfile

The UEFA Youth League kicks off on Tuesday with the first games in the UEFA Champions League path group stage – which mirrors the fixtures in the senior competition.

Groups and opening games
Tuesday
Group A:
Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal, Basel v Ludogorets Razgrad
Group B:
Dynamo Kyiv v Napoli, Benfica v Beşiktaş
Group C:
Barcelona v Celtic, Manchester City v Borussia Mönchengladbach
Group D:
Bayern München v Rostov, PSV Eindhoven v Atlético Madrid
Group G:
Club Brugge v Leicester City

Wednesday
Group E:
Bayer Leverkusen v CSKA Moskva, Tottenham Hotspur v Monaco
Group F:
Real Madrid v Sporting CP, Legia Warszawa v Borussia Dortmund
Group G:
Porto v FC København
Group H:
Juventus v Sevilla, Lyon v Dinamo Zagreb

Skills challenge winners: Barcelona

Where to watch
Four games each week will be centrally-produced by UEFA, televised by the UEFA Youth League rights holders and streamed on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv in unsold territories (with highlights to follow in all territories).

This week's televised matches

Tuesday:
Manchester City v Borussia Mönchengladbach (16:00CEST)
Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal (18:00CEST)

Wednesday:
Juventus v Sevilla (16:00CEST)
Real Madrid v Sporting CP (18:00CEST)

What to watch
• While Chelsea, who have won the competition for the last two years, are not involved this term, Barcelona are aiming to repeat their success in the inaugural season of 2013/14 – when they beat Celtic home and away in the group stage.

Watch Chelsea beat Paris in 2016 final

• Last season's runners-up Paris will hope for better luck against Arsenal than in their previous meeting with London opposition, a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the 2016 final.

Sevilla overcame Juventus 1-0 home and away last autumn, the key factor in them finishing second in their group, five points ahead of the Turin side.

Basel also have good memories of playing Ludogorets in 2014/15 as they triumphed 5-0 away and 6-0 at home.

Bayern have gone out in the group stage in all three previous seasons.

• Two of the three debutants Club Brugge and Leicester meet; Rostov are the other newcomers.

Marcus Rashford 's Youth League exploits

Competition system
• The eight group winners will progress straight to the round of 16.

• The eight runners-up will go into the play-offs.

Play-offs
The eight Domestic Champions path survivors will be drawn at home to the eight UEFA Champions League path runners-up in one-off ties to decide the eight remaining round of 16 berths.

Knockout phase and final
The knockout phase, starting with the round of 16, will consist of single-leg ties.

• The semi-finals and the final will be played on 21 and 24 April respectively at the Colovray stadium opposite UEFA's Swiss headquarters in Nyon.

Autumn matches
UEFA Champions League path matchday one: 13/14 September
UEFA Champions League path matchday two: 27/28 September
Domestic Champions path round one, first leg: 27/28 September
UEFA Champions League path matchday three: 18/19 October
Domestic Champions path round one, second leg: 18/19 October
UEFA Champions League path matchday four: 1/2 November
Domestic Champions path round two, first leg: 1/2 November
UEFA Champions League path matchday five: 22/23 November
Domestic Champions path round two, second leg: 22/23 November
UEFA Champions League path matchday six: 6/7 December

Knockout dates (all games one leg)
Play-off draw: 12 December
Play-offs: 7/8 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 13 February
Round of 16: 21/22 February
Quarter-finals: 7/8 March
Semi-final: 21 April, Nyon
Final: 24 April, Nyon