Why are Manchester City and Newcastle United playing Champions League games on a Thursday night?

Fans of calendars and forward planning will have noticed that Manchester City and Newcastle United will play their opening Champions League games on a Thursday night this season.

That’s weird, because the competition is generally held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with Thursday usually reserved for the Europa League and the Conference League. ‘Channel 5, Thursday nights’ and all that.

So why the change for Barcelona’s visit to St James’ Park and Napoli’s trip to the Etihad, alongside four other Champions League games on Thursday, September 18?

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Thursday night Champions League games came in last season as part of UEFA shake-up

The Champions League? On a Thursday? (Image credit: Getty Images)

Thursday night Champions League games actually took place last season too, with a handful of games moved as part of UEFA’s shake-up of their three continental cup competitions.

Arsenal were the only English side affected on that occasion, with their opening clash away to Atalanta taking place on what Joey Tribbiani would consider ‘the third day’.

Eddie Howe will test his wits against Barcelona on a Thursday night (Image credit: Alamy)

As for why that’s happening…UEFA have basically decided that the Champions League and Europa League will get their opening weeks to themselves in September.

Because it just would not do to have a week without an extra evening of precious TV rights to sell, games from the other competitions are spread out as a one-off each season to help fill in the gap.

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The first week of the clumsily-named Champions League league phase comes a week before the Europa League equivalent gets under way, and two weeks before the Conference League starts properly – and so there were no Thursday night slots to fill on week commencing September 15.

As such, UEFA have moved six games to that Thursday night:

• FC Copenhagen vs Bayer Leverkusen
• Brugge vs Monaco
• Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray
• Sporting vs Kairat
• Newcastle vs Barcelona
• Manchester City vs Napoli

Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola have gone head to head before (Image credit: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Gives you an extra night to use your midweek substitutions in Fantasy Champions League, anyway.

The following week, there is no Champions League or Conference League football, and so the Europa League will spread its legs to encompass Wednesday evening as well that week.

That’s why Nottingham Forest are going to Real Betis and Celtic visit Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) on Wednesday 24 September, rather than the customary Thursday.