Arsenal and Bayern meet at the Emirates as the competition’s top two sides, with Harry Kane returning to North London
Inter, Real Madrid, Liverpool and PSG headline a packed slate on UEFA Champions League Matchday 5
Off-field intrigue surrounds Pafos v Monaco, a meeting of sides linked to Russian billionaires
UEFA Champions League Matchday 5 Preview: Arsenal Vs Bayern Headlines Pivotal Wednesday Night
UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Matchday 5 Wednesday Preview: The marquee showdown pits Arsenal against Bayern Munich in a top-of-the-table clash, while key fixtures across Europe shape the continental race
Summary
The UEFA Champions League Matchday 5 will see the headline fixture of Wednesday, November 26, as the top two sides in the tournament – Arsenal and Bayern Munich – clash at the Emirates Stadium in North London. This will mark a meeting between the leaders of the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga.
Arsenal enter the night with four straight wins and no goals conceded, yet they sit second only on the goals-scored tiebreaker as both teams share the same goal difference.
Bayern’s edge has come in part from Harry Kane, who has scored five of their 14 Champions League goals and now returns to North London, where he averaged 30 per season across nine years at Tottenham.
Other UCL Matchday 5 Fixtures
Inter Milan, the only other team on 12 points and currently third in the 36-team table, chase a fifth consecutive victory when they travel to Atletico Madrid.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid head to Olympiakos aiming to rebound from their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool in Round 4. Liverpool, meanwhile, welcome PSV Eindhoven to Anfield.
In Paris, PSG host Tottenham Hotspur in a rematch of August’s UEFA Super Cup, a contest the Champions League title holders edged on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Two recent Europa League winners meet in Germany as Eintracht Frankfurt face Atalanta, while Sporting Lisbon host Club Brugge in another key mid-table encounter.
This is also the fourth season of UEFA competitions without Russian clubs due to the war in Ukraine, yet Matchday 5 brings an unusual backdrop. Cypriot First Division leader Pafos will take on French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco, a fixture between teams whose ownership groups include Russian billionaires.
Pafos are co-owned by Sergey Lomakin, while Monaco’s majority shareholder is Dmitry Rybolovlev, once known for purchasing a Florida property from future United States president Donald Trump.
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In Wednesday’s early kick-off, Kairat Almaty travel from Kazakhstan to face Copenhagen. Both sides have just a single point and sit at No. 35 and No. 33, respectively, in the current standings.
(With AP Inputs)
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