Juan Mata has made a nice impression since joining Chelsea this past summer, but if he is to influence the Blues' next match, he'll do so at the expense of his former employer.
Mata and Chelsea take on his former club, Valencia, at Estadio Mestalla in one of Wednesday's high-profile UEFA Champions League group matches. Arsenal looks to make headway in Group F, and it will look to overcome being shorthanded (Theo Walcott and Gervinho aren't available, among many others) when it hosts Greek power Olympiakos.
The always-entertaining Barcelona is also in action, as Lionel Messi & Co. hope to avoid being upset by Belarus' BATE Borisov in a Group H battle.
If you will be watching any of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League matches, please feel free to share any thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. Enjoy the action (TV schedule is after the jump):
WEDNESDAY'S UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ON TV
2:45 p.m. – Fox Soccer Channel – Valencia vs. Chelsea
2:45 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv/DirecTV – Arsenal vs. Olympiakos
2:45 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv/Fox Deportes/DirecTV – BATE Borisov vs. Barcelona
2:45 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv/DirecTV – Marseille vs. Borussia Dortmund
2:45 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv/DirecTV – Bayer Leverkusen vs. Genk
2:45 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv/DirecTV – AC Milan vs. Viktoria Plzen
2:45 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv/DirecTV - Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Apoel Nicosia
Bummed with Porto’s showing. Last years team would have ripped apart Zenit.
Bate’s keeper, even with a rookie mistake or two today, is going to be a star in European soccer. He kept this game from being 10-0.
Barca: 77% possession and 19 shots on goal… Amazing!
Lionel Messi.
Oh. My. Word.
The Chelsea-Valencia match has been pretty boring up till now. Any updates on the Marseille-Dortmund match?
If you ask me, the only reason Dempsey didn’t leave Fulham is because they qualified for the Europa League.
Best striker in the world right now I’d say is Mario Gomez of BAYERN MUNICH followed by Sergio Aguero and David Villa.
O/T but isn’t Christina Hendricks just the sexiest woman alive?
Stunning strike from Villa. Goal of the tournament favorite if the keeper doesn’t get a hand to it. Is there a better distance striker of the ball in world football?
And Bate is down 2-0…
What vision from Villa!
Bate is showing so much respect for Barcelona’s abilities. It is going to take something really special for Barcelona to score against this compacted defense.
I believe the only reason that wasn’t a red card for last man is because the game just started. Should that same foul on Torres happen in the second half I wouldn’t be surprised to see the ejection.