Arne Slot makes a couple of changes from Liverpool’s defeat to Forest. In: Kostas Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo. Out: Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz.

Milan make three changes, bringing in Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori and Alvaro Morata for Emerson Royal, Matteo Gabbia and Tammy Abraham. Despite his absence there are four ex-Chelsea players in the starting XI.

This is the short version.

• 36 teams each play eight games between now and the end of January.

• The top eight go through to the last 16.

• The bottom 12 go home (not to the Europa League, not even with their bus fare).

• The teams that finish 9th to 24th play off for a place in the last 16.

Confused? Of course you are. Now all I need are the last three digits on the back of the card.

And now for $omething €ompl£t£ly diff£r£nt: the beginning of the Champions League’s Swiss Model era. Think of it as men’s football’s answer to Brat summer, only with less hedonism, loads more anxiety, billions of pounds being trousered by suits and a mysterious spate of soft-tissue injuries.

So far it’s going well, with one of the best players in the world marking the big day by confirming he and his peers have had their fill of games being added to the calendar.

Whatever you think of the new format – I can see both sides! – it will still end with Real Madrid one lucky team enjoying the greatest high in club football. The magic of becoming European champions will never fade. AC Milan and Liverpool, who meet tonight, have done so seven and six times respectively, with only Real Madrid winning the competition more often.

Both clubs are European Cup royalty. Alas, if we’re talking royalty, in recent times Milan have been more like [redacted]. They haven’t reached the final since beating Liverpool 2-1 in Athens in 2007. In fact they’ve only reached the semi-final once in the last 17 years, and even that memory must stay in a sealed box: after fighting their way past Spurs and Napoli in 2022-23, they were hammered by Internazionale in the last four.

Liverpool have reached the final in three of their last six Champions League campaigns and have begun the season well under Arne Slot, even if they ran head first into a tree against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Milan are 10th in Serie A after a mixed start under Paulo Fonseca, but they are joint top-scorers and hammered Venezia 4-0 at the weekend.

I’d love to say this is a must-win game for both sides, but I don’t want to lie to you. Not yet. We may eventually reflect that the result of tonight’s game was decisive; right now it feels less about jeopardy and more about novelty.

Kick off 8pm.