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The second matchday of the third round of Champions League group stage matches kicks off today, and as expected, there are lots of entertaining fixtures in store for us.
The undoubted marquee match of the night would take place at Camp Nou as Barcelona hosts Inter Milan in a fixture which has a vengeance subplot as well as being a potential table decider.
Other exciting matchups include PSG's clash with Napoli, Borussia Dortmund vs Atletico Madrid while PSV vs Tottenham also promises fireworks.
The Champions League is the biggest stage of club football, and every player aspires to grace it, as the biggest players in the world showcase their talents to a global audience.
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Different clubs are playing for different objectives in this season's Champions League and would be counting on their players to help them achieve their aims. Here are the four biggest players to look out for in this round of matches.
#5 Neymar
The 26-year-old is the most expensive footballer of all time following his €220m transfer from Barcelona to PSG in 2017.
The Parisians had bought the Brazilian in the hope that he would lead their assault on the Champions League, but an unfortunate injury ended his debut season prematurely.
He also had a disappointing World Cup with Brazil, failing to have the impact expected of him and he came into the new season with doubts expressed over his suitability as the man to lead PSG into the future.
Further criticisms were levelled at Neymar, as he put up another AWOL performance as PSG were beaten by Liverpool in the opening match of this UCL season.
He responded emphatically with a brace of two well-taken free kicks and a couple of assists in the next fixture, although with all due respect to Crvena Zvezda, they are not exactly the strongest of opponents despite their status as Serbian champions.
The fixture with Napoli offers an excellent opportunity for Neymar to showcase his abilities, as an oft levelled allegation against him is that he goes missing in the biggest matches for PSG.
PSG are currently lying in third place in group C, hence their clash with Napoli takes on extra significance, as the Italians are current table toppers, and would seek to consolidate on their top spot.
Liverpool are almost guaranteed to pick up three points against their opponents (with all due respect to them), so neither PSG nor Napoli would want to fall further behind, as any slip up could prove costly in this group which was billed as the group of death.
The Pertenopei are one of the biggest teams in Serie A, sitting second in the league and in Ancelotti, they have an experienced serial winning coach. So Neymar would be desperate to put the visitors to the Sword and send a statement of intent to the rest of Europe.
#4 Paco Alcacer
After catching the eye with his impressive performances for Valencia in La Liga, Barcelona made the decision to sign Paco Alcacer for €30m in 2015.
He, however, found game time difficult to come by, sitting behind the likes of Messi, Suarez and Dembele in the pecking order, hence the decision was made to loan him out to Borussia Dortmund in the offseason.
Not much was expected from the 25-year-old at the Signal Iduna Park, but the Spaniard has defied all expectations by adapting to life very well in Germany.
With seven goals scored, Alcacer sits joint top of the scorers' charts in the Bundesliga, despite playing just four matches (for a total of just 126 minutes). Impressively, this means he has scored at a remarkable rate of one goal every 18 minutes. This is rather incredible, considering that he was brought in on loan.
He has also been at it with Spain, scoring a brace in his first match back with La Furia Roja in over two years in the 4-1 friendly victory over Wales. He then went on score with the first touch of the ball just seconds after coming off the bench in the Nations League defeat to England.
Dortmund look primed to make it out of their group alongside Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid, leaving the small matter of deciding who tops the group all that is left at stake, hence the clash with Los Rojiblancos takes on greater significance for Die Borussen, and Paco Alcacer would be the main threat which Diego Simeone's men would have to curtail.
#3 Harry Kane
Tottenham have been one of the biggest footballing success stories in recent years, going from big team wannabes to becoming genuine Premier League contenders and serial Champions League appearers.
Much of their success in recent years can be traced to the emphatic form of Harry Kane, as the 25-year-old has morphed into the premier striker in the world, having spent the beginning years of his career wandering about on loan to multiple clubs.
He was the EPL Golden Boot winner in consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017 and showed his abilities on the biggest stage when he outscored everyone in Russia to win the World Cup Golden Boot.
The Lily Whites of Tottenham are yet to make a genuine impact on the Champions League since their fairytale quarterfinal run in 2010 and have kicked off this campaign with consecutive defeats to Inter Milan and Barcelona.
Tottenham would seek to get back their UCL season on track, and the doubleheader with the Dutch champions offers an excellent chance to do that, and if they are to get anything from the match, then the form of their captain would be crucial.
#2 Philippe Coutinho
Following Messi's unfortunate injury sustained against Sevilla which ruled him out for three weeks, Coutinho is one of the players who Barcelona would look to mount the saddle of responsibility.
The 26-year-old is the costliest player in Barcelona's history and was signed to replace legendary midfielder Andres Iniesta.
Since his January arrival, the Brazilian has fitted in seamlessly with the Blaugrana system, as his unique skillset offers a different dimension to the Barcelona attack.
He has scored three goals so far this season in LaLiga, but is yet to get off the mark in the Champions League.
Coutinho would come up against one of his former teams at Camp Nou, as he spent five years at San Siro between 2008 and 2013, although he failed to nail a spot in the first team, making just 28 league appearances before his transfer to Liverpool with whom he went on to become a world class player.
Messi's absence puts a greater weight of expectation on Coutinho's shoulders, and this alongside the drive to prove himself against the club that didn't give him an opportunity would spur him to go all out and showcase his abilities.
#1 Mauro Icardi
Unarguably the most important player for Inter Milan in recent years, the Argentine is a bonafide world class striker who bangs goals in for fun, and Inter Milan have benefitted immensely from his potency in front of goal.
The 24-year-old finished as joint top scorer in the Serie A last season with 28 goals alongside Ciro Immobile, and his goals were crucial in helping the Nerrazurri qualify for the Champions League after an eight-year hiatus.
Icardi has shown that he belongs on this stage so far, with two goals from two appearances, the first of which was a worldie from outside the box against Tottenham, before a calm finish past PSV put Inter ahead in the second match.
Barcelona would be wary of the danger posed by the Inter captain, as he is one of many players who could hurt the Spanish champions.
