Mike Taylor
BBC WM commentator

A few hours from kick off, there are one or two Villa fans and also Young Boys' fans milling around near the stadium, which is hidden away from the concrete shell of what looks like a shopping centre from the outside.

It is the home of Young Boys, but there is a certain artificiality about it. You might have heard Unai Emery talking yesterday about getting used to that here, with the pitch not being entirely grass.

The Villa fans I've spoken to are reasonably confident and certainly know that their squad is a lot more equipped for Europe in terms of strength and depth compared to last year in the Conference League.

They feel as if they ultimately ran out of energy last season when they got to the semi-finals against Olympiakos, despite still qualifying for this year's Champions League due to a top-four finish in the Premier League.

There is also a warning from the Conference League as they were in Warsaw playing a team called Legia last year, and, like Young Boys, they were expected to beat them but became unstuck.

Before Liverpool's glamour tie at AC Milan, Aston Villa will be hoping to open their Champions League account with victory at Young Boys in today's early kick-off (17:45 BST).

The build-up is well and truly underway for fans of Unai Emery's side who have travelled to Bern, in Switzerland, for the club's first match in Europe's elite competition for 41 years...

Liverpool

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker had some pretty strong opinions on the new format, which means each team will play a minimum of eight games, rather than the previous six.

He said he felt it would be "amazing for the supporters - more games, more bigger games - big teams playing against each other" and that for the players "it's a good thing, going to play against the best in Europe".

However, he added that "sometimes nobody asks the players what they think about adding more games, so maybe our opinion doesn't matter".

• Click the play icon above to watch Alisson's interview, or here to read more on this story.

Dr David

Say how you really feel Dr David!

Liverpool

Liverpool's Brazil goalkeeper Alisson sees tonight's Champions League opener as an opportunity for a reset after Saturday's loss to Nottingham Forest.

He said: "It is a big chance for us to prove again and to go back to the good start we had in the season. Unfortunately the last match [defeat to Nottingham Forest], we were far, far away from what we could do on the pitch, in respect of the other games and the way we played. We know that but football is quick and we have to be really focused. It will be a really tough opponent and we will have to be ready."

Liverpool

Image source, Getty Images

More from Arne Slot on tonight's opponents AC Milan: "We have a lot of respect for the quality of players and history of Milan. They have quality players. We're not scared, but we do respect."

And a final word from the Liverpool manager on his spending his 46th birthday at the San Siro: "I think it's the first time my birthday is not so important. It's a big game, also for me but for us because it's the first game and it's the next game. The next game is always the most important one but because of the history that these two teams have. The venue where it's played in, it's one to look forward to."

Gary

Not exactly hyped then, Gary?!

Image source, Getty Images

Federico Chiesa is in Liverpool's matchday squad for their Champions League opener at AC Milan, but will not start at the San Siro.

The 26-year-old winger joined the Reds from Juventus for £10m in August and has yet to feature for his new club.

Asked about Chiesa's inclusion, Liverpool manager Arne Slot said it was still "too early for him to play 90 minutes".

Liverpool are playing their first Champions League match after a year away, having competed in the Europa League last season, where they lost to Italian opposition - Atalanta - in the quarter-finals.

The Reds go into tonight's match on the back of Saturday's shock 1-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, but have no fresh injury concerns.

Tyler Morton has also travelled in the 23-man playing squad - the 21-year-old midfielder spent last season on loan at Hull City.

Image source, Getty Images

Somewhat surprisingly, considering Liverpool and AC Milan's proud history, tonight's game at the San Siro will only be the fifth meeting between the two sides in Europe's premier cup competition.

As mentioned, two of those four games were in the Champions League final, with "that night" in Istanbul in 2005 their first ever head-to-head at this level.

The most recent European games between the Rossoneri and Liverpool were in the 2021-22 Champions League group stage. The Reds won both - 3-2 at Anfield and 2-1 at the San Siro.

Liverpool

Here are the thoughts of Liverpool boss Arne Slot on the new Champions League format: "It is difficult to say how many points are needed because it is the first game we play this competition [like this]. I think it's clear if you want to end up in the first eight you need a lot of points. The only thing I like about the new format is every night there is a nice fixture to watch on television."

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Sitter, Little Sutton: I’m not sure I agree with Alistair Bruce-Ball & the new CL format bringing more jeopardy. In fact, I think there will be more dead rubbers where teams are comfortably in the top 8 & qualified, or the next 16 & heading for a double-headed play-off. That’s where the true fun & games will begin. The only point to a lot of games will be to promote the sales of crisps & fizzy drinks.

Liverpool's trip to the San Siro to take on AC Milan looks to be a standout tie in the opening night's fixtures.

The teams, of course, have met twice in the final - Liverpool winning on penalties in Istanbul in 2005 after coming from three goals down, before Milan exacted their revenge two years later, clinching the 2007 title with a 2-1 win in Athens.

Amazingly, the clubs have appeared in a combined 21 finals in the European Cup and Champions League, with Milan winning the title seven times compared to Liverpool's six, while both sides have finished runners-up on four occasions.

As mentioned, we will be hearing from Rodri and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola from around 12:30 BST, but before then, let's return to our build-up for tonight's matches.

Here is a reminder of Tuesday's Champions League ties:

• Juventus v PSV Eindhoven (17:45)
• Young Boys v Aston Villa (17:45)
• Bayern Munich v Dinamo Zagreb
• AC Milan v Liverpool
• Real Madrid v Stuttgart
• Sporting v Lille

Here is a reminder of Rodri's Champions League-winning moment - the Spain midfielder's strike was the only goal of 2023 final, handing Manchester City victory over Inter Milan to seal the Treble, adding to their FA Cup win and Premier League title that season...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has very fond memories of his last encounter with Inter Milan.

The Spain star scored the winning goal against them in the 2023 Champions League final.

Rodri will be speaking to the media along with manager Pep Guardiola at 1230 BST. I am pretty sure he will be asked about his match-winner in Istanbul, while also looking ahead to Wednesday's match at home to the Serie A champions.

Image source, EPA

Some great memories from Paul in Rimini, and good Champions League knowledge.

If, like Paul, you are steeped in the history of Europe's top-flight competition, then we have a quiz for you.

How much do you know about the teams taking part this season?

We have set you 36 questions, one on each side, so how many can you get right?

Click here to try your luck

Paul in Rimini (Italy)

Image source, Getty Images

As mentioned, on Champions League weeks when no other Uefa cup competitions are taking place then matches will be spread over three days - Tuesday to Thursday - instead of the usual two.

This week, Arsenal's opener at Atalanta (20:00 BST) will be one of six fixtures played on Thursday, with Monaco v Barcelona another highlight.

The competition starts tonight with the curtain raiser seeing two matches kicking off at the same time with Juventus v PSV and Young Boys v Aston Villa.

Clubs like Real Madrid and Liverpool are also in action this evening.

On Wednesday, Manchester City take on Inter Milan in a blockbuster fixture. Other clubs competing tomorrow include Celtic and Paris St-Germain.

One of the key results of the changes to the new Champions League format is the number of matches, which will increase from 125 to 189.

Each team will play a minimum of eight - instead of six - and a maximum of 17.

In standard weeks, Champions League matches will still be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

In the Champions League exclusive weeks - when no other European competitions are played - games will be played across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The league phase will now finish at the end of January instead of during December.

• Click here to find out more about what is new in this season's Champions League.

Image source, Getty Images

London Fashion Week finishes today and in our opinion these two outfits from Alex Scott and Declan Rice stole the show.

One of the runway shows was held pitchside at the Emirates Stadium.

Who had Rice strutting his stuff down the catwalk on their 2024 bingo card?