Welsh forward Gareth Bale says he feels "more involved" at Real Madrid as the 10-time European Cup winners take on Shakhtar Donetsk.

Bale was criticised in a trophyless second season at the club after making a record £85m move to Real in 2013.

But he is more content now he is playing centrally, having scored twice and added three assists this season.

"I feel like I am more involved this year now," Bale, 26, said.

"The first year you are running off adrenalin from having just signed - you are so happy to be at the club and that drives you on.

"But in the second year I felt a little bit left out wide and not getting so much of the ball but now I feel involved in the play and I think that is showing in the games - that I am able to assist goals and score goals."

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Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

"Raheem Sterling gets what he wanted when he decided to leave Liverpool as he makes his first Champions League start for Manchester City against Juventus.

"The £49m forward did, of course, have Champions League football at Liverpool last season, but was part of a bitterly disappointing campaign that never even made it out of the group stage. It was also a personal disappointment for Sterling, particularly when he failed to make manager Brendan Rodgers' experimental starting line-up against Real Madrid in The Bernabeu.

"Sterling and City will be looking for improved Champions League fortunes this season after failing to make the impact their heavy expenditure warrants so far."

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Pat Nevin
BBC Radio 5 live at the Etihad Stadium

"The real question behind a lot of talk about the sides likely to win the Champions League this year is: Is England just a small outpost on the edge of Europe? Getting even an English finalist seems a long distance away right now.

"Obviously it’s not just an outpost and the domestic league itself is incredibly exciting, but are English teams getting closer in Europe? I’m not convinced."

Tonight Zlatan Ibrahimovic goes up against his former club Malmo of Sweden for the first time in his career. 

The Paris St-Germain striker has tweeted this photo from the Parc des Princes dressing room...

Answers to the following question please:  'An English club will not win the Champions League this season, because...'

Kaushik Gorai:  Because just spending money doesn't guarantee success. You need to built a team not buy it. 

His Royal Rochness:  because Van Gaal thinks Fellaini is a striker. 

Zohan:  Because there are at least two vastly superior clubs in Europe.

Get in touch at #bbcfootball,, external pop on to the BBC Sport Facebook page, external or BBC Sport's Google+ area., external

You can also text us on  81111  in the UK only - don't forget to say who you are and where you are texting from.

The old adage in the Champions League group stage is, win your home games and you'll be pretty much there.

However, City won just one of their four home fixtures last season – against Bayern Munich last November – and have only three wins from their last 11.

Problems there.

It is busy times in the Championship tonight with 10 games taking place. 

For most teams, it is their seventh game of the season and the table is slowly starting to take shape. Brighton, the surprising early pacesetters, host bottom-of-the-table Rotherham while Middlesbrough meet Brentford in a repeat of last year's play-off semi-final.

We've got dedicated live text commentary here on the action covering all the goals as they go in, and you can also get the latest scores online via Final Score.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, speaking to BT Sport:  "It's the first game of the group, it's important to qualify like we did in the last two seasons. It's a good game at home against the strongest team in the group.

"Sergio (Aguero) is not 100% fit. It has been an unexpected good recovery. It's important for the team to see that if we need him, he can play."

Between them this summer Manchester City and Manchester United offloaded the following strikers and attacking players:

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Edin Dzeko, Radamel Falcao, John Guidetti, Robin van Persie, Nani, Javier Hernandez, Marcos Lopes, Adnan Januzaj, Angel Di Maria and Stevan Jovetic.

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Five games into the season, both clubs have one fit, proven, first-team striker available.

Madness!

Image source, Reuters

A real confidence booster...

Here's your chance to feature.

Answers to the following question please:

'An English club will not win the Champions League this season, because...'

Image source, Getty Images

Get in touch at #bbcfootball,, external pop on to the BBC Sport Facebook page, external or BBC Sport's Google+ area., external You can also text us on 81111 in the UK only - don't forget to say who you are and where you are texting from.

Pat Nevin
BBC Radio 5 live at the Etihad Stadium

"I certainly think Manchester United are good enough to get through their group without too much difficulty but they do need a good start tonight.

"And looking at the team selection, it’s clear that Louis van Gaal thinks they can go out and win against PSV Eindhoven tonight.'

Manchester United

Anthony Martial's wonder goal against Liverpool on Saturday is good enough to earn his full Manchester United debut following his £36m move from Monaco. Ashley Young also starts as Michael Carrick makes way. Ander Herrera moves back alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger. 

PSV are unchanged following their 6-0 win over Cambuur last weekend. That includes striker Luuk De Jong, who scored a hat-trick in that game, former Chelsea defender Jeffrey Bruma and the wonderfully named midfielder, Jorrit Hendrix. 

Man Utd XI: De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw; Schweinsteiger, Herrera; Young, Mata, Memphis; Martial.

PSV XI: Zoet, Arias, Bruma, Moreno, Brenet; Hendrix, Guardado, Propper; Lestienne, De Jong, Narsingh.  

Manchester United have their own scout in the side tonight as Memphis Depay returns to the club he left in the summer.

Depay scored 22 Eredivisie goals last season as PSV won the league. The Dutch side are 12 games unbeaten but have lost seven of their last nine Champions League games.

Manchester City

So, two changes for Manchester City - the small matter of Raheem Sterling and David Silva returning to the forward line in place of Jesus Navas and Sergio Aguero. The latter is only fit enough for a place on the bench.

Yep, the bench that's got more than £157m worth of talent on it.

Juventus make six changes, with ex-Manchester United duo Paul Pogba and Patrice Evra joining on-loan Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado in the starting XI.

Man City: Hart, Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov, Silva, Fernandino, Toure, Nasri, Bony, Sterling. Subs: Caballero, Otamendi, Demichelis, Fernando, Navas, De Bruyne, Aguero.

Juventus: Buffon, Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra, Sturaro, Hernanes, Pogba, Cuadrado, Mandzukic, Morata. Subs: Neto, Barzagli, Alex Sandro, Lemina, Pereyra, Zaza, Dybala.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Cycle through the Live Coverage tab at the top of this page and you can listen to build-up to tonight's Champions League fixtures on BBC Radio 5 live.

Later you can listen to full match commentary of the 19:45 BST kick-off between Manchester City and Juventus. 

And there'll also be updates from Manchester United's away tie with PSV Eindhoven, plus the eight games taking place in the Championship tonight. 

It's a big night in Spain where Sevilla, on the back of winning the Europa League, return to the Champions League. They will host  Borussia Monchengladbach, who last featured in the competition in 1978.

Paris St-Germain will face Celtic's conquerors Malmo in the French capital while Kazakh new boys FC Astana make their group stage debut in Benfica's historic Stadium of Light.