The Champions League group stages start tomorrow and to get all their biggest teams completely ready for the new European away-days, Nike hook them up with new third-shirts. The lucky chosen who they have fixed up with new kits are Inter Milan, Barcelona, Roma and Manchester City, whose new 3. kit you can see here…

Last season the Nike third shirts were based on many of the same bright colours as this year, but things are different this time round, because this year ‘night is rising’. No really, that’s what Nike have called the new shirt collection - Night Rising. Batman must have been on TV the evening before they came up with that name.

The kits are made with the very unique sleeve designs, which also features on the shorts. It gives the shirts a completely new dimension and definitely a design that will stand out on the pitch, when the players take to the field in their next game, where an away strip is needed.

The new Night Rising shirts will be available for purchase on the 1st of Oktober.

This time round the only team we expect to see in the new shirts is Barcelona, when they face Roma in the Champions League group stages on Wednesday. We will have to wait with seeing the rest in game action later on the UCL campaign. I definitely think the on pitch look is where these kits will look best, because that’s where you get the complete look and the ‘Dark Rising’ design element comes into its own.

I’m really looking forward to watching as Barcelona step onto the pitch, because as shirts alone I’m a little unsure what I think, but I could definitely see it working as a complete kit. How do you feel about the new design? Love it or loathe it?