English winger Ethan Nwaneri could feature for Borussia Dortmund against his parent club Arsenal when the two sides meet in the Champions League league phase on Tuesday, 24 November. The 19-year-old is spending the campaign on a season-long loan with the Bundesliga side. Although rules across the English football pyramid prohibit loanees from facing their parent teams, Uefa operates under a different framework, explicitly permitting loan players to compete against their permanent employers in continental fixtures.
Nwaneri is one of 12 players across this season's Champions League who are currently on loan between two teams competing in the competition. From that group of 12, only three were initially scheduled to potentially face their parent clubs during the league phase, and Nwaneri is the only individual whose match is still to be played. Earlier this month, Dutch defender Lutsharel Geertruida lined up for loan club PSV Eindhoven against parent side RB Leipzig, while Lask's Robert Ljubicic faced his parent club AEK Athens during the tournament's opening round of league-phase action.
Uefa's long-standing rule has sparked famous reunions in past campaigns. During the 2004 quarter-finals, Spanish striker Fernando Morientes scored across both legs for Monaco against his parent side Real Madrid, before finishing the campaign as the tournament's Golden Boot winner. In 2014, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois helped Atletico Madrid overcome his parent team Chelsea in the semi-finals. Chelsea claimed they were owed €3m in compensation under a loan clause if Courtois played, but Uefa firmly ruled that such conditions cannot be enforced, clearing him to take the field.
The number of players facing their parent sides could increase as the competition progresses into the knockout rounds. For instance, Liverpool defender Ronald Araujo, who is on loan from Barcelona, would meet his parent team if the two heavyweights cross paths later in the tournament. The remaining loan transfers between Champions League sides this season include Diego Conde (Villarreal to Real Betis), Yan Couto (Borussia Dortmund to Como), Willy Kambwala (Villarreal to Como), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille to Roma), El Chadaille Bitshiabu (RB Leipzig to Galatasaray), Marin Ljubicic (AEK Athens to Lask), Younes Lachaab (Lille to Sabah), Christos Alexiou (Inter Milan to AEK Athens), and Sahmkou Camara (Slavia Prague to Slovan Bratislava).