The third matchday of the UEFA Champions League’s new league phase is around the corner, with 13 sides going into this round in search of their first win. Weeks one and two produced some blowouts, as well as some dramatic moments. Now that we head into the third round of play, several clubs could end up in danger of elimination at this stage should they fail to win.
Ahead of Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games, here is a look at each game.
Tuesday’s Matches
AC Milan (0 points) vs Club Brugge (3)
Twenty-one years on from their most recent meetings, AC Milan, surprisingly without a point from two games, welcomes Belgian champions Club Brugge.
The Rossoneri have won just once at home to their opponents in three previous meetings. Seeing that they are one of eight teams on zero points from two games, there will be a lot of pressure on Paulo Fonseca’s side. Now on a run of four successive losses in Europe, much will be expected from Milan to get a result at home.
Club Brugge’s 2023/24 continental run came to an end at the hands of an Italian side (Fiorentina) in the UEFA Conference League semifinals. Since their 1-0 victory over Milan in the Champions League 21 years ago, they have not beaten a Serie A team in Europe a run of 13 games. After prevailing on matchday 2, Blauw-Zwart have a great chance to grab a second consecutive win and put themselves in a good position to advance.
AS Monaco (4) vs Crvena zvezda (0)
Tuesday’s other early kickoff from the Stade Louis II sees two teams in very different situations facing off as AS Monaco hosts Crvena Zvezda.
As they did in their last European journey, Monaco will battle the Serbian giants, who they beat home and away in the 2022/23 Europa League group stage. That included a 4-1 success in this exact fixture. Owning a 5-3-2 home record in their last 10 – where they beat Barcelona on matchday 1 – Monaco could put themselves in very good standing with another result.
Crvena Zvezda has not had a good run of things in Europe of late. The Belgrade-based team has lost their last nine continental away games since defeating Pyunik in the 2022/23 UCL third qualifying round. That does not bode well for Red Star, who has just two wins in 17 against Ligue 1 teams.
Arsenal (4) vs Shakhtar Donetsk (1)
Arsenal, coming off a good win over PSG last time out, hosts a Shakhtar Donetsk side in need of a win.
The Gunners have won both of their previous home games against Shakhtar by a combined score of 8-3. Back in the 2010/11 campaign, Arsenal won 5-1 at this stage of the competition. One of six teams to have kept clean sheets in both matchdays, the North Londoners are looking for a third clean sheet against Ukrainian opposition.
Two of Shakhtar’s five wins against English teams in Europe came against their Tuesday opponents. The Pitmen have failed to score in the UCL league phase thus far, one of four teams to do so. It has been seven years since they last got past the group stage in this tournament, but should they lose again at the Emirates, things will get much more complicated.
Aston Villa (6) vs Bologna (1)
Two sides making their debut in the Champions League under its current guise, Aston Villa and Bologna, square off in England.
Villa has looked quite good in Europe since making a return last term. Save for their 4-2 reverse to eventual winners Olympiakos in the Conference League semifinal in May; the Villans have won all of their home matches. Three weeks after they ended Bayern’s lengthy unbeaten run in the Champions League group phase, Unai Emery’s men are aiming for a third straight win.
Bologna has struggled in their return to continental action. After being held off the scoresheet against Shakhtar and Liverpool, the Rossoblù will need a big showing in Birmingham. Bologna has also lost their last three continental away games stretching back to 1999/2000.
Girona (0) vs Slovan Bratislava (0)
On to the only match this round between two sides without a point on the board. Girona welcomes Slovan Bratislava, looking for their maiden European victory.
The Spaniards scored twice on matchday two but still fell to defeat against Feyenoord. Girona has just one home victory in their last five across all competitions. However, they will certainly feel like Tuesday’s match presents a great opportunity to claim their first-ever result in Europe.
Slovan Bratislava’s finest moment in club history came at the expense of Spanish opposition when they defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup final in 1968/69. Since then, they have failed to get the better of a Spanish club in six attempts (0-2-4). The Slovaks did win two of their three road matches in the UECL group stage last fall, which could give reason for hope.
Juventus (6) vs Stuttgart (1)
For the second round in succession, Juventus will battle German opposition. This time, it will be Stuttgart as the opposition.
The Bianconeri pulled off an impressive 3-2 victory at RB Leipzig earlier this month, their 30th against a club from Germany. They have won three of their last five continental home games, going unbeaten in that run. It has been 13 and a half years since Juve has been defeated at home by a Bundesliga club, with Bayern doing so in the 2012/13 Champions League quarterfinals.
In 10 previous matches against Italian sides, Stuttgart has just one win to their credit. That came in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup at home to Torino. Before this season, their last games in a UEFA club competition, excluding qualifying, came in a 5-1 aggregate reverse to Lazio in the 2012/13 Europa League last 16. Without a win in eight continental ties, the Bundesliga runner-ups will want to end that in Turin.
Paris Saint-Germain (3) vs PSV Eindhoven (1)
PSG, semifinalists last May, takes on PSV in the battle between the French and Dutch champions of last campaign.
In what is just their fourth encounter with an Eredivisie team in Europe, PSG will be aiming to remain unbeaten (2-1-0). Their last match against Dutch opposition came a decade ago when they saw off Ajax 3-1 at home. They also topped Twente 4-0 in their home UEFA Cup game 16 years ago.
For the second year in a row, PSV faces off against a Ligue 1 side in the UCL group phase. Last fall, they drew 1-1 at RC Lens but defeated them 2-1 at home. The Eindhoven-based side is five games without defeat against French teams. With that said, they have just one away win in their last six in the UCL.
Real Madrid (3) vs Borussia Dortmund (6)
Our pick for the tie of the round comes from the Spanish capital, in what is a repeat of last June’s final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Real ran away as 2-0 winners in London to grab their 15th UCL title and seventh win over Dortmund. Their matchday one success against Stuttgart was their 42nd against a German side in 82 games. Interestingly, Los Blancos’ last reverse in the Champions League group phase came at the hands of Leipzig two years ago.
Dortmund have started off on fire in this competition, scoring ten goals across their first two matchdays. None of the other 35 teams can better or match that number. They did prevail in their last away game to La Liga opposition at this stage of the UCL, beating Sevilla 4-1 two years ago. Die Schwarzgelbe have lost their last three against Real and have never won at the Bernabeu.
Sturm Graz (0) vs Sporting CP (4)
Austrian champions Sturm Graz will have a tough assignment next as Sporting CP makes the trip to take them on.
Sturm, playing in the UCL proper for the first time since 2000/01, is on a four-game winless streak in Europe, stretching to last spring. To make matters worse, they have just one home success in their last seven, which is not a promising sign. They also were defeated home and away by Sporting in the Europa League last fall. A strong performance will be required from Die Schwoazn.
Sporting has had a rather solid start to the UCL this fall, picking up a 2-0 victory on matchday 1. The previously mentioned victories over Sturm a year ago were their sixth and seventh against Austrian sides in Europe. The side from Lisbon is 3-5-1 in their last nine continental home games but did lose the last time a side from Austria visited them (4-1 to LASK, 2020/21 UEL playoff round).
Wednesday’s Matches
Atalanta (4) vs Celtic (3)
Europa League holders Atalanta battles Scottish champions Celtic to kick off the proceedings on Wednesday.
Stretching back to last season, Atalanta has just one defeat in their last 15 continental games. That did come at home versus Liverpool in the Europa League. It is one of just two games in that run where the Bergamaschi failed to score. In what is their maiden game against a Scottish side, they will be favourites to grab a second win in three this fall.
As for Celtic, they have lost their last four against Italian teams, including both outings against Lazio at this stage last fall. The Hoops have not kept a clean sheet in Europe in their last 19 attempts since doing so against Ferencváros at home in the 2021/22 Europa League.
Brest (6) vs Bayer Leverkusen (6)
The other early kickoff on Wednesday pits together two teams with an unblemished record thus far, as Brest meets Bayer Leverkusen.
This match will be Brest’s first continental clash with a team not from Austria. Back on matchday 1, they got the better of Sturm Graz in their maiden continental game. Since their 5-1 defeat by Marseille in Ligue 1 back in August, Les Pirates have gone unbeaten at home across all competitions. Maintaining that run on Wednesday would be quite impressive.
Bayer Leverkusen has continued from where they left off last term, beating Feyenoord and Milan in their first two games. Die Werkself own a 9-4-8 record versus Ligue 1 sides, winning their last two away games. They have lost just once in their last 11 away ties (8-2-1), which should give them confidence to grab another win.
Atlético Madrid (3) vs Lille (3)
Atleti’s impressive record against French opposition will be tested as they battle Lille for the first time.
Across 13 head-to-heads against Ligue 1 sides, Los Colchoneros have lost only once – a 4-2 reverse to Lens in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup. Three-time finalists of the European Cup/Champions League they are on an 11-game unbeaten streak in European home games, coming out on top in each of their last six.
Lille grabbed their fourth win over Spanish opposition last time out, stunning Real 1-0 at home. The Conference League quarterfinalists of last spring have just two victories from their last ten away games but did defeat Sevilla in their last tie on Spanish soil. A result at the Metropolitano would go a long way to moving past this stage for the third time in club history.
Barcelona (3) vs Bayern Munich (3)
To another standout clash in this round – one of the games of the entire league phase – as Barcelona hosts Bayern Munich.
No team has beaten Barcelona in Europe more times than Bayern’s 11. More than half of Barca’s 20 defeats against German opponents come from the Bavarians. However, both of the Catalans’ previous wins came at home, including a 3-0 success in the semifinals almost a decade ago. They have also failed to score in each of their last four games against Bayern, something they will want to change with haste.
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern are coming off a defeat to Villa last time out, a first in the UCL proper in seven years. The last time they lost consecutive games at this stage was 15 years ago, falling home and away to Bordeaux. A third of their wins against Spanish sides have come against Barcelona, they have won all six matches at this stage of the UCL against Barca.
Benfica (6) vs Feyenoord (3)
A round after the Portuguese and Dutch champions of last term met, now it is the runner-ups of both leagues – Benfica and Feyenoord – doing battle.
Benfica’s record against sides from the Eredivisie is quite good, going 12-11-6. They have also won both of their previous home games against Feyenoord by an 8-2 aggregate score. After convincing wins on matchdays 1 and 2, the two-time European champions are a win away from virtually qualifying for the knockout rounds for the third time in four years.
Feyenoord’s matchday one loss at home to Leverkusen was their heaviest in Europe since 2017, when Manchester City won by the same scoreline. The Rotterdammers have a tame 3-4-7 record against Portuguese opposition, losing all but once away. While they did end a lengthy run without an away win last time out, this will prove to be an even bigger challenge.
Manchester City (4) vs Sparta Praha (4)
Two teams on four points – Manchester City and Sparta Praha – square off in one of the games this round, where one side will be the overwhelming favourite.
City heads into this clash on a 24-game unbeaten run in the Champions League, currently the longest streak. Having kept two clean sheets in the competition so far, the Cityzens have proved to be difficult to break down. Their match against Sparta is the second time they face a Czech side, defeating Viktoria Plzeň home and away 11 years ago.
Sparta has enjoyed a solid return to Europe’s premier club competition with a win and a draw to their credit. They are one of two Czech teams in Europe that are currently unbeaten in continental games this term, the other being Plzeň. As for Železná Sparta‘s most recent match against an English side, they do not have to go far for that. Liverpool took them out of last season’s Europa League in the round of 16, winning 11-2 on aggregate.
RB Leipzig (0) vs Liverpool (6)
For the third time ever, RB Leipzig takes on Liverpool in Europe, with the Germans looking for a better outcome than the other two occasions.
It has been more than three and a half years since Leipzig fell at the last 16 to the Reds, losing both legs 2-0. Their record versus Premier League clubs is not all that great, standing at 4-1-7. Three of those four victories, however, have come at home, which could be a reason for hope. Should Marco Rose’s side fall to defeat, it would be the second time in four years that they start a UCL campaign with three straight losses.
Liverpool’s last meeting with German opposition came in that previously mentioned 4-0 aggregate success a few years ago. The club from Merseyside has enjoyed meeting sides from the Bundesliga historically, with an impressive 22-14-6 record. Those 22 wins are the most Liverpool has against any other country in Europe.
RB Salzburg (0) vs Dinamo Zagreb (1)
Two clubs who are quite familiar with each other at this point – RB Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb – meet in what should be a fascinating encounter.
The Austrians have dominated the head-to-head with four wins to Dinamo’s one, along with three draws. That includes a 1-0 victory in this exact fixture two years ago. Overall, Salzburg has just one defeat in 10 against teams from Croatia all-time. This could be the perfect time for the club to snap a five-game home losing streak in the UCL proper.
Dinamo, partaking in their ninth Champions League season (group phase to final), has only one away win at this stage, coming in their maiden voyage back in 1998/99. Since they have lost all but one away match at this stage, with matchday one seeing them get hit for nine against Bayern. The Croatian champions have also lost five of their last seven games in the UCL proper.
Young Boys (0) vs Internazionale (4)
Young Boys, sitting at the foot of the table, hosts Internazionale in the battle of the Swiss and Italian champions.
Since beating Juventus 2-1 in the 2018/19 group stage, Young Boys has seldom won against an Italian team, losing three of four. To make matters worse, the Swiss side, along with Slovan Bratislava, have the worst goal difference thus far in the UCL. That leaves them with zero room for error going into this match.
Inter has never lost away in Switzerland, despite just one win in four visits. The Nerazzurri have only lost to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid at this stage over the last four seasons, keeping 12 clean sheets in that time. The last time Inter faced a Swiss team in the Champions League was 20 years ago when they knocked off Basel in the third qualifying round 5-2 on aggregate.