The Champions League league phase returns on Tuesday and Wednesday, 20 and 21 October, with a Matchday 3 schedule full of heavyweight clashes and sides desperate to recover from setbacks a week ago.
Tuesday’s standout ties
PSG v Barcelona
The tie of the round. PSG arrive full of confidence after their 4-2 win at Manchester City, while Barcelona have been unstoppable domestically, winning all nine of their La Liga games, and won 4-1 in Istanbul last week. Two attacking sides, one huge occasion.
Manchester City v AEK Athens
City are perfect in the Premier League but were beaten at home by PSG on Matchday 2. Anything other than a convincing win over AEK Athens, who lost 3-1 at Shakhtar Donetsk last week, will raise eyebrows.
Elsewhere on Tuesday
Napoli host high-flying Bodo/Glimt, who beat Borussia Dortmund last week, while Stuttgart welcome Atletico Madrid. Dortmund travel to Sabah and Fenerbahce, still reeling from a 6-0 defeat at Villa Park, host Slavia Praha in two of the early kick-offs.
Wednesday’s standout ties
Como v Manchester United
Manchester United head to Lake Como after a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid. Como opened with a 4-1 win over Leipzig before losing 3-2 at Feyenoord, and they will fancy their chances against a United side still searching for consistency.
Aston Villa v Viking
Villa will look to carry the momentum of their 6-0 rout of Fenerbahce into a meeting with Viking, the Norwegian side who drew 3-3 with Bayern Munich last time out.
Kick-off times in Kenya
- Early kick-offs: 7:45pm EAT (including Fenerbahce v Slavia Praha, Sabah v Dortmund, Como v Manchester United, Lille v Galatasaray)
- Main kick-offs: 10:00pm EAT (including PSG v Barcelona, Manchester City v AEK Athens, Aston Villa v Viking)
Our picks to watch
PSG v Barcelona is the obvious headline, but keep an eye on Como against United. A win for the Italians would leave United under real pressure early in the league phase, while a statement result in Italy could be the spark Old Trafford has been waiting for.
