Two rounds were enough for an unbeaten group to form at the top of the Champions League table. At least one perfect run will end now: PSG and Barcelona both have six points and meet each other in Paris.
There are major pressure points further down as well. Arsenal have won both games and travel to a Bayern side that has already dropped points, Inter are still on zero after two defeats, while Real Madrid have the chance to move to nine from nine. Here are the main Matchday 3 fixtures and the 888STARZ line we will return to once the results are in.
PSG vs Barcelona
The standout fixture also brings together the two highest-scoring sides from the opening two rounds. PSG have a 10–3 goal difference, Barcelona are at 9–2, and both have six points, with the Parisians currently leading on the tiebreakers.
Current form only makes the matchup bigger. PSG beat Manchester City 4–2 and have kept winning domestically, while Barcelona are nine from nine in La Liga and have already scored 39 league goals.
888STARZ: 2.53 / 4.51 / 2.52. It is almost a perfect coin flip, with only 0.01 separating the home and away prices.
That balance makes sense. PSG are unbeaten in 12 consecutive Champions League matches, while Ousmane Dembele has scored in six straight games in the competition. On the other side is the most productive attack in Spain. This is one of those rare fixtures where home advantage barely shifts the market.
Bayern vs Arsenal
The table currently favours Arsenal. They have won both matches without conceding, while Bayern sit on four points after drawing with Viking — although they arrive after a huge 6–1 Bundesliga win over RB Leipzig.
888STARZ: 2.14 / 3.96 / 3.39. Bayern are slight favourites, but the line is far tighter than you would usually expect for a home game in Munich.
There is good reason for the caution. Arsenal have won 14 consecutive league-phase Champions League matches, while Bayern are unbeaten in 39 home games at this stage. There is also an obvious subplot: Harry Kane has scored 15 goals in 22 appearances against Arsenal and has found the net against them in ten consecutive seasons.
Liverpool vs Villarreal
Liverpool have six points and eight goals after two rounds. Villarreal lost their opener, then responded with a 3–1 win over Napoli and currently sit in the middle of the table on three points.
888STARZ: 1.56 / 4.83 / 6.04. Unlike the recent Premier League game against Brentford, where Liverpool were not even favourites, the market strongly backs them at Anfield in Europe.
The home record supports that view: Liverpool have won 15 of their last 16 home matches in the Champions League group or league phase. Villarreal, meanwhile, have never beaten an English club at this stage of the competition — six draws and ten defeats.
Still, 1.56 does not look completely risk-free. Liverpool have just beaten Brentford domestically, but a large part of that match was played with a numerical advantage, so the question over whether their form has genuinely turned remains open.
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig
Madrid have won both Champions League matches and come into this one after a 4–1 victory over Sevilla. Leipzig are moving in the opposite direction after a 6–1 defeat to Bayern, while their European record stands at three points from two games.
888STARZ: 1.29 / 7.06 / 10.00. The market leaves very little room for an upset.
Leipzig’s recent away record in Europe does not help: they have lost their last six Champions League away matches at group or league-phase level. Real Madrid have scored in each of their last 44 home games in the competition, while Kylian Mbappe has found the net in four consecutive Champions League appearances.
In this context, the more interesting question may be not whether Madrid win, but how efficiently they use the matchup before a tougher November schedule.
Stuttgart vs Atletico Madrid
One of the most interesting fixtures of the round because of where the teams currently sit. Stuttgart have surprisingly taken six points from six, while Atletico have only three after losing their opener and then beating Manchester United.
888STARZ: 3.39 / 4.01 / 2.13. Despite Stuttgart’s perfect European start, Atletico remain the favourites.
There is an uncomfortable historical angle for the Spaniards, though. They have won only once in six Champions League group or league-phase trips to Germany, losing the other five. Stuttgart, meanwhile, have never beaten a Spanish side in the Champions League, so one of those trends has to move.
Inter vs Shakhtar
Perhaps the sharpest contrast of the round. Shakhtar have four points and sit around the direct qualification places, while Inter are still on zero after defeats to Manchester United and Club Brugge.
The market, however, has almost no doubts about the hosts:
888STARZ: 1.23 / 7.90 / 13.20.
On paper, Inter are one of the strongest favourites of the round, but the pressure on them is much greater than the price suggests. They have lost four consecutive Champions League matches, their worst run in the competition, while Shakhtar can approach the game without needing to open up from the first minute.
The head-to-head record strongly favours Inter: they are unbeaten in seven European meetings with Shakhtar and have conceded only once.
The Rest of Matchday 3
October 20: Fenerbahce vs Slavia Prague, Sabah vs Borussia Dortmund, Roma vs Slovan Bratislava, Porto vs PSV, Manchester City vs AEK, Napoli vs Bodo/Glimt.
October 21: Como vs Manchester United, Lille vs Galatasaray, Aston Villa vs Viking, Club Brugge vs Lens, Betis vs Feyenoord, Sporting vs LASK.
Before Matchday 3
After only two games, the table is still moving quickly, but Matchday 3 should start separating the field. PSG vs Barcelona guarantees that at least one perfect record will take a hit, while Bayern vs Arsenal will show just how serious the London side’s European momentum really is.
There is also growing pressure lower down. Inter and Napoli enter the round on zero, and another setback would already make the road to the top 24 more complicated. Real Madrid and Liverpool, meanwhile, have the chance to move to nine points and create breathing room before a tougher second half of the league phase.
UEFA Champions League