The UCL League phase action returns after the international break and yet again there are some mouthwatering contests in store. There were some surprises and upsets in the previous gameweek as well and here’s hoping we see some exciting end-to-end football yet again.
So, let’s take a look at Gameweek 3 preview and predictions –
Barcelona would be looking to return to winning ways against Olympiakos after their home defeat to defending champions PSG in the last UCL gameweek. Olympiacos haven’t done well either having lost to Arsenal in their last UCL fixture away from home.
At the weekend, Barcelona secured a win against Girona in the league which would have been a huge relief for Hansi Flick as they were humiliated 4-1 by Sevilla before the international break. As for Olympiacos, they won against a bottom-placed AEL in the Greek Super League after the defeat against PAOK Thessaloniki FC in the previous gameweek.
Barcelona do have some vital players injured, especially missing first-team players like Raphinha, Gavi, Dani Olmo and Joan Garcia while Olympiacos have Gabriel Strefezza and Rodenei out with illness and injury.
With Lamine Yamal returning after the break, Barca still have a lot of quality to trouble Olympiacos and even though they have a vulnerable defence that the Greek club can exploit, Barca can definitely outscore them and bag the three points comfortably.
Score Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Olympiacos
Kazakh champions Kairat will face Cypriot club Pafos in the UCL this gameweek.
While Kairat have lost both of their UCL league phase encounters so far, conceding nine goals in two games, Pafos were also humiliated 5-1 by Bayern in their last encounter.
As for their league form, Pafos decimated Ethnikos Achna and Kairat narrowly beat Kyzyl-Zhar SK in their respective games over the weekend. While Pafos only have Pedrao missing, Kairat has a host of players missing with Jao Paulo and Elder Santana out with long-term issues while Alexandr Zarutskiy and Temirlan Anarbekov will also be unavailable for this game.
However, Kairat do have home advantage in this one and that is why I will favour the hosts to get a close win in this fixture.
Score Prediction: Kairat Almaty 2-1 Pafos
The Magpies will host Jose Mourinho’s Benfica at the St. James’s Park this gameweek.
After a slow start, Eddie Howe’s team has looked good in the last few games, gaining a massive three points against the Belgian champions Union SG. Benfica had a tough game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge which they lost narrowly.
The Geordies had a tough away fixture to Brighton and Hove Albion which they ended up losing while Benfica won comfortably against Chaves in their Taça de Portugal fixture.
On the team front, Newcastle has a long-term injury for Tino Livramento and new signing Yoane Wissa still not having featured much. Lewis Hall is also doubtful. As for Benfica, Alexander Bah, Bruma and Manu Silva are all out injured.
St. James’s Park is a tough ground to go to with a hostile atmosphere and looking at Benfica’s recent form, Newcastle should win this game comfortably.
Score Prediction: Newcastle United 2-1 SL Benfica
PSV will face an Italian opponent in Napoli this gameweek at home. Napoli have dropped to second in the Serie A table while PSV lie second place in Eredivisie, level on points with Feyenoord having played a game more.
PSV drew with Bayer Leverkusen in their last UCL game while Napoli defeated Sporting CP in their encounter. PSV has regained some form in the last few games and also won against Go Ahead Eagles in their most recent league game while Napoli was upset by Torino at the weekend.
As for players, both teams have already had massive injury problems this season with PSV’s Alassane Plea, Kilian Sildillia and Ruben van Bommel all unavailable for this game while Antonio Conte has a few vital players missing with Romelu Lukaku, Amir Rahmani, Nikita Contini, and Stanislav Lobotka all out with injuries.
However, Napoli still do have some solid players who can do the job for the team and hence I believe Napoli can nick the three points against PSV in this one, even though this could be a mighty struggle for the Neapolitans.
Score Prediction: PSV Eindhoven 1-2 SSC Napoli
Bayer Leverkusen will face a mighty tough opponent in the defending champions PSG.
While Leverkusen drew against PSV in the last UCL encounter, PSG went away and defeated Barcelona in a highly entertaining end-to-end encounter even though both sides had been decimated by injuries.
While Leverkusen beat Mainz in thrilling fashion in their recent league fixture, PSG managed to grab a point against Strasbourg after being 3-1 down in the first half in their latest Ligue 1 encounter. However, the injury list has piled up massively for both teams with Leverkusen mainly missing Patrick Schick, Jarell Quansah, Nathan Tella, Lucas Vázquez, Exequiel Palacios and Axel Tape-Kobrissa for this encounter while Luis Enrique has four first team players out with injuries to Ousmane Dembélé, Fabian Ruiz, João Neves and Marquinhos.
However, even with all those players missing, PSG still has a lot of firepower in their attack to win this game. Having lost a lot of their big match winners in this season’s transfer window, Leverkusen isn’t the same team as last year and with so many important players on the sidelines, it could be a long night for the German club, this could be a comfortable PSG win.
Score Prediction: Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain
Union SG will face a difficult opponent in Inter at their home this gameweek.
Union SG were humiliated 4-0 by Newcastle United in their last UCL encounter while Inter had a comfortable 3-0 outing at home against Slavia Praha.
The Belgian club has lost a bit of form and momentum since that loss to the Magpies but they returned to winning ways in the league by defeating Charleroi comfortably at the weekend while Inter got a massive three points away to AS Roma at the weekend.
On the injury front, Union SG is only missing Mohammed Fuseini while Inter has Raffaele Di Gennaro, Matteo Darmian and Marcus Thuram all unavailable due to injuries.
Christian Chivu has done a decent job so far since replacing Simone Inzaghi, though they are currently lacking the solid defensive structure they had under the previous coach and could give Union SG a chance to score. However, their attacking line is threatening and will definitely cause the Belgian champions a lot of problems and hence I believe Inter could win this game comfortably.
Score Prediction: Union Saint-Gilloise 1-3 Internazionale Milano
Copenhagen will host an in-form and dangerous-looking Borussia Dortmund in this UCL gameweek. Dortmund defeated Athletic Club 4-1 in their last UCL encounter while an injury-hit Copenhagen lost to Azerbaijani champions Qaraba? FK.
While Copenhagen lost to Silkeborg in their latest league fixture, Dortmund lost narrowly to arch-rivals Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker at the weekend.
Copenhagen has massive problems on the injury front with Mohamed Elyounoussi, Andreas Cornelius, Jonathan Moalem, Magnus Mattson, Oliver Höjer and Rodrigo Huescas all doubtful for this game with Munashe Garan’anga suspended. Dortmund also has two players unavailable due to injury in Emre Can and Jurien Duranville.
Even with a fully-fit team, Dortmund would have been a formidable opponent for the Danish outfit but with their team decimated by injuries, Copenhagen might have a tough night at home against an attacking Dortmund side. However, Dortmund too has defensive vulnerabilities and could concede but their attacking prowess could take them home and hence I feel the German club would be too good for Copenhagen.
Score Prediction: Copenhagen 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
Spanish club Villarreal will host Manchester City at the Estadio de la Cerámica in the Champions League this gameweek.
Both Villarreal and Manchester City played out 2-2 draws against Juventus and AS Monaco in their respective UCL encounters the last time around which hints towards defensive vulnerabilities in both the sides.
Villareal’s league form isn’t great either as they drew to Real Betis while Manchester City beat Everton at the weekend courtesy of an Erling Haaland brace.
Also, Villarreal has a few injuries with Willy Kambwala, Juan Foyth and Pau Cabanes all unavailable for this game. As for City, they will have Rodri, Rayan Aït -Nouri and Abdukodir Khusanov out for this game.
The Cityzens have far too much firepower for an injury-ridden Villarreal. With their frontline in top form, City will have no dearth of scoring chances and with Haaland looking dangerous, City can definitely hurt Villarreal but they also have issues at the back and could concede goals. I do believe that City have enough quality upfront to win this game comfortably even away from home.
Score Prediction: Villarreal 1-3 Manchester City
This is probably one of the games to watch in the Champions League this gameweek. Two defensively solid teams up against each other.
While Arsenal easily beat Olympiacos 2-0 at home in their previous UCL encounter, Atlético de Madrid annihilated Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in their previous UCL fixture. Also, the Gunners won away at Fulham at the weekend as Atleti defeated Osasuna in their LaLiga fixture.
As for injuries, Arsenal do have a few players out with Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard and Noni Madueke all unavailable while the Colcheneros have Johnny Cardoso and Nicolás González doubtful for this game.
Even with injuries, Arsenal has great squad depth so fielding a strong team isn’t a problem. However, the two teams are very similar in their tactics and approach and it will be interesting to see how Mikel Arteta and Diego Simeone try to outwit each other. With Atlético’s top players all returning from injuries, they could cause a lot of problems to the Gunners. Really difficult to call this one but I believe this one could be a feisty affair ending in a draw.
Score Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Atlético de Madrid
Meeting for the first time in a competitive game, Galatasaray welcome Bodo/Glimt to Rams Park on Wednesday.
Galatasaray’s Champions League campaign so far has been one of extremes — from a humbling 5-1 defeat away to Frankfurt on the opening night to a spirited 1-0 triumph over Premier League holders Liverpool in Istanbul.
Whereas, not many would’ve tipped Glimt to have a smooth run among the elite, but avoiding defeat in the opening two games of their debut season deserves recognition.
For Galatasaray, Wilfred Singo is still sidelined through injury, while Davinson Sanchez returns to the squad after missing the weekend’s Super Lig match through suspension. Bodo/Glimt on the other hand make the trip without midfielder Ulrik Saltnes, who is unfit to feature, while winger Daniel Bassi and centre-forward Ola Brynhildsen are set to undergo late tests to determine their availability.
This encounter carries all the hallmarks of a high-scoring affair, with Galatasaray finding the net in 22 of their last 23 home games in UEFA competitions. Thus, we are backing the Turkish giants for this encounter.
Score Prediction: Galatasaray 3-1 Bodø/Glimt
Athletic Bilbao will be aiming to bounce back from successive defeats in this season’s Champions League when they resume their league phase at home to an in-form Qarabag FK on Wednesday night.
The Lions are 34th in the 36-team Champions League table, but the Azerbaijani side have been one of the surprise packages thus far, picking up six points to sit in sixth position in the rankings.
Athletic opened their 2025-26 Champions League league phase campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal, before going down 4-1 to Borussia Dortmund in their second match of the tournament, with zero points from two matches leaving them down in 34th spot in the table.
As for Qarabag, the Blue and Whites have picked up six points from their first two games in this season’s Champions League, beating Benfica 3-2 and Copenhagen 2-0.
Athletic will again be without the services of Yeray Alvarez through suspension, while Benat Prados and Unai Egiluz are out of the Champions League fixture on Wednesday night. As for Qarabag, no injury problems have been reported, so the visitors could have a full squad for this contest, and they have a number of players in excellent form.
Athletic will have home advantage on Wednesday, but Qarabag are a team to be taken incredibly seriously due to their impressive form this season. We are expecting a tight match here, with the points potentially being shared.
Score Prediction: Athletic Club 1-1 Qarabag FK
Two European heavyweights will convene at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, as Real Madrid play host to Juventus in the Champions League.
Following a nervy 2-1 victory over Marseille in September, Los Blancos beat Kairat Almaty 5-0 on matchday two. Moreover, coming back from the international break, they warmed up for Juventus with a 1-0 win over local rivals Getafe last weekend.
The visitors on the other hand they somehow scored twice deep into stoppage time and salvaged a 4-4 home draw against Dortmund before they were given a taste of their own medicine when ex-Juve loanee Renato Veiga netted a last-gasp leveller to make it 2-2 at El Madrigal.
On the team news front, Real Madrid will be missing several defenders on Wednesday, as Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal and ex-Juve centre-back Dean Huijsen are all set to miss out; Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy are now back in training but may be saved for El Clasico. Furthermore, David Alaba must be assessed after he was taken off midway through Sunday’s win at Getafe.
The visitors on the other hand will again be without defensive rock Bremer, plus left-back Juan Cabal, but Fabio Miretti has now resumed training and Edon Zhegrova should be fit enough to make the bench.
Looking ahead to this fixture, Juventus will arrive at one of football’s toughest arenas having gone six games without a win, while leaking plenty of goals – it all points to a home win.
Score Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus
Flailing Premier League visitors Liverpool return to Champions League action on Wednesday, when they take on struggling Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt at Deutsche Bank Park.
The German hosts are 15th in the league phase table with three points following a demoralising 5-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid on September 30, whereas the visitors are 17th with three points after they lost 1-0 against Galatasaray at the end of September.
After achieving their highest ever placement in the Bundesliga (third) since 1991–92 last season, Frankfurt are currently seventh with 10 points after seven matchweeks, three fewer than they totalled at the same stage last term.
Liverpool come into the clash off the back of a 2-1 defeat against fierce rivals Manchester United on Sunday, but more concerning than the loss has been the lack of improvement since the beginning of the season. Arne Slot’s side have conceded 16 goals in 11 matches this term, whereas they conceded 15 in their first 22 fixtures of 2024-25.
On the injury front, Frankfurt have almost everybody fit for this encounter. As for Liverpool, apart from Alisson Becker in goal, midfielder Ryan Gravenberch might be the only other player who is a doubt after he was forced off the pitch against United due to an ankle issue.
Looking ahead to this encounter, Liverpool will at some point arrest their poor form, but without drastic defensive improvements, they will likely fail to keep a clean sheet. However, it is difficult to see the hosts keeping the Merseyside club at bay.
Score Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-3 Liverpool
After getting thrashed by Bayern Munich in their opening European night, Chelsea made it second time lucky when they welcomed Benfica to the English capital in Gameweek two.
The Club World Cup winners did not even need to put the ball in the back of the net themselves as Benfica’s Richard Rios inadvertently did so for them, however, another red card, this time to Joao Pedro, put the dampeners on their rather comfortable win.
On the other side of the coin, Ajax succumbed to Inter Milan’s superiority in a 2-0 matchday one defeat before a 4-0 Marseille mauling last time out. Ex-Liverpool assistant Heitinga also oversaw a dismal 2-0 home defeat to AZ Alkmaar at the weekend – leaving Ajax nine points off the top of the Eredivisie table and boasting just one win from their last six games.
On the injury front, the hosts will be missing Joao Pedro after his Benfica sending-off and are still missing Cole Palmer (groin), Mykhaylo Mudryk (doping ban), Levi Colwill (ACL), Dario Essugo (thigh), Benoit Badiashile (muscle) and Liam Delap (hamstring), while Enzo Fernandez will need a late test due to his knee problem.
At the visitors’ end, left-back Owen Wijndal was taken off with a muscular problem in his side’s defeat to Marseille on matchday two, and remains out of contention for the time being. The Dutch titans are also missing the likes of Kasper Dolberg and midfield fulcrum Branco van den Boomen, who is dealing with a back injury.
Looking at this match-up, Ajax are far from the force they once used to be, their squad is largely a mix of ageing veterans and young talents who have little experience of Champions League football, and it has shown so far.
Heitinga’s men should therefore not put up much of a fight against the in-form Blues, who could subject the former UCL winners to quite the humiliation at Stamford Bridge.
Score Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Ajax
Looking to continue their impeccable form, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich will welcome Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge to the Allianz Arena as part of Wednesday’s Champions League action.
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern have started the season in perfect fashion, winning all 10 of their matches across all competitions since the opening of the German top-flight campaign.
The Bavarians’ staggering form also applies to the Champions League, where they took all three points in a 3-1 win against Chelsea on matchday one, before battering Pafos 5-1 at the end of September, a result that put the club first in the league phase table.
Meanwhile, Nicky Hayen’s Brugge may be the underdogs on Wednesday, but they are pushing for their domestic title and come into this clash on the back of consecutive victories.
Turning their attention to continental competition, Hayen’s team will be hoping to avoid a repeat of their trip to Atalanta, when they were beaten 2-1 despite taking a first-half lead.
Looking at the team news, the Bavarians continue to be without a number of players in the backline, including centre-back Hiroki Ito, as well as left-back Alphonso Davies and Josip Stanisic, who has returned to team training but needs to build fitness. At the opposite end of the pitch, Serge Gnabry is dealing with a groin injury, while attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala is working his way back from the broken leg he suffered in the summer.
As for Brugge, goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is a doubt after missing the last six games with an adductor injury, but Nordin Jackers should be on hand to start between the posts in his stead. Elsewhere, midfielders Ludovit Reis – who is out until next month with a shoulder injury – and Raphael Onyedika, who is close to a return from a hamstring injury, are set to miss out once again.
Looking ahead to this match-up, Bayern have been perfect throughout 2025-26 so far, and they will be especially confident playing on home soil given their excellent goalscoring record at the Allianz Arena.
Score Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 Club Brugge
Neither Monaco nor Tottenham Hotspur made winning returns to action following the international break, and the two inconsistent outfits now aim to right some wrongs in Wednesday’s Champions League league-phase clash at the Stade Louis II.
Both sides took one point from their matchday two encounters, as the Ligue 1 club held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw, while the Lilywhites played out their own four-goal thriller with Bodo/Glimt.
Also adapting to life under new management – albeit thanks to a much more recent change – Monaco will play their first European contest under the guidance of Sebastien Pocognoli this week, following the dismissal of Adi Hutter over the international break.
Pocognoli’s maiden match at the helm was nothing if not underwhelming, though, as Monaco shared the spoils in a 1-1 Ligue 1 draw with Angers at the weekend – the hosts’ third successive stalemate across all competitions.
Spurs’ cause was not helped by a pair of fresh defensive injury blows, as Destiny Udogie was ruled out before kickoff with a minor knee issue, while captain Cristian Romero sustained an adductor issue in the warm-up in their recent league fixture at home. Moreover, Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee), Yves Bissouma (ankle), Radu Dragusin (knee), Kota Takai (foot), Ben Davies (muscle) and Dominic Solanke (ankle) are all expected to miss out for the visitors, alongside the ineligible Mathys Tel, who suffered a calf issue at the weekend anyway.
As for Monaco, former Tottenham centre-back Eric Dier will not be reuniting with the Lilywhites this weekend, as the Englishman has sustained a hamstring problem which will sideline him for a few weeks.
Dier takes up a place in a packed Monaco infirmary alongside Lukas Hradecky (knee), Christian Mawissa (hamstring), Vanderson (hamstring), Denis Zakaria (adductor) and Lamine Camara (ankle), while Paul Pogba is still not match fit.
Factoring in both sides’ defensive weaknesses and abundance of attacking options, an enthralling end-to-end encounter could be on the cards, and yet another 2-2 stalemate is a highly realistic outcome.
Score Prediction: AS Monaco 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
For the first time in over three years, Marseille will visit Estadio Jose Alvalade on Wednesday for a date with Sporting Lisbon on matchday three of the Champions League campaign.
Both teams are tied on three points after two games, with the Portuguese losing 2-1 to Napoli earlier this month, while OM thumped Ajax 4-0 the last time around.
Rui Borges’s Sporting are currently on a three-match unbeaten run at home across all competitions, outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 8-2 during that streak.
As far as the visitors are concerned, following a controversial 2-1 defeat to the Spaniards, Robert De Zerbi’s men have reeled off five straight wins across all competitions, scoring a combined 13 goals in those last three games.
On Wednesday, Sporting will be missing Nuno Santos and vice captain Daniel Braganca, both of whom are recovering from cruciate ligament injuries. Meanwhile, for Marseille, Geoffrey Kondogbia is expected to sit out of this one with a calf strain, Amine Gouiri has a shoulder issue, Facundo Medina is dealing with an ankle sprain and Hamed Traore is doubtful because of a leg injury.
Looking at this fixture, Marseille are firing on all cylinders right now, and in their current form, we find it hard to believe an inconsistent Sporting can contain them for 90 minutes.
Score Prediction: Sporting CP 1-2 Olympique Marseille
Without success in the Champions League since 2007, Slavia Prague travel to Stadio di Bergamo on Wednesday to face Atalanta BC in matchday three, aiming to end their 18-year winless run.
Having conceded four in a chastening 4-0 defeat by PSG in Paris, Atalanta survived a scare in the second matchday of this season’s Champions League, as they mounted a second-half fightback to beat Club Brugge 2-1.
Thus, the home support will demand a positive result for their team, especially due to Slavia Prague’s inability to secure encouraging results in this competition since the team’s debut victory over FCSB in 2007.
On the team news front, La Dea may have to navigate this gameweek without Raoul Bellanova, Odilon Kossounou, Saed Kolasinac and Mitchel Bakker. Whereas Slavia Prague could be without as many as five players, with Dominik Javorcek, Jindrich Stanek, David Doudera, Igoh Ogbu and Tomas Holes potentially absent for their visit to Bergamo; Jan Boril and Murphy Dorley will be assessed, though both are expected to be fit.
Looking at this fixture, Atalanta are favourites, however, La Dea have scored more than two goals on only two occasions this season in nine matches across all competitions. Thus, we expect a comfortable 2-0 win for the hosts.
Score Prediction: Atalanta 2-0 Slavia Praha
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