Matchday 4 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season arrives this midweek with some exciting fixtures. While Real Madrid will travel to Anfield to face old foes Liverpool, defending champions PSG will welcome Bayern Munich to the Parc des Princes, with Manchester City hosting Bayer Leverkusen.
Here, we present our preview and predictions for all UCL fixtures from Matchday 4.
Both teams suffered humiliating defeats in the previous Matchday: while Napoli were thrashed 6–2 by PSV, Frankfurt lost 5–1 to a struggling Liverpool.
However, since then, both teams have been on unbeaten runs. Napoli’s latest result was a goalless draw against Como in Serie A, while Frankfurt shared the spoils with Heidenheim in a 1–1 league draw.
In terms of player availability, Napoli have a few selection headaches, with Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Billy Gilmour, and Alex Meret injured, and Lorenzo Lucca suspended. Frankfurt, meanwhile, have Can Uzun, Elias Baum, and Oscar Højlund out for this game.
Napoli were defensively sound under Antonio Conte last season, but this season they have conceded a fair few goals, showing frailties at the back. Frankfurt also have massive defensive issues, having conceded ten goals in their last two UCL fixtures against Atlético Madrid and Liverpool.
With the in-form Can Uzun missing, Frankfurt are missing a reliable scorer at the other end, which makes it very hard for them to get anything from this game. Even with injuries to De Bruyne and Lukaku, the Partenopei should have enough firepower to see this game through.
Score prediction: Napoli 3–1 Frankfurt
While Slavia Praha have improved their performances after an honourable draw away to Atalanta in the previous Matchday, the Gunners thrashed Atlético Madrid 4–0 in a statement win that served as a warning to the other top teams in the competition. Both teams also won their recent fixtures last weekend comfortably, which should give them a lot of confidence going into this game.
From a player-availability standpoint, Slavia have massive injury issues, with Dominik Javorcek, Filip Horsky, Igoh Ogbu, Ivan Schranz, Petr Ševcík, and Tomáš Holeš out injured, while Arsenal have their own problems in the shape of Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz, with Martin Zubimendi suspended. However, Arsenal have the squad depth needed to deal with this kind of injury crisis, which wasn’t always the case before this season.
Even with a fully fit team, it would have been difficult for Slavia Praha to compete with Arsenal, but with so many injuries, this is likely to be a lost cause for the Czech outfit. The Gunners’ defensive wall is virtually unbreachable right now, and they certainly possess the firepower up front to hurt any opposition; this should be a comfortable victory for the north London outfit.
Score prediction: Slavia Praha 0–3 Arsenal
After the humiliating defeat to Arsenal in the last Matchday, Atlético Madrid face Union SG this midweek. The Belgian outfit suffered a similar outcome and scoreline against Inter at home. However, both teams have since shrugged off the defeat and found form, winning all their league games.
From an injury perspective, Atleti have Juan Musso and Pablo Barrios out, while Union SG have only Mohammed Fuseini unavailable for this game.
While Diego Simeone’s men are known for their defensive stability, their recent UCL defeats have been very unlike them. When playing at home, though, they have looked unbeatable, so this could be a tough fixture for the Belgian champions, who would be glad to come away with even a point from this match.
Score prediction: Atleti 4–1 Union SG
This is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated encounters of this Matchday.
Liverpool have been struggling for the last month or so, losing four Premier League games in a row, though the English champions looked much better at the weekend and finally got back to winning ways against Aston Villa, having also beaten Frankfurt emphatically in the UCL last time out.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, are looking ominous, having even beaten arch-rivals Barcelona in El Clásico recently. Though Los Blancos have a better head-to-head record against the Reds, in the same encounter last season Liverpool ended up comfortable winners.
For this game, Liverpool will miss the services of Alisson Becker, Jeremie Frimpong, Curtis Jones, and Alexander Isak, while Real Madrid will be without Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, and Dani Carvajal.
With Real Madrid in great form, it will be even more difficult for a struggling Liverpool side to get anything from this game. Both teams like to play free-flowing football, and with the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham in great nick, Liverpool’s defence will be tested.
That said, Real Madrid will also have to watch out for Hugo Ekitike and Dominik Szoboszlai, who have been key for Liverpool in attack. Even though Anfield is a tough place to go, considering their form and personnel, the Spanish heavyweights might just nick this one.
Score prediction: Liverpool 1–2 Real Madrid
Spurs’ form has been topsy-turvy of late, with two league defeats in a row, the latest of which came against London rivals Chelsea at home. Copenhagen, on the other hand, have moved on from the heavy defeat to Borussia Dortmund in their previous Matchday by winning their last two league games.
From a player-availability perspective, Spurs have been decimated by injuries, with Lucas Bergvall, Dominic Solanke, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, Archie Gray, and Ben Davies all out. Copenhagen also have many players injured, with Birger Meling, Thomas Delaney, Rodrigo Huescas, Jonathan Moalem, Magnus Mattsson, and Oliver Højer unavailable for this fixture.
While Spurs have been struggling — especially at home — and have several crucial players out, they still have enough quality in their line-up to win this game. However, they can’t take Copenhagen lightly, as the Danish heavyweights are usually very spirited against top teams. Spurs still have a slight advantage, though, given the personnel at their disposal, and should take all three points from this fixture.
Score prediction: Spurs 2–1 København
Their battering of Napoli triggered PSV in a positive way, and since then they’ve been exceptional, even beating Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord away from home. Olympiacos, meanwhile, were thrashed by Barcelona away from home in their last UCL outing but returned to winning ways in the Super League 1 with two wins in a row, though PSV will be a different kettle of fish for them.
From an injury perspective, Olympiacos will miss the services of Francisco Ortega and Santiago Hezze, while PSV will be without Alassane Pléa and Ruben van Bommel for this game.
Considering the attacking quality PSV possess, this could be a tough night for Olympiacos, even though they will be playing at home. PSV should come away with all three points here.
Score prediction: Olympiacos 1–3 PSV
The Italian giants have been on a poor run of form recently, losing three games in a row, including a narrow loss to Real Madrid away from home in their last UCL encounter. Sporting, on the other hand, have been unbeaten in their last five games across all competitions, having also beaten a tricky Marseille side in their last UCL fixture.
From a player-availability perspective, Juve have some crucial players out injured — Lloyd Kelly, Arkadiusz Milik, Juan Cabal, Carlo Pinsoglio, and Gleison Bremer. Sporting, meanwhile, will be without Iván Fresneda, Zeno Debast, Daniel Bragança, and Nuno Santos for this fixture.
This could be a tricky encounter for Juve, as they haven’t been in the best of form and have been defensively poor. Sporting are no pushovers, and even though the home advantage lies with the Old Lady, this could be a tight affair yet result in a high-scoring draw.
Score prediction: Juve 2–2 Sporting
PSG and Bayern Munich are table-toppers in their respective domestic leagues. The Parisians are unbeaten in their last five games, while Bayern have not even dropped a point in the Bundesliga so far. In their last respective UCL fixtures, PSG handed Leverkusen a 7–2 drubbing away from home, while Bayern thrashed Club Brugge 4–0.
In terms of player availability, PSG will miss Désiré Doué due to injury, while Ilya Zabarnyi is suspended. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, have Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies out with long-term injuries, while Hiroki Ito is also out until next month.
This is going to be a battle of two world-class teams led by two top head coaches, with playing at home handing PSG a massive advantage. Given the attacking intent with which both these teams play, this is definitely going to be a high-octane encounter.
Ultimately, even though Bayern boast superb quality up front with Luis Díaz, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise, the defending European champions are not lacking in the attacking either, with the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, and Bradley Barcola backed by flying fullbacks Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi. This will be a close encounter, but we back PSG to grab all three points; Bayern do have defensive issues that their forwards can exploit.
Score prediction: PSG 2–1 Bayern
Both these teams are coming into this fixture on the back of losses in their respective leagues last weekend. Bodø/Glimt also lost to Galatasaray in their previous UCL encounter, while Monaco played out a goalless draw at home against Spurs.
While Monaco’s defeat to Paris in Ligue 1 at the weekend marked their first loss in five games, Bodø have lost twice in that time. However, playing in the Champions League is different, as teams strive to perform at their best in every round of fixtures, making upsets more likely.
Bodø will be without Jostein Gundersen and Ola Brynhildsen for this match. Monaco also have a host of injury issues; Lamine Camara, Vanderson, Christian Mawissa, Lukas Hradecky, Eric Dier, Paul Pogba, and Dennis Zakaria are all doubtful for this game.
This could be a tricky encounter for the injury-ridden Monégasque outfit, as the Norwegian team are no pushovers and have the players that can hurt Monaco. That said, their home advantage should at least facilitate a draw here.
Score prediction: Bodø/Glimt 2–2 Monaco
The Azerbaijani heavyweights shocked everyone by picking up six points from their first two games in this season’s Champions League, beating Benfica 3–2 and Copenhagen 2–0, before their perfect start came to an end at the hands of Athletic Club last time out.
Chelsea, meanwhile, claimed a 1–0 victory over London rivals Spurs in their most recent outing, marking six wins in their last seven matches across all competitions, including wins over Benfica and Ajax to get their continental campaign back on track after an opening-day defeat to Bayern Munich.
Looking at the two teams, for Qarabag there are no injury problems with their first-choice players. However, the visitors have a long list of long-term absentees, with the likes of Cole Palmer (groin), Mykhaylo Mudryk (doping ban), Levi Colwill (ACL), Dário Essugo (thigh), Benoît Badiashile (muscle), and Liam Delap (hamstring) all missing.
That said, looking at the current form of this Chelsea side, it’ll be very difficult for Qarabag to get anything from the game. Thus, we are backing Chelsea to win this contest comprehensively.
Score prediction: Qarabag 1–4 Chelsea
Villarreal will be aiming to record their first victory in the UCL league phase when they face Pafos away on Wednesday night.
The Yellow Submarine are 31st in the Champions League table, with just one point from three matches, while Pafos are 29th, boasting two points from their opening three games.
Playing in the Champions League for the first time in their history, it has been a solid start for the Cypriot champions. Whereas, despite being third in LaLiga and just two points behind second-placed Barcelona, things have been difficult for Villarreal in the Champions League.
For this game, Pafos will be without the services of João Correia, who was sent off against Kairat, while Pedrão is out due to an injury. As for Villarreal, Logan Costa, Pau Cabanes, and Willy Kambwala are definitely out due to injury problems, though defender Juan Foyth may be able to overcome his niggle.
Pafos have done exceedingly well to avoid defeat in two of their three matches in the competition this season, and we expect this to be a tricky match for Villarreal. That said, the Spanish team have a lot of quality in the final third and should finally be able to navigate their way to all three points.
Score prediction: Pafos 1–2 Villarreal
Barcelona will be aiming to move on to nine points from four matches when they face Club Brugge on Wednesday. The Catalan giants are ninth in the UCL table, while Club Brugge are down in 20th, boasting three points from their opening three matches.
Looking at the domestic form of the two sides, Club Brugge come into this game on the back of a 2–1 victory over Dender, which left them second in the Belgian Pro League table, three points behind leaders Union Saint-Gilloise. Barça, meanwhile, beat Elche 3–1 in LaLiga last time out and are second in the league table, five points behind leaders Real Madrid.
For this game, Club Brugge will be without the services of Bjorn Meijer, Simon Mignolet, Ludovit Reis, and Raphael Onyedika. As far as Barça are concerned, Joan García is not quite ready to return despite returning to training last week, while the likes of Gavi (knee), Marc-André ter Stegen (back), Raphinha (hamstring), and Pedri (hamstring) are also unavailable.
Club Brugge thumped Monaco in their only home fixture in the Champions League this season, so we expect this to be a tricky match for Barcelona. That said, the defending LaLiga champions have enough quality on paper to pick up a crucial win here.
Score prediction: Club Brugge 1–2 Barça
Both sides have collected a praiseworthy seven points from three matches so far, but BVB sit one place higher in the UCL table by virtue of a marginally superior goal difference.
Calmly going about their continental business in the early stages of the season, Pep Guardiola’s Man City have already faced three revered European teams in Napoli, Monaco, and Villarreal; a haul of seven points is nothing to be scoffed at.
However, extending that unblemished record will be easier said than done if the form book is anything to go by, as Niko Kovac & Co have been on a goal-scoring frenzy in this season’s Champions League, having netted no fewer than four goals in every game so far. The 2023/24 Champions League finalists have also found the back of the net in all of their away games so far this season. Coincidentally, they’ve also scored on all three of their trips to the Etihad, though both meetings here in 2021 and 2022 ended in 2–1 defeats for the German heavyweights.
On the injury front, Man City only have Mateo Kovacic’s injury to deal with. The Croat will at least take a couple of months to recover. The visitors, meanwhile, are poised to receive a double defensive boost for Wednesday’s game, with Nico Schlotterbeck (illness) and Niklas Süle (toe) both expected to shake off their ailments in time to be involved. BVB’s only major absentee will be young Julien Duranville.
Looking ahead to this fixture, only reigning European champions PSG have been more potent than Dortmund in this season’s Champions League so far; Guardiola’s back line should not emerge from this contest unscathed. However, the hosts can fight fire with fire, especially when Erling Haaland is in such unstoppable form. Thus, we expect a third straight win for the Cityzens.
Score prediction: Man City 4–2 Dortmund
Inter’s perfect start faces Kairat’s resilience in Matchday 4. With already three wins from three and going 9–0 on aggregate, Christian Chivu’s high-flying Nerazzurri come into this contest as one of the in-form teams in Europe. Looking at their recent fixtures, Inter have won five in six across all competitions, having scored 15 goals and conceded only five.
Their opponents, in their first venture into the competition, earned their first point in their most recent fixture against Pafos. That said, despite their good work on the domestic front, the Champions League is unsurprisingly proving to be a steep learning curve for the defending Kazakh champions.
On the injury front, Inter will be stepping on the pitch without Raffaele Di Gennaro, Matteo Darmian, and Marcus Thuram, all of whom are unavailable due to injuries. As for Kairat, they have a host of players missing, with João Paulo and Élder Santana being the long-term absentees.
Inter have been flawless so far this season. Barring any calamitous defending, they should come out of this fixture with both a win and a clean sheet.
Score prediction: Inter 3–0 Kairat
Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen go in search of their first win as they square up at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday. The Portuguese giants are without a point from their opening three matches and sit second from bottom in the UCL table, while the German visitors are not far off — 30th in the standings after drawing two of their three outings in the competition.
For all their European struggles, Benfica have been imperious on the domestic scene. Following José Mourinho’s appointment, the Águias have also tightened up defensively and haven’t conceded in any of their last five league fixtures, four of which they’ve won, with the most recent three yielding a combined 11 goals.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen are a far cry from the team that comfortably secured automatic qualification last season. After enduring his first defeat at the helm, collapsing 7–2 at home to PSG in Matchday 3, Danish manager Kasper Hjulmand was handed his first league defeat as Leverkusen boss against Bayern (3–0) last weekend, which has left his side fifth in the Bundesliga table.
On the injury front, Benfica will remain without the injured trio of Alexander Bah, Manu Silva, and Bruma. As for Leverkusen, they have several absentees, with Exequiel Palacios, Lucas Vázquez, Axel Tape, Equi Fernández, and Nathan Tella all out injured, while captain Robert Andrich will serve a suspension following his red card against PSG.
Both sides have endured difficult starts to their Champions League journeys, but Benfica appear better placed to claim all three points here, especially given their strong domestic rhythm and the visitors’ growing list of absentees — particularly in midfield.
Score prediction: Benfica 2–1 Leverkusen
Rooted at the bottom of the Champions League table, Ajax host Galatasaray at the Johan Cruyff Arena aiming to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat in the competition.
Johnny Heitinga’s team have conceded the most goals (11) after three rounds and scored the joint-fewest (one), highlighting their issues on the continent. They’re hosting an opposition seeking three consecutive wins after beating Liverpool and Bodø/Glimt. Ajax’s indifferent form persisted over the weekend as they were held to a 1–1 draw by free-scoring Heerenveen in Amsterdam, meaning that they have only won one of their past six matches across all competitions.
Galatasaray’s UCL campaign, on the other hand, began with a dismal 5–1 hammering at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 1. However, a resurgence has seen the Süper Lig champions beat both Liverpool and Bodø.
In terms of team news, Kenneth Taylor is suspended for the Dutch giants after his early sending-off against Chelsea, while Steven Berghuis (groin), Kasper Dolberg (abdominal strain), and Branco van den Boomen (back) are all out injured. For Galatasaray, Davinson Sánchez is likely to return after serving his domestic suspension, while Ilkay Gündogan is expected to miss out due to a calf injury.
Galatasaray may be considered slight favourites for this game, especially since Ajax have lost their previous six European games. However, the Dutch giants have an admirable record against Turkish teams, notably in Amsterdam, where they are unbeaten (seven wins, one draw), making a draw very likely.
Score prediction: Ajax 1–1 Galatasaray
Both bidding to bounce back from demoralising domestic defeats, Newcastle United and Athletic Bilbao face off in the Champions League at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening.
The Magpies were slain 3–1 by West Ham United in Sunday’s Premier League showdown, while their LaLiga counterparts fell to a 3–2 loss to Basque rivals Real Sociedad.
Finding their feet in the Champions League after a valiant yet inconsequential effort against Barcelona in their UCL opener, Newcastle have been close to flawless in their last two European outings, registering six points, seven goals, and two clean sheets against a pair of beleaguered foes.
On the other hand, it is slowly turning into a nightmarish campaign for Athletic, who’ve now just won two in their last eleven games across all competitions — one of them being their 3–1 UCL triumph over Qarabag that lifted Ernesto Valverde’s men up to 21st in the table following back-to-back defeats to Arsenal (2–0) and Borussia Dortmund (4–1).
In terms of team news, for Newcastle both Kieran Tripper and Anthony Gordon are doubtful ahead of this encounter, while Yoane Wissa (knee), Tino Livramento (knee), and Harrison Ashby (thigh) are guaranteed absentees for Wednesday’s game.
As for Athletic, Valverde has lost the long-serving Iñaki Williams to a serious adductor injury, and the 31-year-old forward not expected to play again until 2026. Williams is joined on Athletic’s absentee list by Maroan Sannadi (knee), Beñat Prados (ACL), Unai Egiluz (ACL), and Iñigo Lekue (adductor), while defender Yeray Álvarez will be out until February due to a doping suspension.
Looking ahead to this fixture, Newcastle’s stellar home record also makes for grim reading for Athletic Club, who have failed to win any of their last five games on the road (losing four of them), with only one of their last nine matches away to an English side having ended in victory.
Score prediction: Newcastle 2–0 Athletic
Marseille’s recent form has been inconsistent, with a heavy home win against Ajax sandwiched between away losses to Sporting and Real Madrid.
Atalanta, on the other hand, were blown away by reigning UCL champions Paris Saint-Germain in Matchday 1 before they secured four points out of a possible six in their last two home UCL fixtures against Club Brugge and Slavia Praha.
Marseille’s recent mixed-bag form has seen them register a convincing 4–0 home win against Ajax, highlighting their potential to dominate offensively, but their away performances have been less impressive, exemplified by losses to Sporting and Real Madrid.
Similar to Marseille, Atalanta too have shown they can be solid at home, having drawn with Slavia Praha and secured a victory against Club Brugge. Their away form, however, has been poor this season, which was highlighted in the heavy defeat they suffered at the hands of PSG.
In terms of injuries, the hosts will be missing Geoffrey Kondogbia, Amine Gouiri, Facundo Medina, Hamed Traorè, and Timothy Weah. As for Atalanta, they’ll be without Giorgio Scalvini and Mitchel Bakker.
Looking ahead to this fixture, despite their inconsistency, Marseille have a great record at home and will be confident against an Atalanta side who have had a hard time winning away from home. Thus, we back OM to come away with all three points in this encounter.
Score prediction: Marseille 2–1 Atalanta
Welsh football club Wrexham AFC have announced a new multi-year partnership with match-worn and signed…
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants have announced a new multi-year partnership with…
The Audi Formula One Team, who will join the Formula One grid from the 2026…
India had the ODI series against South Africa at home in their hands, especially after…
After an incredible start to the Ashes 2025/26 series which saw hosts Australia stomp England…
Italian Formula One team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB) have announced that British driver…