Champions League matchday three kicks off Tuesday with PSG vs Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain will host Barcelona on Tuesday in the headline fixture of the third round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, which also features Liverpool taking on Villarreal and Manchester City facing AEK Athens.

PSG lead the group with six points, ahead of second-placed Barcelona on goal difference, after both teams won their opening two matches. The Parisian side have scored 10 goals and conceded three, while Barcelona have netted nine and let in two, highlighting both teams’ attacking strength ahead of this highly anticipated encounter.

Barcelona are aiming to continue their winning run and claim top spot in a match between two of the tournament’s leading title contenders.

Elsewhere, Liverpool, currently fifth with six points, host Villarreal, who sit 14th with three points. The English side are looking to maintain their strong start after back-to-back wins, most recently defeating Austria’s LASK 6-3. Villarreal come into the match with confidence after beating Napoli 3-1 in the previous round.

Manchester City, 17th with three points, face Greece’s AEK Athens, who are 20th with the same tally. Both teams are seeking to improve their positions after City lost 4-2 to PSG and AEK Athens fell 3-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Tuesday’s fixtures also include Fenerbahce, 28th with one point, against Slavia Prague, who have yet to earn a point, while Azerbaijan’s Sabah, 22nd with three points, meet Borussia Dortmund, who are 18th with three points as well.

Roma, 25th with one point, play bottom-placed Slovan Bratislava, who have no points, while Porto, 30th and yet to score a point, face PSV Eindhoven, 26th with one point. Napoli, still without a point, take on Norway’s Bodo/Glimt, who have three. Stuttgart, fourth with six points, host Atletico Madrid, 15th with three points.

The round continues Wednesday with nine more matches, including Real Madrid against RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich versus Arsenal, and Como facing Manchester United.

Real Madrid, ninth with six points, are looking to extend their perfect start, while Leipzig, on three points, hope to boost their qualification chances.

In the Bayern-Arsenal clash, both teams are aiming to climb the standings, with Arsenal on six points and Bayern on four.

Manchester United, 13th with three points, meet Italy’s Como, who also have three. Wednesday’s fixtures also feature Aston Villa against Norway’s Viking, Inter Milan versus Shakhtar Donetsk, Club Brugge against France’s Lens, Real Betis facing Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon against LASK, and Lille versus Galatasaray.

This round is especially significant under the tournament’s new format, which features 36 teams in a single league table. The top eight qualify directly for the round of 16, teams ranked ninth to 24th enter the playoff round, while those finishing 25th to 36th are eliminated.