Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League league phase is absolutely stacked. Tuesday in Paris, PSG host Barcelona, two perfect teams and two of the best attacks in Europe. Ferran Torres facing his old club only adds to it.
Wednesday's headliner isn't far behind: Arsenal at Bayern. The Gunners come in perfect, while Bayern are still annoyed about dropping points in Norway last time out to Viking. The Allianz Arena under the lights is where we find out if Arsenal are the real deal this year, looking to get back to the Champions League final in the spring.
There's a lot more on the card. Liverpool host Villarreal, Real Madrid welcome Leipzig, and Atletico head to Stuttgart, one of this season's surprise sides. Manchester United go to Como, a trip that looks a lot trickier than it would have a few years ago.
Inter, still without a point, can't afford anything but a win at home to Shakhtar. Every match streams live on Paramount+, your home for every Champions League game all season long, plus replays, highlights, and studio coverage breaking down the race for the top eight. If you haven't signed up yet, now's the time.
Here are our expert picks for this matchday: Player to Vitinha, PSG: For all the justifiable excitement around the front threes these teams roll out, this is going to be a game that is decided in midfield. As Luis Enrique himself acknowledged, the best way to keep Lamine Yamal quiet, which in itself is a good way to keep Barca schtum, is to keep the ball and there might be no one in world football who does that as effectively as Vitinha while still moving his team into dangerous positions. -- James BengeMan of the match: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona: The numbers of Yamal are absolutely astonishing so far as he has scored eight goals and provided six assists in the opening six LaLiga games, on top of one goal and four assists in the two games played in the Champions League. If last season the Spanish winger didn't have a solid start of the season due to injuries, this campaign things look much different. -- Francesco Porzio Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 3, Barcelona 2: There is almost no way this game will not have fireworks, such is the nature of these two teams, but it's hard not to give the slight edge to Paris Saint-Germain.
The back-to-back champions are a well-oiled machine at this point and even if Barcelona boast a bit more defensive resolve these days, the hosts are defined by the exact type of dynamism that would exploit even the best back lines. -- Pardeep Cattry Best bet: Lamine Yamal to score (+120): There will be goals, and it would be an affront to soccer if this game goes scoreless by some force of nature, with the over/under being set at 4.5. Every member of the Barcelona attack has been astounding to kick off the season, and with how they've played, PSG won't be able to only key in on Yamal in this clash and if you leave space, he will score. -- Charles Booth Player to Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal: No one will have quite such a multi-faceted job at the Allianz Arena as Arsenal's brilliant left back. His late darts around the penalty area are critical in applying pressure to the opposition and already this season he has three goal involvements.
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