UEFA Champions League motion returns this week, with 15-time winners Actual Madrid as soon as once more headlining the schedule as they host Juventus in essentially the most anticipated fixture of Matchday 3.
Xabi Alonso’s facet are off to a near-perfect begin this season with only one loss throughout home and continental competitors, with Wednesday’s conflict in opposition to an inconsistent Juventus facet providing them an opportunity to maintain that streak alive. Actual Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe will take heart stage as soon as once more as the focus of Alonso’s model of Los Blancos and already has 14 objectives to present for it throughout all competitions, together with 5 within the Champions League.
Actual Madrid are one in all six groups with two wins out of two to start out their Champions League campaigns, the group largely made up of European titans – Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and Arsenal – who hope to create additional distance between them and the remainder. The exception in that group, although, are Qarabag, who notched the primary win for an Azerbaijani crew within the historical past of the competitors in opposition to Benfica after which adopted that up with a victory over Copenhagen. Their subsequent check shall be in opposition to Athletic Membership, final season’s UEFA Europa League semifinalists who’re off to a middling begin in each home and continental play.
For extra forward of a jam-packed Champions League week, this is what that you must know earlier than tuning in.
watch
All the motion on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League will be caught on Paramount+, whereas CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports activities Golazo Community can have choose simultaneous protection. Every day’s protection begins with Champions League Matchday, streaming on Paramount+ and CBS Sports activities Golazo Community forward of the early video games earlier than the UEFA Champions League Right this moment pre-match present begins on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. The Golazo Present on Paramount+ additionally returns for the late slate of matches, whereas the UEFA Champions League Right this moment post-match present on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network picks issues up on the finish of the day. The day’s protection concludes on CBS Sports activities Golazo Community with The Champions Membership (additionally streamed reside on YouTube) and Scoreline.
Matchday 3 TV schedule
All occasions U.S./Japanese
Tuesday’s storylines
Arsenal, Atletico sq. off: Arsenal’s quest to lastly win main silverware beneath supervisor Mikel Arteta runs by way of Atletico Madrid, who’ve been inconsistent at occasions this season however have additionally been a tough foe for a few of Europe’s heavyweights. They went toe-to-toe with Liverpool on Matchday 1 of the Champions League earlier than a 3-2 loss at Anfield however booked a 5-2 win in opposition to Actual Madrid in LaLiga play and a 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Europe since. It is a clear demonstration of their attacking may however how that stacks up in opposition to Arteta’s rock-solid protection, conceding simply three objectives in 11 video games throughout all competitions to this point this season.
Paris Saint-Germain’s stars return: The reigning Champions League winners are off to a robust begin, reserving two wins out of two regardless of lacking a handful of their stars, most notably notching a 2-1 win over Barcelona on Matchday 2. They could not have all of their top-tier gamers again in time for Tuesday’s sport at Bayer Leverkusen, however some shall be higher than none – Want Doue began their 3-3 draw over the weekend whereas Khvicha Kvaratskhelia got here off the bench, providing sufficient attacking firepower for Luis Enrique‘s facet to be favored to remain excellent within the Champions League, whether or not or not Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele can be a part of them.
Wednesday’s storylines
Actual Madrid goal one other win: Xabi Alonso’s first full season in control of Actual Madrid is off to a robust begin and issues are more likely to proceed on Wednesday in opposition to Juventus, who’ve two attracts to start out Champions League play. Kylian Mbappe is anticipated to guide Los Blancos’ offense however Alonso can have a variety of choices in assault as he seems to fill out the lineup, although essentially the most urgent query of all simply is perhaps whether or not or not Vinicius Junior begins. He acquired the nod in Actual Madrid’s 5-0 drubbing of Kairat on Matchday 2 however Alonso lived to remorse the choice of leaving him on the bench of their win over Marseille on Matchday 1. The brand new supervisor is inclined to rotate by way of his choices so maybe the truth that Vinicius didn’t begin on Sunday in opposition to Getafe means he could possibly be within the lineup in opposition to Juventus.
Can Liverpool flip issues round?: Liverpool’s robust begin to the season is formally a factor of the previous, with the Reds turning into the primary Premier League champions in 11 years to go on a 4 sport shedding streak following their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. How precisely supervisor Arne Slot corrects course – and whether or not or not he can do it in time for his or her journey to Eintracht Frankfurt within the Champions League – is an enormous query, particularly because it turns into clear that the crew’s tactical imaginative and prescient for the season shouldn’t be actually working. Their assault has been spotty in latest weeks, both ineffective or wasteful, and the person gamers are a bit everywhere – Cody Gakpo has 5 objectives in his final 4 video games for membership and nation however Florian Wirtz remains to be struggling to make an affect and Mohamed Salah is off to a poor begin. That is with out contemplating the Reds’ weak protection, which has been simply as pricey all season lengthy.
