UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 schedule, live stream, storylines: How to watch UCL on Paramount+

The UEFA Champions League returns on Tuesday with another series of league stage games, with redemption at stake for a handful of Europe’s top teams.

Seven teams head into matchday three with a perfect six points out of six, a group that excludes heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Arsenal, among others. For many of them, the aim will be to make up the deficit, a reasonable task with six games remaining in the league phase. This creates a lot of interest ahead of another must-win round of the Champions League, particularly when Barcelona face Bayern and Liverpool take on RB Leipzig.

Here’s what you need to know before the action begins.

Here’s how to watch

Paramount+ will broadcast every minute of Matchday 3, while CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network will broadcast select games. Coverage begins with Champions League matchday on CBS Sports Golazo Network to preview the first few games before the pre-match show “UEFA Champions League Today” begins on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. The post-match show will also air on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+, while CBS Sports Golazo Network will complete the post-match coverage with new editions of Scoreline and Champions Club.

TV program from matchday 3

Always east

Storylines for Matchday 3

1. Barcelona and Bayern face each other

The biggest game of Matchday 3 is undoubtedly Bayern Munich’s trip to Barcelona, ​​where two teams that have already dropped points will be hoping to regain the top spots in the league stage.

Barcelona’s unbeaten run this season may be long over, but they appear to be on solid ground under new coach Hansi Flick. They finished another weekend at the top of La Liga, outscoring opponents 19 points to nine in nine games. They may have shown some weaknesses defensively, but they definitely had an attack that can get them out of trouble in most cases. A tougher opponent like Bayern will of course test the sustainability of their strategy, but Barcelona will have the advantage of overcoming their recent injury crisis. Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal are back after short-term injuries, while Gavi is finally on the way back after tearing his cruciate ligament last year.

As for Bayern, they are also top of the Bundesliga and have a handful of lopsided wins in their favor. There are some positive signs in the early days of Vincent Kompany’s tenure as manager, but results in high-profile games have been mixed, including a draw against Bayer Leverkusen and a defeat a few days later at Aston Villa on matchday two. Barcelona are not expected to face the same challenges as Villa, who were happy to absorb Bayern’s pressure and limit their attacking output, adding even more excitement to this matchday three encounter. With Harry Kane in the lineup, Bayern will undoubtedly have important opportunities to score, although they may be without Jamal Musiala, who is struggling with a hip problem but hopes to be back in time for Wednesday’s game.

2. Redemption sheets for Real Madrid, PSG

Bayern aren’t the only super club planning a comeback on matchday three – Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain also have their own rehabilitation sheets to complete after defeats in their previous games.

PSG lost 2-0 to Arsenal on matchday two, dominating in possession and shots, but were penalized by the Gunners’ failure to create meaningful chances and defensive errors that the Gunners were able to exploit on their best days. After the departure of Kylian Mbappé, there is still reason to be confident in Luis Enrique’s rebuilding, so much so that PSG will extend his contract and have a favorable game on matchday three. They host PSV, who are winless in their first two Champions League games, giving PSG the chance to put in an impressive performance for the first time this season.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, could view their loss to Lille on Matchday 2 as an anomaly in an otherwise normal season. They were obviously the dominant team on the day, but despite getting half of their 12 shots on target, a 2.16 expected goalscoring rate and one of the most fearsome defenses in Europe, they were unable to score. It is their only defeat so far in a season that has mostly gone according to plan – they are in the La Liga title race and have outscored opponents by 21 points to seven in 10 games. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have always been a little unbalanced, even when they won the Champions League last spring, and on matchday two they seemed to have finally caught up with Borussia Dortmund, who have a perfect record in Europe so far, making a very tempting matchup , as the reigning champions hope for a course correction.

3. No points, big problem?

Eight teams have zero points in two games, with some teams’ performance at the bottom of the table more surprising than others. A typical example is AC Milan and RB Leipzig, both of which will feel overwhelmed by deadlines but still need to get themselves out of trouble.

Milan’s start-up season under coach Paulo Fonseca shows no signs of slowing down, even though Christian Pulisic has scored up to six goals and three assists across all competitions this season. They will be favorites against Club Brugge on Tuesday but still have to contend with their own defensive demons, which have cost them even on the days they have scored goals. Milan have conceded seven goals in eight Serie A games and a further four goals in two Champions League games, which barely balances their 10 goals scored in both competitions.

As for Leipzig, their Bundesliga season couldn’t be further from their Champions League form. They are unbeaten in the league in seven games, level on points with leaders Bayern and have the best defensive record in the Bundesliga to date with just two goals conceded. However, they have made a mess of things in Europe, giving up a 1-0 lead against Atlético Madrid before losing 2-1, and then suffering a 3-2 defeat against Juventus after losing 1-1. 2 were in the lead and had a man advantage. Wednesday’s clash with in-form Liverpool could only compound their woes, but a strong performance will at least show signs of life.