After tucking into Tuesday’s action, the turnaround is swift with another slate of Champions League drama on the horizon.
This stage of the competition may not boast the most sinister jeopardy, but these fixtures are crucial in shaping the 36-team table.
Gameweek 3 doesn’t possess a Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain-like corker on paper that the previous gameweek offered, but there is a repeat of two Champions League finals on Wednesday night, while Liverpool are aiming to bring their slump to a close in Germany. There’s intrigue in abundance, that’s for sure.
Here’s how Sports Illustrated projects Wednesday’s Champions League games to play out.
Athletic Club vs. Qarabag
Kick-off time: 5.45 p.m. BST / 12.45 p.m ET / 9.45 a.m. PT
It’s been a so-so start to the season for Athletic Club, who currently sit eighth in La Liga and are point-less in the league phase table.
However, Ernesto Valverde’s men have ticked off two of their toughest continental outings on their schedule, and they’ll now be targeting a healthy collection of points over the next few matchdays.
The Basque outfit face history-makers Qarabag on Wednesday evening, with the visitors following up their comeback victory over Benfica with a comfortable home win over Copenhagen in Gameweek 2. They’re the unlikeliest of the 100% sides through 180 minutes of Champions League football this term.
Prediction: Athletic Club 3–1 Qarabag
Galatasaray vs. Bodø/Glimt
Kick-off time: 5.45 p.m. BST / 12.45 p.m ET / 9.45 a.m. PT
Both sides faced up against Premier League opposition last time out, and Bodø/Glimt should’ve joined Galatasaray in upsetting the odds.
While Gala edged past Liverpool 1–0 thanks to a Victor Osimhen penalty, Bodø dominated their duel with Tottenham Hotspur on home soil but conceded an own goal late to relinquish a 2–0 lead.
The Norwegians proved in Gameweek 1 that they won’t solely be reliant on their home form throughout the league phase, but their mettle will certainly be tested in Istanbul. The hosts may have had their grand day out against the Reds, but this is a team that harbours aspirations of enjoying a deep run in Europe
Prediction: Galatasaray 2–1 Bodø/Glimt
Atalanta vs. Slavia Prague
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Many raised an eyebrow when Atalanta opted to appoint Ivan Jurić off the back of his Southampton nightmare to replace Gian Piero Gasperini, but the canny La Dea hiearchy knew what they were doing.
A Gasperini disciple, Jurić has allowed for continuity in Bergamo and Atalanta are reaping the rewards.
Star man Ademola Lookman missed the start of the season, but La Dea are one of only two unbeaten teams in Europe’s top five leagues. In Europe, they were first cast aside by Paris Saint-Germain but showed plenty of character to come from behind and win against a sneaky good Club Brugge side.
Slavia Prague were distinctly second best on their previous trip to Italy, when they were beaten by Inter 3–0.
Prediction: Atalanta 2–0 Slavia Prague
Bayern Munich vs. Club Brugge
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Off the back of a career performance in Der Klassiker, Harry Kane is aiming to continue his supreme start to the 2025–26 season on Wednesday night.
Kane has been nothing short of imperious for a Bayern side that are cosplaying as the best team in Europe. There were a few snags against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, but Vincent Kompany’s side have blitzed beyond the vast majority of those who have come up against them this term.
Club Brugge are a potential banana skin, but the gulf between these two should be too big for a slip-up to occur. Bayern are almost impossible to beat in Bavaria on Champions League nights, especially when their No. 9 is playing as well as he is.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 4–1 Club Brugge
Chelsea vs. Ajax
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
After putting the final nail in Ange Postecoglou’s reign at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Chelsea have the chance to inflict more misery upon another manager in midweek.
Johnny Heitinga is already under the cosh in Amsterdam, having inherited a side that ought to have won the Eredivisie last season. Ajax are winless in three, and they’re yet to score in the league phase.
After losing to Inter 2–0, they were thumped 4–0 by Marseille in Gameweek 2. Chelsea, meanwhile, bounced back from their defeat to Bayern by scraping past Benfica at Stamford Bridge. It was an absolute barnstormer the last time these two met in west London, but the Blues will likely be far too good for the visitors on this occasion.
Prediction: Chelsea 3–0 Ajax
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Liverpool
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Harry Maguire’s header means Liverpool are suddenly at risk of losing an unfathomable five on the bounce. Having succumbed to Manchester United’s direct approach on Sunday, the Reds are now encountering an Eintracht Frankfurt outfit that are almost too Bundesliga to be true.
The transition monsters have been involved in basketball matches aplenty this term, so we have to expect goals in Frankfurt on Wednesday. They lead the German top flight with 19 goals scored and 18 goals against.
Liverpool’s profligacy cost them at the weekend, and they will be gifted high-quality openings by Dino Toppmöller’s side here. Perhaps Florian Wirtz will get off the mark in a familiar environment.
Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 2–3 Liverpool
Monaco vs. Tottenham
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Adi Hütter’s reign came to a close over the October international break, with Monaco appointing Union Saint-Gilloise boss Sébastien Pocognoli as his replacement.
There was a sense that the Austrian, who returned Monaco to Europe’s premier club competition, had taken his team as far as he could, with Pocognoli, who lifted the Belgian Pro League title last season, regarded as the hipster coach who can thrust the Ligue 1 side to the next level.
His tenure started with a 1–1 draw with Angers, and they’re preparing to face a Tottenham Hotspur team that are more functional than dynamic. Thomas Frank’s Spurs were beaten for the first time since last August at the weekend.
Prediction: Monaco 1–1 Tottenham
Real Madrid vs. Juventus
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
The pair of European supergiants have faced off in two Champions League finals and have shared the stage for some iconic duels. Their most recent clash, at the Club World Cup in the summer, was much lower key.
While Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid have offered signs of evolution since their 1–0 win in the United States, Igor Tudor’s Juventus have stood still. Thiago Motta’s successor was never regarded as a long-term solution, and reports in Italy suggest Tudor may only have a couple of games to save his job.
The Old Lady were beaten by a Nico Paz-inspired Como on Sunday.
Madrid will surely look to bring Paz home next summer, but that’s a discussion for another day. Two wins in the league phase mean Xabi Alonso can afford to rest and rotate if needed with El Clásico on the horizon.
Prediction: Real Madrid 2–0 Juventus
Sporting CP vs. Marseille
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Marseille were the standout performers in Gameweek 2, and a 6–2 victory in Ligue 1 at the weekend means they usurped PSG at the top of the French top flight.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side are firing on all cylinders, and they’ll be confident of securing their second win of the league phase in Lisbon on Wednesday.
Sporting ran Napoli close last time out and are trailing Porto by three points in the Primeira Liga. Still, Marseille’s impressive form means they’ll have to be at their best to avoid a defeat on home soil here.
Prediction: Sporting CP 1–2 Marseille
Matchday 10/22 Predictions
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as UEFA Champions League Predictions: Matchday 10/22.