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Following another gruesome international break, club football has returned to all of Europe’s top footballing nations. Now it's time for the UEFA Champions League to take centre-stage.
The first two UEFA Champions League gameweeks gave us a few surprises and a bucketload of drama. The third matchday, which is set to be played over Tuesday and Wednesday, is not expected to be an exception.
Today, we will take all matchday three fixtures into consideration and give you our top five predictions. From fallen giants to new empires, the story of the third UEFA Champions League Matchday is set to be a memorable one.
Now, without further ado, let us get to it.
#5 Ajax and Borussia Dortmund to play out the most exciting match of matchday 3
Ajax and Borussia Dortmund are two of the most exciting teams in the UEFA Champions League this season. New Dortmund coach Marco Rose has a knack for flamboyant football, and his Ajax counterpart Erik ten Hag is no different.
Both Dortmund and Ajax have won their last two UEFA Champions League matches, beating Besiktas and Sporting Lisbon comprehensively. Ajax, in particular, have been relentless in the opposition half this season in the UEFA Champions League. They put in five against Sporting before registering a comfortable 2-0 win over Besiktas.
Dortmund, on the other hand, have beaten Besiktas and Sporting by 2-1 and 1-0 margins, respectively. Ajax will fancy themselves a crucial win over Borussia Dortmund at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if Erling Haaland's Borussia Dortmund come up with a reply.
#4 Barcelona to bag their first Champions League win of the season
Since the departure of the great Lionel Messi this summer, Barcelona have not had the best of times in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. The 26-time La Liga champions are currently seventh in the league table and are yet to open their account in the UEFA Champions League.
They were beaten comprehensively by Bayern Munich and then Benfica, suffering 3-0 defeats on both occasions. Thankfully, the Blaugrana are determined and desperate to bounce back, and we see them getting maximum points on matchday three against Dynamo Kyiv.
Barcelona managed to beat Valencia in La Liga on Sunday night, with the likes of Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho leading the charge. While former Manchester City star Sergio Aguero also made his debut for Barcelona, Memphis Depay dispatched a confident penalty.
Barcelona look on course to turn their fortunes around in the Champions League and they will have the perfect opportunity this Wednesday against Dynamo Kyiv.
#3 Real Madrid to get a dazzling win at Shakhtar Donetsk
13-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid are the most prestigious team in Europe. They are also the only team to defend the UEFA Champions League and win it for three consecutive seasons. Unfortunately, their glory days seem to be well and truly behind them, as there are hardly enough showstoppers at the club to make a difference.
Real Madrid were handed one of their most humiliating defeats in the UEFA Champions League on the second matchday by debutant Sheriff Tiraspol. The Moldovan club completely outplayed Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu to clinch a historic 2-1 win.
Real Madrid are making the trip to Shakhtar Donetsk this week for their third UEFA Champions League group stage fixture. Eden Hazard and Daniel Carvajal will miss the game with injuries, but the rest of the squad is fit and raring to go.
Carlo Ancelotti is desperate to erase the horrors of his side’s defeat against Sheriff. That desperation could lead to engaging football and lots of goals against Shakhtar on Tuesday.
#2 Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to get on the scoresheet
After dominating the world for over a decade, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are nearing the twilight of their careers. While Messi has struggled a bit to settle in at Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldo has recently endured a difficult patch at Manchester United.
Despite the concerning symptoms, we expect the Ballon d’Or winners to impress and score in the UEFA Champions League this week.
Messi’s PSG is set to take on RB Leipzig this week, while Ronaldo’s United prepare to go up against Serie A side Atalanta. Both veterans are set to feature and could prove to be clinical in front of goal.
While Messi’s only goal for PSG came against Manchester City on matchday two, Ronaldo scored the decider against Villarreal the same gameweek. Both have fired a couple of blanks in their respective leagues since then but should return to goalscoring form in the UEFA Champions League this week.
#1 Liverpool to extend their unbeaten run against Atletico Madrid
2018-19 UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool are enjoying a purple patch at the moment, especially in the Champions League. Jurgen Klopp’s side have played scintillating football over the last two matchdays, scoring eight goals and conceding three. They made hard work of their win over AC Milan, but bulldozed past Porto on matchday two.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, drew their first match and barely nicked a win against AC Milan on matchday two. Fortunately for Atletico, they have managed to keep clean sheets in their last three matches at the Wanda Metropolitano, but stopping Liverpool will be difficult.
The Reds are currently on a 20-match unbeaten run and have scored 27 in their last eight outings. Los Rojiblancos will need a miracle to stop Liverpool’s steamrollers, and we are not confident of the Spanish champions' chances.
