It is time for matchday four from the revamped Champions League which features some exciting showdowns across the continent.
Let’s take a look at Wednesday’s biggest talking points.
⚔️ Match of the Day
📸 GABRIEL BOUYS – AFP or licensors
Arsenal travel to Inter on Wednesday with both sides enjoying matching records after three games.
The Gunners drew with Atalanta, impressed against Paris Saint-Germain and edged out Shakhtar last time out.
Simone Inzaghi’s side meanwhile held Manchester City to a draw, hammered Red Star and left it late for a win against Old Boys.
But both teams come into this clash with questions hanging over their heads domestically.
Inzaghi called out his side for their wastefulness in a 1-0 win over Venezia on Sunday whilst Juventus showed an inherent defensive weakness the weekend before in a thrilling 4-4 draw.
Mikel Arteta’s men on the other hand haven’t been quite so fortunate in claiming points whilst playing badly.
Arsenal have been exposed in the Premier League since the start of October, with defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle showing an inability to deal with injuries and suspensions to key players.
They will need to quickly find some mental fortitude if they’re to win at San Siro.
🔎 Team to Watch
Against the odds, Aston Villa came into this week’s action top of the Champions League table.
Unai Emery’s side returned to Europe’s premier club competition this season for the first time in 42 years and, so far, have been an utter revelation.
Three wins from three, including a stunning victory over Bayern Munich on matchday two, have turned the Premier League side from lovable underdogs into a side to be shot at.
And that’s what makes their match with Club Brugge match later so intriguing.
As clear favourites to win in Belgium, can Emery’s men overcome their recent domestic struggles and reclaim their spot at the summit? We’ll find out.
🔥 Player to Watch
Replacing Kylian Mbappé had to fall on someone’s shoulders, and in versions past, Paris Saint-Germain would have swapped one superstar for another.
This vintage though, under the uncompromising Luis Enrique, has decided to go for youthful exuberance over extravagance.
So it was Bradley Barcola who adopted the left wing position for Les Parisiens and so far the 22-year-old has enjoyed a stunning start to the campaign.
Ten goal involvements in 10 Ligue 1 games have helped the capital club go six points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
In the Champions League however, things have been slightly tougher for the French giants.
Just one win from three sees PSG sit in 19th place, on the same points – four – as Celtic, Sparta Praha and Stuttgart.
They now face Atlético de Madrid in a crunch clash at Parc des Princes with Barcola needing to be on top of his game to claim a second victory of the campaign.
👀 Potential upset
Vincent Kompany has hardly put a foot wrong domestically since joining Bayern Munich over the summer.
The Bavarian giants are currently top of the Bundesliga having won seven and drawn two of their opening nine games.
In Europe however, things have been slightly different with Bayern losing to Aston Villa and Barcelona.
They are in desperate need of a win but that may not come this week against a Benfica side who have confounded in their three matches so far.
Impressive wins against Red Star and Atleti saw them fly up the table but then came a 3-1 loss at home to Feyenoord in a game that they dominated from start to finish.
Turkish duo Kerem Akturkoglu and Orkun Kökçü have provided 11 goals and seven assists for the Portuguese outfit so far and will be key if they are to claim any points at the Allianz Arena.
📊 Fascinating stat
Barcelona have scored 10 goals in their three Champions League matches so far under new coach Hansi Flick.
That’s the fewest amount of matches to double figures since Pep Guardiola was in charge back in 2008.
That season, Barça went on to beat Manchester United in the final. Could that be an omen for this side?
📸 George Wood – 2024 Getty Images
