Matchday 3 of this season’s UEFA Champions League (2025-26) will take place this Midweek, on October 21 and 22.
The first day of fixtures will feature several top sides, including Barcelona, Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, and last season’s runners-up Inter Milan.
The action begins with two early kick-offs: Barcelona vs Olympiacos and FC Kairat vs Pafos FC.
Later, the main set of fixtures includes Arsenal vs Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City vs Villarreal, Union Saint-Gilloise vs Inter Milan, Copenhagen vs Borussia Dortmund, and Newcastle United vs Benfica
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will host the Greek champions at home. However, Barça are currently dealing with an injury crisis with Raphinha and Andreas Christensen joining the list that already includes Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo. Lamine Yamal, who returned from a groin injury in the 2-1 win over Girona, will be crucial for Barcelona. The Catalan side currently sit on three points, having beaten Newcastle and lost to Paris Saint-Germain, while Olympiacos have only one point so far.
Arguably the biggest clash of the night sees Arsenal hosting Atlético Madrid. The Premier League leaders have made a strong start to their UCL campaign, winning both of their matches so far to collect six points. Atlético, meanwhile, have three points , following a 3-2 loss to Liverpool and a 5-1 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Both Mikel Arteta and Diego Simeone have their teams in excellent domestic form, remaining unbeaten in their last five league matches. Atlético’s stunning 5-2 victory over Real Madrid is also part of this unbeaten run.
In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen will host the reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain. The big news for PSG is the return of Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé to the matchday squad. Although PSG’s league form has been a bit inconsistent, they have won both of their UCL matches this season , including a vital victory over Barcelona. Leverkusen, on the other hand, remain unbeaten but have drawn both of their games so far. PSG will still be without midfielders Fabián Ruiz and João Neves.
After their 2-0 Premier League win over Everton, Manchester City travel to Spain to face Villarreal. Former Villarreal midfielder Rodri will miss the match due to injury. City currently have four points, following a 2-0 win over Napoli and a 2-2 draw with Monaco. Villarreal have just one point, earned from a 2-2 draw with Juventus, and suffered a 1- 0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Other Fixtures
FC Kairat vs Pafos FC
Other matches of the day include:
PSV vs Napoli
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Inter Milan
Copenhagen vs Borussia Dortmund
Kick-off Times
All matches except Barcelona vs Olympiacos F.C and Kairat vs Pafos will kick off at 18:00 GMT / 12:30 AM IST.
The two early fixtures will begin at 16:45 GMT / 10:30 PM IST.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
