UCL MATCH WEEK 3: Arsenal v Atletico headlines Tuesday’s nine-game line-up

The UEFA Champions League returns for match week three with nine thrilling fixtures lined up for Tuesday night live on SuperSport.

The headline clash sees Arsenal host Atletico Madrid in a heavyweight showdown, while Manchester City face a potentially tricky test away to Villarreal.

With group standings beginning to take shape, every point counts as Europe’s elite battle for knockout stage qualification.

Barcelona v Olympiakos

This will be just the third meeting between Barcelona and Olympiakos, with the previous two coming in the 2017-18 group stage in the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona won 3-1 in the home fixture, before drawing 0-0 away from home.

Olympiakos have never won away to a Spanish team in European competition, losing 14 of their 16 previous matches (D2). The only games they managed to avoid defeat in were both against Deportivo de La Coruña, drawing against them in 2001 (2-2) and 2004 (0-0).

No Greek team has ever won away to a Spanish opponent in the UEFA Champions League, with 17 of the previous 21 attempts ending in defeat (D4). This will be the first such fixture played in the competition since a 3-1 defeat for Olympiakos at Barcelona in October 2017.

Barcelona were beaten by Paris SG in their previous UEFA Champions League game, but have never lost multiple home games in the group stage of a single edition of the European Cup/Champions League.

Olympiakos are one of only two teams yet to score a goal in the UEFA Champions League this season (along with Ajax). The Greek side have attempted 28 shots without success so far, and have only hit the target with six of those (21 per cent).

Barcelona have scored at least one goal in each of their last 22 UEFA Champions League matches (58 goals). If they find the net here, it will be their outright second-longest scoring run in the competition, only behind a 29-game streak between November 2009 and March 2012, recorded under Pep Guardiola.

A total of 62.5 per cent of the chances created by Olympiakos players in the UEFA Champions League this season have come from the right-sided attacking third (15/24); the highest of any team from that side. Indeed, their total of 15 chances created from the right third is also a team-high in this edition.

Barcelona’s Pedri has made more line-breaking passes under high-intensity pressure than any other player in the UEFA Champions League this season (18). Meanwhile, midfield partner Frenkie de Jong (64/67) has the highest pass completion rate under high-intensity pressure in the current edition (95.5 per cent - min. 50 attempted).

Olympiakos striker Ayoub El Kaabi has made the most high-intensity pressures in the final third of any player in the UEFA Champions League this season (57). The Moroccan is yet to score in this edition, however, attempting the joint-most shots of any striker who hasn’t yet found the net (7 – level with Viktor Gyökeres).

Since the start of last season, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal has averaged more completed dribbles per 90 than any other player in the UEFA Champions League (4.5 – min. 500 minutes played). In the same period, he also has the highest success rate of any winger (57.7 per cent) to attempt at least 30 dribbles. Yamal will be the youngest player to make 25 Champions League appearances in this game (18 years, 100 days).

Newcastle United v Benfica

Newcastle and Benfica have met twice previously in European competition, with those two meetings coming in the quarterfinals of the 2012-13 UEFA Europa League. Benfica progressed 4-2 on aggregate, after a 3-1 home win and a 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park.

Benfica have only won one of their last nine away games against English teams in European competition (D3 L5), going winless in four (D1 L3) since a 3-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur in March 2014 in the UEFA Europa League.

After their 4-0 win at Union Saint-Gilloise on MD2, Newcastle will be looking to record consecutive wins in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since February 2003 (two wins v Bayer Leverkusen).

Benfica are on a four-game losing streak in the UEFA Champions League, and have only once previously lost five consecutive matches in the competition: an eight-game run between March 2017 and September 2018.

Benfica manager José Mourinho has only won three of his 12 away games at St. James’ Park against Newcastle (D4 L5), and just one of the most recent seven (D3 L3). This will be his first game there as a manager since a 2-2 draw in April 2021, against Steve Bruce’s Newcastle while in charge of Tottenham.

Only Sturm Graz (16) have played more European Cup/UEFA Champions League home games without ever drawing than Newcastle (13 – W6 L7). The Magpies have lost each of the last three on home soil, however, which is their longest such losing run in the Champions League.

Nick Woltemade scored in his first UEFA Champions League start for Newcastle, opening the scoring in their win at Union Saint-Gilloise last time out. The German striker could become the first Newcastle player to find the net in each of their first two starts for the club in the competition.

Since the start of last season, Benfica defender Nicolás Otamendi is the player with the highest duel success rate in the UEFA Champions League (65.6 per cent - min. 100 contested), winning 101 of 154 overall.

Anthony Gordon has scored three goals in two appearances for Newcastle in the UEFA Champions League this season (one v Barcelona, two v Union Saint-Gilloise), while only Alan Shearer in 2002-03 (six in 10 games) has netted more in a single edition for the Magpies.

Of goalkeepers with 10+ appearances in the UEFA Champions League since the start of last season, Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin is the lowest-ranked goalkeeper for goals prevented, based on the xG of shots on target faced (-3.4 – 22 goals conceded from 18.6 xG on target, excluding OGs).

PSV Eindhoven v Napoli

The only previous meetings between PSV and Napoli came in the 2012-13 UEFA Europa League group stage – the Dutch side won both home (3-0) and away (3-1) fixtures, despite finishing behind Napoli (2nd) in Group F that year (3rd).

PSV have only won one of their last seven games against Italian sides in the UEFA Champions League (D1 L5), although that victory did come in the most recent one – 3-1 v Juventus in February this year (play-off round, second leg).

This will be Napoli’s seventh away match against a Dutch team in European competition – after failing to win any of their first five (D2 L3), they won the most recent one by a five-goal margin, beating Ajax in the UEFA Champions League in October 2022 (6-1). This remains their biggest ever away win in Europe, as well as the only time they have scored 6+ goals on the road.

Napoli have lost each of their last three away games in the UEFA Champions League. If they lose here, it would equal their longest losing streak away from home in the competition: four games between February and December 2017. The fourth game in that run came away to a Dutch side, losing 2-1 at Feyenoord.

PSV have only kept one clean sheet in one of their last 18 matches in the UEFA Champions League, doing so against a Girona side who finished 33rd in the league phase last term (4-0 in November 2024). They have conceded in 10 in a row in the competition since then, at an average of 2.3 per match (23 in total).

Only Pafos (0.69) have a lower xG total than Napoli (1.04) in the UEFA Champions League this season, while the Cypriot side (12) are also the only side who have attempted fewer shots than Napoli (13).

Ismael Saibari’s equaliser against Bayer Leverkusen on MD2 capped off a 27-pass move by PSV; the longest sequence leading to a goal in the UEFA Champions League this season.

PSV midfielder Joey Veerman has made the joint most line-breaking passes of any midfielder in the UEFA Champions League this season (34 – level with Rodri). Indeed, his 22 against Bayer Leverkusen on MD2 were the most by a player in a single game in the current edition.

Napoli’s Rasmus Højlund has scored seven goals across his eight total UEFA Champions League appearances. Since his debut in the competition in September 2023, Højlund has scored more braces (3) than any other player aged under-23 (including one in his last game for Napoli).

Yarek Gasiorowski has completed 92.6 per cent of his passes made under high-intensity pressure in the UEFA Champions League this season (50/54); the highest accuracy of any defender so far (50+ attempted).

Bayer Leverkusen v Paris SG

Bayer Leverkusen and Paris SG have faced each other twice before in European competition, with the French side winning home (2-1) and away (4-0) in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League in 2013-14.

Paris SG have only won two of their last 10 away games against German sides in the UEFA Champions League (D2 L6), failing to keep a clean sheet in all 10 matches. Indeed, their last such clean sheet came in February 2014 in a 4-0 away win at Leverkusen.

After winning their final two European matches of 2024 (5-0 v Salzburg and 1-0 v Internazionale), Bayer Leverkusen have only won one of their six games in European competition in 2025 (D2 L3).

Paris SG would equal their longest ever winning run in the UEFA Champions League/European Cup with a victory here (currently on a five-game streak), with the previous six-game run achieved between September and December 1994.

Of managers with 50+ games overseen in the UEFA Champions League, Luis Enrique has the highest win percentage (65.6 per cent) in the competition, and the second best goals-per-game ratio (2.2), only behind Pep Guardiola (2.36).

The average age of Paris SG’s starting XI in the UEFA Champions League this season is just 24 years and three days; the youngest of any team in the competition. Indeed, their starting XI in their victory over Barcelona last time out was aged just 23 years and 98 days – the second youngest ever named by a reigning UEFA Champions League champion.

57 per cent of the chances created by Bayer Leverkusen players in the UEFA Champions League this season have come from the left-sided attacking third (12/21); the highest of any team from that side.

Achraf Hakimi has assisted more goals from open play than any other player in the UEFA Champions League since the start of last season (7), including one for Paris SG’s winning goal against Barcelona in their previous match in the competition. Indeed, Hakimi also has the most chances created from open play (40) in this period.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba has made the joint most line-breaking passes by a defender in the UEFA Champions League this season (34 – level with Josko Gvardiol). Meanwhile, only Rodri and Joey Veerman (34 each) have made more than Aleix García (30) among all midfielders in the tournament.

Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Paris SG’s Bradley Barcola has underperformed against his xG total by the biggest margin of any player in the UEFA Champions League (-5.95 – four goals from 9.95 xG). Indeed, he has scored just four of his 23 big chances in this period (17 per cent).

Union Saint-Gilloise v Internazionale

This will be the first meeting between Union Saint-Gilloise and Internazionale in European competition, and the Italian side’s first game against a Belgian opponent in over two decades (since a 3-0 win v Anderlecht in December 2004).

Internazionale have won their last three games against Belgian sides in Europe (all versus Anderlecht between 1997 and 2004), after only winning two of their first seven against such opposition (D2 L3).

Union Saint-Gilloise lost their opening home game in the UEFA Champions League, going down by four goals against Newcastle on MD2 (0-4). Only one Belgian side have previously lost their first two home matches in the competition, with Royal Antwerp doing so in 2023-24.

Internazionale have won both of their games without conceding a goal in the UEFA Champions League this season (2-0 v Ajax and 3-0 v Slavia Prague), while they have never previously won and kept a clean sheet in their first three games of a single European Cup/Champions League campaign.

Union Saint-Gilloise have lost their last two home games in Europe, while failing to score in both outings (0-2 v Ajax and 0-4 v Newcastle). The Belgian side have never previously gone three home games in a row without scoring in major European competition (excluding qualifiers).

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Internazionale have kept more clean sheets (22) than any other team in the UEFA Champions League. The Italians have shut out their opponents in 58 per cent of their matches in this period (22/38) – also a competition-high figure.

Lautaro Martínez is the joint-top scorer in the UEFA Champions League in 2025, scoring 10 goals in nine appearances (level with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé). The Argentinean has netted with 48 per cent of his shots in the competition in this period (10/21), which is the highest shot conversion rate of any player to attempt 10+ shots since the start of the year.

Based on the xG of shots on target faced (excl. own goals) Internazionale’s Yann Sommer has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League since the start of the 2023-24 season (+6.98 – 19 conceded from 25.98 xG on target).

No player has won possession more times than Union Saint-Gilloise’s Ousseynou Niang in the UEFA Champions League this season (18 – level with Micky van de Ven), with his total of 18 being the most by any midfielder.

Lautaro Martínez (59) could move into joint-third for most European Cup/UEFA Champions League appearances by an Internazionale player, equalling Iván Córdoba (60). Only fellow Argentineans – Javier Zanetti (97) and Esteban Cambiasso (62) – have made more than 60 outings for the club across the two competitions.

Villarreal v Manchester City

Villarreal and Manchester City’s two previous meetings came in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2011-12, with the English side winning both fixtures in that edition (2-1 at home, 3-0 away).

Manchester City have only won four of their 14 away games against Spanish teams in the UEFA Champions League (29 per cent - D3 L7). Only against French opponents (25 per cent - 2/8) do they have a lower win per centage away to teams from one nation in the competition (min.3 games).

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has never lost against Villarreal in his managerial career, facing them on eight occasions (W5 D3). The only Spanish opponents he has faced more times without suffering defeat are Athletic Club (14) and Valencia (10).

Marcelino (Villarreal) and Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) last faced each other as opposition managers in October 2011 in LaLiga (Barcelona 0-0 Sevilla). This will be the longest gap that Guardiola has gone between games against a specific opposition manager in his career (5 113 days between the two matches).

Villarreal are still looking for their first win in the UEFA Champions League this season (D1 L1). Only once previously have they had fewer than two points after their first three group stage games in a single edition, losing all three in 2011-12 (their third loss came against Manchester City – 1-2).

The two highest possession averages in a UEFA Champions League game this season have both been by Manchester City in the first two matchdays (73.8 per cent v Napoli and 71.3 per cent v Monaco). Villarreal, meanwhile, rank 29th out of the 36 teams for possession average in the current edition (43.1 per cent).

Manchester City have completed 1 092 passes in the opposition half in this season’s UEFA Champions League – 523 more than any other side. 74 per cent of their completed passes have been in the opposition half, the highest per centage by a team in a season on record since 2003-04.

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has scored eight goals in eight UEFA Champions League appearances against Spanish opponents, courtesy of four separate braces. This is already the most times one player has scored 2+ goals against Spanish sides in the competition’s history, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (3) and Kylian Mbappé (3).

Nicolas Pépé has created seven chances in two appearances for Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League this season, twice as many as any other player for the Yellow Submarine (3 – Ilias Akhomach). Overall, he is one of only six players to have created 5+ chances from open play and completed 5+ dribbles in the competition so far this term (five each).

Manchester City’s Jérémy Doku has made more progressive carries (32) than any other winger in the UEFA Champions League this season, while he has also made the most carries ending in the penalty area (18) across all positions.

Arsenal v Atlético Madrid

The only previous meetings between Arsenal and Atlético Madrid in Europe came in the semifinals of the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League, where the Gunners were eliminated 2-1 on aggregate by Diego Simeone’s side, and with Diego Costa scoring the tie’s decisive goal (drew 1-1 at home, lost 0-1 away).

Atlético Madrid have never won away to an English side in the group/league phase of the UEFA Champions League, failing in all five attempts to date (D2 L3), and including a 4-0 defeat in London (versus Chelsea in October 2009.

Arsenal have won each of their last six games against Spanish teams, beating four different opponents in this run (Real Madrid x2, Sevilla x2, Girona and Athletic Club). This is already the longest winning run by a team against Spanish opposition in UEFA Champions League history.

Atlético Madrid have only won one of their last nine matches against English sides in European competition (D2 L6), with that lone victory coming against Manchester United in the second leg of a last 16 tie in the UEFA Champions League in March 2022.

Arsenal are one of only two sides – along with Internazionale – who haven’t conceded a goal in the UEFA Champions League this season. The Gunners rank first for xG against (0.85) in the competition this term, while they have held their opponents to under one xG in seven of their 10 league phase matches since the start of last term (0.35 v Athletic Club and 0.5 v Olympiakos this season).

Atlético Madrid are the top-ranked team in the UEFA Champions League this season for passes breaking the opposition’s defensive line (22). Indeed, the 14 they made in their 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on MD2 was the most by a team in a single game in the current edition.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has been directly involved in 17 goals in 19 appearances in the UEFA Champions League (11 goals, six assists). Since his debut in the competition on 20th September 2023, Saka has the second-best minutes per goal involvement ratio of any winger (89 – min. 500 minutes played), only behind Barcelona’s Raphinha (69).

Atlético Madrid’s Julián Alvarez has scored 13 goals in 11 UEFA Champions League appearances since the start of the 2023-24 season. In this period, he is the player who has exceeded his xG total by the biggest margin in the competition (+7.6 – 13 goals from 5.4 expected goals).

Since the start of last season, the two players with the highest duel success rate (min. 50 contested) in the UEFA Champions League are Arsenal pair Gabriel Magalhães (69.8 per cent) and Myles Lewis-Skelly (69.1 per cent).

Conor Gallagher has averaged 2.6 interceptions per 90 for Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League; the highest average of any player with 10+ appearances in the competition since the start of last season. Indeed, no player has made more interceptions (7) than Gallagher in the current edition.