 "UEFA Champions League: From Madrid vs Dortmund rematch to Barcelona-Bayern showdown, what to watch this week")
The 2024-25 season of the UEFA Champions League returns this week with the third matchday set to take place. Quite a few blockbuster matches are in store this week, with Real Madrid hosting Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of the 2023-24 final, whereas Barcelona face a stern challenge against Bayern Munich.
Italian giants AC Milan will look to get their first win of the revamped UEFA Champions League, after having lost their first two matches. The former champions welcome Belgian outfit Club Brugge on Tuesday night.
Let’s now take a look at some key UEFA Champions League fixtures ahead of Matchday three:
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund will be eyeing revenge against Real Madrid when the two teams lock horns at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
It was only in June this year when the two teams locked horns in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League final at the Wembley Stadium in London, where the Los Blancos emerged triumphant to clinch a record-extending 15th title.
Since Real’s 2-0 win that day, quite a lot has changed for both teams. While Dortmund have had to deal with the departure of club legend Marco Reus, Real Madrid faced a similar situation following the farewell of Toni Kroos. All eyes, will however, be on one man —Kylian Mbappe.
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich
FC Barcelona will hope for a first Champions League win over Bayern Munich in almost a decade when the Spanish and German outfits clash at Camp Nou on Wednesday. Barcelona’s last victory over Bayern was a 3-0 triumph during the first leg of the 2014-15 Champions League semi-finals. Since then, Barcelona have lost six matches against the Germans in the Champions League, including that infamous 2-8 loss in 202 0.
Leipzig vs Liverpool
This may not be a big game on paper when compared to other two above-mentioned matches, but it is one of the matches to watch out for in the Champions League this week. These two teams have only met twice before in the Champions League and Liverpool have come out on top on both occasions. Both of their victories have been 2-0 wins, meaning that Leipzig are yet to score a goal against the Reds, let alone win a match. Will Liverpool make it three wins out of three against Leipzig?
Here’s a look at the complete list of fixtures for Matchday three (All times IST):
22 October, Tuesday
AC Milan vs Club Brugge at San Siro, Milan (10.15 pm)
AS Monaco vs Red Star Belgrade at Stade Louis II, Monaco (10.15 pm)
23 October, Wednesday
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund at Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid (12.30 am)
Sturm Graz vs Sporting CP at Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt (12.30 am)
Girona vs Slovan Bratislava at Estadi Montilivi, Girona (12.30 am)
Aston Villa vs Bologna at Villa Park, Birmingham (12.30 am)
Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk at Arsenal Stadium, London (12.30 am)
Juventus vs VfB Stuttgart at Juventus Stadium, Turin (12.30 am)
Paris Saint-Germain vs PSV Eindhoven at Parc des Princes, Paris (12.30 am)
Atalanta vs Celtic at Stadio di Bergamo, Bergamo (10.15 pm)
Brest vs Bayer Leverkusen at Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp (10.15 pm)
24 October, Thursday
Manchester City vs Sparta Praha at City of Manchester Stadium (12.30 am)
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich at Camp Nou, Barcelona (12.30 am)
Leipzig vs Liverpool at RB Arena, Leipzig (12.30 am)
Atletico Madrid vs Lille at Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid (12.30 am)
Benfica vs Feyenoord at Estadio do Metropolitano, Lisbon (12.30 am)
Salzburg vs GNK Dinamo at Stadion Salzburg, Salzburg (12.30 am)
Young Boys vs Inter Milan at Stadion Wankdorf, Bern (12.30 am)
How can I watch the UEFA Champions League matches?
Select matches of the UEFA Champions League will be broadcast on television channels across the Sony Sports Network. As far as LIVE streaming is concerned, fans can watch all the matches on the SonyLIV app and website.
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