Champions League expert picks, predictions, best bets: PSG vs. Barca to bring goals but is there a favorite?
Check out all the picks from our experts as the Champions League league phase rolls on
• 5 min read
Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League league phase is absolutely stacked. Tuesday in Paris, PSG host Barcelona, two perfect teams and two of the best attacks in Europe. Ferran Torres facing his old club only adds to it.
Wednesday's headliner isn't far behind: Arsenal at Bayern. The Gunners come in perfect, while Bayern are still annoyed about dropping points in Norway last time out to Viking. The Allianz Arena under the lights is where we find out if Arsenal are the real deal this year, looking to get back to the Champions League final in the spring.
There's a lot more on the card. Liverpool host Villarreal, Real Madrid welcome Leipzig, and Atletico head to Stuttgart, one of this season's surprise sides. Manchester United go to Como, a trip that looks a lot trickier than it would have a few years ago. Inter, still without a point, can't afford anything but a win at home to Shakhtar.
Every match streams live on Paramount+, your home for every Champions League game all season long, plus replays, highlights, and studio coverage breaking down the race for the top eight. If you haven't signed up yet, now's the time.
Here are our expert picks for this matchday:
Tuesday's Champions League schedule
| Matchup |  James Benge |  Francesco Porzio | Pardeep Cattry |  Chuck Booth |  Roger Gonzalez |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabah vs. Borussia Dortmund | 0-2 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 0-4 | 0-3 |
| Fenerbahce vs. Slavia Prague | 1-1 | 2-1 | 2-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| PSG vs. Barcelona | 1-2 | 3-3 | 3-2 | 1-2 | 3-2 |
| Man City vs. AEK Athens | 3-1 | 3-0 | 4-0 | 4-0 | 5-0 |
| Napoli vs. Bodo/Glimt | 1-0 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Porto vs. PSV | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Roma vs. Slovan Bratislava | 4-0 | 3-0 | 3-0 | 4-0 | 2-0 |
| Liverpool vs. Villarreal | 3-1 | 3-2 | 2-1 | 2-2 | 2-1 |
| Stuttgart vs. Atletico Madrid | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 1-1 |
Game of the day: PSG vs. Barcelona
Player to watch: Vitinha, PSG: For all the justifiable excitement around the front threes these teams roll out, this is going to be a game that is decided in midfield. As Luis Enrique himself acknowledged, the best way to keep Lamine Yamal quiet, which in itself is a good way to keep Barca schtum, is to keep the ball and there might be no one in world football who does that as effectively as Vitinha while still moving his team into dangerous positions. -- James Benge
Man of the match: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona: The numbers of Yamal are absolutely astonishing so far as he has scored eight goals and provided six assists in the opening six LaLiga games, on top of one goal and four assists in the two games played in the Champions League. If last season the Spanish winger didn't have a solid start of the season due to injuries, this campaign things look much different. -- Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 3, Barcelona 2: There is almost no way this game will not have fireworks, such is the nature of these two teams, but it's hard not to give the slight edge to Paris Saint-Germain. The back-to-back champions are a well-oiled machine at this point and even if Barcelona boast a bit more defensive resolve these days, the hosts are defined by the exact type of dynamism that would exploit even the best back lines. -- Pardeep Cattry
Best bet: Lamine Yamal to score (+120): There will be goals, and it would be an affront to soccer if this game goes scoreless by some force of nature, with the over/under being set at 4.5. Every member of the Barcelona attack has been astounding to kick off the season, and with how they've played, PSG won't be able to only key in on Yamal in this clash and if you leave space, he will score. -- Charles Booth
Wednesday's Champions League schedule
| Matchup | James Benge | Francesco Porzio | Pardeep Cattry | Chuck Booth | Roger Gonzalez |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Como vs. Man United | 1-2 | 3-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Lille vs. Galatasaray | 2-0 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 1-0 | 1-1 |
| Sporting CP vs. LASK | 3-0 | 3-1 | 2-0 | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Betis vs. Feyenoord | 2-0 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 2-1 | 0-2 |
| Inter vs. Shakhtar Donetsk | 1-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Aston Villa vs. Viking | 3-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Club Brugge vs. Lens | 1-1 | 1-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Real Madrid vs. RB Leipzig | 3-0 | 3-2 | 3-1 | 3-1 | 2-0 |
Game of the day: Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal
Player to watch: Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal: No one will have quite such a multi-faceted job at the Allianz Arena as Arsenal's brilliant left back. His late darts around the penalty area are critical in applying pressure to the opposition and already this season he has three goal involvements. This time, though, there is the small matter of Michael Olise up the other end, an opponent who asks about as many questions of a defender as any in Europe right now. Can Calafiori be elite in attack and defense? He often is, but he might never have faced a test like this in an Arsenal shirt. -- James Benge
Man of the match: Harry Kane, Bayern Munich: Over the weekend, the English striker scored his 102nd goal in 100 games played in the German Bundesliga, the most by any player in the league's history after a century of appearances, breaking the record of Timo Konietzka with Borussia Dortmund of 72 goals in 100 matches played. A record that existed for more than 50 years. The former Tottenham player scored three goals so far in the opening two Champions League matches as well and this week he will face his former rival club, Arsenal, at the Allianz Arena. -- Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Bayern Munich 1, Arsenal 1: This is a meeting of tactical foils, the contrasts in approach setting up for a fascinating watch on Wednesday. Their varying styles might cancel each other out, though -- Bayern are just the type of team to seize a rare opportunity in front of Arsenal's goal, all while being just the type of team that might offer any opponent a gift at the other end of the pitch. -- Pardeep Cattry
Best bet: Draw (+280): It's a clash between two evenly matched teams, and it's also one that no one needs to win, which is where a draw comes in. Bayern will need to push for a result more than Arsenal after their draw against Viking, but the Gunners' defense is so stout it's tough to see a world where they concede clear chances here. -- Charles Booth
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