The Champions League is finally back. Five weeks after an opening matchday that delivered goals aplenty, Europe's elite return to the league phase on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Matchday 2 slate wastes no time getting serious. Wednesday's headliner comes at the Etihad, where Manchester City host Paris Saint-Germain in what is City's first UCL game since they were found guilty of 114 financial charges. Their first game since the charges was actually on Sunday at Liverpool, and that went more than well.
Real Madrid, 2-1 winners over Inter in their opener, head to Rome with their former coach Jose Mourinho already fuming, while many giants are on upset alert with some intriguing away clashes, including Barcelona's visit to Istanbul to take on Galatasaray.
Then there's Como. The Serie A side stunned RB Leipzig 4-1 in their first-ever Champions League match and now visit Feyenoord looking to prove that night was no fluke. Arsenal, meanwhile, host Lille after grinding out a 1-0 win at Napoli.
In a league phase where every point counts, there's little room for a slow start.
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 |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lens vs. Sporting Club | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-1 |
| Sabah vs. Slavia Prague | 2-1 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1-2 |
| Galatasaray vs. FC Barcelona | 2-4 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-5 | 1-3 |
| RB Leipzig vs. PSV | 1-1 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 3-1 | 2-1 |
| Arsenal vs. Lille | 2-0 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 3-0 |
| Atletico Madrid vs. Man United | 3-2 | 2-1 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Villarreal vs. Napoli | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| Viking vs. Bayern Munich | 0-2 | 0-4 | 0-3 | 0-5 | 0-4 |
| Inter vs. Club Brugge | 2-1 | 2-0 | 2-1 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
Game of the day: Atletico Madrid vs. Man United
Player to watch: Alex Baena, Atletico Madrid -- Nine games into the season, World Cup winner Baena has already doubled his goal tally from year one at Atletico Madrid, and with 18 shots to his name, this is not a player who is afraid to pull the trigger. Nominally Atleti's left winger, Baena is free to switch flanks, step infield and just go where the move seems to take him. That might not sound very Diego Simeone-esque but when you have a talent like this on your hands, you make adjustments. -- James Benge
Man of the match: Giuliano Simeone - Atletico Madrid -- The Argentinian winger had a strong start to the new season with two goals scored and two assists delivered so far in all competitions and he's now one of the key players of the team led by his father Diego. Giuliano is expected to be a pivotal player on Tuesday as well when Atletico Madrid will host Manchester United at the Metropolitano. -- Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2, Manchester United 2 -- The question heading into this one is whether or not Manchester United can break out of their midtable Premier League mode to string together a dominant performance against a European perennial and ... the answer might be no. United might be better than their domestic record suggests but they struggle to get out of trouble and seem destined for a deadlock with last season's semifinalists, who have their own up-and-down track record in the Champions League. -- Pardeep Cattry
Best bet: Atletico Madrid to win (-110) -- It's all going wrong for Manchester United as even playing up a man they weren't able to get past Tottenham during the weekend and now the Red Devils face another tough test in Atletico Madrid away from home. Following their UCL win over Sabah, United have now failed to win in four consecutive matches while Michael Carrick's seat has to be getting warmer, and a loss in Madrid will continue a slide that he can't come back from. -- Charles Booth
Wednesday's Champions League schedule
| Matchup | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LASK vs. Liverpool | 0-2 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
| Feyenoord vs. Como | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 1-1 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk vs. AEK | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 3-1 | 1-0 |
| Betis vs. Porto | 1-1 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Roma vs. Real Madrid | 2-1 | 3-2 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 2-2 |
| Slovan Bratislava vs. Stuttgart | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 1-1 |
| Aston Villa vs. Fenerbahce | 2-2 | 2-1 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 1-2 |
| Man City vs. PSG | 1-3 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 3-3 |
| Bodo/Glimt vs. Dortmund | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 0-2 | 2-1 |
Game of the day: Manchester City vs. PSG
Person to watch: Pep Guardiola, N.A. -- When news of Manchester City having committed 114 breaches of Premier League rules arrived over the international break, many wondered how Pep Guardiola, their manager of a decade before leaving in the summer might react. After all, he had previously said he would walk out of the club if he found out they had lied to him over their skirting of financial rules. Instead, Guardiola has rallied behind his former club in remarkable fashion, offering public support to the ownership. He is due to go one step further on Wednesday night, showing up at City's first home game since the verdict. Up in the Etihad stands, all eyes will be on Guardiola. Will he be able to avoid the temptation for some tactical tinkering? -- James Benge
Man of the match: Kvicha Kvaratskhelia -- PSG: The Georgian winger only scored one goal so far in the opening six Ligue 1 games and he's expected to react in the coming weeks, as he's been a key player for Luis Henrique and PSG over the past two years since he joined from Napoli. He left his mark in the two Champions League finals won by the French giants in the past two seasons and he's also a serious candidate for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. -- Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Manchester City 2, Paris Saint-Germain 2 -- This match is brought to you by sovereign wealth funds, ones who have a well-documented ability to build superteams that can headline Champions League games, no matter the controversy. Manchester City's win over Liverpool on Sunday proved that the team are doing what they can: somehow focus on the games in front of them despite the possibility of serious penalties for financial breaches of epic proportions, so much so that they will be hard to count out against Paris Saint-Germain. Whether or not the result feels tainted, though, is another question entirely. -- Pardeep Cattry
Best bet: Erling Haaland to have 2+ shots on target (-140) -- There are plenty of reasons off the pitch to keep an eye on City's return to their home stadium but if anyone can rise above and keep producing, it's Haaland. He's was able to score to silence the Anfield crowd and while goals will be hard to come by in this game, he'll have his chances to test the keeper for shots on target during this clash. -- Charles Booth
