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The Champions League returns with Matchday 5, offering crucial clashes in the race for qualification. Arne Slot’s dominant Liverpool continues its stellar run both domestically and internationally, maintaining a perfect record in the Champions League with five wins from five games. They face surprise package Girone, tied on three points with Sturm Graz, Red Star Belgrade, and Salzburg.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter follows closely behind Liverpool in second place with 13 points (four wins, one draw). The Nerazzurri, unbeaten in the competition and boasting the best defensive record with no goals conceded, will face German champions Bayer Leverkusen away. Despite this defensive strength, Inter has the lowest goal tally (7) among the top eight teams, just behind Arsenal (8).
Wednesday's marquee fixture is undoubtedly Atalanta vs. Real Madrid. Gasperini's side hosts the reigning European champions at the Gewiss Stadium, a rematch of the UEFA Super Cup final played on August 14 in Warsaw, where Real triumphed 2-0 with goals from Valverde and Mbappé.
Atalanta is flying high domestically after nine consecutive league wins, which saw them overtake Napoli at the top. In the Champions League, Retegui and his teammates are fifth with 11 points (three wins, two draws), tied with Bayer Leverkusen and Inter. For Ancelotti’s Real Madrid, currently 24th with just six points, this is already a must-win clash.
Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain is in an even worse position, sitting 25th with four points. The Parisians need to win all three remaining games to have any hope of making the playoffs, starting with a critical away match against Salzburg.
Bayern Munich, currently 13th with nine points, will look to improve its standing against Shakhtar Donetsk. An intriguing battle also awaits between surprise contenders Brest (11th with 10 points) and PSV Eindhoven (18th with 8 points).
Aston Villa, still searching for a win after a goalless draw against Juventus, visits Leipzig, which has yet to earn a point. Atletico Madrid, 15th with nine points, faces Slovan Bratislava after thrashing Sparta Prague 6-0. Lille (10 points) hosts Sturm Graz, fresh off a win against Girona.
Arsenal and Monaco both sit on 10 points. The Gunners rebounded from a narrow defeat at San Siro against Inter by hammering Sporting Lisbon, despite the absence of Ruben Amorim. Meanwhile, Bologna, managed by Italiano, is still winless in the tournament, with only a draw against Shakhtar. They face a tough trip to Benfica, which is still firmly in the qualification race.
The showdown between Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona promises fireworks, with both teams tied on 12 points just behind Inter. The two best attacks of the tournament face off at Signal Iduna Park: Barcelona has scored 18 goals, while Dortmund trails closely with 16.
Lastly, Juventus, led by Thiago Motta, will face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Both teams are struggling domestically but hope for a Champions League boost. Each has eight points, coming off draws in their last games: Juventus was held 0-0 at Aston Villa, while City let a 3-0 lead slip against Feyenoord.
AC Milan, 16th with nine points, seeks its fourth consecutive Champions League victory against Red Star Belgrade, aiming for a calmer path to the knockout stages.
