Champions League Today: Fixtures, Confirmed Line-Ups and Results

The UEFA Champions League returns on Wednesday, 21 October, with nine matches scheduled for Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 league phase. Bayern Munich versus Arsenal and Real Madrid against RB Leipzig headline the evening, while Manchester United travel to Como and Inter host Shakhtar Donetsk. Tuesday’s matches have already delivered several high-scoring results, including Paris Saint-Germain’s 4–2 victory over Barcelona.

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Important team-news update: The fixtures below are scheduled for today. Starting line-ups should be labelled confirmed only after the clubs or UEFA officially publish them. At the time of writing, the available official information does not establish all nine starting XIs as confirmed.

Champions League fixtures today: Wednesday, 21 October

All kick-off times below are in Central European Summer Time (CEST), as listed by UEFA.

These are league-phase fixtures, not knockout matches. Results and team selections should be checked against the official UEFA match centre as the games progress.

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Champions League results: Tuesday, 20 October

The opening night of Matchday 3 produced 36 goals across nine matches. Paris Saint-Germain defeated Barcelona 4–2 in the standout contest, while Liverpool edged Villarreal 4–3 after a seven-goal thriller. Manchester City also recorded a convincing 5–1 win against AEK Athens.

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What Tuesday’s results mean

PSG’s win over Barcelona was one of the night’s biggest statements, while Liverpool’s narrow victory underlined how little separates teams in an attacking contest. City’s four-goal winning margin also gives them a strong result to build on in the league phase.

For clubs that dropped points, Matchday 3 is not decisive on its own. Under the league-phase format, teams play eight matches against different opponents, so consistency across the campaign matters more than one result.

Champions League line-ups today: confirmed or predicted?

UEFA has published a Matchday 3 team-news guide with predicted starting XIs, injury updates and suspensions. These predictions are useful for previewing the matches, but they are not confirmed line-ups. The official starting teams should be checked closer to kick-off on UEFA’s match pages.

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Here are some of the key team-selection stories ahead of Wednesday’s matches:

• Bayern Munich vs Arsenal: UEFA’s predicted Bayern XI includes Harry Kane up front, with Michael Olise suspended and Jamal Musiala listed as unavailable. Arsenal’s predicted attack features Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz.

• Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig: Kylian Mbappé is named in UEFA’s predicted Madrid XI, supported by Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham. Leipzig’s projected attack includes Christoph Baumgartner’s fellow attacking options such as Antonio Nusa and Xavi Simons’ replacement in the predicted selection.

• Inter vs Shakhtar Donetsk: Inter’s predicted side features Marcus Thuram and Francesco Pio Esposito in attack. Lautaro Martínez is listed as unavailable in UEFA’s team-news update.

• Como vs Manchester United: Bruno Fernandes features in the predicted United XI, alongside Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

• Lille vs Galatasaray: Olivier Giroud is named in Lille’s projected starting attack, while Victor Osimhen leads Galatasaray’s predicted line-up.

These details reflect UEFA’s published pre-match predictions and availability notes, not confirmation from the clubs. For the complete projected XIs and the latest changes, consult the official UEFA team-news guide.

Live Champions League scores and match updates

Follow today’s fixtures below for match status and score updates as the games get underway.

What to watch in Wednesday’s Champions League matches

Bayern Munich vs Arsenal

This is one of the night’s biggest fixtures, bringing together two sides with the quality to challenge deep into the competition. Bayern’s attacking threat, led by Kane in UEFA’s predicted XI, will test Arsenal’s defensive organisation. Arsenal’s ability to control midfield and create chances in transition could be equally important.

Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig

Real Madrid’s European experience makes this an attractive contest, but Leipzig have the potential to cause problems with their attacking pace. Madrid will look to Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior to make the difference, subject to confirmation of the starting line-ups.

Inter vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter will want a strong performance at home, while Shakhtar will look for opportunities to exploit spaces and create chances. The final team selections will provide a clearer indication of each side’s approach.

Como vs Manchester United

The early kick-off gives Manchester United an opportunity to collect valuable league-phase points. Como, however, will have home advantage and an opportunity to challenge a prominent European opponent.

How the Champions League league phase works

The competition’s league phase features 36 teams, each playing eight matches against different opponents.

• Positions 1–8: qualify directly for the round of 16.

• Positions 9–24: enter the knockout phase play-offs.

• Positions 25–36: are eliminated from the competition.

Every point can influence a club’s final position, making the league phase important even when a team has already secured a positive result in an earlier round.

Our verdict

Wednesday’s schedule offers several compelling tests, with Bayern against Arsenal and Real Madrid against Leipzig attracting particular attention. However, team news should be treated carefully: predicted XIs are useful for preparation, but only officially released starting line-ups confirm who will take the field.

For readers following the competition, the best approach is to check the official UEFA match centre for final team selections, live scores and completed results. This avoids confusion between pre-match projections and confirmed information.

Editorial correction: Tuesday’s nine matches produced 40 goals, not 36 as stated earlier in this article.

Official Sources

1. UEFA — 2026/27 Champions League: All the league phase fixtures and results https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/02a8-2174c9e9019d-f909a77bd77a-1000–202627-champions-league-all-the-league-phase-fixtures-and-results/

2. UEFA — Champions League starting and predicted line-ups: Matchday 3 team news, injuries, suspensions https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/02aa-21dd60778d8f-1ea14fd92256-1000–champions-league-starting-and-predicted-line-ups-matchday-3-/