The Champions League is back. The top continental club competition in the world has completed a third of its group stage, with two of six matches being played. Now come the ties where each club will play the same opponent on Matchday 3 and Matchday 4. Here is the schedule for the matches along with three things to know and predictions.
Schedule
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 | ||||||
LEAGUE | HOME | AWAY | TIME | PROVIDER | ||
Champions League | BATE | Barcelona | 2:45 pm | ESPN Deportes | ||
Champions League | Leverkusen | Roma | 2:45 pm | ESPN2 | ||
Champions League | Arsenal | Bayern Munich | 2:45 pm | FS2 | ||
Champions League | Dinamo Zagreb | Olympiacos | 2:45 pm | ESPN3 | ||
Champions League | Porto | Macabbi Tel Aviv | 2:45 pm | ESPN3 | ||
Champions League | Dynamo Kiev | Chelsea | 2:45 pm | ESPN3 | ||
Champions League | Zenit | Lyon | 2:45 pm | ESPN3 | ||
Champions League | Valencia | Gent | 2:45 pm | ESPN3 |
*All Champions League matches are also available on Fox Soccer 2Go
1. Arsenal must beat Bayern Munich at home or it's good bye Gunners
Let's face it, Arsenal seems unlikely to advance at this point. The Gunners got zero points from Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb, and they haven't even played Bayern Munich ... until now. Arsenal will play Bayern in its next two matches, and if it has any chance of beating the German giants, it's in North London on Tuesday.
The Gunners are coming off consecutive 3-0 wins in league play, one over Manchester United, so momentum is high for Arsene Wenger's club. But Bayern is one of the candidates to conquer Europe this season. Let's say Olympiacos or Dinamo win their game, if Arsenal loses it will be six points back with three matches to go.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3, Arsenal 1
"These are the games that you want to be involved in." @aaronramsey discusses #AFCvBAY: http://t.co/njcg1oaIaA pic.twitter.com/EHRfDvIfpb
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) October 19, 2015
2. Can Neymar keep it up?
Without Lionel Messi, Neymar stole the show at the weekend in Barca's 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano. The Brazilian scored four goals and set up Luis Suarez with an assist. Can he keep it going against BATE?
With Messi out with the knee injury, Neymar has tracked back to midfield more to kickstart the attack, and it has helped. Against BATE, which shocked Roma last time out, expect more of the same.
Prediction: Barcelona 4, BATE 0
The team are flying to Minsk for their game against BATE Borisov in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday #FCBLive pic.twitter.com/enyroF7vps
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 19, 2015
3. Chelsea needs at least a point
Oh, Chelsea. This club looks noththing like it did last year when it won the Premier League. You know things are bad when fans are very pleased at beating Aston Villa at home. Chelsea must go to Dynamo Kyiv to play the group leaders on Tuesday, and good luck with that. Never an easy place to play, a loss will put Chelsea in a very tough spot moving forward. But a draw will see them in a good position considering they still get Dynamo and Porto at home.
Prediction: Dynamo Kyiv 2, Chelsea 2
Jose says the most important thing at this stage of the season is changing results, and winning matches domestically and in Europe. #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 19, 2015