The UEFA Champions League returns tonight with three exciting clashes as Barcelona host Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid face Bayern Munich, and Villarreal take on PSG.
Villarreal vs PSG
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will look to maintain their perfect Champions League record when they visit Villarreal tonight.
Luis Enrique’s side have won all three of their matches in the competition so far, scoring 14 goals. They defeated Slovan Bratislava 6-1 before securing consecutive 4-2 victories over Manchester City and Barcelona.
PSG are one of five teams with nine points from three matches. They are also unbeaten in their last 13 Champions League games and could extend that run against Villarreal.
The French giants have won nine consecutive matches across all competitions and will aim to make it 10 tonight.
Villarreal, meanwhile, have struggled in Europe this season. They have collected just three points from their opening three matches and sit 19th in the standings.
Their only victory came against Napoli, whom they defeated 3-1 at home. They suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat against Liverpool in their latest Champions League outing.
The visitors, however, have several injury concerns. Ousmane Dembele, Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among those unavailable, while Nuno Mendes is also sidelined.
Villarreal could also miss Juan Foyth, Ilias Akhomach and several other players due to muscular problems.
Barcelona vs Aston Villa
Barcelona will look to build on their return to winning ways when they welcome an unbeaten Aston Villa side to Camp Nou tonight.
Hansi Flick’s men started the season with 11 straight victories in all competitions before suffering consecutive defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. However, they bounced back with a convincing 6-1 win over Alaves in La Liga.
Barcelona have won two of their three Champions League matches, but their defence remains a concern. They have conceded in nine of their last 10 matches across all competitions.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have enjoyed a perfect start to their European campaign. Unai Emery’s side have beaten Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and Viking FK to collect nine points from three matches.
Villa sit second in the Champions League standings, having scored 12 goals and conceded only three. However, their recent domestic form has been less convincing.
They suffered a 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth in the EFL Cup before drawing 1-1 with Fulham in the Premier League.
Barcelona will miss Dani Olmo, Jules Kounde and several other injured players. Villa will be without Amadou Onana, Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid will aim to extend their impressive unbeaten run when they host Bayern Munich in another major European encounter tonight.
Diego Simeone’s side have recovered strongly from a difficult start to the season. They have won nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions, drawing the other.
Their latest victory came against Levante, whom they defeated 2-0 in La Liga. Atletico sit second in the Spanish league, just two points behind Barcelona.
They have also been strong at home, winning five and drawing one of their six matches at the Metropolitano this season.
In the Champions League, Atletico have collected four points from three matches. They lost to Liverpool, defeated Manchester United and drew with Stuttgart.
Bayern, meanwhile, have five points from three European matches and sit 14th in the standings.
Vincent Kompany’s side drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund in their latest Bundesliga outing. They also shared the points with Arsenal and Viking FK in their previous two Champions League fixtures.
Injuries could play a major role in this contest. Bayern will be without Luis Diaz, while Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Saibari are also injury concerns.
Goalkeepers Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig are doubtful, potentially forcing Sven Ulreich into the starting lineup.
Atletico also have concerns over Johnny Cardoso and Koke, although both have returned to training.
