What to look out for on UEFA Champions League Matchday 3

The UEFA Champions League continues with eight games on Wednesday.

We pick out some key talking points ahead of the second set of the third round of fixtures.

Tuesday 4 October
Group A: Liverpool 2-0 Rangers, Ajax 1-6 Napoli
Group B: Porto 2-0 Leverkusen, Club Brugge 2-0 Atlético
Group C: Bayern 5-0 Plzeň, Inter 1-0 Barcelona
Group D: Marseille 4-1 Sporting CP, Frankfurt 0-0 Tottenham

Wednesday 5 October
Group E: Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb, Chelsea vs AC Milan
Group F: Leipzig vs Celtic, Real Madrid vs Shakhtar
Group G: Man City vs Copenhagen, Sevilla vs Dortmund
Group H: Juventus vs Maccabi Haifa, Benfica vs Paris

What to look out for

Chelsea hope for Potter magic against Milan

"It's still early days," insisted forward Raheem Sterling after Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Salzburg on Matchday 2 in their first game under new coach Graham Potter. "He's getting his ideas across. I think the boys are receiving it well, but it just needs more time to gel." However, time may not be on their side as they welcome the Italian champions at Stamford Bridge.

With Premier League games cancelled in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and then a break for international fixtures, the new manager has had a complicated start at Stamford Bridge, but the statistics already look ominous, English papers pointing out that this is the Blues' worst start to a Champions League campaign since 1999/2000. Not the best time to welcome the seven-time European champions, but is there ever a good time?

Benfica stand in Paris's path

Paris have made a very satisfactory start to their campaign under new boss Christophe Galtier, following up a 2-1 home win against Juventus with a 3-1 success at Maccabi Haifa, but they face a serious test on Wednesday in Lisbon. Indeed, Benfica also have six points, their 2-1 triumph at Juve on Matchday 2 their 12th straight win in all competitions this term. "I saw a very brave team that wanted to go forward," said proud coach Roger Schmidt afterwards.

Paris's crown jewels – Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi – all scored in Israel last time out: a positive sign as they visit a venue which has not always been a lucky one. The French champions have lost all three of their previous away games against Benfica (most recently 2-1 in the 2013/14 group stage), and also played at the Estádio do SL Benfica in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final, losing 1-0 to Bayern.

Further ahead
• All this week's ties are reversed on Matchday 4, which means a very quick reunion for each of the teams involved. Dinamo Zagreb and Salzburg may be a game to watch, the two sides hoping that AC Milan and Chelsea can take points off each other in the other Group E contest.

• Erling Haaland has a homecoming in the offing when Manchester City visit Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 5. The Norwegian toned down his celebrations after scoring against BVB last time out. Will he need to consider something similar in front of the Yellow Wall?

• The day after Haaland returns to Dortmund, Robert Lewandowski's Barcelona welcome his old side, Bayern München. The Poland great missed some decent chances on Matchday 2 as his team lost 2-0 in Germany. Will he make up for those lapses at the Camp Nou.

Where is the 2023 UEFA Champions League final being played?

The 2022/23 Champions League season will conclude at Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 10 June 2023.

Built to support Türkiye's bid to stage the 2008 Olympic Games, the venue opened in 2002 and is home to the Turkish national team. Situated in the Başakşehir area of the city, west of the Bosphorus, it boasts a seated capacity of over 75,000.