Hopefully Match day 3 of the Champions League will provide more exciting football action than Match Day 2 as a few of the fixtures looking interesting enough to follow. There are already a number of teams in a must-win situation. In group A, Manchester City will take on Villarreal at the City of Manchester Stadium in England with both teams desperately in need of the 3 points at stake as front-runners Bayern Munich takes on SSC Napoli at the San Paolo Stadium in Naples in a battle for first place. This past weekend in Bundesliga action, Bayern Munich won 4-0 while the Partenopei lost at home to Parma. The Napoli players will be eager to redeem themselves in Champions League play. Manchester United FC is also in a must-win situation as they travel to Romania to play Otelul Galati. The Red Devils are coming off a disappointing tie against Basel in Match Day 2, and only have 2 points from 2 games and are sitting in third place. In group D, Ajax must grab the 3 points against Dinamo Zagreb if the Dutch plan on continuing their Champions League campaign as they sit in third place with 1 point from 2 games. Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid FC host Olympique Lyonnais in what is becoming a rivalry since these two sides have faced off in the past few editions of Europe’s elite club competition. Borussia Dortmund travels to Greece to play Olympiacos with both teams needing to win in order to have keep their qualification hopes alive.
Here are the match-ups for Match day 3:
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Group A |
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SSC Napoli v Bayern Munich
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This will certainly be the game of Match Day 3. SSC Napoli sit in the second with 4 points while Bayern Munich tops the group with 6 points. |
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Manchester City v Villarreal
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Giuseppe Rossi and Co. are in dire need of the three points in order to keep their second round qualifying hopes alive. Manchester City will be eager to push for at least a second place finish and thus need help from the Germans. Anything short of second place will be a disappointment to Roberto Mancini and his men in blue. |
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Group B |
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CSKA Moskva v Trabzonspor
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This is a battle be last and first respectively. The surprising Turks of Trabzonspor are leading Group B with 4 points. |
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Lille v Internazionale
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Losing to Catania Calcio on the weekend should be all the motivation the Nerazzurri need at the moment. |
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Group C |
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Basel v Benfica
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Battle for top spot. Both teams on top on Group C with 4 points. |
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Otelul Galati v Manchester United
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If the Red Devils want to qualify for the next round, they will desperately need the 3 points in this encounter. |
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Group D |
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Real Madrid v Lyon
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This is a battle between two great historic teams. It should be an interesting event. |
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Dinamo Zagreb v Ajax
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In front of their home crowd, Dinamo Zagreb will aim to put the Dutch under and jump into third. |
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Group E |
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Bayer Leverkusen v Valencia
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Battle for second place with home team sitting in second place with 3 points. Valencia are in third with 2 points. |
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Chelsea v Genk
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Chelsea should be able to win this match comfortably at the Stamford Bridge. |
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Group F |
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Marseille v Arsenal
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This will prove to be a tough test for the Gunners who are currently sitting in second place with 4 points trailing the first place home team by 2 points. |
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Olympiacos v Borussia Dortmund
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This encounter means nothing as ultimately both teams will most likely exit the Champions League. |
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Group G |
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Shaktar Donetsk v Zenit St. Peterburg
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Ukraine vs Russia battle. Shaktar Donetsk face an up hill battle against Luciano Spalletti’s men who are currently tie for second with 3 points. |
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Porto v APOEL
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The surprising APOEL will look to continue their stride against the Portuguese champions. |
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Group H |
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AC Milan v Bate Borisov
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The Rossoneri to claim maximum points. |
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Barcelona v Plzen
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At home, Barcelona is unstoppable. |
