Champions League Predictions 11/3: PSG, Barcelona in Action; Carrick Fights for Man Utd Job

Matchday 4 represents the halfway point in the Champions League league phase, and there’s several heavy-hitters in action in the first round of fixtures.

Only five teams are perfect through three games, including back-to-back winners Paris Saint-Germain, perennial champions Real Madrid, two Premier League teams and ... Real Betis? The Andalusians are enjoying their return to the big time after a two-decade absence, and will continue their campaign on Wednesday against German giants Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

The maintenance of perfection is one of the several intriguing subplots pervading this set of fixtures, although the majority of eyes will undoubtedly be cast on the events that unfold in Manchester and Madrid.

Here’s how Sports Illustrated predicts Tuesday’s Matchday 4 fixtures will pan out.

Galatasaray vs. Stuttgart Prediction

Prediction: Galatasaray 2–2 Stuttgart

Location: Istanbul, Türkiye
Stadium: Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 5:45 p.m. GMT / 12:45 p.m. ET / 9:45 a.m. PT
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (ENG)

Winning away from home will ultimately decide how far an ambitious Galatasaray can go in this competition, so they would‘ve been greatly encouraged by their 4–2 triumph at Lille on Matchday 3.

They’ll undoubtedly be feeling good about themselves when they welcome Stuttgart to Istanbul, with the two teams facing off for the first time in a UEFA competition.

Galatasaray haven’t beaten German opposition at home in nine attempts, and the visitors head into Tuesday’s fixture in a buoyant mood themselves. They’ve claimed seven points from their opening three matches, including a 1–1 draw with Atlético Madrid last time out, and were impressively victorious in the Bundesliga on Saturday, winning away at Bayer Leverkusen 4–2.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Sporting CP Prediction

Prediction: Shakhtar 1–2 Sporting CP

Location: London, England
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 5:45 p.m. GMT / 12:45 p.m. ET / 9:45 a.m. PT
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)

Shakhtar Donetsk were successful at Stamford Bridge on Matchday 2, bypassing an enthusiastically-supported AEK Athens 3–1 on neutral territory.

The Brazilian-laden Ukrainian outfit offered a good account of themselves at San Siro last time out, only narrowly losing to Inter Milan, two-time finalists this decade. Now they’re taking on a Sporting CP in the midst of a transition, with Paulo Fonseca set to replace Rui Borges as manager.

Sporting were stunned by LASK on Matchday 3, and are already nine points behind Porto in the Primeira Liga title race. They have, however, won all four matches against Ukrainian opposition in this competition.

Atlético Madrid vs. Bayern Munich Prediction

Harry Kane — The Ballon d’Or winner will have to shoulder the load in Madrid. | Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Prediction: Atlético Madrid 2–1 Bayern Munich

Location: Madrid, Spain
Stadium: Estadio Metropolitano
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)

Harry Kane is going to have to carry the load for Bayern Munich in the Spanish capital, given the swathe of injuries the visiting team is dealing with. Der Klassiker was a nightmare occasion for the German champions, who lost Ismael Saibari, Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise to injury.

Kane, who paraded his Ballon d’Or to the Allianz Arena before kick-off, produced a rare errant night in front of goal, missing from the penalty spot as Borussia Dortmund scored a late equalizer to earn a 2–2 draw.

Bayern were pegged back by Arsenal last time out in Europe, and a daunting challenge heads their way this week. Atlético Madrid are in irresistible form, with their unbeaten run across all competitions extending to nine games since they were beaten at Liverpool in September.

Atléti haven’t lost a Champions League home game to German opposition since 1996—a run of 16 matches.

Barcelona vs. Aston Villa Prediction

Lamine Yamal — Barcelona bounced back from a difficult week against Alavés. | David Ramos/Getty Images

Prediction: Barcelona 3–1 Aston Villa

Location: Barcelona, Spain
Stadium: Camp Nou
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)

Barcelona had to bounce back from a difficult week when they welcomed Deportivo Alavés to Camp Nou on Saturday, and Hansi Flick’s team responded by putting six past the out-of-sorts visitors.

Flick interestingly didn’t rotate so much ahead of a challenging run before the international break, with a trip to second-place Atléti up next in La Liga after Aston Villa come to town.

Barça’s first blemish of the season came against the back-to-back champions on Matchday 3, and Villa are one of the five perfect teams approaching the halfway mark. They’ve cruised beyond Fenerbahçe and Viking in their two recent continental duels, but saw their momentum stymied by Fulham at the weekend.

Moreover, Unai Emery hates facing the Blaugrana. In 30 matches against Barça, Emery has overseen just three victories.

Bodø/Glimt vs. Lille Prediction

Prediction: Bodø/Glimt 2–0 Lille

Location: Bodø, Norway
Stadium: Aspmyra Stadion
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: João Pinheiro (POR)

Lille travel to Norway for the very first time, experiencing the idiosyncratic conditions that Bodø’s Aspymrya Stadion offers.

It’s set to be damp and bitingly cold come kick-off on Tuesday, with Lille in desperate need of igniting their campaign. They’ve so far been beaten by Real Betis, Arsenal and Galatasaray, conceding at least three goals in each.

The visitors have been much tighter defensively in Ligue 1, boasting the joint-best record in the division with just six goals against after nine games. Davide Ancelotti’s project is an exciting one, but this youthful Lille outfit looks set to become the next team to succumb to the Arctic.

Feyenoord vs. Inter Milan Prediction

Prediction: Feyenoord 1–0 Inter

Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Stadium: De Kuip
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)

Inter Milan’s Derby della Madonnina woes continued at the weekend, as a Diego Moreira-inspired AC Milan claimed a 3–1 victory over their city rivals. The Serie A title race is very much alive, and Lazio have taken the outright lead after their stellar start to the campaign persisted thanks to a 2–1 win over Cagliari.

Cristian Chivu was forced to shuffle his pack for the derby, and an absence of available strikers meant Inter drifted away from the 3-5-2 for seemingly the first time this decade. The flu bug that compromised their weekend could still be in play as the Nerazzurri visit a feverish De Kuip.

Back-to-back draws have opened the door at the top of the Eredivisie, but Feyenoord are still leading the way. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team also claimed victory on their first home outing of the season in Europe, beating Como 3–2, yet defeats in Spain to Barcelona and Betis leave them all the way down in 25th.

A win here would be huge for the hosts.

LASK vs. Slovan Bratislava Prediction

Prediction: LASK 3–1 Slovan Bratislava

Location: Linz, Austria
Stadium: Oberösterreich Arena
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (LTU)

Few associated with LASK will ever forget that night in Lisbon, with the Austrian club securing their maiden victory in this competition.

LASK qualified improbably for the league phase by staging the most dramatic of comebacks against Celtic in the playoffs, and now have the chance to build some momentum as Slovan Bratislava come to town.

Slovan were wretched two seasons ago, and little has changed since. The Slovakian giants look poised to bring up the rear, and this may well be their best chance to pick up some points.

Manchester United vs. Roma Prediction

Bruno Fernandes — Man Utd are winless in nine games. | Carl Recine/Getty Images

Prediction: Man Utd 2–3 Roma

Location: Manchester, England
Stadium: Old Trafford
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)

Manchester United are in the midst of their worst winless run since 1988. The highs of Michael Carrick‘s interim spell appear a distant memory, and a tenth game without a win is staring them in the face.

Roma are out to banish a few demons at Old Trafford on Tuesday, having infamously succumbed to a 7–1 beatdown on this ground in April 2007. In fact, they’ve never won at the Theatre of Dreams in four attempts.

However, Gian Piero Gasperini’s free-scoring side have every chance of making history on Tuesday evening, especially given the Red Devils’ current plight. United have lost back-to-back league phase outings, while Roma responded from their collapse against Real Madrid by making light work of Slovan Bratislava.

Villarreal vs. Paris Saint-Germain Prediction

Désiré Doué — PSG have already beaten Man City and Barcelona in the league phase. | Joachim Azouze/PSG/Getty Images

Prediction: Villarreal 1–2 PSG

Location: Villarreal, Spain
Stadium: Estadio de la Cerámica
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)

Parisian might was flexed in October, as the back-to-back champions secured statement victories over two potential contenders, Manchester City and Barcelona. While they’ve lost Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to injury for the season, Luis Enrique’s side look as formidable as ever.

They do tend to slip up once or twice in the league phase, so this could be a potential banana skin for the away side. Paris Saint-Germain were caught cold in Lisbon by Sporting CP a year ago, and Villarreal have the potential to hurt this outstanding team.

The Yellow Submarine broke the shackles by beating Napoli on Matchday 2, and they raced into a 2–0 lead at Liverpool last time out, only to lose 4–3. This is an dynamic and exciting unit led by Iñigo Pérez, even if their start to the La Liga season has been modest at best.

Champions League Predictions: Nov. 3

Kickoff Time	Fixture	Prediction
5:45 p.m. GMT / 12:45 p.m. ET	Galatasaray vs. Stuttgart	2–2
5:45 p.m. GMT / 12:45 p.m. ET	Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Sporting CP	1–2
8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET	Atlético Madrid vs. Bayern Munich	2–1
8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET	Barcelona vs. Aston Villa	3–1
8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET	Bodø/Glimt vs. Lille	2–0
8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET	Feyenoord vs. Inter	1–0
8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET	LASK vs. Slovan Bratislava	3–1
8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET	Man Utd vs. Roma	2–3
8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET	Villarreal vs. PSG	1–2

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