Champions League Highlights: FC Barcelona, PSG, Liverpool and More

The Champions League is back on a Wednesday night and it wastes no time. Liverpool against Atletico Madrid at Anfield, PSG beginning their title defence, Arsenal back on the big stage after heartbreak, and the (new) Camp Nou reopening its doors to Europe. It’s a heavyweight return across the continent – and the early tone of the season could be set in a single evening.

FC Barcelona v Feyenoord

European football returns to the rebuilt Camp Nou with a Barcelona side that looks frightening going forward, even without a headline No. 9.

Hansi Flick’s team has ripped through La Liga’s early weeks, scoring five goals in three of their four matches and winning all four. Raphinha is on a tear with six goals in four games, while Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez have chipped in four each. This is not a side waiting for a centre-forward saviour; it’s a team already slicing through low blocks and finding goals from everywhere.

Frenkie de Jong is the major absentee, but the squad depth around him is strong. With Rodri and Anthony Gordon now part of the starting XI, Barcelona carry both control and chaos on the flanks. At home, under the lights, they will fully expect to dominate.

Feyenoord arrive unbeaten and with their own rising stars. Luciano Valente and Gjivai Zechiel, both 22 and both pushing for Dutch national team recognition, give the visitors genuine attacking quality. Their domestic form deserves respect.

The problem? The scale of the task. A first European night back at the new Camp Nou, against a Barcelona side already humming in the final third, is a brutal assignment.

Prediction: FC Barcelona 4–1

Stuttgart v Viking

Stuttgart have already lived both extremes of a Bundesliga season. Smashed 5–1 by Bayern Munich on opening day, then bouncing back with a 4–1 win over Köln on Friday. The volatility is obvious, but so is the potential.

Last season’s fourth-place finish underlined their progress, with 22-year-old Bilal El Khannouss standing out as a dynamic wide threat. They come into this European night with some absentees – Luca Jaquez among those missing – but still with enough quality to dictate at home.

Across from them stands a club writing a new chapter. Viking, champions of Norway by a single point over Bodo/Glimt, are in the Champions League group stage for the first time in their history after knocking out Dinamo Zagreb in the playoff round. This is a landmark moment for the club and for Norwegian football’s rising profile.

It won’t be full strength, though. Veton Berisha and at least two other first-choice starters are ruled out for their group-stage debut, a serious blow to their hopes of nicking something in Germany.

On pure squad value and experience, Stuttgart should have too much. For Viking, this feels like a measuring stick rather than a must-win.

Prediction: Stuttgart 3–1

PSG v Slovan Bratislava

The defending champions are back, but not exactly bouncing.

PSG lifted the UEFA Super Cup with a 2–1 win over Aston Villa, yet since then the engine has spluttered. A defeat to Lens in the Trophee des Champions, draws against Rennes and Lille, and a loss to AS Monaco in Ligue 1 have left Luis Enrique managing a side that looks heavy-legged and short of rhythm.

He still has a galaxy of talent to call on. Ferran Torres arrived from Barcelona in the summer, joined by Mika Godts from Ajax and Maghnes Akliouche. The heartbeat of the attack remains the trident of Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian, one of the few global stars who did not go through the grind of the World Cup, should be fresher than most on matchday one.

Even so, the word around PSG is hangover. The quality is there, the sharpness not quite.

Slovan Bratislava, giants in Slovakia and domestic champions, step back onto the big European stage under Yaya Toure. Their recent league form has been poor, and the contrast in resources is stark. PSG boast internationals like Willian Pacho at the back, while Bratislava lean on experienced forwards such as Andraz Sporar and Tigran Barseghyan to carry their threat.

In Paris, with PSG likely to dominate the ball and territory, this has all the hallmarks of a one-sided night. The only real question is how ruthless the hosts decide to be.

Prediction: PSG 4–0

Liverpool v Atletico Madrid

Anfield under the lights. Atletico Madrid in town. Two clubs that see themselves as contenders, both probably sitting just outside the absolute elite for now.

Liverpool begin a new European era under Andoni Iraola. The Premier League start has been steady rather than spectacular: two draws followed by a win over Ipswich. In Europe, they’ll be without Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo, while Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley miss out through injury.

Ronald Araujo, on loan from Barcelona, is set to anchor the defence at centre-back. On the right wing, Iraola faces an early selection call: Victor Munoz or Bradley Barcola. Barcola was the marquee arrival, but Munoz, signed from Osasuna, brings reliability and familiarity with Iraola’s high-energy, high-press demands.

Atletico arrive with talent and turbulence. Julian Alvarez is a genuine star in La Liga and across Europe, but his failed push for a move to Barcelona has left him deeply unhappy under Diego Simeone. The window is shut, he’s registered, but no longer the automatic starter he once was.

The squad has been aggressively refreshed. Cristian Romero has come in from Spurs to bolster the back line, Alejandro Grimaldo from Leverkusen adds creativity on the left, Jonathan David arrives on loan from Juventus, while Kang-in Lee from PSG and Morten Hjulmand from Sporting CP deepen the options in midfield and attack. On paper, it’s a group built to go far.

The warning sign came at the weekend: three goals conceded in a defeat to Athletic Bilbao, their first loss of the season and a reminder that this new-look side is still bedding in.

Liverpool’s form doesn’t scream dominance, but Anfield does. Atletico know that. Expect Simeone to lean into his instincts, soak up pressure, slow the tempo and try to escape with something.

Prediction: 1–1 draw

Sporting CP v Galatasaray

This is one for the purists: two of Europe’s strongest “outsiders” facing off away from the spotlight of the top five leagues.

Sporting CP host with confidence. They’ve opened their Liga Portugal campaign at 4–1–0, driven by Colombian international Luis Suarez and teenage talent Flavio Goncalves. The numbers tell the story of their project: an average starting age of 24.8, a young side full of legs, pressing and ambition.

Galatasaray bring the opposite profile. Experience everywhere, an average age of 29.3, and a squad built to win now. Their domestic start reads 3–1–0, with Victor Osimhen already on six goals.

That’s the twist. Osimhen is out injured, and his absence changes everything. Without their star striker, the attacking burden shifts towards Brazilian playmaker Gabriel Sara, who must now find ways to unlock a well-drilled Sporting defence.

At home, with energy and momentum on their side, Sporting should have the edge. But Galatasaray’s savvy and big-game nous guarantee this will be tight.

Prediction: Sporting CP 2–1

Napoli v Arsenal

Arsenal return to the Champions League carrying expectation, not just hope. After the heartbreak of last season’s final defeat to PSG, the narrative around them has hardened: this team can win it.

They’ve started like they believe it. A comfortable Community Shield win over Manchester City set the tone, followed by three straight Premier League victories, including statement results against Aston Villa and Chelsea.

There are setbacks. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are out, weakening the defensive options. Yet the squad has been reinforced smartly. Bruno Guimaraes offers control and bite in midfield, whether from the bench or the starting XI, and Christos Tzolis, signed from Brugge, has stepped straight into a starting role on the wing.

Napoli, by contrast, are wobbling. Back-to-back Serie A defeats to Como and Inter Milan – two of last season’s standout sides – have raised early questions. Home advantage at least gives them a platform, but they go into this as underdogs.

Kevin De Bruyne, now 35, may start among the substitutes, a nod to his age and workload management. Scott McTominay remains sidelined after heart surgery, further thinning their midfield options.

The gap in form and confidence is clear. Napoli can lean on the atmosphere in their own stadium, yet it would be a surprise if Arsenal, in this mood, allowed their stride to be broken.

Prediction: Arsenal 3–1

The stage is set: champions under pressure, contenders on the rise, and a Wednesday night that could tell us plenty about who is really ready to run Europe this season.