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Footy Fix: PSG vs. Barcelona showdown headlines Champions League league phase's Matchday 3

Elsewhere on the Golazo Starting XI newsletter, can Roma and Napoli get back on tack as home favorites?

Another UEFA Champions League week is upon us, and what a week it's already shaping up to be. A batch of title contenders face off against each other on Matchday 3, each of them with the hopes of proving they have what it takes to go all the way. First up? Barcelona's trip to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a preview of what's to come.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, Oct. 19
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Coventry City, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network

Tuesday, Oct. 20
🇪🇺 UCL: Sabah vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 UCL: Fenerbahce vs. Slavia Prague, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Stuttgart vs. Atletico Madrid, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 UCL: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Napoli vs. Bodo/Glimt, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Manchester City vs. AEK Athens, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Liverpool vs. Villarreal, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Porto vs. PSV, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
🇪🇺 UCL: Roma vs. Slovan Bratislava, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

Wednesday, Oct. 21
🇪🇺 UCL: Como vs. Manchester United, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Lille vs. Galatasaray, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 UCL: Sporting CP vs. LASK, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Real Madrid vs. RB Leipzig, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Inter vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
🇪🇺 UCL: Club Brugge vs. Lens, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Real Betis vs. Feyenoord, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 UCL: Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Aston Villa vs. Viking, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

⭐ A Champions League classic returns

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A Champions League week headlined by a clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona is always a good one, the matchup is always high on entertainment value. The stakes are a little different this early in the season, but the question remains -- which one of these teams will make its case as a genuine title contender at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday?

PSG's argument is as clear-cut as any: the back-to-back champions are as impressive as ever following last week's 4-2 win at Manchester City. Two years after Luis Enrique's reinvention of the team following Kylian Mbappe's departure, the plan continues to work. Opposition defenses still scramble around PSG's multipronged attack, even without the mistake-prone Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. That makes Tuesday's clash all the more fascinating - this season's Barcelona are turning over a new defensive leaf, their trip to Paris the ultimate test of whether they can be sturdy at the back against the best of opponents.

Hansi Flick's attack-minded philosophy with Barcelona has not shifted; in fact, Barcelona average nearly two more goals per game this season in LaLiga than they did in the previous campaign. They are slightly more resilient at the back, though, in large part because they signed the one player equipped to handle the demands of the style of play - Rodri. Here's Chuck Booth on how well the Spain World Cup winner suits Flick's approach, a fit that bolsters Barcelona's case to win the Champions League for the first time since 2015. 

  • Booth: "Not only have the new attackers added speed in transition, but Rodri has also marshaled the defense so the squad is caught out in transition less often. Those new signings have also accounted for seven LaLiga goals between them and have also given Flick serious depth to rotate while also competing on multiple fronts. While it's true Barcelona are still conceding goals with Rodri in midfield due to their open play style, only five teams have conceded fewer goals than Barcelona, they don't need to have a stout defense, just one that's good enough to let their historic attack go to work."

Up against a team that has found its perfectly unique balance, Barcelona will begin to answer the question of whether they have finally found the same. 

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