Champions League after three matchdays: five perfect teams – and Bayern only 14th

Three of eight league-phase matchdays are played, and the Champions League table already has a clear top group: five clubs have won all three games.

The perfect five

Pos	Club	Goals	Pts
1	Paris Saint-Germain	14:5	9
2	Aston Villa	12:3	9
3	Liverpool	12:7	9
4	Real Madrid	10:5	9
5	Real Betis	7:4	9

The surprise package is Villa: only PSG have scored more, and nobody in the top five has conceded fewer. Betis are the outsiders in this group – their goal difference of +3 shows they have won tight games rather than dominated them.

Why the top eight matters

In the 36-team league format, only places 1 to 8 go straight to the round of 16. Places 9 to 24 face an extra two-legged play-off in February, places 25 to 36 are out. Based on recent seasons, around 16 points are usually enough for the top eight, so the perfect five already have more than half of what they need.

Just behind them sit VfB Stuttgart and Arsenal on seven points, then a large group on six including Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.

Under pressure

• Bayern Munich are only 14th with five points (one win, two draws) despite scoring ten goals – and travel to Atlético Madrid next.
• Inter, Napoli and Manchester United have three points each and lost two of three.
• Porto, Lille and Slovan Bratislava are still without a point.

Matchday 4 to watch

Date (CET)	Match
Tue 3 Nov, 21:00	Barcelona – Aston Villa
Tue 3 Nov, 21:00	Atlético Madrid – Bayern
Wed 4 Nov, 18:45	Fenerbahçe – Liverpool
Wed 4 Nov, 21:00	Borussia Dortmund – Real Betis

Our take

Villa's start is no fluke – the defensive numbers back it up – but Barcelona at home is the first real stress test. For Bayern, the trip to Madrid is closer to a must-win than a 14th place after three games would usually suggest.

All matches live on EZCO.