The Bundesliga and La Liga take center stage on matchday three of the Champions League as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund travel to Spain to take on Barcelona and Real Madrid.

All four teams emerged as league winners at the weekend. Barcelona and Bayern each opened up a four-goal lead, while Dortmund and Real outscored their opponents by identical 2-1 scores, which will only heighten the anticipation ahead of the tantalizing games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Use The athleteIn Opta’s predictions we look at five fixtures that could change the 36-team table.

Click on the link below to see the full predictions for the 2024-25 league phase.

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Champions League predictions 2024-25: Each team’s likelihood of qualifying for the knockout stages

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich (Wednesday 8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)

This game offers one heavyweight the opportunity to boost their hopes of a place in the top eight while significantly denting the other’s hopes, with both teams coming into the game with three points from two games.

Barcelona began their Champions League journey with a 2-1 defeat in Monaco before beating Young Boys 5-0 at home on matchday two. Bayern, meanwhile, broke numerous records as they beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 at home before losing 1-0 away at Aston Villa last time out.

Before the tournament began, both teams had a probability of over 50 percent of qualifying directly for the round of 16. However, based on the first two results, Barcelona’s chances of finishing in the top eight were 38 percent and Bayern’s were 46 percent. This is arguably the toughest game of the league stage for both teams, so a win could prove crucial for both teams.

Bayern were defeated at Aston Villa on matchday two (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

There are also some interesting storylines to consider. Hansi Flick led Bayern to a treble in the 2019/20 season, handing Barcelona an 8-2 defeat in the Champions League along the way. Robert Lewandowski, who looks set to be Barcelona’s biggest scoring threat on Wednesday, had goals and assists in this game.

Since winning 3-0 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in 2015, Barcelona have lost each of their last six meetings with Bayern by a total of 21-4.

Barcelona’s remaining games: Red Star (A), Brest (H), Dortmund (A), Benfica (A), Atalanta (H)

Bayern’s remaining schedule: Benfica (H), PSG (H), Shakhtar (A), Feyenoord (A), Slovan Bratislava (H)

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)

A repeat of last season’s Champions League final offers Dortmund the chance to take revenge – albeit on hostile territory.

Dortmund shot to second place The athletes prediction table after beating Club Brugge and Celtic with a total of 10:1. This means that they now have a league-best chance of 72 percent of qualifying directly for the round of 16 (at the start it was 41 percent).

Real, on the other hand, started the tournament with a 74 percent chance of finishing in the top eight and an 18 percent chance of becoming champions again. However, after the 0-1 defeat against Lille on matchday 2 (they beat Stuttgart 3-1 in the opening game), these odds have fallen to 57 and 13 respectively.

While Carlo Ancelotti’s side can never be ruled out of the tournament, a defeat here could be a cause for concern in the upcoming games against Liverpool and Milan. Dortmund, on the other hand, have a much more forgiving record after this game, barring a visit from Barcelona.

Dortmund, which sits seventh in the Bundesliga, is also struggling with injuries: Karim Adeyemi, Gio Reyna, Niklas Sule, Yan Couto and Julien Duranville are all likely to miss Tuesday’s game.

Real Madrid’s remaining fixtures: Milan (H), Liverpool (A), Atalanta (A), Salzburg (H), Brest (A)

The remaining match dates for Borussia Dortmund: Sturm Graz (H), Zagreb (A), Barcelona (H), Bologna (A), Shakhtar (H)

Atletico Madrid vs Lille (Wednesday 8pm BST/3pm ET)

After defeating a Madrid giant, Lille travels to the Spanish capital in the hope of a repeat performance.

The Ligue 1 side’s win over Real thanks to a Jonathan David penalty saw them move from 28th in the pre-tournament predictions to 21st. Before the first matchday, Lille had a 43 percent chance of getting into the playoff round, but this has now increased to 62 percent. In games against Juventus and Liverpool, even a point here would be invaluable.

Atlético defeated Leipzig 2-1 late in their opening game, but were beaten 4-0 by Benfica on matchday two. They now only have a 23 percent chance of finishing in the top eight (versus 41 percent afterwards). Matchday 1). However, they still have a 67 percent chance of finishing between eighth and 24th thanks to a favorable schedule. A win here should see them firmly back in the race for the top eight, especially if one or both of their Spanish counterparts lose points.

Atlético Madrid’s remaining fixtures: PSG (A), Sparta Prague (A), Slovan Bratislava (H), Leverkusen (H), Salzburg (A)

Lille’s remaining games: Juventus (H), Bologna (A), Sturm Graz (H), Liverpool (A), Feyenoord (H)

Brest vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Wednesday 5:45pm BST/12:45pm ET)

This may not have been a highly anticipated clash when the matchday three schedules were released, but this clash between two of the seven teams who have yet to drop a point promises to be an interesting one.

Brest – like The athlete outlined after the 2nd matchday – have experienced a monumental rise in the forecast table after victories at home against Sturm Graz (2:1) and away against Salzburg (4:0). Their chances of qualifying for the playoff round have doubled from 35 percent before the tournament to 71 percent now. A point or three here – the first of three big tests at this stage of the league – would be invaluable.

Brest’s entry into Champions League football was sensational (Franco Arland – UEFA via Getty Images)

Leverkusen, on the other hand, are floundering a bit in the Bundesliga and have already scored 13 goals after only conceding 24 all of last season. However, Xabi Alonso’s men kept clean sheets in both Champions League games (4-0 against Feyenoord and 1-0 against Milan) and are at the top of the projected points table with 17. At least three of the remaining five games after that are promising It may be difficult, they may be a little more desperate to win than their French counterparts.

Brest’s remaining games: Sparta Prague (A), Barcelona (A), PSV (H), Shakhtar (A), Real Madrid (H)

Bayer Leverkusen’s remaining match dates: Liverpool (A), Salzburg (H), Inter (H), Atlético (A), Sparta Prague (H)

RB Leipzig vs Liverpool (Wednesday 8pm BST/3pm ET)

While Dortmund and Leverkusen were able to keep the German flag flying in the Champions League, Leipzig struggled. However, they have the second-best defense in Europe’s top five leagues and have only conceded two goals in seven Bundesliga games. They are only behind Juventus (one goal conceded in Serie A) and just ahead of their Wednesday opponents Liverpool, who have conceded just three goals in eight Premier League games.

Bad luck and poor finishing of games may partly explain Leipzig’s problems in Europe, as they conceded a winner in the 90th and 82nd minutes against Atlético and 10-man Juventus. However, it could hurt them if they couldn’t even get a point against Thiago Motta’s team at home in the second game week.

Leipzig has not yet won a point in the Champions League despite being ahead in both games (Jan Woitas/picture Alliance via Getty Images)

At the start of the tournament, Leipzig had a 29 percent chance of making it into the top eight, but this is now just four percent. However, their chances of reaching the playoff round remain at 54 percent thanks to a few winnable games in the coming months, but a third straight defeat could seriously dent their hopes before halftime.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are in control after beating Milan 3-1 and Bologna 2-0 in their first two games. They have a 44 percent chance of qualifying directly for the round of 16, have the same expected points total as Arsenal and Real Madrid (16) and are just one point behind Leverkusen and Dortmund (17).

Arne Slot’s team goes into this game as the clear favorites, and with a win they will be in good shape for the games against Leverkusen and Real Madrid at Anfield Road on the 4th and 5th matchdays.

Leipzig’s remaining match dates: Celtic (A), Inter (A), Aston Villa (H), Sporting (H), Sturm Graz (A)

Liverpool’s remaining games: Leverkusen (H), Real Madrid (H), Girona (A), Lille (H), PSV (A)

The best of the rest

According to Opta’s power rankings Paris Saint Germain had the toughest schedule of any team in this season’s competition, with matchups against each other Atletico, BavariaAnd Manchester City coming after this week. Anything but a home win PSV The alarm bells could ring in the French capital on Tuesday.

Aston Villas win Bavaria will be remembered by fans for a long time, but this new Champions League format requires consistency. Bolognawho have only won one of their ten games in all competitions this season, could be the ideal opponents for Unai Emery’s strong team to build on the success of the second matchday.

arsenal This might be their most straightforward game of the league phase Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates Stadium. Before the start of the competition, it was assumed that the Ukrainian team had an 81 percent chance of elimination – but after picking up just one point in the first two games, this figure rose to 90 percent.

Elsewhere, Girona host Slovak Bratislava As both teams are looking for their first win of the tournament. This could be an unexpected goalfest as Girona conceded three own goals in two games while Bratislava conceded nine goals in two games.

Salzburg – also looking for the first points – could overtake his Red Bull colleague Leipzig in the overall standings if they collect points Dinamo Zagreb And Leipzig lose against Liverpool. Should both teams lose their first European game since Jürgen Klopp was appointed head of global football, there will likely be smiles on their faces Dortmund fans.

(Top photos: Getty Images)