Barca vs. PSG, 2/10 at Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain. This is a clash between two of the most aesthetically pleasing attacking teams in Europe today. PSG just won a quadruple, while Barca secured three titles. Ousmane Dembele, the leading contender for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, will face his former team where he played 185 matches over 6 years. On the right wing, Lamine Yamal will rematch Nuno Mendes after the defeat in the Nations League final (Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties).

PSG and Barca have faced each other 14 times, each winning five matches and scoring 27 goals. Their most recent encounter was the second leg of the 2023-2024 Champions League quarter-final, where PSG won 4-1.

PSG vs. Bayern, 5/11 at Parc des Princes, Paris, France. The six-time champions are the second biggest challenge for the defending champions. The two teams have met 15 times, with eight victories for Bayern and seven for PSG. One of those was the 2019-2020 Champions League final, which Bayern won 1-0. Their last meeting was in the Club World Cup quarter-final, where PSG won 2-0.

Bayern has strengthened their attack with winger Luis Diaz, while PSG bolstered their defense with goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier and center-back Illia Zabarnyi.

Real vs. Man City, 11/12 at Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain. The two teams will meet for the fifth consecutive season out of a total of eight. In the previous seven seasons with 14 matches, Real won five, drew five, and lost four. In the 2024-2025 Champions League play-offs, Real won both matches with scores of 3-2 and 3-1.

Both teams are striving to rediscover their form after a disappointing season. Real is building a new team with new coach Xabi Alonso, while Pep Guardiola is looking to effectively utilize new signings James Trafford, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, and Tijjani Reijnders.

Liverpool vs. Real, 5/11 at Anfield, Liverpool, England. Real has a better head-to-head record with seven wins, one draw, and only four losses. Under former coach Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool was truly easy prey for the Spanish team. They lost 1-3 in the 2017-2018 Champions League final, 0-1 in the 2021-2022 final, 1-3 on aggregate in the 2020-2021 quarter-finals, and 2-6 on aggregate in the round of 16 of the 2022-2023 season.

But in coach Arne Slot's first season, the English team won 2-0 in the group stage. This season, Liverpool continues to have home advantage against Real.

Real vs. Juventus, 23/10 at Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain. Juventus is no longer at its peak but has a respectable head-to-head record against Real: nine wins, two draws, and ten losses. The last time the two teams met was in the quarter-finals of the 2017-2018 Champions League season, where Real won 4-3 on aggregate. In that tie, Cristiano Ronaldo's bicycle kick goal helped Real win 3-0 in the first leg in Italy.

Also after that season, Ronaldo joined Juventus for 110 million USD. Real's two most important victories against Juventus were 1-0 in the 1997-1998 final and 4-1 in the 2016-2017 final.

Bayern vs. Chelsea, 18/9 at Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany. Chelsea returns to the Champions League after two consecutive seasons away. They will enter the tournament with great confidence after winning the Conference League last season and the 2025 Club World Cup. Bayern has also been steadily improving. After winning the Bundesliga last season, coach Vincent Kompany's team also won the German Super Cup and beat Leipzig 6-0 in the opening match of the 2025-2026 Bundesliga season.

Bayern has won three and lost two in five meetings with Chelsea. But in 2012, Chelsea won 4-3 on penalties at Bayern's home ground in the Champions League final.

Inter Milan vs. Liverpool, 10/12 at San Siro, Milan, Italy. Reaching the Champions League final in two of the last three seasons establishes Inter as one of the strongest teams currently. Their only issue is their form after former coach Simone Inzaghi's departure. In their opening Serie A match, new coach Cristian Chivu temporarily reassured fans with a 5-0 win over Torino.

Coach Slot is looking to make his mark in the Champions League. Last season, he led Liverpool to the top of their group, but they were eliminated by PSG in the round of 16. Liverpool has won four and lost two in six matches against Inter, including a 2-1 aggregate victory in the round of 16 of the 2021-2022 season.

Liverpool vs. Atletico, 18/9 at Anfield, Liverpool, England. Atletico has been disappointing in terms of form, with a 2-1 loss to Espanyol and a 1-1 draw against Elche. However, the quality of Julian Alvarez and his teammates is undeniable. After signing nine players during the summer transfer window, coach Diego Simeone may need more time to build his new squad.

Atletico is one of the few teams with a favorable head-to-head record against Liverpool: two wins, two draws, and two losses. Notably, they won both matches in the round of 16 of the 2019-2020 season, knocking out the then-reigning English champions.

Arsenal vs. Bayern, 27/11 at Emirates Stadium, London, England. Bayern has a dominant head-to-head record against Arsenal, with eight wins, three draws, and only three losses. Even Arsenal's three victories all occurred in ties they ultimately lost. Last season, Arsenal surprised many by eliminating Real to reach the semi-finals.

With the signings of Zubimendi, Norgaard, Madueke, Mosquera, Gyokeres, and Eze, coach Arteta is aiming for higher goals. However, they will only truly prove their growth by defeating Bayern in the group stage this season.

Chelsea vs. Barca, 26/11 at Stamford Bridge, London, England. Clashes between these two teams are often unpredictable and controversial. In 2009, Barca eliminated Chelsea in the semi-finals after controversial decisions by referee Ovrebo. Three years later, the Spanish team squandered a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 on aggregate in another semi-final. Each team has won four times in their 14 encounters. This time, Chelsea has home advantage. However, Barca once won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the round of 16 of the 2005-2006 season.

Fans are also interested to see how Chelsea will perform against Lamine Yamal and his teammates. Previously, Maresca's team defeated another Spanish side, Betis, 4-1 to win the Conference League, and PSG 3-0 to win the Club World Cup.

Ngoc Tuan

Photo: Reuters, AFP, CLB, UEFA.