An analysis of the state of play in Europe's premier club competition following the conclusion of the third round of fixtures

The UEFA Champions League league phase is back, as 36 teams will play eight matches — four home and four away — in bids to reach the knockout rounds.There are two paths to the Round of 16: Eight teams will qualify directly via the league phase table, while eight more will emerge from playoff ties pitting teams 9-24 in home-and-away legs.MORE — UEFA Champions League 2025-26 hub — Fixtures, dates, scoresAnd there's no set path for greatness, something we learned from the first edition of the tournament's new structure.Runners-up Inter Milan earned a bye as the fourth-seed last league phase, but champions Paris Saint-Germain finished 15th and did not have their playoff status secured until Matchday 7.UEFA Champions League 2025-26 league phase table — StandingsTeams 1-8 qualify for knockout roundsTeams 9-24 qualify for playoff round — two-legged tiesTeams 25-36 eliminated from EuropeParis Saint-Germain — 3-0-0, +10 GD, 9 pointsInter Milan — 3-0-0, +9 GD, 9 pointsArsenal — 3-0-0, +8 GD, 9 pointsBorussia Dortmund — 2-1-0, +5 GD, 7 pointsManchester City — 2-1-0, +4 GD, 7 pointsBayern Munich — 2-0-0, +6 GD, 6 pointsNewcastle United — 2-0-1, +6 GD, 6 pointsReal Madrid — 2-0-0, +6 GD, 6 pointsBarcelona — 2-0-1, +5 GD, 6 pointsQarabag — 2-0-0, +3 GD, 6 pointsPSV Eindhoven — 1-1-1, +2 GD, 4 pointsTottenham Hotspur — 1-1-0, +1 GD, 4 pointsMarseille — 1-0-1, +3 GD, 3 pointsClub Brugge — 1-0-1, +2 GD, 3 pointsSporting CP — 1-0-1, +2 GD, 3 pointsEintracht Frankfurt — 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 pointsLiverpool — 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 pointsAtletico Madrid — 1-0-1, -1 GD, 3 pointsChelsea — 1-0-1, -1 GD, 3 pointsGalatasaray — 1-0-1, -3 GD, 3 pointsAtalanta — 1-0-1, -3 GD, 3 pointsNapoli — 1-0-1, -5 GD, 3 pointsUnion Saint-Gilloise — 1-0-1, -6 GD, 3 pointsJuventus — 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 pointsBodo/Glimt 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 pointsPafos — 0-2-1, -4 GD, 2 pointsBayer Leverkusen — 0-2-1, -5 GD, 2 pointsAS Monaco — 0-0-1, -3 GD, 1 pointSlavia Prague — 0-1-1, -3 GD, 1 pointVillarreal — 0-2-1, -3 GD, 1 pointsCopenhagen — 0-1-2, -4 GD, 1 pointOlympiacos — 0-1-2, -7 GD, 1 pointKairat Almaty — 0-1-2, -8 GD, 1 pointBenfica — 0-0-3, -5 GD, 0 pointsAthletic Bilbao — 0-0-2, -5 GD, 0 pointsAjax — 0-0-2, -6 GD, 0 points

Barcelona star Fermin Lopez has been named Champions League Player of the Week after bagging a hat-trick against Olympiacos on Tuesday.

Tuesday saw a host of goals, with 43 across all matches. The biggest teams -- Arsenal, Barcelona, Inter, PSG -- all advanced easily, none scoring fewer than four goals. Manchester City and Newcastle also both won, though the day was not without upsets as Napoli went down to PSV Eindhoven 6-2.

Follow live text updates, watch highlights, radio commentary and reaction from nine Champions League matches, including Chelsea v Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt v Liverpool and Monaco v Tottenham.

Harry Kane's brilliant goal-scoring form means he has beaten a particular landmark of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Kane scored in Bayern Munich's 4-0 win against Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday night, tapping in from close range after 14 minutes.

Fermin Lopez scored a hat trick and Marcus Rashord hit two goals as Barcelona routed Olympiakos 6-1 in the Champions League.

BBC Sport looks at the emerging wonderkids that announced themselves as Europe's brightest stars in the Champions League this week.

Monaco are also struggling and welcome Spurs amid a four-game winless streak, though that run includes a 2-2 draw with Manchester City. Monaco vs Tottenham is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. The match will take place at Stade Louis II.