Wednesday Champions League MD3: Game-by-game previews

There were goals galore in the Uefa Campions League on Tuesday. Brace yourself for more mouth-watering action in the group stage matchday three. Here is all you need to know about Wednesday’s matches.

FC RED BULL SALZBURG v DINAMO ZAGREB

RB Salzburg won both of their previous Dinamo Zagreb in major Uefa European competition, beating them 4-2 at home and 5-1 away in the 2014-15 Europa League group stage.

Dinamo Zagreb last faced FC Red Bull Salzburg in the Uefa Champions League qualifying phase in 2016-17, eliminating the Austrians 3-2 on aggregate, including a 2-1 away win in Salzburg.

RB LEIPZIG v CELTIC

RB Leipzig have faced Celtic twice previously, doing so in the 2018-19 Uefa Europa League group stage. Leipzig won 2-0 at home but lost 2-1 away.

Celtic have never won an away European match in Germany in 13 previous attempts (D3 L10), failing to score in nine of those games and scoring just six goals overall.

Scottish sides have won none of their 13 away European Cup/Champions League matches in Germany (D5 L8) since a 2-1 win for Rangers against Vorwärts Berlin in November 1961.

CHELSEA v MILAN

This is the first time Chelsea and AC Milan have met in the Uefa Champions League since the 1999-2000 first group stage, with both games ending in draws, including a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

AC Milan’s only win over Chelsea was in February 1966 in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, winning 2-1 at the San Siro. That third round tie then went to a deciding game – a 1-1 draw – and Chelsea progressed via a coin toss.

Chelsea have only lost two of their 13 home European matches against Italian opponents (W8 D3), with both defeats coming in the Uefa Champions League: 1-2 v Lazio in March 2000 and 0-1 v Internazionale in March 2010.

REAL MADRID v SHAKHTAR DONETSK

This is the third consecutive season to see Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk meet in the Uefa Champions League group stage. It's only the fifth fixture to be played in three consecutive seasons in the group stage, and first since Man City v Shakhtar between 2017-18 and 2019-20. Real Madrid last faced a team in the group stage in three seasons in a row between 2010-11 and 2012-13 v Ajax.

Real Madrid have won four of their six Uefa Champions League matches against Shakhtar Donetsk, all in the group stage, winning both games in 2015-16 and 2021-22 but losing both in 2020-21.

Shakhtar Donetsk won away at Real Madrid in the 2020-21 Uefa Champions League group stage, with the game played at the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium. Only four teams have won twice away at Real in the competition: Ajax, Bayern München, Juventus and Roma.

MANCHESTER CITY v FC KØBENHAVN

Manchester City and FC København last faced in the 2008-09 Uefa Cup, with City winning 4-3 on aggregate thanks to a 2-1 win in the second leg via a Craig Bellamy brace.

FC København have only scored one goal in six Uefa Champions League matches against English opponents (W1 D2 L3), with that goal the winner from Marcus Allback in a 1-0 win over Manchester United in November 2006.

This is Man City’s first Uefa Champions League match against Danish opponents. They have beaten teams from 14 of the 15 nations they’ve faced previously, failing only against Scottish sides (P2 D2).

SEVILLA v BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund previously faced in the Uefa Champions League in the 2020-21 season at the last 16 stage, with both games seeing both teams score twice (2-3 to Dortmund in Seville, 2-2 in Dortmund) and Dortmund progressing 5-4 on aggregate.

Sevilla’s one win in four previous European meetings with Borussia Dortmund (D2 L1) came in September 2010 in the Uefa Europa League, a 1-0 away win thanks to a Luca Cigarini goal.

JUVENTUS v MACCABI HAIFA

The only two previous meetings between Juventus and Maccabi Haifa were in the 2009-10 Uefa Champions League group stage, with Juve winning both games 1-0.

Maccabi Haifa’s one European win over Italian opponents came in November 1993 against Parma in the Cup Winners’ Cup, a 1-0 away win. They’ve drawn one and lost three of their other four such games.

Juventus have never previously lost four consecutive matches in the European Cup/Uefa Champions League, while they come into this fixture on a three-game losing run.

BENFICA v PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

This will be the seventh meeting between Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain in European competition, with the Portuguese side winning half of the previous six (W3 D1 L2). The last meeting between the two sides was a 2-1 home victory for Benfica in the 2013-14 group stage in the Uefa Champions League, where they came from a goal down to win.

Paris Saint-Germain have lost all three of their previous away games against Benfica in European competition – twice in the Uefa Cup/Europa League (1-3 in 2007 and 1-2 in 2011) and most recently in the Uefa Champions League in 2013 (1-2).