Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid face Juventus. © APA/afp / THOMAS COEX

Real and Bayern: Will the heavyweights remain flawless?

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich want to keep their clean sheets in the third round of the Champions League on Wednesday.

22 October 2025

From: apa

The Spanish side host Juventus on Wednesday. Bayern, who have had a brilliant start to the season, face what appears to be an easier task against Club Bruges in their own stadium. Crisis-ridden Liverpool FC travels to Frankfurt, and Eintracht Frankfurt have also been underwhelming recently.

Bayern, on the other hand, are as flawless as they are in the Bundesliga. The Munich team can hope for another goal against Bruges from their top-flight goal-setter Harry Kane. The Englishman has netted twelve times in seven Bundesliga matches and four in the Champions League.

Kompany receives new contract

It will be a special match for Munich coach Vincent Kompany, who extended his contract on Tuesday by two years until the summer of 2029. Bruges will be his first encounter with a club from his homeland as Bayern coach. And not just any club, as Kompany was once a player and coach at RSC Anderlecht, Bruges's great rivals. This is one of the reasons why his men will be giving their all. "This is a very important game for the coach. We have to win," said Joshua Kimmich. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer added the motto before the clash with the underdog: "We have to stay in our flow and take every game seriously."

The Bayern coach: Vincent Kompany © APA/afp / ALEXANDRA BEIER

While Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home in the Bundesliga top-of-the-table clash this weekend, league leaders Real Madrid struggled to a 1-0 win at Getafe thanks to a late goal from Kylian Mbappé. Juventus are currently only seventh in Serie A, having lost just once in seven matches, drawing three. In the Champions League, the Turin club have two draws before the difficult trip to the Bernabéu.

Liverpool challenged in Frankfurt

Liverpool must find a way out of their crisis, which has seen them suffer four consecutive competitive defeats, in Frankfurt. It could be a special evening if Hugo Ekitiké, who joined the English club from Hesse for €95 million in the summer, makes an appearance. Florian Wirtz, the €125 million signing who has so far failed to make an impact at Liverpool, will also be in the spotlight upon his return to Germany. Both teams started their Champions League campaign with one win and one loss.

Champions League

Wednesday, October 22th:
Athletic Bilbao – Qarabag Agdam (6:45 p.m.)
Galatasaray Istanbul – FK Bodo/Glimt
AS Monaco vs. Tottenham Hotspur (21 p.m.)
Atalanta Bergamo – Slavia Prague
FC Bayern Munich – Club Bruges
Eintracht Frankfurt – Liverpool FC
Chelsea FC – Ajax Amsterdam
Real Madrid - Juventus