Borussia Dortmund are currently fourth in the Champions League table, with four wins and one defeat in five games. They won both of their home games in convincing fashion, so they should be highly competitive when they host Barcelona. Barça are level on points with Dortmund, but their away record is not overly impressive: one win and one loss in two road trips so far. They have won just two of their last six games in all competitions, and they may view a draw as a good result in this game, so backing Dortmund +0.5 looks appealing.

Slovan Bratislava look out of their depth in the Champions League. The Slovak champions have lost all five games so far, scoring just four goals and conceding 18. That leaves them with a -14 goal difference. They lost 5-1 to Celtic, 4-0 to Manchester City and 4-1 at home to Dinamo Zagreb, which does not augur well for their chances against a rampant Atlético Madrid team. Atlético have banged in 18 goals in their last four matches, including a 6-0 win against Sparta Prague in their last Champions League game, so they could run riot here.

This has been a disastrous Champions League campaign for RB Leipzig, who have lost all five games so far. They have scored four goals and conceded 10, so their games have seen an average of 2.8 goals. However, over the past two weeks, Leipzig beat Eintracht Frankfurt (3-0) and Holstein Kiel (2-0). Aston Villa have been solid on defense so far, however, they have not kept a single clean sheet in seven away games in the Premier League this season. Over 2.5 goals looks appealing.

Girona slipped down to ninth in La Liga after suffering a 3-0 home defeat to Real Madrid last weekend. They are winless in their last four games, which does not bode well for their chances of beating an in-form Liverpool team on Tuesday. Liverpool were due to face local rivals Everton last weekend, but the game was postponed due to a storm. That means the players will be fresh and raring to go by the time they arrive in Catalonia for this game, and they could overrun Girona.

Real Madrid will aim to secure a third consecutive win when they take on Liverpool at Anfield this week. Los Blancos were firing on all cylinders when they beat Leganes 3-0 on Sunday. Star players Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham all looked sharp, which bodes well for Real Madrid’s chances of getting a result against Liverpool. Los Blancos are the clear underdogs for this game, but they have the quality to cause problems for a Liverpool defense that conceded twice against struggling Southampton at the weekend. Real Madrid could leave Merseyside with a point.

This could prove to be a tight, low-scoring contest. Under 2.5 goals has paid off in each of Juventus’ last four games, as the Bianconeri are solid defensively, but they lack dynamism in attack. Their last two Champions League matches also went Under 2.5 goals: a 1-0 defeat to Stuttgart and a 1-1 draw with Lille. Aston Villa’s Champions League games have seen an average of just 1.75 goals so far this season, so Under 2.5 goals looks like an appealing bet in this game.

Arsenal looked back to their brilliant best when they beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the weekend. Captain Martin Ødegaard is back in the team after recovering from an injury that kept him sidelined for two months, and his creativity has proved transformative. Now the Gunners face a stern test of their mettle when they face Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese capital. However, Sporting may be a little unmoored after manager Ruben Amorim left for Manchester United, and this revitalized Arsenal team could capitalize.

Bayer Leverkusen should be too strong for RB Salzburg when the teams meet at BayArena on Tuesday. Xabi Alonso’s men will have the wind in their sails after thumping Heidenheim 5-2 at the weekend. They are currently on course to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League, but they cannot afford to drop points in this game. Salzburg have lost three out of four Champions League games so far. They are also having a poor season in the Austrian Bundesliga and could be outclassed in this game.

This could prove to be a tight, low-scoring game between two evenly matched teams. Inter Milan have not conceded a goal in three Champions League games this season. The Nerazzurri held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw at the San Siro, before beating Red Star Belgrade 4-0 and Young Boys 1-0. Arsenal also boast a perfect defensive record after drawing 0-0 with Atalanta, beating PSG 2-0 and then scraping a 1-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk. The Gunners are missing playmaker Martin Ødegaard, and they could struggle to create chances, so under 2.5 goals looks appealing.

Aston Villa are top of the Champions League table after winning all three games so far. Unai Emery’s men beat Young Boys 3-0, Bayern Munich 1-0 and Bologna 2-0, which is a remarkable run of results. They should be able to extend that winning streak against Club Brugge. The Belgian champions have lost two out of three Champions League games this season, including a 3-1 defeat to AC Milan last time out. They are dangerous in attack, but they look vulnerable in defense, and they could be outclassed on Wednesday.

RB Leipzig are currently second in the Bundesliga table after a strong start to the season. However, they have made a disastrous start to their Champions League campaign, losing all three games so far. They can ill afford another defeat, so they will be highly motivated when they head to Scotland this week, and they should pick up an away win. Celtic held Atalanta to a 0-0 draw in their last Champions League game, which was an impressive result, but a 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 2 does not bode well for their chances of success against Leipzig.

Liverpool should be too strong for Bayer Leverkusen when the teams clash at Anfield. The Reds have picked up 10 wins and a draw from their last 11 games in all competitions. New manager Arne Slot has tightened up the defense, while forwards Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo are in fine form right now. Liverpool have won all three Champions League games so far this season, and their home form has been excellent. Leverkusen have regressed since winning the Bundesliga last season, and they already trail Bayern Munich by seven points, so they could struggle to cope with Liverpool’s intensity.

Celtic’s limitations were brutally exposed when they lost 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League at the start of October. The Hoops dominate the Scottish Premiership, but they tend to struggle against elite European teams, especially when playing on the road. Their recent form has been indifferent, as they scraped a 2-1 win against Ross County before drawing 2-2 with Aberdeen at the weekend. Celtic could be outclassed by a strong Atalanta team, who beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0, Genoa 5-1 and Venezia 2-0 in their last three games.

Juventus are unbeaten in 10 games since the start of the season, so the players should be full of confidence right now. The Bianconeri began their Champions League campaign with an impressive 3-1 home win against PSV Eindhoven, and they then beat RB Leipzig 3-2 on Matchday 2. That leaves them five points clear of struggling Stuttgart, who lost 3-1 away at Real Madrid and then drew 1-1 at home against Sparta Prague. Stuttgart are coming off a dismal 4-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the weekend, and Juventus should be able to pile more misery upon them.

Dinamo Zagreb’s limitations were brutally exposed when they suffered a 9-2 defeat to Bayern Munich on Matchday 1. That left them rock bottom of the Champions League table, and they could be a little low on confidence when they host Monaco on Wednesday. Monaco began their campaign with an impressive 2-1 home win against Barcelona. They have picked up five wins and a draw from six Ligue 1 games this season, so they are in fine form right now.