Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Aston Villa top the Champions League standings after Matchday 2.
All three have six points and a +7 goal difference. Nine clubs have won both of their games, and only goal difference separates the leaders from the pack.
Stuttgart sit fourth on +5. Liverpool, Sporting CP and Arsenal follow on +4, and Real Madrid grab the last automatic Round of 16 place in eighth on +2. Madrid beat Inter and then outscored Roma 4-3 in Rome. Real Betis claim ninth on the same goal difference, which leaves them in the knockout round play-offs.
The leaders will not stay level for long. Paris Saint-Germain face Barcelona on Tuesday, Oct. 20, a clash that will reshape the top of the table.
Aston Villa meet Viking on Wednesday, Oct. 21, while Stuttgart take on Atlético Madrid on Oct. 20. Liverpool face Villarreal on Oct. 20, and Sporting CP play LASK on Oct. 21.
The biggest test belongs to Arsenal, who meet Bayern München on Oct. 21. Real Betis, meanwhile, face Feyenoord on Oct. 21 and need a win to push into the top eight.
Bayern München sit tenth with four points and a +5 goal difference, so the Arsenal game gives them a chance to reclaim ground. Shakhtar also hold four points in eleventh, and they travel into a meeting with Inter on Oct. 21.
The middle of the table is tight. Como, Manchester United, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund all have three points. Lens, AEK Athens, Leipzig, Sabah, Feyenoord and Bodø/Glimt match that total, and goal difference alone ranks them. Como and Manchester United lead the group on +2, while Bodø/Glimt close it on -4.
Several of those clubs face direct tests next. Como play Manchester United on Oct. 21, with both teams level on points and goal difference. Manchester City face AEK Athens on Oct. 20 and will want a convincing win after their 4-2 home defeat by Paris. City sit seventeenth with a goal difference of zero.
Borussia Dortmund visit Sabah on Oct. 20, and Club Brugge play Lens on Oct. 21. Napoli face Bodø/Glimt on Oct. 20, which gives the Norwegians a chance to escape the bottom of the three-point group.
The elimination zone is already crowded. Roma, PSV, Viking and Fenerbahçe each have one point and occupy places 25 to 28. Fenerbahçe have the worst goal difference of the four at -6.
All four have fixtures that could change their position. Roma face Slovan Bratislava on Oct. 20, Porto meet PSV on the same night, and Fenerbahçe play Slavia Praha. Viking face Aston Villa, a tough task.
Inter, Porto, Slavia Praha, Napoli, LASK, Lille, Galatasaray and Slovan Bratislava have no points. Slovan Bratislava anchor the table on -8, the worst goal difference in the competition. Lille meet Galatasaray on Oct. 21, so one of those winless sides can open its account.
