Champions League Team Of The Week XI

Matchday 2 of the UCL 2026/27 season delivered 78 goals. Paris Saint-Germain lead with six points after beating Manchester City 4-2, while City have fallen to 17th. This 4-3-3 best XI rewards decisive contributions and match-defining moments.

Three of the English teams had resounding wins while the two Manchester clubs came up short with City losing to the two time defending Champions PSG 4-2 at home in a statement game for Luis Enrique and a first competitive loss for Enzo Maresca. PSG look like they will be hard to beat again this season and brought City’s winning run back down to earth with a bang.

Manchester United lost to Atletico Madrid away 2-0 in another performance where they could not score and lacked the clinical nature when opportunities presented themselves. The club is in a state of chaos following the loss, with the fallout of the public outburst by Lisandro Martinez and the uproar around Marcus Rashford and his terrible form for the club amid reports of him being fined for a training ground bust-up all grabbing the headlines.

United’s city rivals at least scored and showed they can go toe to toe with the likes of PSG and on another night City could actually have won the game with a few different breaks going their way.

The eye-catching wins came from Liverpool who went to Austria and hammered LASK 6-3 on the back of Bradley Barcola truly announcing himself as Liverpool player with a hat-trick and then Aston Villa 6-0 dismantling Fenerbahce at Villa Park with Nicolas Jackson and the much travelled Ross Barkley grabbing a brace each plus the other forgotten man of striker Tammy Abraham who is coming back from serious injury also scoring.

Abraham and Jackson are expected to make up for the goal output lost with the departure of Ollie Watkins and this match will add great confidence for both of them. The result shows despite what for some clubs is a horror start to the season which cannot be turned around, Unai Emery as always is steering the Villans in the right direction.

So on to the team of Champions League best XI of match week two.

Goalkeeper and Defenders

Matvei Safonov, Paris Saint-Germain

PSG conceded twice, but Safonov earns his place for preventing a serious City comeback. His work behind the scoreline deserves recognition in a round dominated by attacking headlines. He turned Enzo Fernández’s corner onto the crossbar early, then denied Erling Haaland the chance to complete a hat-trick.

Ronald Araújo, Liverpool

Araújo opened Liverpool’s 6-3 win over LASK with a towering first-half header, scoring his first goal for the club. His finish broke the deadlock and launched a six-goal performance, setting the tone for Liverpool’s aggressive approach.

Jurrien Timber, Arsenal

Arsenal struggled to break Lille down until Timber scored during a decisive second-half burst. Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka followed, with all three goals arriving within seven minutes in a 3-0 victory. Timber’s opener ended a tense stalemate at the Emirates.

Antonio Rüdiger, Real Madrid

Rüdiger supplied the winner in Real Madrid’s 4-3 comeback against Roma, steering home from an Arda Güler set-piece. Madrid scored three times in the final eight minutes, and the centre-back completed a remarkable turnaround.

João Cancelo, Barcelona

Barcelona trailed Galatasaray before Cancelo equalised in the 43rd minute of a 4-1 win. His goal steadied the visitors before their second-half surge, making the equaliser a crucial turning point.

Midfielders

Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain

Named Player of the Match, Vitinha curled home to make it 3-0 by half-time against Manchester City. PSG’s lead proved too much for City.

Ross Barkley, Aston Villa

Barkley converted a penalty for Villa’s fourth goal against Fenerbahçe, then scored again five minutes later with a heavily deflected effort. Villa won 6-0, their biggest European victory. The margin of victory made it a eye-catching night for the club and it was great to see a somewhat forgotten man at the forefront of a memorable night for the Villans.

Fermín López, Barcelona

López met Lamine Yamal’s delivery with a precise header after the break, scoring during a spell when Barcelona struck twice in around three minutes.

Forwards

1st: Bradley Barcola 2nd: Nicolò Tresoldi 3rd: Harry Kane 4th: Lamine Yamal Hat-trick hero Barcola claims Player of the Week! @PlayStationEU | #UCLPOTW https://t.co/FQow4XeF6M

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 15, 2026

Bradley Barcola, Liverpool

What can you say about the Liverpool man as seen in the highlights from the match last night. He was a no-brainer for top man so Bradley Barcola leads the selections after scoring a hat-trick in Liverpool’s 6-3 win over LASK and collecting Player of the Match honours beating out the likes of Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal.

One goal came from Florian Wirtz’s fizzed pass, while his first followed Araújo’s opener within two minutes. Three goals in a nine-goal contest make him the round’s standout performer with his sublime skill and clinical finishing.

Nicolò Tresoldi, Club Brugge

Tresoldi hit a hat-trick as Club Brugge stunned Inter 4-3 at San Siro. His three goals gave Brugge the edge in one of the round’s biggest upsets.

Lamine Yamal, Barcelona

Yamal created López’s header and set up Anthony Gordon’s close-range finish, registering two assists within minutes. His creativity helped Barcelona pull away from Galatasaray.

Honourably mention to Aston Villa’s Nicolas Jackson who was unlucky to miss out given how his 2 goals changed the game vs Fenerbahce and essentially put the game to bed for Unai Emery.

Could PSG’s attacking stars make them favourites against Barcelona?

Désiré Doué opened the scoring against City. Endrick earned Player of the Match against Roma and headed in during Madrid’s comeback, while Aston Villa’s Johan Manzambi scored on his debut on his 21st birthday. Isco won Player of the Match for Real Betis after a penalty sealed their comeback against Porto.

PSG deserve respect after beating City, but one result does not settle the European pecking order. Safonov’s saves and Vitinha’s influence showed that the French side can handle pressure as well as score freely.

Barcelona, however, have three players in this XI, and Yamal’s creativity gives them a clear threat ahead of their meeting with PSG. Barcola takes the round’s top billing with a hat-trick; an individual award and a central role in Liverpool’s six-goal haul are hard to beat.

All in all an amazing UEFA Champions League week of goals and matches in what really is the best competition in football.