“Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona. Bayern Munich vs Arsenal. This week, four of the favourites to win the Champions League were pitted against each other. Since the start of last season, they make up four of the top five for wins across Europe’s top competition and their respective leagues. Despite the absence of jeopardy in the league phase in early October, these two matches showed some of their strengths and weaknesses — here is what The Athletic spotted. …”
NYT/ATH

Paris Saint-Germain sparkle on the pitch while the city of light burns around them
“Tell you who would have loved this? Who would have been utterly engrossed scrolling the hashtag #Paris on Tuesday night as two things happened simultaneously, the harrowing of the Barcelona defence at the Parc des Princes, and the harrowing of Paris itself via tales of city-centre thuggery and end-of-days political doom‑mongering. The big man, Guy Debord himself. The Society of the Spectacle, you say? Actually, I think we’re past that now. Hold the society bit. We’ll just take the spectacle. The great Parisian Situationist philosopher wasn’t really one for managed fun. But it was impossible not to be bowled over by the extraordinary pre-match show for Paris Saint‑Germain versus Barcelona, Champions League Matchday Three. …”
Guardian