Vini Jr. goes off as Real Madrid rescue victory vs. Dortmund: Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich headline Wednesday

Hey there! Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League got off to a dramatic start on Tuesday, hopefully teasing big things ahead for the week's most anticipated match – Bayern Munich's trip to Barcelona. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a Champions League-themed check in.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, Oct. 23
🇪🇺 UCL: Brest vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸🇨🇦 MLS Cup playoffs: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV+

Thursday, Oct. 24
🇪🇺 UEL: Roma vs. Dynamo Kyiv, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇪🇺 UECL: Panathinaikos vs. Chelsea, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United, 3 p.m. ➡️Paramount+
🌎 Friendly: USWNT vs. Iceland, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ TBS

⚽ The Forward Line

⚽⚽⚽ Vinicius Junior steals the show

Real Madrid discarded a 2-0 deficit to Borussia Dortmund with five goals in a half-hour, with Vinicius Junior scoring an impressive hattrick that bolstered his case as the world's best player.

Dortmund took advantage of Madrid's misfiring offense in the first half, when the reigning European champions posted just one shot on target and conceded twice, but tactical tweaks for both teams provided the ideal set-up for Madrid's onslaught. While Antonio Rudiger's 60th minute began the comeback, Vinicius scored the equalizer two minutes later with a goal from close range. After Lucas Vazquez scored the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute, though, Vinicius just went on a tear with two stunning solo efforts to put the game out of reach.

The hattrick brings Vinicius up to five goals and five assists this season, hitting his stride in time for Saturday's Clasico against Barcelona while also perhaps serving as the perfect set-up for next week's Ballon d'Or ceremony. The Brazil international is the perceived front-runner for the award and has votes of support from manager Carlo Ancelotti and teaMMAte Luka Modric, who won the award in 2018. Modric complimented Vinicius' body of work in the last year in a post-match interview with CBS Sports.

• Modric: "Definitely [Vini Jr. should win the Ballon d'Or] but not just for tonight but all season, he was outstanding and we're looking forward to see who will win it, but I think overall, when you see how he played last season and what he is doing this season and especially after tonight, he deserves it."

Vinicius' strong form this campaign comes after he played a big role in Real Madrid's La Liga and Champions League wins last season, during which he scored 24 goals and notched nine assists in all competitions. The Brazil international matches consistency with style points, delivering in small moments and big, including goals in the 2022 and 2024 Champions League finals. Slowly but surely, Vinicius has emerged as the star on Real Madrid's star-studded team that boasts six other Ballon d'Or nominees, and looks close to becoming the first player to assume the role as the world's best after the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Sponsored by Paramount+

🔗  Midfield Link Play

🇪🇺 Barcelona, Bayern Munich meet in headlining act

Barcelona host Bayern Munich on Wednesday as both teams not only hope to add to their points totals after one loss each in their opening two Games, but also aim for a positive progress report as they navigate life with new managers.

The hosts may have the upper hand in this one, but only a slight one. There have been some stumbling blocks in the early months of the season but manager Hansi Flick has settled in nicely at Barcelona, leading a high-scoring team to first place in La Liga after 10 games. Flick will have most of his first-choice players available after they battled some short-term injuries, which will allow him to continue to get the best out of his wide-ranging squad. That list of talent includes Raphinha, who has become one of Barcelona's most impactful players and is James Benge's player to watch in this week's edition of expert picks and predictions.

• Benge: "One of the best players in Europe so far this season, no one in La Liga comes close to matching the Brazilian's 36 chances created (second best Alex Baena has 27). Lining up as a number 10 against a Bayern Munich side who aren't really using their most defensive midfielder? This could be fun."

Bayern, meanwhile, are still a work in progress as manager Vincent Kompany continues his first season in the biggest job he's held in his young managerial career. Though they sit atop the Bundesliga standings after seven games and are the highest-scoring team in the league by a wide margin, Kompany's Bayern have some defensive vulnerabilities that have led them to concede 10 goals in 10 games this season. Their goals against record usually does little damage since they can outscore a lot of different opponents, though their performances in big games this season raises some questions. In the span of a few days, they tied 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen in league play and lost 1-0 at Aston Villa in the Champions League, and were unable to kickstart their otherwise in-form attack. Harry Kane was particularly invisible those days, taking just two shots total in those games.

The onus will be on Bayern to bring their otherwise strong attack to their biggest Game of the season so far, and in the process offer Flick's Barcelona their first serious challenge of the season in a high-stakes week that concludes with Saturday's Clasico in Madrid.

🔗  Top Stories

🇧🇷 Vinicius' moment: More on Vinicius Junior's outing for Real Madrid on Tuesday, which may have ended the debate on who the world's best player currently is.

⭐ Introducing the Chicago Stars: The NWSL's Chicago Red Stars will be called Chicago Stars FC starting next season after a rebrand led by the new owners.

🔴 Liverpool's strong start: Liverpool will aim for a third win out of three in Champions League play when they take on RB Leipzig, which would continue Arne Slot's impressive start to life at Anfield.

🇫🇷 PSG's poor run: Paris Saint-Germain are now winless in two Champions League games after a 1-1 draw with PSV, which could force a rethink from manager Luis Enrique as he maps out the team's post-Kylian Mbappe identity.

🔴⚫ Milan finally win: AC Milan won their first Champions League game on Tuesday, with Christian Pulisic on the scoreboard again and manager Paulo Fonseca benefitting from bold personnel choices.

❓ Arsenal's defensive questions: Riccardo Calafiori came off injured in Arsenal's win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, forcing questions about who will start in the back against Liverpool as the Gunners deal with injuries and suspensions.

⚽ Duran scores again: Super sub Jhon Duran scored again in the Champions League as Aston Villa rose to the top of the league phase standings on Tuesday.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• MLS Cup playoffs: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers, Wednesday, 10:30 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Evander to score (+200) – The Portland Timbers may be the lowest-ranked playoff team in the Western Conference, but they enter the postseason with some distinct advantages in this wild card matchup. The Timbers have a better goalscoring record than the Whitecaps this season, posting 65 goals to the Whitecaps' 52, and also boast MVP contender Evander. Phil Neville's side will also have home-field advantage after a scheduling conflict booted the Whitecaps out of BC Place, which could provide the perfect set-up for Evander to score a 16th goal of the season and keep his side's playoff hopes alive for another round.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.   

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don't miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.