Round three of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season was an interesting one, with a host of expected and unexpected results, but the true challengers continue to stand tall.

Tuesday produced 43 goals scored across the nine games played, an average of 4.8 goals per game, second most in a single day in the history of the competition after an average of 5.0 on 21st October 2014.

Wednesday was not without its own highlights too, and here are the most standout players in each position, from the goalkeeper to those in the final third.

Team of round 3: UCL 2025/26

Goalkeeper: Guglielmo Vicario of Tottenham Hotspur 

Thomas Frank extended his record as the first-ever Tottenham Hotspur manager to remain unbeaten in their first three Champions League games after picking up another point in the stalemate with AS Monaco in France.

The Englishman has his Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to thank for that as he stood tall and denied the host all eight times they had shots on goal, amassing a total of 2.68 goals prevented against a side that generated five big chances.

In a match week that saw a host of goalkeepers inspire their teams between the sticks, like Thibaut Courtois and Di Gregorio in Santiago Bernabeu, Jarkub Markovic of Slavia Praha, and several others, it is Vicario who takes the crown.

Left-back: Nuno Mendes of PSG

Nuno Mendes continues to impress in the Champions League after another display where he not only contributed defensively but also in attack to help defending champions reach six consecutive wins in the competition for the first time since 1994.

Aside from shutting down Bayer Leverkusen's attackers on his flank, the Portuguese assisted the opener with a brilliant cross to William Pacho at the far post, and scored the fifth with a well-taken shot on the edge of the box five minutes into the second half.

Mendes beat Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly, who also had an outstanding display against a formidable opponent in Atlético Madrid, to the nomination as the best-rated left-back of the Champions League round.

Center-half: Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal

On paper, the meeting between Arsenal and Atlético Madrid was the match of the round, and it looked like nothing was going to separate the two sides until Gabriel Magalhaes blasted a header past Jan Oblak to break the deadlock just before the hour mark.

The Brazilian nullified all of Atlético's attack alongside his partner William Saliba, both of whom are now becoming iconic in the art of defending.

Gabriel made five defensive contributions and created one big chance, which was converted by Viktor Gyokeres for the fourth goal of the night, before departing the pitch to a standing ovation less than 20 minutes from time.

Centre-half: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool 

After a run of four consecutive defeats across all competitions, Liverpool needed a response, and they finally got one in a thrilling 5-1 win in Frankfurt, and their Dutch captain was one of the orchestra.

The 34-year-old scored the second goal to complete the turnaround six minutes from the interval, four after the returning Hugo Ekitike had canceled out Rasmus Kristensen's opener four minutes before the half-hour mark.

Van Dijk went on to have a commanding night at the back, having 100 touches and winning duels, clearing dangers, and recovering possession to see out a win that not only put their season back on track but will do well for a confidence boost.

Right-back: Aleksandr Martynovich of Kairat Almaty 

In a match where they had one man advantage for more than 80 minutes, one wouldn't expect that a defender would be Kairat Almaty's best player, but it could their first-ever Champions League points wouldn't have come without Alexandr Martynovic.

The Belarusian was not only leading as the captain but his leadership was evident in the play. Connected defence with attack through his passing and movement.

Martynovich made 30 final third passes, created two chances, and made nine defensive actions. He was one of the reasons for Kairat Almaty's first clean sheet in the competition, which is a huge positive for a side that conceded four plus goals in each of their opening two games.

Defensive Midfielder: Felix Nmecha of Borussia Dortmund 

The German international scored a brace to propel Dortmund to a 4-2 away win in Copenhagen, one that helps them mark their return to winning ways after Der Klassiker defeat during the weekend, and boost their chances of a top-eight finish.

In just 77 minutes on the pitch, Felix Nmecha opened the scoring in the 20th minute and scored again a minute before his withdrawal to help the visitors establish a 3-1 lead, with his 12th goal since joining the club in 2023-24.

He has already equaled his best scoring season with five so far, while his three in the Champions League make him the highest scoring midfielder in the competition.

Central Midfielder: Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool 

Another star who impressed in Liverpool's return to winning ways is Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian had never had a bad game this season, and was again instrumental in the thrashing of Frankfurt away in Germany.

Szoboszlai was at the heart of the Liverpool attack that created 10 big chances on the night, taking responsibility for three, the most of any player across all 18 games during the Champions League week.

He scored one and assisted another, made over 100 passes, and created four chances. With three goal involvements so far, he is Liverpool's most productive player in the competition.

Attacking Midfielder: Fermin Lopez of Barcelona 

One of the most clinical finishers of today was at his best as he made his first start after a return from injury for Barcelona, scoring a hat-trick to mark his return to winning ways in the competition and return to form ahead of the Clásico.

Fermin Lopez inspired Hansi Flick's charge to a 6-1 victory over 10-man Olympiacos, scoring three goals and becoming the youngest Spaniard to score a Champions League hat-trick for Barcelona.

He scored a first-half brace to give the host a comfortable lead then completed his hat-trick with Barcelona's fifth of the evening 13 minutes from time, on their way to completing a 6-1 win.

Left-winger: Marcus Rashford of Barcelona 

Marcus Rashford continues his hot streak in the Champions League and now leads the way for most goal contributions after three games with five, level with Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Anthony Gordon.

The Mancunian scored a brace and won a penalty which was converted by Lamine Yamal in Barcelona's big win, as his continues to justify the Blaugrana's decision to take him out of his misery in Old Trafford during the summer.

His performance was eye-catching and he is not only one of the stars of this week, but overall in the competition this season — No Barcelona player has more than his nine goal involvement across all competitions so far.

Striker: Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray 

Victor Osimhen inspired Galatasaray to back-to-back Champions League wins, while also becoming the first player in the history of the club to score in seven consecutive European games.

The Nigerian international scored twice in the first half in a 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in Istanbul as the Turkish champions move to six points, and strengthen their grip on a place in the elimination playoff earlier on.

In only 73 minutes played, the striker's contributions were enough to help seal an impressive win for Okan Buruk's charge and extend his tally as the highest scoring Nigerian in Champions League history.

Right-winger: Harvey Barnes of Newcastle United 

The winger came off the bench for the final 30 minutes against Benfica, and bagged two goals to put the game to bed and secure a 3-0 win for Eddie Howe's charge.

Harvey Barnes, who also came off the bench to score the final goal in a 4-0 victory over Union Saint Gilloise last time out in the competition, has now scored three goals in 44 minutes across his last two Champions League appearances.

He is the top right winger, beating a couple of players who also had good outings with their respective teams down the flank.

Coach: Peter Bosz of PSV Eindhoven 

The Dutch manager led his team to a shocking 6-2 win over Serie A champions Napoli, a victory that got them off their feet and into a place in the top 24, after a slow start in the competition.

The result saw PSV become the first Dutch side to score six or more goals in a Champions League/European Cup game since Ajax won 10-0 against Omonia Nicosia in October 1979.