UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 Preview, Group E: October 19, 2010

Bayern Munich vs. CFR

Bayern Munich made it to the final of last year's Champions League, and they have kicked off the start of the competition in good form, winning their opening two matches.

The only downside for Bayern is that their domestic season is going rather poorly. They currently sit 11th in the Bundesliga, a position which the club will not be used to by any means.

The fact is that Bayern Munich have been underperforming and if those domestic issues spill over into their Champions League matches, then they could be looking at slipping up in this match.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that Bayern are the better side; it just comes down to whether or not they can prove it on the day.

Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery may be unavailable, but this should not stop the side from winning—with the home advantage, this is their game to lose.

Cluj may actually have a chance in this match, which is something that may not have been said at this time last year.

They are more than likely to play for a draw, which would be a respectable result and if they stifle the hosts correctly, then they will definitely achieve just that.

Roma vs. Basel

Roma have never lost a match against a Swiss side in this competition, and out of the five that they have played, they have only conceded two goals.

This is a side which is simply better than their opposition, and there is very little if any chance of them slipping up here.

This is quite simply going to be their match through and through. Expect them to dominate the game and utterly destroy their opposition.

The only disappointment for Roma so far is that they have failed to play well domestically, but they are notoriously late starters.

Basel have lost all of their trips to Italy in an European competition and seeing as they just simply aren’t up to the same standard of football as Roma are, this match doesn’t look likely to be very enjoyable for the away side.

A draw would be amicable, and there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of hope or any precedent for them achieving anything better.

They have gone 11 matches since they last kept a clean sheet in the Champions League, and with a defensive record like that, they may be shown up in a rather dramatic manner if they are not careful.

Joe - livescoredaily.com - live scores and sports