Mourinho's Madrid on a roll, Como flying and Arsenal's steel: Champions League talking points

Three teams have started their Champions League campaigns with perfect records this week. Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Real Betis will need to maintain their winning ways on the road to achieve four consecutive victories. The matches are scheduled for Wednesday, with kick-offs at 9:45 PM UAE for the Real Madrid vs AEK Athens and Liverpool vs Fenerbahce games, and a midnight kick-off for Real Betis vs Borussia Dortmund.

Real Madrid, coached by Jose Mourinho, have won six games in a row across all competitions since their loss to Atletico Madrid on September 20. Their impressive 12 victories in 14 games include a 3-0 win over Racing Santander on Sunday, where Jude Bellingham scored his 50th goal for the club. Mourinho believes the players are now understanding his character and have a strong human connection.

Italian side Como have also been on a roll, winning four straight matches in Serie A and a Champions League match. Their 1-0 victory over Venezia on Sunday kept them fourth in the table, five points behind leaders Inter Milan. Former Real Madrid star Nico Paz, who scored two goals and set up another in the win over Manchester United, is glad he joined Como and believes he will grow the most there.

Napoli, meanwhile, are in crisis both domestically and in Europe. After replacing Antonio Conte with Max Allegri as manager, they are currently eighth in Serie A, 14 points behind Inter Milan and nine shy of a top-four spot. Their domestic form has been poor, with a 2-0 loss to Juventus in the Serie A on Sunday, and a 2-0 defeat to the same team in the Champions League.