We're halfway through the 2013-14 Champions League group stage
While the results have gone about as you would have expected before the campaign began, there have been enough surprises to keep things interesting.
Some critics of the Champions League argue that the competition doesn't get interesting until the knockout stages.
However, that hasn't exactly been the case this season. You've got Juventus' 1-1 draw with Copenhagen, Bayern Munich's 3-1 demolition of Manchester City, Basel's 2-1 win over Chelsea and pretty much all of Group F as proof that the group stage can be a thrilling occasion.
Here are the full standings after the third match of the group stage.
Manchester United have had problems moving on from Sir Alex Ferguson this season. While those issues have hampered their Premier League campaign, the Red Devils are top of Group A, one point ahead of Bayer Leverkusen.
With away matches against both Leverkusen and Real Sociedad, United will have a tough fight in order to hold on to that top spot.
The Shakhtar Donetsk-Bayer Leverkusen match on Nov. 5 could well decide this group. Shakhtar are always much better in the Donbass Arena and will have a great chance to jump into second.
What has happened to Juventus? The back-to-back Serie A champions are third in Group B, seven points off Real Madrid at the top. Some might point to the ageing Gianluigi Buffon as the biggest culprit, but the entire defense has been off its game.
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As a result they've got some work to do if they're going to upend Galatasaray for second.
At least Madrid have done their job. Los Blancos defeated Juve 2-1 in the Santiago Bernabeu Wednesday and are in the driver's seat in Group B.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not of this world. He scored four-yes, four-goals against Anderlecht on Wednesday night. People often talk about whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the true best player in the world, but Ibra deserves some consideration as well.
With him as the talisman, Paris Saint-Germain remain favorites to win Group C. The French club should have things wrapped up pretty soon.
Olympiakos and Benfica are having a fun battle for second, though. The decline of Greek football hasn't affected Olympiakos as they have a talented side that snagged a 1-1 draw in Lisbon on Wednesday night.
As long as they can get a result against Anderlecht and hold out for another draw against Benfica, they could be in the knockout stages again.
Bayern Munich have been the class of Group D by a wide margin. Their systematic dissection of Manchester City in the Etihad was one of the most definitive thrashings of a top club in recent memory.
Replacing Jupp Heynckes for Pep Guardiola hasn't quite been the disaster some predicted it would be.
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Even after that loss, City look like they should finish second in the group. They recovered well and got a hard-earned three points against CSKA Moscow in Russia.
Give Manuel Pellegrini credit. He was brought in for his European pedigree and he's delivering more UCL success so far than Roberto Mancini did.
As you'd expect, Chelsea and Schalke are the top two in the group. They're the two best clubs in Group E and they've so far demonstrated why.
After a slow start to the season, Chelsea have begun to find their footing. They got that huge 3-0 win in Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday night to go top of the group. The Blues should be able to stay there as they'll have Schalke at home in the next meeting between the two clubs.
You won't want to sleep on FC Basel, though. The Swiss club has built a solid record in European competitions and knocked Manchester United out of the group stage in 2012.
When the draw was made, Group F looked like the proverbial "Group of Death" and has so far lived up to the billing.
You can eliminate Olympique Marseille as a threat, though. The French side are bottom of the group and have struggled this season in Ligue 1. They won't be able to make up a six-point gap in three matches.
That leaves Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli fighting it out for those top two spots.
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The German giants could be positioned the best as they get both Arsenal and Napoli at home coming up. Getting three points points at the Emirates was a huge boost.
Arsenal and Napoli look to be the candidates fighting it out for that second spot.
Atletico Madrid were perfect in their first three matches. As a result, they've built an almost unassailable lead at the top. Even if Los Colchoneros don't finish top of Group G, they should be able to grab second place.
The interesting battle will be between Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Porto. Zenit got a 1-0 win in the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday. Now they've got the reigning Portuguese champs coming into Russia for the return match.
Spare a thought for Ajax. Despite having a great European pedigree and boasting an entertaining style of play, it looks like once again they'll be bounced in the group stage. Ajax's problems in Europe speak to the Eredivisie's overall decline in recent years.
Barcelona are in control of Group H. They get both Celtic and AC Milan at home over the coming months, and they should be able to handle Ajax in Amsterdam.
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Can Celtic pull off another run to the knockout stages? This is one of the worst Milan sides in recent memory and the Rossoneri have a trip to Celtic Park on Nov. 26.
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