Europe’s top teams appear to have finally come to grips with the new-look Champions League.The standings look very different heading into the fourth round of games compared to one year ago, when the new 36-team format debuted and the results were less predictable.The top end of the table before Tuesday’s games is a list of unbeaten, high-earning teams led by Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, who meet Tuesday in the standout game at Parc des Princes.A second blockbuster — fifth-place Real Madrid at 10th-place Liverpool — also opens the door slightly for teams outside the big five leagues to catch up.The first team from outside the wealthy elite is Sporting Lisbon, which is tied for 11th place before going to Juventus. Qarabag in 13th is the highest-ranked genuine outsider in the competition and hosts Chelsea.Some storied teams struggled in their first go at the expanded eight-game format that provides a broader range of opponents.After three rounds last year, Aston Villa was atop the league standings after returning to the competition for the first time 41 years, and unheralded French club Brest was fifth. Neither qualified for this edition. Sporting held eighth place — which gets direct entry to the round of 16 — before then-coach Ruben Amorim’s team routed Manchester City 4-1 last Nov. 5.One year ago, PSG was 19th and later risked elimination on the final matchday. Madrid was 12th having lost at Lille while Bayern was a shocking 23rd after back-to-back losses, at Villa then Barcelona.Today, PSG, Bayern and Madrid are joined by Arsenal and Inter Milan with three straight wins. Those five have combined to score 52 goals and concede just six so far.PSG-Bayern and Liverpool-Real Madrid were also fixtures last season, in the fifth round of games.Then, PSG did not look a future champion, losing 1-0 in Munich with future Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé sent off weeks after he was left out of a loss at Arsenal. Still, that was before Désiré Doué, now injured again, was established in the team and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia arrived in January from Napoli.If PSG has im …
