Champions League Matchday 1 2026: Tips & Predictions

Aston Villa had only one shot on goal in three Premier League games this season, but their fortunes could turn around against Club Brugge, who is 0-4 in its last four Champions League games against English opponents.

There isn’t much between these teams, but Villa needs a shot in the arm, and winning their first CL game could get them a boost. The $2.60 is worth including in Champions League best bets.

Most of the early money is with Athens to win this game, and the odds are tough to disagree with.

Athens is the firm $1.75 favourite to hand LASK a loss, and that’s the likely outcome. They will need to play well, but they have a good team on paper, and they should take an early lead and keep LASK off the scoreboard.

A 2-0 win pays handsome odds, so entertain that option.

Manchester City did enough to win in the Premier League last week, and although it wasn’t a commanding performance, Erling Haaland always makes a difference.

There is some value with the $1.75 odds, and although facing off against FC Porto isn’t an easy first round match, class is with City. They should do enough to score a win, and the odds are likely to firm.

Our Champions League tips this week have Man City as a must-include.

Punters get value odds for Real Betis to pull off an upset against Lille, and there is a good Champions League stat to back up our claim.

The underdog has won each of Lille’s last three CL matches against teams from Spain, and Real Betis is playing well enough to justify backing the $3.10 odds. Those odds could firm close to kick-off, as support often comes for Spanish teams.

It’s a good upset pick with Champions League Matchday 1 predictions.

Villarreal hasn’t been able to get much momentum in the Champions League, having lost their last six games, and Borussia Dortmund could capitalise.

Dortmund has a good team on paper, and they only need to produce that on the field to beat teams like Villarreal, who haven’t been at their best over the last few seasons, especially in the CL.

Include Dortmund in Champions League predictions this week.

Vinicius Junior had a good World Cup campaign, and he could get back to his scoring ways for Real Madrid in the first round of CL matches.

The Brazilian has three goals from his last five matches for Real Madrid, and although Kylian Mbappe gets most of the attention, Junior could make his mark in this match by providing an early goal.

There isn’t much value in taking Stuttgart to win outright at $1.25, but they should dominate this game and keep Viking FK off the scorers’ sheet.

We have Stuttgart winning 2-0, which pays much better than expected at $11.50, and it’s a good value bet worth including in Champions League tips this week. Stuttgart should have no problem shutting out Viking, so it comes down to how many goals they can score.

Punters get healthy $1.80 odds for Lamine Yamal to score for Barcelona against Feyenoord Rotterdam, and the odds are worth including in CL picks this week.

Yamal has a goal in four of his last five, so despite struggling to score for Spain at the World Cup, his club form has been excellent.

We priced him at $1.50, so he’s a good bet.

We can’t split Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, so we’re taking the draw at $4.

There is a lot of respect for both teams, who are capable of making a deep run in the Champions League, and they could settle for a 1-1 draw on Thursday morning.

It’s one of the better draw bets of the week.

Getting $1.83 for Arsenal makes them our best bet of the week. The reigning Premier League champions are playing well, and they should have the measure of Napoli on Thursday.

We priced Arsenal at around $1.55, so the team at Ladbrokes have juicy odds available for one of the best teams in Europe. They’re a must-include in all Champions League best bets this week.

Galatasaray is 1-7 in its last eight Champions League away matches, so we can’t include them in our picks this week.

We are confident with Sporting CP coming away with the points at home, and the $1.83 odds are fair from bookmakers, especially for a team with some quality international players, including Luis Suarez.

Ousmane Dembele has six goals from his last four games, and the $1.44 odds are better than what PSG is paying to win ($1.05).

The Frenchman comes off a big World Cup campaign, and his form at club level has picked up where it left off. He has been in a scoring mood, and he’ll get many chances against Slovan Bratislava.

We have PSV Eindhoven keep a clean sheet, so we’re backing the “No” option for both teams to score.

It’s tough seeing Shakhtar Donetsk scoring a goal, and they’re not playing well enough on the road to give Eindhoven much of a worry.

It’s not our strongest bet of the week, but worth including in Champions League predictions this week.

There has been good money for AS Roma to win, but we have Fenerbahce playing well enough to come away with a draw at home.

They’re a tough team to beat at home in the Champions League, so we’re giving them enough respect. Roma is playing well, which is why they’re favourites, but this is a tough game.

The draw is the best betting option at the odds.

Bodo/Glimt were the surprise package of the Champions League last year, and they should be confident of playing well against Bayern Munich.

Beating the storied club won’t be easy, but they’re getting a two-goal head start, and they could easily lose this game by only one goal.

The odds are worth including with Champions League Matchday 1 tips.

Slavia Prague has lost four of its last five Champions League matches, and they could add to that statistic on Friday.

We expect a close game between the lesser-known teams, but RC Lens could prevail on the road at $2.60, which is a fair price for this team.

A team that has been well-backed this week is Como 1907, and they should be too good for RB Leipzig, which has lost seven of its last eight Champions League matches.

That’s not a good statistic for the visitors, who often struggle to win on the road, and Como 1907 should take advantage with a big win.

Include them in Champions League tips this week.

We struggled to find value in the head-to-head odds, so we’re backing Bruno Fernandes to score.

United has struggled in the Premier League to show their best, but they play well in the Champions League at home, especially in the first round.

Fernandes could strike early, and the $2.20 odds are generous.