Champions League Matchday 1 Preview: All Five English Clubs in Action, Plus Full Outright & Top Scorer Odds
The Champions League proper is back this week, and the opening round is spread across three nights rather than one. Between Tuesday and Thursday, all five of the Premier League’s representatives — Aston Villa, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United — are in action, Jose Mourinho takes his bow back in the Real Madrid dugout, and PSG open the defence of the trophy they won last season. Here’s the full matchday breakdown, the outright market as it stands, and where the early money is going, all with odds courtesy of bet365.
FootballMine’s Quick Take
- Five English clubs, three nights: Aston Villa (Tue), Man City (Tue), Liverpool and Arsenal (Wed), and Man United (Thu) all have Matchday 1 fixtures.
- Real Madrid backed heaviest: Mourinho’s side have attracted 26.3% of global outright slips at 13/2, ahead of Barcelona (21.1%, 6/1) and favourites PSG (20.1%, 5/1).
- Man City barely feature in outright interest: under 2% of slips, despite being 9/1 — a sharp swing from 2/1 favourites two seasons ago.
- Two ways to get involved beyond match betting: the bet365 Ticket Giveaway ballot is live for Match Week 2, and the free-to-play Tournament Challenge game lets you set up a mini-league with friends.
Tuesday 8 September
| Fixture | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club Brugge v Aston Villa | 17/10 | 11/4 | 7/5 |
| Borussia Dortmund v Villarreal | 8/11 | 3/1 | 16/5 |
| FC Porto v Man City | 7/2 | 3/1 | 7/10 |
| Real Madrid v Inter Milan | 3/5 | 10/3 | 4/1 |
Real Madrid’s odds mark Mourinho’s first Champions League night back in the home dugout since his second Bernabeu spell ended.
Wednesday 9 September
| Fixture | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona v Feyenoord | 1/12 | 9/1 | 22/1 |
| Liverpool v Atletico Madrid | 7/10 | 3/1 | 15/4 |
| Napoli v Arsenal | 15/4 | 27/10 | 3/4 |
| PSG v Slovan Bratislava | 1/25 | 14/1 | 33/1 |
| Sporting v Galatasaray | 4/5 | 14/5 | 16/5 |
Arsenal head to Naples as favourites against a Napoli side that will fancy causing an upset in front of their own fans.
Thursday 10 September
| Fixture | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fenerbahce v Roma | 12/5 | 12/5 | 23/20 |
| Bayern Munich v Bodo/Glimt | 1/9 | 17/2 | 20/1 |
| Como v RB Leipzig | 17/20 | 29/10 | 14/5 |
| Man United v Sabah | 1/9 | 8/1 | 20/1 |
Odds correct at the time of writing and subject to change. Full Champions League markets available with bet365.
Visit the bet365 Champions League Hub for the latest odds →
Where the Money’s Going: bet365’s Trading Insight
With the outright market taking shape ahead of Matchday 1, bet365’s Steve Freeth shared where global support is currently sitting:
“The UEFA Champions League is back with PSG aiming to win the famous trophy for a third successive season. Jose Mourinho is back at Real Madrid and it’s the 15-time winners that have attracted the most support so far with 26.3% of global slips being for the 13/2 Bernabeu outfit, in front of 6/1 Barcelona who take 21.1%. 5/1 favourites PSG sit just behind in third with 20.1% followed by Harry Kane’s 6/1 shots Bayern Munich with a 13.5% share.”
“6/1 Arsenal are the best of the English with 8.7%, but there’s not much love for 9/1 Manchester City who take less than 2% — a side that were 2/1 favourites just 2 years ago. Man City and Haaland were 2/1 and 11/4 respectively just 2 years ago, now there’s not much love for either as they begin life under Enzo Maresca.” — Steve Freeth, bet365
Top Goalscorer: Global Slip Share
| Player | Share of Slips |
|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | 54% |
| Harry Kane | 26% |
| Raphinha | 7% |
| Erling Haaland | 4% |
| Serhou Guirassy | 2% |
Champions League Outright Markets
The full outright picture ahead of Matchday 1, covering the winner, the finalists, top goalscorer and the nationality of the eventual champions:
To Win Outright
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | 5/1 |
| PSG | 11/2 |
| Arsenal | 6/1 |
| Bayern Munich | 6/1 |
| Real Madrid | 13/2 |
| Man City | 9/1 |
| Liverpool | 12/1 |
| Man United | 20/1 |
| Inter Milan | 28/1 |
| Atletico Madrid | 33/1 |
| Aston Villa | 40/1 |
To Reach the Final
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| PSG | 3/1 |
| Arsenal | 10/3 |
| Barcelona | 10/3 |
| Bayern Munich | 7/2 |
| Real Madrid | 7/2 |
| Man City | 9/2 |
| Liverpool | 5/1 |
| Man United | 9/1 |
| Inter Milan | 12/1 |
| Atletico Madrid | 16/1 |
| Aston Villa | 18/1 |
Top Goalscorer
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | 7/2 |
| Harry Kane | 7/1 |
| Erling Haaland | 8/1 |
| Ousmane Dembele | 12/1 |
| Raphinha | 14/1 |
| Jude Bellingham | 16/1 |
| Vinicius Jr | 16/1 |
| Alexander Isak | 20/1 |
| Lautaro Martinez | 20/1 |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | 22/1 |
Nationality of Winner
| Nation | Odds |
|---|---|
| England | 6/4 |
| Spain | 2/1 |
| France | 4/1 |
| Germany | 5/1 |
| Italy | 10/1 |
| Any Other Nation | 14/1 |
Win Tickets: bet365 Champions League Ticket Giveaway
bet365’s UEFA Champions League Ticket Giveaway ballot is live now, with the current window open for Match Week 2. Entering only takes a moment — head to the ballot page below before the window closes.
Enter the Ticket Ballot18+ | New and existing customers | Ballot entry subject to bet365 promotional T&Cs | Please gamble responsibly.
Fancy Your Own Mini-League?
Alongside the betting markets, bet365’s free-to-play Tournament Challenge game is back for this season’s Champions League, and it’s worth a couple of minutes to set up if you want to go head-to-head with friends across the competition. Here’s the short version of how it works:
- Once you’re registered, find Tournament Challenge under Free Games and submit your picks for the current matchday.
- Tap ‘Leagues’, then the ‘+’ icon, and choose ‘Create New League’.
- Pick a display name and a league name, then hit ‘Create League’.
- Share the league via the share button or send the league ID directly to friends — they’ll need to have entered the game themselves before they can join.
- Track everyone’s picks, points and badges on the league leaderboard as the group stage unfolds.
It’s a free addition to the matchday rather than a betting product, so there’s no stake involved — just bragging rights over whoever you rope in.
The Bottom Line
Three nights, ten fixtures and every Premier League club involved before the week is out — Matchday 1 has plenty to watch even before it turns into a genuine outright picture. Real Madrid’s early backing under Mourinho stands out as the biggest market mover, while Arsenal remain the shortest-priced English hope by some distance over City, Liverpool and United.
Ready to get involved in this season’s Champions League? Open an account and view the full markets below.
Open a bet365 Account18+ | New customers only | T&Cs apply | Please gamble responsibly.
Safer Gambling
18+. Please gamble responsibly. With fixtures spread across three nights this week, it can be tempting to bet on every one — decide your stake in advance and stick to it. If gambling is affecting your life or someone else’s, free confidential support is available from BeGambleAware.org and the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133).
bet365 offers a range of tools to help customers stay in control, including deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, available at responsiblegambling.bet365.com.
