Champions League Betting Tips: Who will start their campaign with a win?

After several qualifying rounds, the Champions League has arrived for a new season. The new look competition sees top clashes from the very start. 

AC Milan vs Liverpool

Kick off: 20:00
Tuesday September 17

Liverpool slumped to a shock defeat at home against Nottingham Forest over the weekend. Arne Slot had been enjoying a perfect start to his career in England and the team were full of confidence after the international break. A trip to the San Siro is the perfect opportunity for them to bounce back and our betting angle for this match is for Ryan Gravenberch to make at least two fouls in the match.

Gravenberch has taken on the bulk of the defensive responsibility in the Liverpool midfield in the early stages of this campaign. The club failed to bring in reinforcements in that area of the pitch but the Dutchman has delivered. He plays a key role in dictating the pace of the game but he is also forced to commit plenty of fouls. 

Ryan is averaging 2.3 fouls per 90 minutes for Liverpool this season. He has also been carded on two occasions but it is the fouls we are focusing on here. 

Selection: Over 1.5 fouls for Ryan Gravenberch at 1.83

Man City vs Inter Milan

Kick off: 20:00
Wednesday September 18

Manchester City have a 100% record in the Premier League to this point but they face a tough test against Inter Milan in their first Champions League fixture. These teams contested the final of this competition back in 2023 and Pep Guardiola’s side went on to win.

City are formidable at the Etihad, particularly in the Champions League. They are unbeaten in their last 35 home matches in this competition, a run that dates back to 2018. Over that period, Manchester City are scoring an average of three goals per game, 2.26 more than their opponents. As a result, we are backing them to win this one by at least two goals. 

Inter have already dropped four points in Serie A and have looked vulnerable at times. There is no doubt that they are a top side but it could take some time for them to get up to speed. 

Selection: Manchester City -1 handicap at 2.52

Atalanta vs Arsenal

Kick off: 20:00
Thursday September 19

Arsenal head to Bergamo to take on Atalanta on Thursday night. They reached the quarter-finals of this competition last season before being dumped out by Bayern Munich and are expected to be amongst the contenders once again. 

Mikel Arteta’s side conceded the second-fewest shots in the Premier League last season with an average of 8.5. This rose to an average of 9.6 shots in their Champions League matches but this bet did land in two of their three away games in the group stages. 

In their last five matches where Atalanta have been similarly priced to win on the 1x2 market (between 3.50 and 4.20), they have averaged juts 10 shots per game so under 11.5 attempts for the home side looks a solid bet here. 

Recommended Bet: Under 11.5 shots for Atalanta at 1.65

Monaco vs Barcelona

Kick off: 20:00
Thursday September 19

Barcelona are enjoying a perfect start to life under Hansi Flick. They have won all five of their competitive matches and have taken an early lead in the title race. However, it is the Champions League that is the ultimate prize at Camp Nou and they will be dreaming of lifting the trophy for the first time since 2015. 

The Blaugrana performed well in this competition in the last campaign. They looked to be heading to the semi-finals before a red card for Ronaldo Araujo allowed PSG to dominate. Barcelona are averaging 3.4 goals per game under Flick and they should have the firepower to see off Monaco here. 

Monaco are also enjoying an unbeaten start to the season but Barcelona should prove to be a tougher test. Les Rouges et Blanc haven’t reached the group stages of the Champions League in the last five seasons. They have won just four of their last 10 European matches.

Selection: Barcelona to win at 1.84

Recommended Bets

Back Over 1.5 fouls for Ryan Gravenberch at 1.83
Back Manchester City -1 handicap at 2.52
Back Under 11.5 shots for Atalanta at 1.65
Back Barcelona to win at 1.84