European soccer’s elite club competition enters its 70th year with the UEFA Champions League Matchday 1.
The 2024-25 format is new, particularly in the group stage, which is now a league stage that involves all 36 qualifying teams. Each club has eight matches (four away and four at home).
The top eight teams go right to the round of 16, while the ninth through 24th-place finishers will enter knockout round playoffs, and the winners will finish the round of 16.
After that, the league is a straight knockout.
Matchday 1 is September 17-19, so let’s look at some sports betting picks for you to consider as the first matches get underway.
Soccer Odds & Betting Analysis: UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 Preview
BSC Young Boys +360 vs Aston Villa -156
Where: Tuesday, September 17, 12:45 pm ET
Soccer Pick: Draw +310
Aston Villa has a European championship banner on the wall, but they have never made it to a Champions League before. Their debut takes them to the capital of Switzerland in the wake of the passing of Gary Shaw, the Aston Villa legend who was part of that 1982 team that won what was then called the European Cup.
Aston Villa look like they might be around to stay at the top echelon of English soccer, as they are tied with Liverpool for fourth in points in the English Premier League table. Young Boys, however, are off to a dreadful start in Swiss Super League play, with three draws and three losses in their first six matches. Playing this match in Bern makes this a little more interesting, but the visitors still should deliver an emphatic win.
Champions Pick: Aston Villa to win.
^AC Milan +250 vs Liverpool -108
Where: Tuesday, September 17, 3:00 pm ET
Soccer Pick: Draw +275
Most of AC Milan’s glory days are still in their past, but this is a rematch of the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, when Liverpool hoisted the trophy, as well as the 2007 showdown when Milan turned the tables and got the win. Arne Slot enters his first match as a manager in a European club championship for the Reds, and they will have their hands full in the San Siro.
AC Milan might be the home underdogs, but they have plenty of talent to make this match interesting. With the likes of Rafael Leao, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and USMNT striker Christian Pulisic on the roster, AC Milan has all kinds of potential. Is this the day when some of the ghosts of great Milan teams from the past will return to inspire the upset?
Champions Pick: AC Milan to win.
^Real Madrid -310 vs VfB Stuttgart +630
Where: Tuesday, September 17, 3:00 pm ET
Soccer Pick: Draw +460
No team has dominated this competition in recent years like Real Madrid has. A win this time around would give Carlo Ancelotti’s side its 15th trophy in the European elite club competition. All the other clubs on the continent have had to settle for the other 55, combined. With the attacking talent of Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Vinícius Jr, the hosts seemed loaded before the transfer window. Bringing in Kylian Mbappe just makes the advantage even greater.
Are you thinking about the value that comes with the draw? If this match were up in Stuttgart, in the shadows of the original Porsche factory, one could imagine the German side gumming things up long enough to steal a draw in the early going. With this game set for the Bernabeu, though, it’s hard to see them weathering the storm of that raucous crowd.
Champions Pick: Real Madrid to win.
^Manchester City -197 vs Inter Milan +460
Where: Wednesday, September 18, 3:00 pm ET
Soccer Pick: Draw +340
Two Champions League seasons ago, these two sides met in Istanbul for the 2022-23 championship, and City came away with their first title ever. Both of these teams won their respective domestic leagues in the 2023-24 cycle and are near the top of the odds lists to win it this time around. The odds here seem a little long for the visitors, but if you look at the rapidity with which Erling Haaland has been stacking up goals for the Citizens, it’s hard to see Inter winning. However, that draw has some value.
Champions Pick: Take the draw.
^Top 10 to Win the Champions League
- Manchester City +210
- Real Madrid +350
- Arsenal +800
- Barcelona +1100
- Bayern +1200
- Liverpool +1375
- PSG +2000
- Inter +2400
- Leverkusen +2500
- Atletico Madrid +2500
Tuesday ✅
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 16, 2024
Wednesday ✅
Thursday ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/6u34blOYBa
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