Champions League Matchday 1 Preview: Big Guns Fancied to Shine

The 2024/25 Champions League takes centre stage next week and offers punters even more betting opportunities after UEFA revamped the format. 
 
The competition now features 36 teams who will initially compete in an extended ‘league phase’ from September through to January. 
 
Football betting sites will be inundated with wagers as punters strive to take advantage of the increased number of matches taking place this season. 
 
Read on as we look at some of the top Champions League fixtures to highlight the key betting angles to consider on Matchday 1. 

Several betting apps appear to have made a misstep with Juventus by rating them as 5/2 shots to secure a top eight spot at the end of the league phase. 
 
The Serie A giants have been handed a relatively favourable set of fixtures, with their toughest test scheduled against Manchester City on Matchday 6. 
 
If Juventus make a winning start at home to PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, their odds to qualify for the knockout stage will undoubtedly be slashed. 

Several big-hitters have been handed excellent opportunities to start their respective Champions League campaigns on a winning note. 
 
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Man City are all short prices to pick up three points from their opening matches in the competition. 
 
The four-fold pays around 9/4 on UK betting sites and should deliver a handy winning return to punters who take the plunge. 

A significant portion of the opening round of matches look like they could be entertaining affairs, which sets up what could be a successful multiple. 
 
The games at Young Boys, Sparta Prague, Feyenoord, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Red Star Belgrade could all have more than 1.5 goals. 
 
Odds of around 3/1 on betting sites for the eight-fold are arguably a little skinny, but should give punters a good run for their money. 

Champions League Matchday 1 Odds (via Betgoodwin)