The first week of the 2025/26 Champions League proper concludes on Thursday night, and we’ve picked out four tips from the matches not involving English clubs.
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Club Brugge vs Monaco
Club Brugge to draw with Monaco and both teams to score @3/1
Club Brugge have had a mixed start to their domestic campaign, winning three of six matches and losing two, but they have excelled in Europe.
They won all four of their Champions League qualifiers, including a 9-1 aggregate demolition of Rangers, and with 11 competitive games under their belts already this season, they should be in peak condition against a Monaco side that has played only four times.
The Belgian outfit have only lost two of their last 17 European matches at home and have proven they know where the net is, so we’re expecting goals tomorrow night.
But Monaco are in good form themselves, lying third in Ligue 1 with nine points and their only defeat being a last-minute loss to second-placed Lille.
They defeated Barcelona 2-1 in their opening match of last year’s revamped Champions League, and we can see them returning from Belgium with something to show for their efforts.
FC Copenhagen vs Leverkusen
FC Copenhagen to draw against Bayer Leverkusen with under 4.5 goals in total @9/4
Kasper Hjulmand’s Leverkusen beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 on Friday in his first game in charge since replacing Erik ten Hag, and the Dane will be desperate to make it two wins from two when he returns to his homeland tomorrow.
As the former coach of Denmark and Nordsjaelland, Hjulmand should know all about the threat posed by a Copenhagen side whose European campaign already stretches back to July.
During that period, they have had to overcome KF Drita, Malmö and Basel, and, combined with a good start to their Danish title defence, which sees them second with 16 points from eight games, they should head into the Champions League proper with spirits high.
Leverkusen had a disappointing start to the season under Ten Hag, but they have a good recent record in UEFA group matches, and the 2024 Bundesliga champions should also be in a confident mood following their win over Frankfurt, so the spoils could be shared in the Danish capital.
They also have star striker Patrik Schick in good form, the Czech Republic hitman netting four in four for Leverkusen this season, and he is 9/2 to open the scoring tomorrow.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray
Eintracht Frankfurt to beat Galatasaray with both teams to score @9/4
Eintracht Frankfurt’s impressive start to the season, which saw them win their opening three league and cup games 5-0, 4-1 and 3-1, ended on Friday as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen.
But they should not be disheartened by that, and their fine home record last season, when they won 15 of 24 matches in all competitions while only losing four times, should stand them in good stead for the visit of in-form Galatasaray.
The Turkish champions have started the Super Lig season on fire, winning all five games by a combined 15-1 scoreline, and they are already five points clear of second-placed Fenerbahce. They also boast an impressive array of firepower in the form of Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi and German internationals Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan.
However, Gala’s away form in Europe is miserable, without a win in nine matches, while they have only won one of their last 17 Champions League group/league matches, so history is not on Okan Buruk’s side.
Sporting vs Kairat
Sporting to beat Kairat Almaty with over 3.5 goals in total @5/6
Portuguese champions Sporting begin their European adventure lying second in their domestic league with 12 points from five games, losing to current leaders Porto but seeing off all other sides.
They are without a win in their last six Champions League fixtures, but could hardly have been handed a more favourable-looking tie with which to end that run.
Kairat Almaty are only the second Kazakh team after Astana (2015/16) to play in the Champions League proper, and, should you believe in miracles, they can be backed at 1,000/1 to lift the trophy in Budapest next May.
While that may be stretching it, it’s not to say Kairat don’t pose any threat at all. In reaching this stage of the competition, they have had to overcome Olimpija Ljubljana, KPS Kuopio, Slovan Bratislava and Celtic - keeping five clean sheets in the process - and they are also on course to retain their domestic title back home. Sporting take note.
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