The UEFA Champions League kicks off today with, the best teams across Europe coming into battle. If you haven’t stayed in the loop then don’t fret we have everything you need to know about week 1 including fixtures, groups and predictions.
Group A
Atlético Madrid
Borussia Dortmund
Monaco
Club Brugge
Matchday 1 Fixtures:
| Tuesday 21:00 | Club Brugge | Dortmund |
| Tuesday 21:00 | Monaco | Atlético Madrid |
Group A kicks off with Atletico Madrid and Monaco at Stade Louis II. Diego Simoeone’s Spanish team will be looking to improve on last year when they didn’t manage to exit the group stages. The other match is Club Brugge vs Dortmund in Belgium, again the Budesliga side will be hoping to avoid a first-round exit like last year.
Group B
Barcelona
Tottenham Hotspur
PSV Eindhoven
Inter Milan
Matchday 1 Fixtures:
| Tuesday 18:55 | Barcelona | PSV Eindhoven |
| Tuesday 18:55 | Inter Milan | Tottenham |
The kings of Spain will be taking on the Dutch Kings at Camp Nou when Barcelona and PSV play each other. Barcelona made it to the quarter-final stage last year so they will be hoping to improve on that. The other game for group B is Inter Milan and Tottenham in San Siro, this is the comeback the Italians have been waiting for while Spurs made it to the round of 16 last year.
Group C
Paris Saint-Germain
Napoli
Liverpool
Crvena zvezda (Red Star Belgrade)
Matchday 1 Fixtures:
| Tuesday 21:00 | Liverpool | PSG |
| Tuesday 21:00 | Red Star Belgrade | Napoli |
The match all eyes will be on, on Tuesday night has got to be Liverpool hosting PSG at Anfield. A home match is exactly what Klopp’s team want if they are looking for a strong start to the tournament when they face such a fierce competitor. Red Star is back in the tournament after a few years away but they face a daunting group and their opener against Napoli will not be easy. Last year Napoli exited in the Group stages so this time round they are seeking redemption.
Group D
Lokomotiv Moskva
Porto
Schalke
Galatasaray
Matchday 1 Fixtures:
| Tuesday 21:00 | Galatasaray | Lokomotiv Moskva |
| Tuesday 21:00 | Schalke | Porto |
Portuguese champs Porto will be heading to Germany to face Schalke at the other end of Group D Lokomotiv Moscow will be heading to Turkey to face Super Lig Champions Galatasaray.
Group E
Bayern München
Benfica
Ajax
AEK Athens
Matchday 1 Fixtures:
| Wednesday 18:55 | Ajax | AEK |
| Wednesday 21:00 | Benfica | Bayern |
Last season’s semi-finalists Bayern Munich are the star team in Group E and they will be facing off with Benfica on Wednesday night. Ajax and AEK Athens will both be starting off their comebacks to the League when they play each other on Wednesday night.
Group F
Manchester City
Shakhtar Donetsk
Lyon
Hoffenheim
Matchday 1 Fixtures:
| Wednesday 18:55 | Shakhtar Donetsk | Hoffenheim |
| Wednesday 21:00 | Man. City | Lyon |
Will Pep manage to take the title again? His club will be hosting French team Lyon, Man. City did take the Premier League title last year and they made it to the quarterfinals of Champions League last year so they will be looking for improvement this time around. On the other side Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk will be playing the newcomers from Germany Hoffenheim.
Group G
Real Madrid
Roma
CSKA Moskva
Viktoria Plzeň
Matchday 1 Fixtures:
| Wednesday 21:00 | Real Madrid | Roma |
| Wednesday 21:00 | Viktoria Plzeň | CSKA Moskva |
Another epic clash for the Champions League will be last year’s Champions Real Madrid against last year’s semi-finalists Roma. They will clash on Wednesday alongside Viktoria Plzeň who will be hosting CSKA Moskva, both teams will be looking to secure points before they have to face the rest of Group G.
Group H
Juventus
Manchester United
Valencia
Young Boys
Matchday 1 Fixtures:
| Wednesday 21:00 | Valencia | Juventus |
| Wednesday 21:00 | Young Boys | Man United |
Juventus will be heading to Valencia with their new recruit Ronaldo, they will be hoping he can make the difference they need in bettering last year’s quarter-final appearance. Man United will be travelling to Switzerland to play Young Boys, the Red Devils are definitely looking for redemption after Sevilla knocked them out last year.