UEFA Champions League and Europa League Matchday 1 Predictions and Best Bets

Champions League & Europa League soccer odds are now available as we are back with our favorite European soccer expert advice and free betting predictions. Read on for this week's Champions League and Europa League Matchday 1 betting tips, soccer analysis & free betting advice.

Club Brugge vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 - 03:00 PM EDT at Jan Breydel Stadium

Form, Mentality, Champions League Odds and Trends

Over 2.5 goals have landed in Club Brugge's previous 4 Champions League fixturesPSG have conceded at least 1 goal in their last 8 Champions League gamesPSG have lost their previous 3 Champions League meetingsPSG have won 6 of their previous 8 Champions League fixturesPSG defeated Club Brugge 5-0 in their last UCL meeting

Paris Saint-Germain's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (R) jogs past Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar during a training session. Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP

Messi’s First Champions League Without Barcelona

This weeks matchday-one of the Champions League could become the Parisians debut squad of the deadly trio Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar. Club owners have shown their desperation to win the Champions League, and having come so close in recent years; the pressure will be on for PSG's elite to be fielded throughout the competition.

With recent Champions League fixtures showing a poor run of one win in five, PSG still made it into the semi-finals last term, and they undoubtedly have the capability of winning it all in 2022.

Club Brugge, on the other hand, not so much. Brugge is elite amongst their Belgium counterparts, but they have little chance of winning the Champions League trophy in European competition. With that said, Phillipe Clement's squad isn't scared to create an entertaining game, and although we anticipate PSG to reign supreme this Wednesday evening, Brugge can undoubtedly make this game a fun one to watch.

Paris' supporters celebrate. Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP

Final Thoughts| Champions League Betting Tips

The previous encounter between the two ended in a 5-0 hammering in favor of PSG, but when you consider the French teams lack defensive structure heading into the fixture, expecting Brugge to get on the scorecard isn't as crazy as you'd believe.

Club Brugge vs. Paris Saint-Germain Score Prediction: Club Brugge 1 – PSG 3

Soccer Pick: 1u wager returns 1.40u (visit our Sportsbook Review)

https://twitter.com/ClubBrugge/status/1437811555849146374?s=20

SSC Napoli vs Leicester City

Thursday, September 16, 2021 - 03:00 PM EDT at King Power Stadium

Form, Mentality, Europa League Odds and Trends

Napoli are undefeated in 6 of the last 7 Europa League fixturesNapoli are perfect in their 2021/22 domestic campaign thus far, winning all 3 gamesNapoli are undefeated in their previous 12 games in all competitionshttps://twitter.com/LCFC/status/1435166449593503752?s=20

City Gear Up for Tough Outing

English teams have fared well versus Italian visitors during European competition in recent memory. Still, Leicester City's beginning to their Premier League campaign doesn't provide much hope for Brendan Rodgers side.

Leicester looked in top shape following a Community Shield victory over Manchester City. Still, when EPL fixtures began to play out, they began to deliver a mixture of wins and losses. To their credit, a 4-1 hammering (no pun intended) from West Ham came through the Ayoze Perez red card, sending off in the 40th minute. In addition, their other domestic loss was a revenge 1-0 win from Pep Guardiola and co this past weekend.

Napoli are off to a fine start in their Serie A campaign, in what's shaping up to become an open title-winning season for the top-five clubs of Italian soccer. They've won all three of their opening fixtures, including a fine victory over Juventus at the weekend.

Final Thoughts| Europa League betting tips

I think most can agree it's too early in the season to begin making outrageous comments or predictions towards any team. Despite Leicester's rocky beginning, I don't expect Napoli to walk all over them. Last season, both teams took surprising exits from the competition, with Leicester losing to Slavia Prague and Napoli dropping out on a 5-2 aggregate score against Molde. Both clubs will want to avoid these embarrassments, which could equal in a conservative matchday 1.

When making your pick at top sportsbooks, keep in mind that I wouldn't be surprised for both teams to accept the draw in this fixture, and I anticipate whichever team scores first will have one fired right back.

Leicester City vs. Napoli Score prediction: Leicester City 1 – Napoli 1

Soccer Pick: 1.05u wager returns 1u of profit.

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.