Experts' Best Bets - Massive 701/1 Champions League matchday 1 special!
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
The curtain raises on the 2025/26 Champions League league phase on Tuesday with 18 games scheduled across three days, and we follow our Champions League outright predictions and our League Phase outrights by tasking seven experts to pick out their best bet for matchday one.
The result is a gigantic 701/1 accumulator priced up with bet365 below, where new customers can sign up to get £30 in free bets!
Back our matchday 1 Champions League accumulator here!
Phil Agius
Ajax vs Inter Milan – Inter Milan to win at 17/20 with bet365
Inter have lost two in a row in Serie A but they should still prove too strong for Ajax in their opening Champions League game on Wednesday.
The home side are unbeaten in five matches in the Eredivisie, but none of the teams they have faced are higher than ninth in the table and this fixture represents a major step up in class from the opponents they have been playing.
Inter won six of their eight league-phase games last season, conceding only one goal, and went on to reach the final, while Ajax made only the last 16 of the Europa League.
Joe Casey
Sporting vs Kairat Almaty – Sporting to win and under 3.5 goals at 5/4 with bet365
Kairat Almaty produced a huge shock in getting the better of Celtic to qualify for the Champions League, the first time a team from Kazakhstan has ever managed the feat.
However they did so on the back of being very solid defensively and they could keep things respectable when they visit Sporting in their first ever game.
None of Kairat’s last 14 European games have gone over 3.5 goals and expect them to sit very deep against these Portuguese opponents. Sporting could take a bit of time to get up to full speed too so side with the hosts to win and under 3.5 goals at odds-against.
Rob Eddy
Benfica vs Qarabag – Benfica to win to nil at 4/5 with bet365
Benfica are strong favourites to beat Qarabag for good reason but they should open their campaign without too much drama, and look good to win to nil at close to even money.
The Eagles, who enjoyed a notable 1-0 win over Bayern Munich at the FIFA Club World Cup, started the season with seven straight clean sheets, six of which were attained in winning efforts.
Excuses can be made for their concessions in their last two matches but game faces will be on on Tuesday and Qarabag are travelling into the lion’s den with just one win in their last four games, and this being a huge step up in class.
Alex Hilton
Real Madrid vs Marseille – Real Madrid to win to nil at 6/4 with bet365
Real Madrid have made a flying start to their La Liga campaign and they can quickly get up and running with a win to nil against Marseille.
Los Blancos have won all four league matches this term and they have won all four match-ups with Marseille, scoring at least twice on each occasion.
Marseille have lost both away matches in this campaign, failing to score along the way, and they could come away from the Spanish capital empty-handed.
It was 3-0 to Real Madrid when Marseille last visited the Bernabeu and a similar outcome looks likely this week.
Enda McElhinney
Slavia Prague vs Bodo/Glimt – Bodo/Glimt to win at 3/1 with bet365
Europa League semi-finalists last season, Bodo/Glimt lead the Norwegian top flight and are fresh from scoring seven goals in their win over Kristiansund as they make their Champions League debut at Slavia Prague.
Bodo/Glimt hammered Sturm Graz 5-0 in the first leg of their qualifier and are underestimated for this opening tie against a side that have failed to win any of their last seven games in UEFA competitions.
The Norwegians won at Braga, drew at Nice and led 2-1 at Old Trafford before losing 3-2 during the Europa League group stage last season. They are unlikely to be fazed travelling to the Czech league leaders.
Tom McGarry
PSV vs Union Saint-Gilloise – Over 3.5 goals at 6/4 with bet365
Goals should be guaranteed when PSV Eindhoven host league phase debutants Union Saint-Gilloise in one of Tuesday’s early games and backing over 3.5 in the match could prove shrewd.
Dutch giants PSV scored 146 goals in all competitions last season and have started this term in similar fashion, recording 6-1, 4-2 and 5-3 wins across their opening five domestic fixtures.
Union are also free-scoring, netting 15 in seven Belgian Pro League matches, and they will fancy their chances of breaching a PSV backline that has conceded two or more goals in each of their last three games against Groningen, Telstar and NEC Nijmegen.
Aaron Rogan
Juventus vs Borussia Dortmund – Juventus to win and both teams to score at 11/4 with bet365
Juventus continued their perfect start to the season with a 4-3 victory over rivals Inter Milan on Saturday. Their Champions League fixtures look kind, starting with a winnable home meeting with Borussia Dortmund.
While Niko Kovac’s side have won their last two, question marks remain about their ability to match teams at the highest level.
The visitors’ first trip of the season saw them draw 3-3 at St Pauli, so backing Juventus to win and concede appeals.
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