Champions League Matchday 1 Betting Preview Part

The Champions League finally gets underway today in earnest as the first matchday of the group stage kicks off with plenty of excitement in store for football fans and the betting public. There is a lot to like about how Tuesday’s fixtures are shaping up and we have some really widely-anticipated clashes set to unfold on the opening day of Europe’s biggest club tournament. 

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Manchester United vs Bayer Leverkusen is likely the biggest marquee match-up. Real Madrid plays Galatasaray and Bayern Munich is hosting CSKA Moscow while Juventus face off against Copenhagen and Manchester City are significant favourites to topple Plzen. 

The United fixture is especially interesting because it represents the biggest question mark over David Moyes head right now - whether he will be able to handle the demands (both technical and mental) of top-class European football. Everton were never really able to crack the Champions League under Moyes’ stewardship even when they managed to finish fourth (famously, with a negative goal difference) as they crashed out in the last round before the group stage to undo all of the hard work accumulated in the season prior. 

They are the home favourites in this fixture and the German side, though they command plenty of respect, are not quite the dominating force they were a few seasons ago.

With Wayne Rooney looking likely to start, you can bank on him to try to have a say in this fixture. We may even get a glimpse of Shinji Kagawa as well as he seems to be built for these types of European affairs. 

You’ll find United priced out at 10/11 while the draw can be backed at a 5/2 price tag that will likely attract it’s fair share of neutral punters. Look for Bayer Leverkusen at 7/2 prior to the match and you can reckon that the price will be shortened in-play if they look good in the opening 15 minutes.