Six matches are scheduled for Tuesday. Alongside Real Madrid’s clash with Inter and LASK’s trip to Athens, Club Brugge host Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund face Villarreal, Manchester City travel to FC Porto and Lille take on Real Betis. The opening matchday is spread across three days and concludes on Thursday.
The league phase returns for a third season
The Champions League format remains unchanged from last season. For the third year running, 36 teams will compete in a single league table. Each club plays eight matches against eight different opponents, with four fixtures at home and four away. The top eight qualify directly for the round of 16, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs. For those ranked 25th to 36th, the European campaign ends after the league phase.
Real Madrid seek a response as Inter arrive in form
The headline fixture of the night kicks off at 21:00 at the Bernabéu. Real Madrid suffered their first setback of the season under José Mourinho just days before their Champions League opener. After beginning their league campaign with three successive victories, Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 away to Real Betis on Friday. Madrid nevertheless created a host of clear-cut opportunities, registering 20 shots and more than three expected goals. Kylian Mbappé missed four big chances and also saw a stoppage-time penalty saved.
Mourinho was therefore more disappointed by his side’s finishing than by the overall performance. He will, however, be forced to make changes against Inter: Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva are all suspended, while several other players are sidelined through injury. Ahead of the game, Mourinho made it clear that the result is now his main concern after the defeat in Seville – another encouraging performance without points would not be enough.
Inter arrive in Madrid on the back of a dramatic victory. The Italian champions trailed Napoli 2-0 after 53 minutes at the weekend but fought back to win 3-2. Lautaro Martínez pulled one back just three minutes after Napoli’s second goal, Marcus Thuram equalised in the 82nd minute and Lautaro completed the comeback in stoppage time. Inter registered an impressive 29 shots and repeatedly stretched the game through the wide areas, where their wing-backs applied sustained pressure.
The tactical contrast should make for an intriguing contest. Under Mourinho, Madrid’s attacking game relies heavily on Jude Bellingham’s freedom between the lines and the individual quality of Vinícius and Mbappé. Cristian Chivu’s Inter continue to operate in a 3-5-2, using the full width of the pitch and encouraging their wing-backs to push high. Madrid’s ability to protect the spaces behind their advanced wide players could therefore prove decisive.
LASK begin their campaign against 14-time Greek champions AEK
LASK’s historic evening gets under way at 18:45 with an away match against AEK Athens. The Austrian side qualified for the Champions League league phase for the first time after winning the domestic title last season. Under Didi Kühbauer, LASK produced a remarkable comeback during the previous campaign and have carried that momentum into the new season. The defending champions have won all five of their Bundesliga matches so far and conceded only two goals.
Particularly striking is just how little LASK have allowed opponents to create. Their cumulative expected goals against after five rounds stands at only 2.40. The number of shots conceded is even more remarkable: LASK are allowing just 5.01 attempts per 90 minutes. That figure is unlikely to remain quite so low over a larger sample, but it illustrates how well organised the Austrian champions have been without the ball. Salzburg rank second in the same category with 9.58 shots conceded per 90 minutes – almost twice as many.
LASK’s strength therefore extends well beyond the attacking threat of Samuel Adeniran and Moses Usor. Kühbauer’s side have also been outstanding defensively. Saša Kalajdžić returned to the club permanently at the end of August and is being eased back into action following a short break from training.
AEK, meanwhile, head into the game with confidence after thrashing Aris Thessaloniki 5-0 at the weekend. Greek media have nevertheless been wary of portraying LASK as a favourable opening opponent. Particular attention has been paid to the visitors’ quick transitions through Usor and Adeniran and their willingness to attack vertically immediately after winning possession. Kühbauer himself expects a difficult contest but has made clear that LASK are travelling to Greece with the intention of taking points.
Four more ties complete Tuesday’s opening-night schedule
The other four fixtures also offer plenty of interest. Borussia Dortmund host Villarreal and enter the game as favourites after a strong start to the season, while the Spanish side are still searching for their first domestic league victory. Club Brugge face Europa League winners Aston Villa in a repeat of a fixture that was played three times in the 2024/25 Champions League campaign. FC Porto welcome Manchester City, while Lille take on a Real Betis side that handed Real Madrid their first defeat of the season only a few days ago.
