Europe’s biggest club competition is back, with the Champions League stage kicking off on Tuesday with a roster that instantly reminds you why this competition stands above everything else in the sport. Real Madrid faced Inter Milan at home at the Bernabeu. The drama of last season’s knockout round was repeated, and Real Madrid easily won 2-1.
The cream rose to the top as Arsenal, Barcelona, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain all got off to a flying start in their league-stage seasons with wins on Wednesday.
The first game week is a three-day period of six games each from Tuesday to Thursday, with all 36 clubs in the expanded league stage beginning an eight-game round robin to advance to the knockout stages. This is a format designed for chaos and drama, and the first game sets the tone.
Every game will be broadcast live Paramount+Your home for every Champions League match all season long, plus replays, highlights and in-studio coverage detailing the race for the top eight. If you haven’t signed up yet, now is the time.
Here are our expert picks for the game:
Thursday
Daily Match: Manchester United vs Sabah FK
Players to watch: Orphe Mbina, Sabah: I’m not sure I’ve ever been so unaware of a team competing in the Champions League like Sabah, a club that will celebrate its ninth anniversary at Old Trafford two days ago. In terms of numbers alone, I’m fascinated by what we got from Mbina, who averaged over six shots per 90 minutes in qualifying, came off the bench mainly and scored the crucial goals to knock out Hapoel Beersheba and get Sabah into the league stages. — James Benge
Man of the Match: Bryan Mbeumo, Manchester United: After scoring three goals in his first game of the season, Mbuemo has now been asked to make his Champions League debut for United against Sabah, a must-win game for the Red Devils. He will certainly have to produce at Champions League level and Michael Carrick will be counting on him to feature in the attack alongside Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Cescó. — Francesco Borzio
Prediction: Manchester United 3, Sabah 0: The jury is still out on United’s overall quality this season, but they will be heavily favored against the unlikely champions of Azerbaijan, who could make a brutal Champions League debut at Old Trafford. Count on the hosts to make a routine return to the Champions League for a few days before the Manchester derby becomes a new source of pressure. ——Pardeep Cat
Best bet: Manchester United over 1.5 goals in first half (+118): Keep an eye on the lineup as it’s hard to know how United will line up for this game. It’s their Champions League return and it will be at Old Trafford, which does give Michael Carrick incentive to field his best attackers, but there’s also a Manchester derby coming up at the weekend; there could be a shift. United will want the game to start as soon as possible regardless, which is why I feel it’s better to back their first-half team goals total rather than a steep full-time goal total of 3.5. — Charles Booth