Six matches will take place on the first proper day of UEFA Champions League football this season. It is also the Champions League's exclusive week to start with, so Wednesday and Thursday will be packed with Champions League action as well. On every game day, two matches start in the early slot at 18.45h CET, with the remainder to kick off at 21.00h CET.
BSC Young Boys vs. Aston Villa
While Young Boys have been to the Champions League three times before, Aston Villa will make their debut in the group or league stages of the competition. In fact, the last time the club competed in the main European Cup was in 1982/83, off the back of winning the European Cup the season before. They qualified for the 2024/25 edition as the 4th-placed team of the Premier League.
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Juventus Turin vs. PSV Eindhoven
18.45h, Juventus Stadium, Turin
Two traditional guests to the group or league stage meet in Turin for their first league phase match. Surely Juventus would have to be favourites on the day. But a Dutch side can never be ruled out completely in international football.
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Real Madrid vs. VfB Stuttgart
21.00h, Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
Last season's Champions League winners are up against one of the more surprising entries for the first match. Real Madrid has made it a habit of winning this particular title. Their opponents Stuttgart however are only rarely in Europe's prime club football competition. A second-place finish in the Bundesliga ahead of Bayern München came as a major surprise. But they will look to replicate performances of past Stuttgart teams for sure. Not only will the VfB Stuttgart team fly to Madrid - there will be plenty of German supporters down in the Spanish capital as well:
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AC Milan vs. Liverpool FC
21.00h, San Siro, Milan
These two heavyweights have both seen many successful European campaigns. But none would have started with a wide open league phase like the 2024-25 Champions League. Milan qualified as the runners-up of the Italian Serie A, while Liverpool come into the Champions League as the third-placed team of last season's Premier League. After eight years with Jürgen Klopp on the sideline, Arne Slot is the new manager at Liverpool. Whether he can coach his side to victory away at the iconic San Siro?
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FC Bayern München vs. Dinamo Zagreb
21.00h, Allianz Arena, Munich
Whenever Bayern start into a new season, they do that as favourites for pretty much every competition they play in. Their motivation for the Champions League should be particularly high this year however, with the final taking place at their home ground on 31 May 2025. Having had to watch compatriots Borussia Dortmund playing (although losing) the final this year should be another bit of extra motivation. On the other hand, Dinamo Zagreb do not have much to lose in the Champions League. Yet, after beating Azerbaijan's FK Qarabag to make the Champions League proper, they will look to sell themselves at a high price.
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Sporting CP vs. Lille OSC
21.00h (20.00h local time), José Alvalade, Lisbon
This fixture may go slightly under the radar of other matches on this opening day. But Portugal and France are high up in the UEFA rankings for good reasons. Sporting qualified as Portugal's national champion, ahead of Benfica. Lille had to go through the third round and the play-off round to qualify as they only finished their league in fourth position. LOSC will travel to Lisbon with ASL Airlines.
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