Champions League: Round 1 Predictions

We were treated to quite a Champions League campaign last season with a very dramatic path to the final eventually resulting in Liverpool being crowned kings of Europe for the sixth time. Judging by the 2019/20 group stage draw, we’re set for an equally thrilling tournament this time around.

Just as last year, we have two Champions League tournaments for you here at Superbru – a predictor game where you can pick scores for each and every match and a daily fantasy game where you select a 5-a-side team for each day of the action.

Here’s a reminder of the 2019/20 Champions League group stage draw:



There’s no messing around as we have several very big fixtures in Round 1! Ties such as Dortmund v Barcelona, Napoli v Liverpool, PSG v Real Madrid and Atletico v Juventus wouldn’t look out of place as semi-finals so this should be quite a round of group stage football. Here are my (brief) thoughts on each of the 16 fixtures. Feel free to tell me which I’ve got wrong in the comments!

Inter vs. Slavia Prague

They have a very tough group since they’re in with Barca and Dortmund, but this Inter side will be very strong under Antonio Conte. Conte is known as more of a league manager and he may well be more focused on Serie A glory this season but I still fully expect them to compete well in the UCL and this should be straightforward. Prediction: 3-0

Lyon vs. Zenit

Lyon have been solid enough if not amazing so far this season and they’re up against a Zenit side that I expect will be far tougher to play against in Russia. The Ligue 1 side have several exciting players and tend to score plenty of goals in this tournament. Prediction: 3-1

Napoli vs. Liverpool

These sides also met in the group stage last season and both managed 1-0 home wins. Napoli looked particularly comfortable in their home game against the Reds and I think they can beat them again here. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been scoring plenty of goals in Serie A and this Liverpool team doesn’t look as strong defensively as they were last season. Prediction: 2-1

Salzburg vs. Genk

I don’t know a great deal about these two clubs but Salzburg have made an excellent start to their season. They top the Austrian league by 5 points having won all 7 games and scored 34 goals! Genk have been struggling a bit over in Belgium and I’d be surprised if they can turn up and end that kind of form. Prediction: 3-1

Dortmund vs. Barcelona

What a game this should be. We all know that both teams tend to score a lot of goals and Lionel Messi has been named in the Barcelona squad meaning he could appear for the first time this season following a calf problem. I think Dortmund will be very tough to beat at home but Barca just have so much fire power now that Griezmann is also lining up for them this season. Prediction: 2-2

Benfica vs. Leipzig

Two strong sides. Benfica have plenty of Champions League experience and will never be easy to beat but Leipzig have a very talented team and have started the Bundesliga season very impressively. I’m tempted to pick 1-1 but feel the visitors may just nick this. Prediction: 1-2

Chelsea vs. Valencia

Valencia are in a real mess off the pitch following the controversial sacking of Marcelino so Chelsea will fancy their chances here, especially after scoring 5 at Molineux to defeat Wolves on Saturday. Lampard’s team are still far from top-quality but continue to improve and should become more solid defensively as the group stage progresses. Prediction: 3-1

Ajax vs. Lille

Despite an entire squad overhaul being expected over the summer, Ajax have actually managed to keep a lot of their first XI from last season’s incredible UCL campaign so they should start well against Lille here. The likes of Onana, Tadic, Ziyech, Neres and van de Beek have all remained at the club. Prediction: 2-0

Brugge vs. Galatasaray

This isn’t an easy pick as I can’t pretend to know too much about either side’s current squads. Brugge are unbeaten domestically so far this season but Galatasaray look to be the team with considerably more UCL experience. Prediction: 0-1

Olympiacos vs. Tottenham

This is a fairly long trip for Spurs and will be quite a hostile atmosphere but there’s no debating the fact that they have the better squad. I expect a fairly routine away win. Prediction: 0-2

PSG vs. Real Madrid

Another game that should be very entertaining for neutrals! Both sides will look to attack, especially PSG, and I think they may have too much for a Real Madrid team that has had a bumpy start to the season. Things should now improve for Real with the gradual return to fitness of players including Hazard and James Rodriguez but PSG have a lot of fire power and don’t tend to be too inconsistent until we reach the knockouts. Prediction: 2-1

Bayern Munich vs. Red Star

Bayern and particularly Robert Lewandowski look in strong form this season. This match shouldn’t be a problem for them. Prediction: 4-0

Dinamo Zagreb vs. Atalanta

This is unlikely to be an easy trip for Atalanta and I’d be impressed if they managed 3 points despite them competing so well in Serie A last year. Dinamo should be quite solid defensively and I’m not expect too many goals. Prediction: 1-1

Shakhtar vs. Manchester City

This is the third year in a row that City have been drawn with Shakhtar in the group stages so there won’t be anything to surprise Pep Guardiola. After a surprise loss at Norwich, I’d be amazed if City lost again here. Prediction: 1-3

Leverkusen vs. Lokomotiv

Leverkusen like to attack and should score some goals against Lokomotiv. With home advantage and several exciting players who have quality in the final third, I’m backing the Bundesliga team for a high-scoring win. Prediction: 4-1

Atletico vs. Juventus

Arguably the most interesting fixture of the round. Two sides that will be very competitive in this Champions League though both sides dropped points domestically at the weekend. Atletico are always hard to beat but especially at the Wanda Metropolitano and I’m not sure Maurizio Sarri’s Juventus are quite ready to beat a team of this quality just yet. That may change by the time we reach the knockouts or even the reverse of this group stage fixture. Prediction: 2-1

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