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UEFA Champions League Group Stage Odds & Picks – Matchday 1 (Sept 14)

John Dillon

by John Dillon in Soccer News

Updated Sep 13, 2021 · 9:37 AM PDT

Champions League
Chelsea's N'Golo Kante carries the Champions League trophy before the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Chelsea and Villarreal at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
  • Eight fixtures on Tuesday as UCL heads into the new campaign with kick-offs at 12:45 pm ET and 3:00 pm ET
  • Dynamo Kiev and Benfica meet as they face a huge task against giants Barcelona and Bayern Munich in Group E
  • See all the odds, best bets and predictions for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday 1 below

Europe’s Champions League returns this week with Chelsea defending the crown it won by defeating fellow Premier League outfit Manchester City last May.

There are eight opening fixtures in the group stage battle on Tuesday – with our selected previews and predictions here.

Champions League Odds Matchday 1 (Sept 14)

Matchup Home Draw Away
Sevilla vs Red Bull Salzburg -155 +320 +400
Young Boys Berne vs Manchester Utd. +650 +430 -280
Dynamo Kiev vs Benfica +220 +230 +125
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich +250 +290 -105
Lille vs Wolfsburg +165 +230 +170
Chelsea vs Zenit St. Petersburg -550 +600 +1700
Villareal vs Atalanta +140 +260 +180
Malmo FF vs Juventus +600 +350 -220

Odds as of September 13 at FanDuel

Dynamo Kiev vs Benfica Prediction

These teams are both in red-hot form as they kick off Group E in Ukraine.

Kiev sits on top of the Ukrainian League after six wins and a draw as it seeks to retain the title it won for the first time in five years last season.

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Meanwhile, Benfica leads the table in Portugal after five straight wins.

Furthermore, it has already opened a four-point gap ahead of perennial rivals Porto and Sporting Lisbon.

The oddsmakers at FanDuel rate the Portuguese visitors as the favorite for a win this time out at +125.

Kiev, meanwhile, is priced at +220. However, the draw looks most promising here at +230.

Dynamo gained an automatic place in this season’s group stages by virtue of its title triumph.

Kiev’s Viktor Tsyhankkov has scored four times in seven league games this season.

For Benfica, there were, however, two preliminary rounds to negotiate after its third-placed league finish in 2020-21.

Firstly, it overcame Spartak Moscow in the third qualifying round – winning by 2-0 at home and away.

Then, secondly, it won in the playoff round against PSV Eindhoven.

Following a 2-1 win at home, Benfica secured its place with a 0-0 draw in the Netherlands.

Benfica has been in good goal-scoring form and has hit the target at least twice in all but one of its nine competitive fixtures this season – winning 5-0 away at Santa Clara in Portugal last weekend.

Meanwhile, Kiev’s Viktor Tsyhankkov has scored four times in seven league games this season.

These teams last met at the group stage of the UCL in 2016-17. Benfica won 2-0 in Kiev and then 1-0 at home.

To sum up, this time around, however, a cagey opening draw seems likely.

Pick: Draw +230

Lille vs Wolfsburg Prediction

Lille is enduring a torrid time as it prepares to welcome in-form Wolfsburg to northern France in Group G.

After winning the Ligue 1 title last season, Lille is currently in 12th place after a stuttering start to the campaign under new coach Jocelyn Gourvennec.

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By contrast, however, Wolfsburg sits on top of the Bundesliga after four straight wins.

FanDuel sees this as a tight one with Lille at +165 and Wolfsburg at +170; with the away win the best choice here. The draw is +230.

It has been an excellent start for new Wolfsburg coach Mark Van Bommel.

Although his team has not been free-scoring with a tally of only six goals from its four Bundesliga victories, it has conceded only once.

However, Dutch forward Wout Weghorst is one to watch after two goals in the Bundesliga and one in the DFB-Pokal Cup so far.

Lille has won only once, lost twice, and drawn twice in Ligue 1 so far.

Wolfsburg was a 2-0 winner away at Greuther Furth last weekend following a 1-0 win at home against power-house Red Bull Leipzig.

Lille has won only once, lost twice, and drawn twice in Ligue 1 so far – going down 2-1 at Lorient last Friday.

It has not won a home game in the UCL since 2006. And, in conclusion, it is likely to succumb again to a confident Wolfsburg outfit.

These teams have met twice before in the Europa League in 2014 with Wolfsburg winning 3-0 in France following a 1-1 draw in Germany.

Pick: Wolfsburg +170

2024 UEFA Champions League Odds Tracker
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Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Prediction

Robert Lewandowski has already scored eight times this season for Bayern Munich as they head for a clash of the giants in Group E in Barcelona.

Therefore, at +280, the prop offer at FanDuel for the Polish hitman to be the first goalscorer at the Nou Camp on Tuesday is a hugely attractive one.

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Moreover, Bayern is in ravenous goal-getting form. After an opening 1-1 Bundesliga draw against Borussia Monchengladbach, it has hit the target 12 times in three games since.

That includes a storming 4-1 win against Red Bull Leipzig last weekend, with Bayern now in second place.

Lewandowski was among the goalscorers then and hit a hat-trick in the prior 5-0 win against Hertha Berlin.

The memory of Bayern’s 8-2 thrashing of Barca in last season’s quarterfinal will loom large in Spain this week.

Barcelona, meanwhile, is seventh in Spain’s La Liga after two wins and a draw- succeeding 2-1 at home against Getafe last time out.

But the club is in an uncertain mood following the departure of Lionel Messi and conflict between coach Ronald Koeman and President Juan Laporta. And, to sum up, that could offer the hungry Lewandowski the chance of some early plunder in Spain.

Pick: Robert Lewandowski – First Goalscorer (+280)

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