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UEFA Champions League Betting Odds, Soccer Picks & Predictions for Matchday 1: Backing the Defending Champs
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As we get ready to kick off the greatest tournament in the world on Tuesday, I am overly excited for this year’s field. Plenty of can’t-miss matchups and great story lines will unfold from now until June of next year. Let’s get this party started with the three best plays for Tuesday’s action.
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Champions League Matchday 1 Picks & Predictions
Real Madrid vs. Celtic Pick: Real Madrid – 1 | -105 at DraftKings
Tuesday, Sept. 6 | 3 p.m. ET
The defending champs kick off Champions League on the road at Celtic with a delicious -180 moneyline. Celtic have run through the Scottish league with almost no problem and are fresh off a beating of their rivals in the Rangers 4-0. Real Madrid are not Rangers and could probably beat a squad of Scottish league all-stars. I see this as a complete mismatch with the Real Madrid bench having more talent than the starting 11 of Celtic. I will be sprinkling Real Madrid clean sheet for +150 as well.
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Shakhtar vs. RB Leipzig Pick: Leipzig -1.75 | -130 at DraftKings
Tuesday, Sept. 6 | 3 p.m. ET
Once again, these lines are a complete mismatch. Shakhtar have faced incredible odds to get to this point, where many questioned if the Ukraine champs would even have a season this year with the ongoing war. Shakhtar have not had the best start to the season, scoring only two goals in three matches, but somehow got 7 points out of those matches.
On the other hand, Leipzig are all over the place and are one of the more difficult teams to cap. They started the season with a two draws, a loss, back-to-back wins to gain your trust back, then proceeded to get smashed by Frankfurt. I feel this is just a classic smash spot for a better team against an opponent that has a lot more going on in life than football.
Benfica vs. Maccabi Haifa Pick: Benfica -1.75 | -130 at DraftKings
Tuesday, Sept. 6 | 3 p.m. ET
Benfica have won an incredible 15 matches in a row (including friendlies) to sit atop the Portuguese table. They’re one of the hottest teams on the planet. Benfica have scored only 13 goals in the last six matches, but also have four clean sheets. I look for Benfica to score early and often against a team from Israel that has struggled recently in road matches.
