The Champions League has returned, bringing with it the monumental challenge of predicting the results of every match in the league phase. This season, there are 144 fixtures to analyze and forecast, providing a comprehensive table of Europe’s elite football clubs.
My qualifications for this daunting task? Simple: last season, I correctly predicted a one-two finish for Manchester City and Real Madrid, along with Leipzig securing a top-eight spot while Brest and Lille exited prematurely. However, I did accurately gauge that PSV Eindhoven and AC Milan would reside in the 13th/14th positions, so perhaps it’s best not to place heavy bets on these predictions.
Matchweek One
- Athletic Club 1, Arsenal 2
- PSV Eindhoven 1, Union St. Gilloise 2
- Real Madrid 3, Marseille 0
- Juventus 2, Borussia Dortmund 1
- Benfica 4, Qarabag 0
- Tottenham 2, Villarreal 2
- Slavia Prague 1, Bodo/Glimt 0
- Olympiacos 3, Pafos 1
- Bayern Munich 2, Chelsea 1
- Ajax 1, Inter 2
- Liverpool 2, Atletico Madrid 0
- Paris Saint-Germain 3, Atalanta 1
- Copenhagen 1, Bayer Leverkusen 0
- Club Brugge 0, Monaco 0
- Newcastle 1, Barcelona 3
- Manchester City 2, Napoli 0
- Eintracht Frankfurt 1, Galatasaray 0
- Sporting 2, Kairat 0
The initial set of matches proceeded largely as anticipated, with the dominant teams securing victories. Liverpool’s 2-0 triumph over Atletico Madrid highlighted their strength this season. However, concerns rise regarding how Diego Simeone’s squad will navigate the coming weeks after a sluggish start.
Matchweek Two
- Kairat 1, Real Madrid 4
- Atalanta 2, Club Brugge 0
- Pafos 1, Bayern Munich 0
- Chelsea 2, Benfica 0
- Inter 1, Slavia Prague 0
- Galatasaray 2, Liverpool 2
- Atletico Madrid 1, Eintracht Frankfurt 1
- Marseille 0, Ajax 0
- Bodo/Glimt 1, Tottenham 3
- Qarabag 1, Copenhagen 2
- Union St. Gilloise 1, Newcastle 3
- Borussia Dortmund 2, Athletic Club 1
- Barcelona 2, Paris Saint-Germain 3
- Monaco 1, Manchester City 2
- Bayer Leverkusen 2, PSV Eindhoven 2
- Arsenal 3, Olympiacos 1
- Villarreal 1, Juventus 1
- Napoli 2, Sporting 0
Big surprises are often rife in the early stages of the Champions League, which is evident with results defining early encounters. Kairat couldn’t claim victory over Real Madrid, yet Pafos managed to outplay Bayern Munich in an unexpected twist.
Matchweek Three
- Barcelona 3, Olympiacos 0
- Kairat 1, Pafos 1
- Union St. Gilloise 1, Inter 2
- Copenhagen 1, Borussia Dortmund 3
- Bayer Leverkusen 0, Paris Saint-Germain 2
- Villarreal 0, Manchester City 2
- Arsenal 1, Atletico Madrid 0
- Newcastle 2, Benfica 1
- PSV Eindhoven 1, Napoli 1
- Galatasaray 2, Bodo/Glimt 0
- Athletic Club 4, Qarabag 1
- Bayern Munich 3, Club Brugge 0
- Chelsea 3, Ajax 1
- Real Madrid 2, Juventus 0
- Eintracht Frankfurt 0, Liverpool 1
- Atalanta 1, Slavia Prague 1
- Sporting 1, Marseille 0
- Monaco 2, Tottenham 1
Atletico Madrid must find form fast as they fall deeper into troubling territory after this match week.
Matchweek Four
- Slavia Prague 0, Arsenal 2
- Napoli 2, Eintracht Frankfurt 2
- Paris Saint-Germain 3, Bayern Munich 1
- Liverpool 2, Real Madrid 2
- Juventus 1, Sporting 0
- Atletico Madrid 2, Union St. Gilloise 1
- Tottenham 1, Copenhagen 0
- Bodo/Glimt 2, Monaco 1
- Olympiacos 0, PSV Eindhoven 0
- Qarabag 0, Chelsea 3
- Pafos 2, Villarreal 4
- Inter 3, Kairat 0
- Manchester City 4, Borussia Dortmund 2
- Club Brugge 1, Barcelona 3
- Benfica 1, Bayer Leverkusen 0
- Marseille 2, Atalanta 1
- Ajax 3, Galatasaray 2
- Newcastle 1, Athletic Club 0
At the midpoint of the league phase, four teams are showing a clean slate, possibly due to favorable scheduling.
The following weeks reveal what exact changes can unfold, particularly as the table tightens further.
Will these predictions hold true? Naturally, we may revisit them at the midpoint once more.
