The Champions League returns on Tuesday evening as the 2026-27 League Phase gets underway, with 36 of Europe’s premier clubs beginning their quest for a spot in the knockouts.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday offer up six matches each and our football tipster Matt Hill will be bringing you his best insights and fancies from across the action – starting with the first round of clashes here.
Champions League betting tips – Tuesday September 8th 2026
AEK Athens vs LASK Linz (5.45pm) - AEK Athens to win – 4/5 (various)
Aston Villa go to Club Brugge in Tuesday’s other early kick-off but this tie between two surprise qualifiers for this year’s Champions League may provide the more solid betting medium.
AEK Athens won their third Greek Super League title in eight years last term, hammering home the fact that Olympiacos’ era of dominance domestically has finally come to an end. The latter won 22 out of 26 titles between 1997 and 2022 but now find themselves in a fierce annual battle with the capital club, who sealed their Champions League participation with a convincing 4-0 aggregate play-off defeat of Bulgarian giants Levski Sofia.
It will be interesting to see how AEK balance domestic and continental commitments this term but there is no doubt their opening fixture here presents a fantastic opportunity to kick off with an unlikely three points.
Austrian outfit LASK must have been readying themselves for a Europa League campaign when trailing Celtic 4-0 on aggregate after half an hour of their final qualifier’s second leg. However, a remarkable comeback (or implosion from their opponents, depending on your perspective) saw them net four times to level the tie and force extra time, where they eventually prevailed 5-1 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.
Still, the fact that a pretty average Celtic side managed to utterly outclass them for so long suggests this will be a tough campaign dining at Europe’s top table. And though this is one of the more attractive opponents they could have hoped for, the Greek hosts appear to have more quality in their ranks.
Add in home advantage and this looks like a price that could appear a real steal come full-time, taking 4/5 about an Athens win.
Porto vs Manchester City (8pm) - BTTS No - 5/4 (Sporting Index)
Manchester City can have few complaints about their start to life post-Pep Guardiola. Enzo Maresca’s men are three wins from three in the Premier League – though it hasn’t always been plain sailing to get the three points.
It was a late comeback that downed Bournemouth at the Etihad on Matchday One and, while the goals were flowing in a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace next time out, Saturday’s 1-0 win over newly-promoted Coventry proved to be much harder work than anticipated.
City weren’t at their free-flowing best going forward and were actually quite fortunate not to concede, with their visitors spurning a couple of big chances to equalise. Perhaps given the amount of new signings still being bedded in – Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye were both thrust in from the start against Coventry – that shouldn’t be surprising.
So, while their start has been promising, it’s unlikely to be a full-force City we see for the next few weeks. And they travel to a Porto side here who are notoriously hard to break down.
The Portuguese giants shipped only 18 goals en route to the domestic title last term and look a side capable of keeping margins tight when European giants roll into town. Backing the unders goal line would be one way of attacking this game – but at 5/4, chancing one of the two sides to keep a clean sheet feels even more attractive. That way, if City do prove too strong, we remain in the game.
Real Madrid vs Inter Milan - Real Madrid to win and over 2.5 match goals - 11/10 (Sky Bet)
Jose Mourinho’s return to the Real Madrid dugout was one of this summer’s more unexpected stories but the wily tactician has made a reasonably strong start to his latest tenure in the Spanish capital.
A shock 1-0 loss at Real Betis last time out brought a perfect start to a halt, though it was hardly a major cause for concern in performance terms. Young winger Carlos Espi had a stunning volley ruled out for offside in the 87th minute, before Kylian Mbappe missed an injury-time penalty. So we could quite easily be talking about a side yet to drop a point.
Inter are favourites to retain their Serie A title and have taken nine points from their first three fixtures, though they too trailed late in their most recent outing – a home clash with Napoli. Thankfully for the Nerazzurri, they managed to pull it off, with Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez netting in the 82nd and 91st minutes respectively.
The Italian giants were bitterly disappointing in last year’s Champions League, failing to build on their run to the final in 2024-25. They exited at the first knockout round to surprise package Bodo/Glimt and will be desperate to right that wrong with a deep run this term. However, this looks a tough opener for them in the Spanish capital.
This is a fixture that will mean a lot to Mourinho, playing one of his former clubs who he was memorably emotional about leaving. Real, for all their flaws, do possess a ridiculous array of attacking threats and should enjoy the challenge of taking on a front-footed Inter outfit. Action looks assured here, so backing the home win with over 2.5 goals at 11/10 rates as a sound selection.
Matt Hill’s Champions League betting tips – Tuesday September 8th 2026
2pt treble - AEK Athens to beat LASK Linz, BTTS No in Porto vs Manchester City + Real Madrid to beat Inter w/ over 2.5 match goals - 6.9/1 (William Hill)
Total staked - 2pts
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Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
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