UCL Group Stage Day 1 Predictions (Tuesday)

The Champions League is back! Check out my predictions for every match up this Tuesday.

Barcelona vs PSV

Earlier this year, Messi sent a message to the fans that they will do their best to reach the UCL final. Barca will be looking to overshadow their shocking exit at the hands of Roma last season. Due to the amount of quality and depth Barca have, they are built to win. PSV will have a very hard time securing any amount of points from this matchup.

Predicted Winner/Score: Barcelona 3-1 PSV

Player to look out for: Hirving Lozano

Hirving, also known as “Chucky” has been massively linked with a future move to Barcelona. He was quoted earlier today saying that a move to Barcelona would be a dream come true. If Barcelona really are looking into Chucky, they know now he’s more than interested in the move. He will be looking to impress them with a good performance. In 5 games this season in the Eredivisie, he has scored 4 goals and assisted once. Last year in 29 appearances in the Eredivisie alone, he found the back of the net 17 times and assisted 8 times. I fully expect his output to continue increasing, making a move to a bigger club in the near future almost inevitable.

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Inter Milan vs Tottenham Hotspurs

Any other day, I would have said that Spurs would be the favorites to win this matchup. Although, Spurs will play without Hugo Lloris, Dele Alli and Moussa Sissoko due to injury. Pochettino announced earlier that he will leave out Trippier and Toby Alderweireld as a “tactical decision.” Spurs will shockingly not have some of their best players at their disposal which is a major worry. They have lost their last two Premiere League matches against Watford and Liverpool. Things aren’t looking very good for them, especially since Harry Kane has failed to hit the back of the net since the match against Manchester United. The only good news to Spurs fans is that Inter has had a very rough start to the season. This game can easily go either way.

Predicted Winner/Score: Inter 2-2 Spurs

Player to look out for: Harry Kane

After failing to score in his past two matches, I’m sure he’s very hungry for a goal and will do his best to get one against Inter. I will be surprised if he doesn’t find his way into the scoresheet.

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Dortmund vs Club Brugge

Club Brugge are currently 1st in the Belgian Pro League. While Dortmund are trailing Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga by two points. It’s not even necessary to point out but the Bundesliga is surely composed of higher quality teams than the Belgian Pro League. Dortmund have started off the season really well and will be looking to replicate this successful start in the UCL. Despite having lost a lot of really good players over the past few years, Dortmund have a much better starting 11 and depth in bench.

Predicted Winner/Score: Dortmund 4-0 Club Brugge

Player to look out for: Jadon Sancho

While it’s still up in the air if he will start or come off the bench, expect him to perform. He has provided two assists so far in the Bundesliga this season. He has amazing pace, vision and positioning that will allow him to stand out.

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FC Porto vs Schalke 04

Porto have scored an outstanding 13 goals in their first four Primeira Liga matches while only conceding 4 goals. While Schalke have scored only twice in their first three matches in the Bundesliga while conceding 6 goals. The Bundesliga in my opinion is better overall than the Primeira Liga, although I’ve learned that Porto should never be underestimated in European competitions. They have a decent enough squad to possibly deliver some upsets this season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Porto score quite a few on Schalke.

Predicted Winner/Score: Porto 2-1 Schalke

Player to look out for: Alex Telles

Telles has been one of the most promising left backs in recent memory. He’s great in the build up and solid enough defensively. He has two assists so far this year and I predict he will be very influential in his teams performance.

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Mónaco vs Atlético de Madrid

This is one of the more interesting matchups. Both clubs are overshadowed in their domestic leagues by some form of a superteam. They will be looking to have better luck elsewhere, and there’s no tournament better than the UCL. Atleti have only won once in four games in La Liga. While Monaco have also only won once in five matches, having played only one more game than Atleti. This is very surprising since entering the season there were high hopes for both teams. Monaco has a very impressive young midfield in Golovin and Tielemans with Falcao in attack. Unfortunately, Monaco seems to not have enough depth to challenge this year. On paper, Atleti have one of the most complete teams in the world with every position consisting of players with immense talent. Monaco will have a very tough time breaking the defense down which will allow Atleti to be successful on the counter attack.

Predicted Winner/Score: Atletico de Madrid 2-0 Monaco

Player to look out for: Saúl Ñíguez

Saul is one of the most promising midfielders in the world currently. He has played almost flawlessly for Spain the past few weeks having scored a few goals and making his presence known. With his current form, expect him to continue impressing.

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Liverpool vs PSG

This will without a doubt be the best match to watch tomorrow. These two sides have some of the best front three in the world. Liverpool’s Mane, Firmino and Salah took them into the UCL final last season. While PSG have Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe which are capable of scoring against any defense. Apart from their front three, I give Liverpool a slight edge in having the better overall team. The Premiere League is a much higher difficulty than Ligue 1. Both teams are more than accustomed to outscoring their opponents and I expect a lot of goals in this match. This match can definitely go either way.

Predicted Winner/Score: Liverpool 2-2

Player to look out for: Mbappe

There’s nothing left to say that hasn’t been said about Mbappe already. He’s simply the best upcoming talent in the world of football. He helped France win its first World Cup since 1998 and has been consistently scoring in all leagues since last year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mbappe perform even better than his teammate Neymar which seems to have gotten engulfed by the shadow of another player once again. Just kidding, but you get the point.

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Red Star Belgrade vs Napoli

Under Ancelotti, Napoli have a coach that has experience reaching UCL finals. Napoli have the better overall team and coaching advantage. Red Star has 22 goals total in 7 matches in the Serbian Superliga but they will most likely not be able to replicate this success against better opposition.

Predicted Winner/Score: Napoli 2-1 Red Star

Player to look out for: Lorenzo Insigne

Insigne is definitely one of the most underrated strikers. You always hear about low profile players being linked with big moves but almost never hear Insigne. I think he has a chip on his shoulder and will be looking to show his worth in the biggest stage.

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Galatasaray vs Lokomotiv Moscow

I’ll be honest, I don’t know too much about either team so this prediction will be without much knowledge. I’m going to predict the winner based on their domestic success so far this season. In their last four matches, Galatasaray have won three games out of their last four. While Lokomotiv Moscow have won twice in their past four games. Galatasaray have scored 14 times compared to Moscow’s 5 goals. Galatasaray seem to be in better form so I will be predicting them to be triumphant.

Predicted Winner/Score: Galatasaray 2-1 Moscow

Player to look for: N/A