Champions League 2018-19 guide: group fixtures, predictions, TV and betting odds

Sep 17, 2018

Can Real Madrid secure a fourth trophy in a row without Cristiano Ronaldo?

Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images

The Champions League final will be played at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on 1 June 2019

The Uefa Champions League season kicks off this week with the opening matches of the 2018-2019 group stage.

England’s Premier League has four teams in this season’s competition – Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool – and they will be aiming to wrestle the trophy from the grasp of the current holders Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants have won the Champions League for the past three seasons. But since their 3-1 victory over Liverpool in the final in May, head coach Zinedine Zidane and star striker Cristiano Ronaldo have left the Santiago Bernabeu.

With the Portuguese superstar now playing for Italian side Juventus, can Real win a fourth successive Champions League title without him?

Judging by the latest prices on offer at Oddschecker, it would appear that the bookies don’t fully back Real’s chances. Real are fifth favourites to win this season’s Champions League with Manchester City, Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain above them in the odds list.

Here we look at this week’s fixtures, key dates, predictions and odds.

Matchday one group fixtures

Tuesday 18 September (all times UK, live on BT Sport)

Group A: Club Brugge vs. Borussia Dortmund (8pm); Monaco vs. Atletico Madrid (8pm)
Group B: Barcelona vs. PSV Eindhoven (5.55pm); Inter Milan vs. Tottenham Hotspur (5.55pm)
Group C: Red Star Belgrade vs. Napoli (8pm); Liverpool vs. Paris Saint-Germain (8pm)
Group D: FC Schalke 04 vs. FC Porto (8pm); Galatasaray vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm)

Wednesday 19 September (all times UK, live on BT Sport)

Group E: Ajax vs. AEK Athens (5.55pm); Benfica vs. Bayern Munich (8pm)
Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. 1899 Hoffenheim (5.55pm); Manchester City vs. Lyon
Group G: Real Madrid vs. Roma (8pm); Viktoria Plzen vs. CSKA Moscow (8pm)
Group H: Valencia vs. Juventus (8pm); Young Boys vs. Manchester United (8pm)

Champions League 2018-2019 season guide

Group stage draw

Group A: Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, AS Monaco, Club Brugge
Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan
Group C: Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli, Liverpool, Red Star Belgrade
Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow, FC Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray
Group E: Bayern Munich, Benfica, AFC Ajax, AEK Athens
Group F: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim
Group G: Real Madrid, AS Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen
Group H: Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys

What dates are the Champions League group fixtures?

18/19 September: group stage, matchday one
2/3 October: group stage, matchday two
23/24 October: group stage, matchday three
6/7 November: group stage, matchday four
27/28 November: group stage, matchday five
11/12 December: group stage, matchday six

Key dates: round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and draws

17 December: round of 16 draw
12/13 and 19/20 February: round of 16, first leg
5/6 and 12/13 March: round of 16, second leg
15 March: quarter-final and semi-final draw
9/10 April: quarter-finals, first leg
16/17 April: quarter-finals, second leg
30 April/1 May: semi-finals, first leg
7/8 May: semi-finals, second leg

When and where is the 2019 Champions League final?

The final is on Saturday 1 June at the Estadio Metropolitano, home of Uefa Super Cup winners Atletico Madrid.

How to watch the Champions League on TV

BT Sport has exclusive rights to live coverage of the Uefa Champions League. Earlier kick-offs mean more matches can be shown live on TV.

Champions League betting odds

Latest best prices according to Oddschecker (as of 17 September).

Champions League winner

Manchester City: 11/2
FC Barcelona: 13/2
Juventus: 8/1
Paris Saint-Germain: 8/1
Real Madrid: 9/1
Bayern Munich: 10/1
Liverpool: 12/1
Atletico Madrid: 16/1
Tottenham: 27/1
Man Utd: 30/1
Roma: 70/1

Predictions: who will win the Champions League?

With Ronaldo moving from Real Madrid to Juventus, the BBC asks the question is this the most open Champions League in years? Manchester City start as favourites, but Barcelona, PSG, Juve and Real will no doubt be strong contenders.

Marca agrees with the BBC and says this season’s Champions League is one of the most equal in history. But it is “everyone against Real Madrid” says the Spanish newspaper. We look at the some of the pundit predictions...

Goal.com: “Manchester City have emerged as strong favourites to win the first Champions League this season. Pep Guardiola’s side are yet to lift the European Cup and have another formidable chance of winning the competition – placed in a benign group that consists of the likes of Lyon, Shakhtar Donetsk and Hoffenheim. Guardiola has experience winning the trophy with Barcelona and will be eager to repeat the success with the Citizens – as the European Cup is the one major trophy that has eluded the affluent Manchester side.”

Andy Dunn, Daily Mirror: “Hardly an original choice but Real Madrid remain the team to beat. They might have lost a proven match-winner in Cristiano Ronaldo but there is enough quality to mount a serious challenge for a fifth triumph in six years. Qualifying from their group should not be a problem and experience will be key in the knockout stages.”

Mike Walters, Daily Mirror: “Now that Manchester City have landed the Premier League title, with a century of points and record-breaking style, the Champions League represents the final frontier. If they make Europe their priority this season, they have the squad depth and the quality to outlast Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern and Liverpool.”