Champions League Opening Round Highlights: Real Madrid Face Inter, Three La Liga Teams in Action, Dark Horse LASK Make Debut

The first round of the Champions League kicked off in the early hours of September 9 Beijing time, with six matches taking place. Among them, Real Madrid will host Inter Milan, with Mourinho facing his former club again in this matchup; Manchester City will travel to challenge Porto, and Haaland could surpass Thomas Muller’s record with a goal. In addition, three La Liga teams will all be in action, with Villarreal facing a difficult situation. Meanwhile, Austrian side LASK will make their Champions League debut, attracting attention.

At 00:45, Club Brugge will face Aston Villa. This will be the fourth meeting between the two sides. In the 2024-25 Champions League round of 16, Villa defeated Club Brugge twice, winning 3-1 and 3-0, showing their strength as a top team. Villa have participated in the Champions League in eight of the past nine seasons, and they have won 16 of their last 21 Champions League group-stage and league-phase matches. Emery’s Villa are aiming for a winning start in this match.

Also at 00:45, AEK Athens will host LASK. LASK won the league title and cup title last season, and they produced a dramatic comeback against Celtic in the Champions League qualifying playoffs, advancing with a 5-4 aggregate score to reach the Champions League main stage. However, AEK Athens have been strong at home in European competitions, recording nine wins, one draw and one loss in their last 11 home European matches.

At 03:00, a heavyweight clash arrives — Real Madrid versus Inter Milan. The blockbuster encounter, valued at 2.2 billion euros, has attracted widespread attention. According to Transfermarkt estimates, Real Madrid’s total squad value is 1.46 billion euros, ranking first in the Champions League, while Inter Milan are the highest-valued team in Serie A at 730 million euros. Mourinho, as Real Madrid manager, has drawn significant attention; he previously led Inter to a treble in the 2009-10 season. During this night’s battle, both Real Madrid and Inter fans will give warm applause to the legendary coach. In addition, if Mbappe scores one more goal, he will equal Raul’s Champions League historical goal tally, while Courtois will reach his 100th Champions League appearance milestone. Both teams have positive records.

At the same time, Porto will host Manchester City at 03:00. This will be Porto’s 28th Champions League appearance, ranking fourth historically, and they are considered regular participants in the competition, although they have won only two of their past 16 matches against Premier League teams. Manchester City underwent a major rebuild this summer, with Maresca taking charge, and they won all of their first three Premier League matches of the new season. This match will be Manchester City’s 150th European competition appearance, and if Haaland scores again, he will surpass Muller to move alone into seventh place on the all-time scoring list.

Finally, at 03:00, Borussia Dortmund will face Villarreal, marking the second meeting between the two teams. In their previous encounter, Dortmund defeated their opponents 4-0. Dortmund have made a strong start in the Bundesliga, winning two consecutive matches, and they have achieved nine wins, four draws and two losses in their last 15 home matches against La Liga teams. In contrast, Villarreal are facing difficulties in the new season, having failed to win any of their first four La Liga matches, conceding eight goals, and having conceded in 31 consecutive Champions League matches historically.

Meanwhile, Lille will take on Real Betis. This will be Betis’ first return to the Champions League in 20 years, after they were eliminated in the group stage in the 2005-06 season. In the new La Liga season, Betis have been in good form, currently earning nine points, and they previously achieved an upset victory over Real Madrid. They hope to secure all three points in this matchup and get off to a winning start.