The Matchday 1 clash of the 2025/26 Champions League group stage between Club Brugge (Belgium) and Monaco (France) will take place on September 18 at the Jan Breydel Stadium. Club Brugge vs. Monaco: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Club Brugge
Last season, the team finished second in the Belgian championship and started their Champions League campaign from the third qualifying round. Club Brugge confidently defeated Salzburg (1:0, 3:2) and Rangers (3:1, 6:0) to earn a spot in the group stage. This marks the seventh time in the past eight seasons that the club has reached the main draw of the Champions League, with their best achievement during this period being two appearances in the Round of 16. In the previous Champions League, the Belgians were eliminated at this stage by Aston Villa on aggregate (1:3, 0:3).
- The team won in regular time in 5 of their last 7 home matches in the Champions League.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 9 of the last 13 home matches in this European competition.
- The Belgians conceded in regular time in 7 of their last 10 home games in the Champions League.
Predicted lineup for Club Brugge (4-3-3)
Simon Mignolet – Kyrani Sabbe, Jorne Spileers, Brandon Mechele, Joaquin Sosa – Aleksandar Stankovic, Hans Vanaken, Raphael Nwadike – Carlos Borges, Nicolo Tresoldi, Christos Tzolis.
Monaco
The team earned a spot in the group stage by finishing third in last season's French championship. For Monaco, this is the second consecutive season in the main draw of the Champions League. In the previous edition of this European competition, the club reached the playoffs but was eliminated in the first round, losing on aggregate to Benfica (0:1, 3:3). The team's best achievement in the Champions League is reaching the final in the 2003/04 season, where they lost to Porto with a score of 0:3. Notably, Monaco has failed to win in 5 of their last 6 Champions League matches (1 draw, 4 losses).
- The club has not lost in regular time in 6 of their last 8 away matches in the Champions League (3 wins, 3 draws).
- The team conceded at least two goals in 5 of their last 6 away matches in this European competition.
- Monaco did not score in the first half in 5 of their last 6 away matches in the Champions League.
Predicted lineup for Monaco (4-4-2)
Philipp Köhn – Jordan Teze, Eric Dier, Christian Mavissa Elébi, Caio Henrique – Maghnes Akliouche, Denis Zakaria, Lamine Camara, Takumi Minamino – Folarin Balogun, Mika Biereth.
Goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký and midfielder Stanis Idumbo will not play due to injuries.
Referee
Simone Sozza (Italy)
Matches – 17 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 69;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 41%.
Match Prediction: Club Brugge vs. Monaco
The Belgians tend to focus on creating opportunities at home and have no issues with scoring: in their last seven home matches in the Champions League, Club Brugge failed to score only once. In four of these matches, the team scored at least twice. Moreover, in the current Champions League campaign, the club's players scored 13 goals in four qualifying matches. However, in 7 of their last 10 home games, the Belgians conceded, and in five instances, they conceded at least twice.
Monaco is also not accustomed to sitting back defensively and regularly scores even away from home. In their last eight away matches in the Champions League, the club's players left the field without scoring only twice, and in five matches during this period, they scored at least twice. Meanwhile, Monaco's defense is rarely reliable: in their last 26 away matches in this European competition, the team has kept only two clean sheets.
I anticipate a high-scoring encounter in this match, so my prediction: Total over 2.5 goals
