The Matchday 1 clash in the group stage of the 2025/26 Champions League 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
In the previous Belgian championship, the team finished in second place and started their Champions League journey from the third qualifying round. Club Brugge confidently overcame Salzburg (1-0, 3-2) and Rangers (3-1, 6-0) to earn a spot in the group stage. This marks their seventh participation in the Champions League main draw in the last eight seasons, with their best achievement being a Round of 16 appearance (twice). In the previous Champions League, the Belgians were eliminated at this stage by Aston Villa on aggregate (1-3, 0-3).
- The team has won in regular time in 5 of their last 7 home matches in the Champions League.
- At least one of the opponents 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 – Kyran Sabbe, Joel Ordonez, Brandon Mechele, Bjorn Meijer – Aleksandar Stankovic, Hans Vanaken, Rafael Nwadike – Carlos Borges, Nicolo Tresoldi, Christos Tzolis.
Defender Joaquin Seis and forward Romeo Vermant will miss the game due to injuries.
Monaco
The team earned their place in the group stage by finishing third in last season's French championship. For Monaco, this is their second consecutive season in the Champions League main draw. In the previous edition, the club reached the playoffs but was eliminated in the first round, losing to Benfica on aggregate (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 0-3. Notably, Monaco has failed to win 5 of their last 6 matches in the Champions League (1 draw, 4 losses). It is also worth mentioning that the team will arrive in Belgium only a few hours before the match due to technical reasons.
- 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 games in this European competition.
- Monaco has not scored in the first half in 5 of their last 6 away matches in the Champions League.
Predicted lineup for Monaco (4-4-2)
Philippe Kohn – Jordan Teze, Eric Dier, Christian Mavissa Elebi, Caio Henrique – Maghnes Akliouche, Aladji Bamba, Lamine Camara, Takumi Minamino – Folarin Balogun, Mika Biereth.
Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, defender Mohammed Salisu, and midfielder Aleksandr Golovin will not play due to injuries. Additionally, key midfielder Denis Zakaria is out due to an injury.
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 for Club Brugge vs. Monaco
The Belgians 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 encounters, the team scored at least twice. Moreover, in this season's Champions League, the club's players have netted 13 goals in four qualifying matches. However, in 7 of their last 10 home games, the Belgians have conceded, with at least two goals in five instances.
Monaco is also accustomed to an attacking style 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 of these games, they scored at least twice. However, defensively, Monaco has been unreliable: in their last 26 away matches in this European competition, the team has kept only two clean sheets.
I expect a high-scoring game in this encounter, so my prediction: Total over 2.5 goals
