The three-day spread of Champions League fixtures is preserved exclusively for the opening gameweek of the still relatively new league phase, with two dayers the norm moving forward.
Thus, there’s a nine-game slate to enjoy on Tuesday night as Gameweek 2 gets underway with a few corkers across the continent.
Europe’s behemoths refused to disappoint at the start of their respective journeys, and the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool are aiming to build on productive starts this week. Oh, and there’s the small matter of José Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge return to soak in, too.
Here’s how Sports Illustrated predicts Tuesday‘s games panning out.
Atalanta vs. Club Brugge
Kick-off time: 5.45 p.m. BST / 12.45 p.m ET / 9.45 a.m. PT
While Atalanta were on the receiving end of a Paris Saint-Germain masterclass two weeks ago, Club Brugge produced a statement performance of their own in a 4–1 beatdown of Monaco in Belgium.
Nicky Hayen lost a few key names over the summer, but Brugge look like Champions League dark-horses again. They stunned their upcoming opponents in the knockout playoff round last season, beating La Dea home and away amid their most impressive continental campaign in years.
The visitors have been steady under Ivan Jurić at the start of 2025–26, and they’ll have to be at their very best to prevail against the confident visitors.
Prediction: Atalanta 2–2 Club Brugge
Kairat Almaty vs. Real Madrid
Kick-off time: 5.45 p.m. BST / 12.45 p.m ET / 9.45 a.m. PT
It‘s only an 8,000-mile round trip for Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid, which is just what they need after they succumbed to a 5–2 defeat in Saturday‘s Madrid Derby.
That emphatic loss was the first blemish on their record this term, having overcome Marseille 2–1 in Gameweek 1 of the league phase. Competition debutants Kairat, meanwhile, were thumped by Sporting CP on their Champions League bow.
Only jet lag will prevent Madrid from coasting to victory in Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
Prediction: Kairat Almaty 0–3 Real Madrid
Atlético Madrid vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
It had been a so-so start to the season for Atlético Madrid, but they’ve shown more than mere life over the past couple of weeks.
They were characteristically resilient in a 3–2 defeat at Anfield in Gameweek 1, and their second continental outing of 2025–25 arrives off the back of a superb performance in Saturday’s derby. Julián Alvarez netted a hat-trick in Atléti’s memorable triumph, but they have a tricky midweek test against a vibrant Frankfurt outfit.
The Germans, Europa League quarterfinalists last term, thrashed Galatasaray 5–1 in their opening league phase game, and they returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga at the weekend, having tasted back-to-back defeats.
Prediction: Atlético Madrid 3–1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Bodø/Glimt vs. Tottenham
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Tottenham Hotspur are preparing for their second trip to the Arctic Circle this year, only with a different manager at the helm this time around.
Ange Postecoglou oversaw a measured performance in an idiosyncratic environment to help Spurs into the Europa League final, so Bodø/Glimt, another Champions League novice, are out for revenge on Tuesday night.
It’s set to be a biting temperature but nothing extreme, while Spurs impressively dealt with the challenge that playing on artificial turf provides back in May. There will be a few newbies who didn’t experience the oddities of Bodø last time out, including Thomas Frank, and this is bound to be a tricky fixture.
Prediction: Bodø/Glimt 1–2 Tottenham
Chelsea vs. Benfica
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge return will dominate the narratives, but it’s not the first time the once self-proclaimed "special one" has returned to his old stomping ground.
The Portuguese coach, who lifted three Premier League titles with Chelsea, was unable to claim a victory in SW6 during his time as Spurs boss.
Benfica have won two out of three since his appointment and could do with a result on Tuesday night, given that they were stunned by Azerbaijani side Qarabag in Gameweek 1—a result which prompted them to hire Mourinho.
Chelsea have asserted their faith in Enzo Maresca off the back of Saturday’s Premier League defeat, but all isn’t well in west London. The Blues are winless since the international break.
Prediction: Chelsea 2–1 Benfica
Galatasaray vs. Liverpool
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Liverpool were destined to cruise against Atléti two weeks ago, but they didn’t account for Marcos Llorente’s inevitable Anfield heroics that somehow brought Simeone’s side back into the game.
A late Virgil van Dijk header ensured they secured all three points, but Arne Slot’s Reds are still working things out at the start of the new season. They were beaten for the first time at the weekend, with Eddie Nketiah’s last-gasp strike helping Crystal Palace to a 2–1 victory over the Premier League champions.
They head to a daunting environment in midweek, with Galatasaray a different beast at home compared to when they’re forced to travel. After the draw was made, Turkish Football Federation president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu asserted that Liverpool were not the force they once were, a statement that Slot doubtless would’ve made known to his players ahead of their flight to Istanbul.
Prediction: Galatasaray 2–3 Liverpool
Inter vs. Slavia Prague
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Last season’s finalists started their 2025–26 Champions League campaign with a typically controlled 2–0 victory over Ajax, and they’ll be expected to maintain their 100% start to the league phase here.
Cristian Chivu’s side welcome Slavia Prague to San Siro, with the Czech outfit surrendering two points at home to Bodø/Glimt in Gameweek 1.
While Inter currently look like a watered-down version of Simone Inzaghi’s finest iteration, they’ll have enough to ease to victory on Tuesday night.
Prediction: Inter 3–0 Slavia Prague
Marseille vs. Ajax
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
These two historic clubs are remarkably meeting in this competition for the first time since the 1971–72 season, when Ajax were Europe’s dominant force. They eased to a 6–2 aggregate victory over the French side, more than 20 years before Marseille claimed their one and only Champions League crown.
It had been a tough start to the season for Roberto De Zerbi’s men, who were beaten by a 10-man Real Madrid two weeks ago, but victories over PSG and Strasbourg in Ligue 1 means spirits are high entering Tuesday’s clash.
Ajax, who capitulated down the stretch last season and missed out on the title, have their work cut out if they’re to register their first points of the league phase.
Prediction: Marseille 1–0 Ajax
Pafos vs. Bayern Munich
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT
Bayern Munich have performed like Champions League contenders at the start of 2025–26. They’ve moved through the gears in Vincent Kompany’s second season at the helm, with Harry Kane’s goals and Michael Olise’s magic complementing a game model that functions to empowers the superstars within it.
Bayern were efficient in their 3–1 win over Chelsea, and will have to navigate a different sort of test on Tuesday night.
Cypriot side Pafos ground out a stalemate with Olympiacos in Gameweek 1, but never before have they encountered anything like this Bayern unit.
Matchday 9/30 Predictions
READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS AND PLAYER RATINGS
This article was originally published on www.si.com as UEFA Champions League Predictions: Matchday 9/30.
