Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Club Brugge
Match Time & Date:
18 September 2025
17:45
Prediction: 1-1
Monaco
Club Brugge will try to recover from a shocking 1-0 loss to La Louviere when they take on Monaco in the opening match of their Champions League campaign. The Belgian vice-champions hammered Rangers 9-1 on aggregate in the playoffs, but they face a difficult task against the Ligue 1 outfit. Both Raphael Onyedika and Christos Tzolis are pushing for recalls to the starting XI, while important attacker Romeo Vermant misses out with injury.
Les Rouges et Blancs, on the other hand, head into the match following back-to-back wins over Strasbourg and Auxerre in the national championship and they are surely capable of making life difficult for Hans Vanaken and Co. Club Brugge, though, are tough to beat at their Jan Breydel Stadion, which is the main reason why we are going to place our bets on draw. Ansu Fati and Paul Pogba are unlikely to feature in Thursday’s clash due to the lack of fitness.
Highlighted Player (Hans Vanaken):
Hans Vanaken is a Belgian footballer who was born in Neerpelt on August 24, 1992. Hans Vanaken is a product of PSV football academy, joining the club at the age of 10, but in 2008 he joined Lommel United. The Belgian midfielder continued wearing the green shirt at senior level, scoring 21 goals in 80 appearances for the club in the league.
In 2013 he moved to Lokeren and after spending two seasons at Daknamstadion, he signed a deal with famous Belgian team Club Brugge. Vanaken has established himself as one of the team’s key players and he is likely to play an important role in the Jan Breydel Stadium outfit in the 2019/2020 Europa League season.
His main position is attacking midfielder, but he is used as both central midfielder and left midfielder as well. He has a contract with Club Brugge until June 30, 2024.
Highlighted Team (Monaco):
Though based in Monaco, Les Rouges et Blances – as they are commonly referred to – play their games in the French football league system. Members of the top tier Ligue 1, Monaco play their home matches at the Stade Louis II in Fontvieille in front of 18,500 people. The Principality club boasts a turbulent history, which saw Monaco reach the highest heights of both domestic and international scene, but also get relegated to the amateur leagues at the very beginnings and to Ligue 2 in 2010-11 season.
The following year AS Monaco were acquired by the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, whose heavy investments turned the Principality club into one of the biggest spenders in Europe in 2013 and reestablishing its place among Europe’s top clubs.
AS Monaco have had notable European results in the modern football era having been runners-up in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 2004. One of the most successful clubs in France AS Monaco have so far won seven league titles and five Coupe de France trophies.
Athletic Bilbao 
Arsenal 
Benfica 
Qarabag
Juventus 
Borussia Dortmund 
Real Madrid 
Marseille 
Tottenham 
Villarreal 
Olympiacos 
Pafos 
