Brugge – AS Monaco

The Belgian vice-champion will perform just as well as the opponent from Ligue 1 at their home ground.

The vice-champion of Belgium will start the new Champions League campaign at their home ground. Brugge confidently burst into the elite European tournament from the qualification round, as if they had already secured their place in the group stage. Overall, Brugge is quite an experienced participant in the Champions League. In the previous edition, the Belgian team made it to the knockout stage after the final round of the group stage, where they confidently overcame Atalanta's resistance (2:1 and 3:1), but just as convincingly fell to the power of Aston Villa (1:3 and 0:3). In the last national championship, Brugge finished in second place, conceding the championship title to Union Saint-Gilloise. Monaco also participated in the last Champions League edition but, unlike their upcoming opponent, could not get through the preliminary playoff round. There, the Monegasques bowed to Benfica, losing the duel due to a defeat at their home ground. In the French national championship, Monaco has not contested for the championship title and is currently content with third place, which grants them direct access to the Champions League group stage. Bookmakers have not decided on the favourite for the upcoming clash, offering a slightly lower odds for the visiting club. Brugge has convincingly resolved all issues in the Champions League qualification. First, the team won both home and away matches against Salzburg, who had just returned from the Club World Cup, and then with an aggregate score of 9:1, utterly crushed Rangers' ambitions to participate in Europe's elite tournament. Meanwhile, Brugge is trying to maintain their level in the Belgian championship, but things are not going too well for them there at the moment. Overall, Nicky Hayen has a very lively and coordinated team capable of playing as the 'first number' against a Ligue 1 opponent. Monaco did not participate in the Champions League qualification, so the four championship matches so far represent their complete performance for the season. Despite three victories and one defeat, what is particularly concerning is that Monaco has conceded at least one goal in every confrontation. The home factor and good form will allow the hosts to secure at least one point.