Six Champions League Matches in One Night! Real Madrid and Inter Clash in a €2.2 Billion Showdown, Three La Liga Teams Chase Opening Wins, Dark Horse Makes Debut

At 00:45 Beijing time on September 9, AEK Athens hosted Linz in this Champions League first-round match. The matchup itself did not look spectacular, but the story behind it was dramatic. Linz lost 0-3 away to Celtic in the first leg of the playoff, then conceded to McGregor in the first 21 minutes of the second leg and fell 0-4 on aggregate. After that, Usor scored in the 32nd minute, Ljubicic struck from distance, Adeniran scored a world-class goal, and Flecker headed in during stoppage time to make the second leg 4-1. Linz scored again in extra time, eventually winning the second leg 5-1 and overturning the tie 5-4 on aggregate to reach the Champions League main stage for the first time in club history. This was the clearest dark horse example among the six matches: they were overwhelmed early but dragged themselves back through running and counterattacks.

Another 00:45 kickoff was Club Brugge hosting Aston Villa. The two teams met for the fourth time in Champions League history, and Villa defeated Brugge 3-1 and 3-0 in the 2024-25 Champions League round of 16. Villa have recorded 16 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses in their last 21 European group/league-stage matches, keeping nine clean sheets in their last 16 European games. Before this match, Villa had lost only three of their last 21 European group/league-stage fixtures. Emery's European management remains strong; Brugge will rely on home pressure and set pieces to find openings, while Villa need to control midfield tempo to start with a win.

Among the four matches starting at 3:00, Real Madrid's home game against Inter Milan was the biggest attraction. Transfermarkt values Real Madrid's squad at €1.46 billion and Inter's at €730 million, for a combined total of around €2.2 billion. Real Madrid rank first in Champions League squad value, while Inter are the most valuable Serie A participant. Mourinho faced his former club as Real Madrid coach; he led Inter to the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble in 2010, and after returning to Real Madrid in 2026, his first Champions League match was against Inter, making the atmosphere naturally intense.

Mbappe also has personal milestones to chase in this match. He has scored 70 goals in 98 Champions League appearances: six goals in nine games for Monaco, 42 in 64 for Paris, and 22 in 25 for Real Madrid. His 70 goals rank sixth all-time, one behind Raul's 71. One goal against Inter would equal Raul and move him into a tie for fifth; a brace would put him ahead of Raul outright. If Courtois plays, it will be his 100th Champions League appearance. He previously made 99 appearances for Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Real Madrid with 34 clean sheets, becoming the eighth goalkeeper in Champions League history to reach 100 appearances, following Casillas (177), Neuer (161), Buffon (124), Cech (111), Valdes (106), Oblak (106) and Kahn (103).

Real Madrid's midfield situation is complicated. Guler and Camavinga are suspended due to last season's punishment against Bayern, while Bernardo Silva's European red-card suspension from Manchester City also carries over to Real's opener, leaving all three unavailable. Tchouameni and Pitarch have returned to training but are not ready for starts, while Militao, Mendy, Rodrygo and Asensio also have injury recovery issues. Among Mourinho's available options, Valverde is the safest choice, Bellingham may drop deeper more often, and the media have listed a plan for Arnold to fill a defensive midfield role in predicted lineups. Inter are expected to use Lautaro and Thuram/Esposito up front, with Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic and Dimarco across midfield, and Pavard, Akanji and Bastoni providing defensive cover. They have won three straight Serie A matches recently and came back from 0-2 down against Napoli to win 3-2, with Lautaro scoring twice.

Real Madrid and Inter have met 19 times historically, with Real winning 10, drawing 2 and losing 7. In the two most recent group-stage cycles, 2020-21 and 2021-22, Real won all four meetings against Inter, including home victories of 2-0 and 3-2 and away results of 0-2 and 1-0. However, Real Madrid lost their latest La Liga match 0-1 to Betis, with Mbappe's stoppage-time penalty saved by Valles, putting attacking conversion and midfield connection under scrutiny. Inter do not rely on squad value to dominate; using counterattacks and set pieces against Real's weakened midfield is their most realistic route.

Another 3:00 match is Porto hosting Manchester City. City changed to Maresca and underwent major summer rebuilding. New signings including Enzo, Elliot Anderson, Buadi and Ndiaye have already appeared in the Premier League, and some could start or rotate in Porto. Haaland has scored 57 goals in 58 Champions League matches: eight in six games for Salzburg, 15 in 13 for Dortmund and 34 in 39 for Manchester City. His 57 goals equal Thomas Muller for seventh all-time, and another goal would move him ahead. City and Porto have met four times in the Champions League, with City winning three and drawing one, including a 3-1 home win and a 0-0 away draw in the 2020-21 group stage. Porto have won five straight in the new Primeira Liga season, scoring 11 and conceding one; at home in Europe they have won 10, drawn 3 and lost 1 of their last 14. However, defender Bednarek is suspended after a Europa League red card, Froholdt is out under concussion protocol, Sanusi has a groin injury and Aghehowa has a cruciate ligament injury, with Moura filling the left side. For City, Doku has a calf injury and O'Reilly a back issue, neither was included in the squad, leaving more wing responsibility for Cherki, Foden and Semenyo, with Donnarumma in goal and Dias partnering Gvardiol or Khusanov.

Dortmund's home match against Villarreal also starts at 3:00. Their previous meeting was in the 2025-26 Champions League league phase, when Dortmund beat Villarreal 4-0. Before this match, Dortmund had started the new Bundesliga season with two wins, and their last 15 home matches against Spanish teams produced nine wins, four draws and two losses, including three straight home victories. Villarreal face difficulties: they have no wins in four La Liga matches this season and have conceded eight goals; they have conceded in 31 consecutive Champions League matches, and also struggled with losses near the end of last season's league phase. To get points away at Dortmund, they must first solve defensive gaps and attacking conversion issues. If Dortmund are missing players such as Schlotterbeck, Emre Can and Bensebaini through injury or suspension, Villarreal can target set pieces, but an open attacking battle still favors Dortmund.

Lille host Betis at the same time. Betis return to the Champions League main stage after many years. They have nine points from four La Liga matches this season and defeated Real Madrid 1-0, with Parrott scoring in the 81st minute and Valles saving Mbappe's stoppage-time penalty. After that match, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Betis all had nine points, and Betis gained confidence from the big win. Pellegrini's squad includes Isco, Cucho Hernandez, Llorente and Ceballos; Champions League squad details and form depend on pre-match announcements. Abde has a viral infection and Lo Celso was absent from some squad lists, reducing wing depth. Lille's new season Ligue 1 framework, based on Ancelotti taking over with two wins and one draw while conceding two goals, relies on midfield battles and wing counterattacks at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. With Nianzou missing due to a muscle injury, facing Betis' experienced passing game increases pressure through the middle. Betis will not seek an away opener through financial strength, but through Parrott's hold-up play, Isco's creativity and double-pivot ball recovery followed by wing attacks.

More details on the Linz match: AEK Athens return to the Champions League main stage after eight years. They have four wins and three draws in seven official matches this season, winning all three home games without conceding; they have nine wins, one draw and one loss in their last 11 European home matches. Forwards Jovic and Varga/Wolff are available, with Varga scoring in four consecutive matches recently. Jovic uses experience and movement to attack second-line defenders. Marin and Majer create from midfield, while Pineda and Gacinovic provide width. Linz's top scorer Adeniran is out with a cheekbone fracture. Coach Kuhbauer has switched to a back three, while Usor, who had 15 goals and 10 assists in the league last season, will use speed and offside runs to attack spaces behind AEK's advanced defense. Linz's comeback from 0-4 to 5-4 in the playoff developed their running intensity, pressing and extra-time execution, but winning away in Europe is difficult. In their first trip to Greece, avoiding being broken open in the first 30 minutes is the minimum target.

Additional personnel notes for Villa: Villa won 13 and lost 2 of 15 Europa League matches last season. Emery has turned European transitions, overlapping wing play and substitute adjustments into consistent methods. Against Brugge, Rashford's wing breakthroughs and Asensio's central movement are expected to be key attacking points. If their Premier League start is not smooth, the Champions League opener offers a chance to regain rhythm through familiar patterns. Brugge's Belgian home defense is compact and, based on the material's stated recent form of four wins in five matches and two goals conceded, they will use wide players dropping back and front-line pressing to restrict Villa's build-up. For Villa to take three points, avoiding conceding from set pieces in the opening 20 minutes is crucial.

After all six matches, the pressure for an opening win can be divided into three levels. Real Madrid have advantages in squad value, head-to-head record and home ground, but their midfield has multiple absences. Mbappe chasing Raul and Courtois reaching 100 Champions League appearances are two major storylines, while Inter can slow the tempo with Lautaro's counters and transition attacks. Manchester City's match against Porto will focus on Haaland surpassing Muller with one goal, while the adaptation of new players Enzo, Anderson and Ndiaye will determine whether City can control the away match. Porto's home defense is weakened, but their five-match winning streak provides a foundation. Among the three La Liga teams, Real Madrid are the strongest favorites, Betis have opportunities to gain points through form and a competitive game with Lille, while Villarreal are the most disadvantaged against Dortmund based on data and recent form. Dark horse Linz have the confidence from their playoff comeback, but AEK's home clean-sheet rate and European home record show that avoiding an early goal is more realistic than simply dreaming of a miracle.