Six Champions League Showdowns Set to Begin! Real Madrid vs Inter Milan Headlines, Three La Liga Sides Chase First Wins, Dark Horse Debut Draws Attention

Last season's Austrian league and cup double winners LASK produced an unbelievable comeback in the Champions League playoffs: against Celtic, they once trailed 0-4 on aggregate over the two legs, and almost everyone thought they were heading out. However, LASK scored five unanswered goals to complete a 5-4 aggregate turnaround and reach the Champions League main stage for the first time in club history. At 00:45 Beijing time on September 9, this Austrian miracle team will make its Champions League debut away against AEK Athens. Their opponent has a very strong home record, with AEK Athens winning 9, drawing 1 and losing 1 of their last 11 European home matches.

Also kicking off at the same time is Club Brugge against Aston Villa. This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams. In the 2024-25 Champions League round of 16, Villa defeated Club Brugge 3-1 away and 3-0 at home. Villa have increasingly looked like a top team in recent years, playing in the Champions League eight times in the last nine seasons. In their last 21 Champions League group-stage and league-phase matches, Villa have recorded 16 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses. Emery's Villa will be aiming for a winning start.

At 3 a.m., the Bernabeu hosts the real blockbuster as Real Madrid face Inter Milan at home. According to Transfermarkt valuations, Real Madrid's squad value of 1.46 billion euros ranks first in the Champions League, while Inter's 730 million euros is the highest among Serie A clubs. Together, the two teams are worth around 2.2 billion euros. The biggest talking point is Mourinho, who officially returned to Real Madrid on June 11, 2026, signing a contract until June 30, 2029. In 2010, he led Inter to the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia treble. Now, as Real Madrid's head coach, he makes his Champions League debut, with former player Chivu sitting on the Inter bench.

Real Madrid have always had confidence against Italian teams, winning 19 and losing 2 of their last 21 meetings with Serie A sides. Several milestones are also approaching: Mbappe has scored 70 Champions League goals, and one more in this match would equal Raul's 71 goals and move him into fifth place on the all-time scoring list. Goalkeeper Courtois will enter the Champions League 100-appearance club if he plays. However, Real Madrid have a major problem, with midfielders Camavinga, Bernardo Silva and Guler suspended due to European red cards last season, while Tchouameni is also dealing with a muscle issue. Valverde is almost the only available main midfield option.

Inter are also in good form. In their recent Serie A match, Lautaro Martinez scored twice and netted a stoppage-time winner against Napoli, while Thuram also scored. However, Inter have a psychological disadvantage against Real Madrid, having not beaten them since 1998, losing their last four meetings, and failing to win at the Bernabeu for 60 years. Real Madrid have also had ups and downs, losing 0-1 away to Betis in the fourth round of La Liga, ending their three-match winning start and leaving them with 9 points after four games.

Another 3 a.m. kickoff features Porto hosting Manchester City. This is Porto's 28th appearance in the Champions League main stage, ranking fourth historically and making them a regular competitor. However, they have struggled against English teams, winning only 2 of their last 16 matches against Premier League sides, along with 4 draws and 10 losses. Manchester City have a new look after their rebuild. Following Guardiola's departure, Maresca officially took over on June 29, 2026, signing a three-year contract, and the team won all of their first three Premier League matches. This will also be Manchester City's 150th European match, while Haaland has scored 57 Champions League goals and would surpass Thomas Muller with one more goal to move alone into seventh on the all-time scoring list.

Another new face at Manchester City has attracted much attention. Enzo Fernandez joined from Chelsea on September 1 for 125 million pounds (approximately 145 million euros), matching the Premier League transfer fee record and becoming this summer's most expensive signing. He previously worked with Maresca at Chelsea. After joining City, Enzo made his debut for the club in the third Premier League round and provided an indirect assist. The match against Porto will be his first Champions League appearance for Manchester City.

Borussia Dortmund host Villarreal, with this being the second meeting between the two sides. The previous encounter was in the fifth round of the 2025-26 Champions League league phase, when Dortmund won 4-0. Dortmund have started the new Bundesliga season with two straight wins, and in their last 15 home matches against Spanish teams they have recorded 9 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses. They have also won their last three home games. Villarreal, meanwhile, are struggling, with no wins in four La Liga matches this season, eight goals conceded, and a streak of 31 consecutive Champions League matches with a conceded goal.

The Lille vs Real Betis match gets its storyline from Betis. Their last Champions League appearance was in the 2005-06 season, when they finished third in their group and were eliminated. Now, after 20 years, they have returned to the competition. Betis have earned 9 points from four La Liga matches this season and produced a surprise 1-0 win over Real Madrid. Pellegrini's team will aim to take all three points away from home and secure a winning start.

Among the six matches on this night, three teams come from La Liga: Real Madrid host Inter at the Bernabeu, Villarreal visit Dortmund, and Betis travel to face Lille.

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