Mark Langdon: Champions League predictions & betting tips + get a £40 free bet from Paddy Power

Champions League predictions & best bets

Forgive me, Father, for I am about to sin and break that well-known 11th commandment - thou shall not back Paris St-Germain to win the Champions League.

PSG have been to hell and back in the competition and for all of their Qatari money and glamorous squad it's quite absurd that they have failed to go beyond the round of 16 in five of the last seven years, with one final appearance in 2020 below what would have been expected in the past decade.

They find new ways to go out of the Champions League every season, but can a club genuinely be cursed? 

Mark's Langdon's 2023-24 Champions League betting tips

Bet on Paris St-Germain to win the Champions League and get £40 in free football bets from Paddy Power

There is no real logic to believing that PSG will always fail. And on talent alone you'd back a lot worse 16-1 shots, despite the obvious caveat of them being in the most difficult group alongside Milan, Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund.

Champions League holders and clear favourites Manchester City deserve to head the market, but if you want to oppose them it's worth assessing which teams can realistically fancy their chances of upsetting last season's treble winners. In my opinion, there are three clubs who fall into that category and PSG are a much bigger price than either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, sides who were easily beaten by all-conquering City last season anyway.

The key for PSG this summer has been that they've signed players because they should rather than because they could. And it was only the ego of the owners who believed adding Lionel Messi to a team which already had Neymar and Kylian Mbappe could work. By all means stockpile some of the world's best individuals in fantasy football. However, carrying three players with zero interest in defending was always likely to come up short at the highest level.

Neymar and Messi have departed, leaving Mbappe as the undisputed king of Paris. The hometown boy is happy again and not least because new manager Luis Enrique, a previous Champions League winner when boss of Barcelona, is giving Mbappe the freedom to roam from his favoured position on the left wing rather than through the middle, which was the case when Neymar and Messi preferred to come in from wider positions too.

New attacking signings Ousmane Dembele, Marco Asensio, Goncalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani fit much better into a team framework, while big-money defensive midfield signing Manuel Ugarte looks a bargain in comparison to the fees paid for Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.

Uruguayan Ugarte has been playing in a midfield three alongside Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery - the trio have a combined age of 62 to add much-needed energy to a previously pedestrian bunch - and there is further determination to give youth a chance with Kang-In Lee and Bradley Barcola arriving for hefty transfer fees.

However, it's in defence where PSG's new arrivals have really caught the eye. Summer signings Lucas Hernandez and Milan Skriniar will form part of a backline which is completed by Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi and should offer goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma more protection than in previous years.

It means PSG now have the squad to compete and there is also star quality to decide tight moments, while the manager has course and distance pedigree too.

So what's not to like, apart from the fact that PSG never win the Champions League?

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Champions League matchday one schedule

Here’s the full list of matches for matchday one of six in the group stage of the Champions League this week. Plus, don’t forget to cash in on our exclusive £40 Champions League betting offer from Paddy Power, available to spend on any of this week's Champions League matches.

Tuesday, September 19

5.45pm
Milan v Newcastle
Young Boys v RB Leipzig

8pm
PSG v Dortmund
Shakhtar Donetsk v Porto
Manchester City v Red Star
Lazio v Atletico Madrid
Barcelona v Antwerp
Feyenoord v Celtic

Wednesday, September 20

5.45pm
Real Madrid v Union Berlin
Galatasaray v Copenhagen

8pm
Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Benfica v RB Salzburg
Braga v Napoli
Arsenal v PSV
Sevilla v Lens
Real Sociedad v Inter

Why bet on Champions League matches with Paddy Power?

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They also provide the most up-to-date information on injuries, form and team news, allowing bettors to make the most informed decisions when deciding which teams to back. Their odds are quite competitive too, meaning that bettors can find the best value for their bets.

Paddy Power offer market best prices on bets

Paddy Power offers the best price on many of the year’s biggest Champions League games. Check any respected betting odds comparison app, and you’ll see Paddy Power are often ahead of the competition on certain picks.

Promotions and specials

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