It's Champions League night. Matchday 3 of the league phase starts today, and there are nine games on the card, which means a lot of player markets going up at once. Bookmakers can't price hundreds of players across nine matches with equal care, and that's where props get interesting.
This isn't a tips post. I'm not going to tell you who scores tonight. What I'll do is lay out the fixtures, the markets I'd actually look at, and the checks I run before I put anything on a player.
01Tonight's Champions League fixtures#
Times below are Amsterdam time (CEST). Take an hour off for UK time.
| Kick-off | Match |
|---|---|
| 18:45 | Fenerbahçe v Slavia Praha |
| 18:45 | Sabah v Borussia Dortmund |
| 21:00 | Roma v Slovan Bratislava |
| 21:00 | Porto v PSV Eindhoven |
| 21:00 | Liverpool v Villarreal |
| 21:00 | Manchester City v AEK Athens |
| 21:00 | Paris Saint-Germain v Barcelona |
| 21:00 | Napoli v Bodø/Glimt |
| 21:00 | Stuttgart v Atlético de Madrid |
Source: UEFA's official league phase fixture list. Kick-offs can move, so check the official match page if you're cutting it fine.
A couple of these follow interesting results from last week. Manchester City lost 2-4 at home to PSG on matchday 2, and Villarreal beat Napoli 3-1. One result won't tell you much about shot numbers, but it's useful context.
02Which player markets to look at#
Anytime goalscorer#
The obvious one, and the one with the most attention on it. That's both good and bad. Prices on the big names in the headline games tend to be sharp because everyone's looking at them. The squad players, the second striker, the attacking midfielder who takes penalties: that's where I'd spend my time. If you want the settlement rules (own goals, non-starters, extra time), I've covered them in anytime goalscorer bets explained.
Shots#
Total shots includes blocked and off-target efforts, so it settles more often than goals and depends less on finishing luck. It's a volume market. A player who shoots from anywhere is your friend here, even if his accuracy isn't great.
Shots on target#
My favourite of the three. It needs a bit more quality than plain shots, but it's still far more predictable than goals. Remember that the woodwork doesn't count and a block by an outfield player usually doesn't either. The full rules are in shots on target betting.
03What to check before you bet#
Line-ups#
Line-ups usually drop about an hour before kick-off. For the early games that's roughly 17:45 our time, and around 20:00 for the rest. Until then, any player price is a guess about whether he starts. Some bookmakers void player stat bets if the player doesn't start, others only void if he doesn't play at all. Know which one you're using.
Expected minutes#
This is the one people skip. A forward who usually comes off around the hour mark loses a big chunk of his chances. It matters even more on a Tuesday in a busy autumn, when managers rotate with the weekend in mind. If a player played 90 minutes on Saturday and there's a big league game this weekend, don't assume he plays the full match tonight.
Who he's playing against#
Look at how many shots the opponent concedes, not just how many goals. Some teams give up lots of attempts but block most of them. Others sit deep and let you shoot from distance, which pads the shots count but not shots on target. Use a decent sample, not one or two matches.
Penalties#
The regular taker gets a small bump in goals and shots on target. Just make sure he's still the one on them.
04Where the value tends to hide#
It moves around. Sometimes the 1+ shots on target line is short and the 2+ line is generous. Sometimes a bookmaker is slow to react after the line-ups land. The only way to know is to compare the price with a fair odd. If the price is bigger than fair, the bet has positive expected value. If you want the maths behind that, it's in what is expected value in betting.
The dashboard does that comparison for you. Check it after line-ups are out, because that's when the fair odds change the most.
05Frequently asked questions#
What time are the Champions League games today?#
On Tuesday 20 October 2026, Fenerbahçe v Slavia Praha and Sabah v Borussia Dortmund kick off at 18:45 Amsterdam time. The other seven games kick off at 21:00. In the UK that's 17:45 and 20:00.
When are line-ups announced for Champions League games?#
Usually about an hour before kick-off. It's the most important moment for player props, because it settles who starts and changes the fair odds for almost every player in the match.