Back this 4/1 UEFA Champions League acca on Thursday

The first week of Champions League football has seen a mixed bag so far in terms of our selections.

We hit the ground running with a winning 5/1 treble across Tuesday's matches but were unable to continue the streak yesterday. 

Nevertheless, thanks to the competition's new format, Uefa are treating us to an extra day of the sport's premier club competition! I guess the 'Thursday night' teases are now a thing of the past, eh? 

Brad Walker's best Champions League bets for Thursday, September 19th, 2024

Benfica to beat Red Star Belgrade (Evens) - 1 pt

Bayer Leverkusen to beat Feyenoord (7/10) - 1 pt 

Barcelona to beat AS Monaco (7/10) - 2 pts

Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen & Barcelona treble (4.71/1) - 0.5 pts

TOTAL POINTS STAKED: 4.5 pts

Champions League 2024/25 P/L: +1

Selection #1 - Benfica to beat Red Star Belgrade (Evens)

An early change in the Estadio do Benfica dugout has seen former manager Bruno Lage return to the Benfica hotseat. The 48-year-old is back for a second spell after former manager Rodger Schmidt was sacked after just four Liga Portugal matches this season. 

Benfica's return of just seven points across those games wasn't the start As Águias' fans would have been hoping for, particularly given their failure to defend their Portuguese title last term.

Given their disappointing performance last season, where they finished 10 points behind champions and bitter rivals Sporting Lisbon, a positive start was pivotal if the German was to keep his job. A 1-1 draw away at Moreirense proved to be the final nail in the coffin, paving the way for Lage's return four years after his initial departure.

A 4-1 home win over Santa Clara in his first match since returning made for a positive start to Lage's second reign - form he will hope to continue as he looks to improve on the club's previous showings across the continent.

They won just one and lost four of their six group matches in the Champions League last season, leading to a third-place finish in the group. With Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona all to come over the next few months, three points in a winnable match versus Red Star Belgrade will be top of Lage's agenda.

Bruno Lage (right) has returned for a second spell as manager of Benfica after his initial spell with the club came to an end four years ago. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

The Serbian outfit have enjoyed a superb start to the season domestically, winning six and drawing one of their opening seven Serbian SuperLiga matches. Manager Vladan Milojevic - who is also enjoying his second spell at his current club - wasn't in charge for the Red-Whites' disappointing Champions League campaign last season but will hope to get off to a perfect start in front of their raucous home crowd this time around.

Their recent record in the competition speaks to the mountainous task he is facing, mind.

Red Star lost five of their six group games while drawing the other in 2023-24, and their 2-0 win over Bodo Glimt during this season's qualifying stage was their first win in the Champions League in 10 matches. 

The Serbian club are well-established in their home nation - in fact, they've won seven Serbian SuperLiga titles in a row - but expecting that positive form to extend into European competition is a tough ask. 

Spurred by a 'new manager bounce', I'm going to be backing Benfica to get off to a winning start here.

Selection #2 - Bayer Leverkusen to beat Feyenoord (7/10)

Xabi Alonso and co are set for their 14th appearance in the Champions League after a frankly remarkable campaign last time out. You know the story by now - Leverkusen romped to their first ever Bundesliga title without losing a game, while also lifting their second DFB-Pokal. Alonso's men also came agonisingly close to a historic treble before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final. 

The German club have made another solid start to the season on the domestic front, though their unbeaten run did come to an end with a 3-2 home loss to RB Leipzig at the end of August. To their credit, Alonso's men bounced back with an impressive 4-1 win at Hoffenheim last time out. 

Keeping hold of key players over the summer was also a massive boost. German starlet Florian Wirtz remains with the club and has already scored three times in his opening three Bundesliga matches. Last season's top-scorer Victor Boniface has also hit the ground running with two goals in his first three appearances.

Given the extent of their success in 2023-24, their recent record at the Bay Arena is, predictably, superb. The loss to Leipzig remains their only defeat on home soil in 29 competitive appearances. Leverkusen also won five of their six home matches in the Europa League last term.

RB Leipzig ended Leverkusen's remarkable unbeaten run in the Bundesliga at the end of August. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

With all that in mind, it's fair to say visitors Feyenoord are facing an uphill task when they travel to Germany on Thursday evening. The Dutch runners-up from last season are still finding their feet under new manager Brian Priske, following former head coach Arne Slot's departure to Liverpool in the summer. 

The Dane is yet to lose a league match with his new club but only one of their opening four Eredivisie matches have ended in a Feyenoord victory. 

Last season is the only time the club has qualified for the Champions League in the last six seasons and their recent record in the competition doesn't bode well for their Rotterdam fans. A 2-0 home win against Celtic was their only clean sheet across their six group matches last season, four of which ended in defeat (W2, L4). 

Feyenoord are also without an away win in the Champions League since September 2002, when they beat Newcastle United 1-0 at St. James' Park. 

All in all, it's pretty difficult to make a case for an away victory here. Leverkusen might have shown they are in fact human with the loss to Leipzig but are still a team gushing with individual and collective quality. 

Coupled with their Dutch counterpart's recent record on the continent, I'm going to back Alonso's side to get off to the perfect start in front of their own fans.

Selection #3 - Barcelona to beat AS Monaco (7/10)

Even by the high standards of a club like Barcelona, new manager Hansi Flick has impressed during his short time in the Camp Nou dugout. The Catalan club have won all five of their La Liga matches so far, scoring 17 and conceding just four in the process. 

Barca failed miserably in their defence of the La Liga crown last term, leading to club legend and former manager Xavi's exit at the end of a turbulent season. Flick, who has experience of leading under intense scrutiny with Bayern Munich and the German national team, was subsequently announced as his replacement at the end of May. 

A large pillar of his early success has been a refreshing attacking output, bouyed by the summer acquisition of Euro 2024 star Dani Olmo, who has hit the ground running since returning to the club he played for at youth level. The former RB Leipzig attacking midfielder has netted three goals in three La Liga appearances, including a superb strike from a tight angle in his side's 4-1 away win against Girona at the weekend. 

Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal has also continued the remarkable form seen for Spain at the summer's European Championships. 

Barca remain a farcry from the side revered during the Pep Guardiola era - one widely regarded as the greatest in the history of the sport - but appear a club on the up nonetheless. Re-establishing themselves as a force on the continent will go a long way towards restoring their previous standing in world football. 

Dani Olmo celebrates his third goal in as many games for Barcelona this season. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Standing in their way on Thursday will be an AS Monaco side hoping to avoid becoming the first ever team to lose eight consecutive home matches in the tournament's history. In fact, Monaco are winless in their last 14 matches in the Champions League, but will be boosted by their positive start to the new Ligue 1 campaign. 

Adi Hutter guided the club to a second-placed finish in his first season in charge and has continued with more positive showings this time around. Monaco have won three and drawn one of their opening four matches in the French top-flight, registering three clean sheets in the process. 

Whether they have enough to contain the attacking output of their Catalan counterparts is another matter, though. Hutter has rightly drawn praise for their performances so far but, in reality, Monaco have not yet faced a side of Barcelona's quality. 

Their standout win came against a poor Lyon side on matchday two - a team significantly inferior to Flick's men in all departments. 

Ultimately, despite the hosts' strong start, I can only see a Barcelona win here, particularly when considering their added quality in forward areas.