A new season of the UEFA Champions League has officially begun, with Matchday 1 promising an entertaining start to what is hopefully an exciting season ahead. Arsenal took care of business easily, Real Madrid had rally against Marseille, and two minnows notched their first ever Champions League wins. Meanwhile Borussia Dortmund and Juventus played a remarkable eight-goal second half in a 4-4 draw.

Matchday 1 will be spread across three days with action on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, each day offering a spotlight to European titans as they begin to navigate the road to the May 30 final at Budapest's Puskas Arena. The headlining act of the week will be Chelsea's trip to Bayern Munich, which marks the Blues' return to the competition after a two year absence and offers a face-off between English attackers Cole Palmer and Harry Kane.

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This week's matches serve as a check-in for for many of the continent's top teams, some of whom are under new management or trying new tactical styles out -- Xabi Alonso coached his first Champions League match in charge of Real Madrid after introducing some stability to the team, but barely escaped his bold decision to not include Vinicius Jr. in the starting lineup. while Liverpool's new-look, attack-minded team will have a chance to impress against Atletico Madrid.

The CBS Sports team offers their expert picks and predictions. Take a look below.

Wednesday

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Game of the day: Bayern vs. Chelsea

Player to watch: Michael Olise, Bayern Munich: Three goals and an assist through those opening three Bundesliga games, has Olise taken the leap from high grade prospect to legitimate superstar? The way he ran rampant through RB Leipzig in particular suggests so and if there is any team that he will be determined to excel against it will be Chelsea, whose academy he left as a 14 year old. -- James Benge

Man of the match: Harry Kane, Bayern Munich: The English striker is in great form. He already has five goals and three assists in the opening three matches of the Bundesliga season with Bayern Munich, and also scored two goals in the opening match of the domestic cup and one goal in the German Supercup for a total of eight goals in the opening five matches of the season. This is why there's a good chance to see him on the scoresheet of the first Champions League match of the 2025-26 season against Chelsea on Wednesday. -- Francesco Porzio

Prediction: Bayern Munich 2, Chelsea 1: Chelsea have plenty of promise, as their recent UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup titles demonstrate, but inconsistency has been a defining aspect of Enzo Maresca's version of the Blues since he took charge a year ago. That has been the case so far this season with a few too many lethargic attacking performances on their record, even on days they have earned points. Cole Palmer's return from a short-term injury should help but Bayern Munich may be a bit more composed on Wednesday, and the cheat code that is Harry Kane will probably take them over the top if all else fails.  --  Pardeep Cattry

Best bet: Bayern Munich to win and both teams to score (+168): Chelsea have improved, and they couldn't have gotten Cole Palmer back at a better time, but Bayern's attack is unlike anything that their defense has come up against so far in the young season. Harry Kane and Michael Olise can find the back of the net with ease, and Bayern have so many different ways to hurt a team. Their defense has room for growth, which is where both teams will find the back of the net, but it won't stop Bayern from taking the victory at home. -- Charles Booth

Thursday

Game of the day: Newcastle vs. Barcelona

Player to watch: Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona: The brilliant Lewandowski was on fire at this stage of last season's competition, scoring nine of the 11 he would net across the 2024-25 Champions League. He also comes into the game off some welcome rest, playing just 22 minutes against Valencia, but still finding the net twice. It seems that Hansi Flick has concluded that he wants the 37-year-old fit and firing for the biggest games and this should be one of them. -- James Benge

Man of the match: Raphinha, Barcelona:  After scoring a brace in the last home match against Valencia, Raphinha is expected to start and deliver another great performance on Thursday against Newcastle. The Brazilian winger, despite starting from the bench, immediately showed why he's considered one of the top strikers around the world when he was involved in the action. Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski also became the first pair of teammates to both come off the bench and score a brace in one match across Europe's top five leagues since the start of 2015-16, showing how importantthe depth of the roster coached by German manager Hansi Flick is. -- Francesco Porzio

Prediction: Newcastle United 1, Barcelona 2: Lamine Yamal will be a very notable absence for Barcelona, but the strength of Hansi Flick's team is that the goalscoring responsibilities are usually divided amongst a few players, so the likes of Raphinha and Ferran Torres could pitch in in Yamal's absence. Expect a closely-contested match against a Newcastle United side that is usually defensively sound, but may not have the attacking prowess needed to take full advantage of Barcelona's somewhat leaky back line. Nick Woltemade marked his debut with a goal, but filling Alexander Isak's shoes will be easier than done and the Champions League will be a big test of Woltemade's ability to suit his new role.  --  Pardeep Cattry

Best bet: Raphinha to score (+160): Benched over the weekend after arriving late, Raphinha responded with a brace from the bench. Without Lamine Yamal in the match, it will only put more pressure on the Brazilian to find the back of the net, but he has been quite effective at doing so. This is a deep team who will give Newcastle United fits on Thursday. -- Charles Booth