The 2026-27 Champions League has begun, with English teams demonstrating significant dominance in the opening week. All Premier League representatives secured victories, including Liverpool, who were the only English team to face a pot one opponent.
Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Manchester City also achieved away wins. English teams collectively out-shot their opponents 102-44, created 28 more efforts on target, and had 24 big chances, while conceding only five. This performance placed England at the top of the expected goal difference by country.
In contrast, Italian teams generally struggled, with Italy at the bottom of the expected goal difference chart. While Como won and Roma drew, Napoli and Inter faced strong opposition. However, Inter Milan impressed despite their defeat to Real Madrid, registering at least 57 touches in the opposition penalty area, a notably high figure for a visiting team.
The opening week also saw few draws, with only four of 18 matches having an expected goal margin below one. Only two wins were secured by the underdog according to bookmakers, with Real Betis's 3-2 victory at Lille being the week's biggest surprise based on pre-match predictions.