The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League has officially begun, with 126 matches remaining before the knockout stage is decided. Early data from the group stage shows a strong performance by Premier League teams. In the previous season, English clubs claimed five of the eight automatic qualification spots and all of them won their opening matches in this year’s competition. Liverpool stood out by being the only English team to face a pot one opponent—meaning they played the strongest teams in their group—while Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Manchester City all secured victories on the road. According to Opta statistics, English teams out-shot their opponents 102-44, created 28 more on-target attempts, and had 24 big chances, while conceding only five goals. In contrast, Italian teams from Serie A did not perform as well, struggling compared to their English counterparts. Inter Milan made a strong impression in the opening matches, recording at least 57 touches in the opposition penalty area—far above the average of 24.6 touches per team per game in the Premier League this season. Their performance against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu was especially noteworthy, as they had the most shots of any visiting team in league or European competition for eight years. Real Madrid, despite missing several key scoring chances, managed to win the match. José Mourinho, the coach of Real Madrid, described the game as “mad, and not a madness I like,” highlighting the chaotic nature of the match. The first two nights of Champions League action saw no draws, and only four of the 18 matches had an expected goal margin below one, meaning most games were decided by clear scoring differences. Ismail Kartal resigned as head coach of Fenerbahce after his team drew 1-1 with Roma, likely due to frustration with the result. The lack of draws could impact the points required to reach the playoff round, as fewer draws mean more teams earn three points, potentially increasing the level of competition needed to advance. Although 16 of the 18 matches were won, there were no major upsets in the early stages. Only two underdog wins were recorded according to bookmakers, with Aston Villa’s victory over Club Brugge being one of them. Real Betis’ 3-2 win over Lille was also considered a surprise, as they were ranked 49th and 52nd in Opta’s Power Rankings. Earlier in the season, Qarabag’s win at Benfica and Galatasaray’s victory over Liverpool were seen as more significant upsets, indicating that while surprises are rare, they still occur in the Champions League.