Champions League GW1 Team of the Week: Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Kenan Yildiz

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The old and the new: Sports Mole's Champions League Team of the Week
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Fourteen teams picked up victories in the opening round of matches in the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League, with English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur among them.

However, Chelsea suffered a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in Germany, while Newcastle United were beaten 2-1 at home by Barcelona, with Marcus Rashford netting a famous brace.

Arsenal were 2-0 winners over Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, while Union SG beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1.

Tottenham recorded a 1-0 victory over Villarreal, while Qarabag came up with a 3-2 victory over Benfica. Elsewhere on Tuesday, Juventus drew 4-4 with Borussia Dortmund, while Real Madrid beat Marseille 2-1.

On Wednesday, there were two draws, with Olympiacos and Pafos FC sharing the spoils in a 0-0, while Slavia Prague and Bodo/Glimt played out a 2-2.

Inter Milan were 2-0 winners over Ajax, while Paris Saint-Germain beat Atalanta 4-0; Liverpool and Chelsea were also in action, with the former beating Atletico Madrid 3-2, while the latter lost to Bayern.

There were another six games on Thursday, with Man City beating Napoli 2-0, while as mentioned, Newcastle suffered a home defeat to Barcelona.

Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt thumped Galatasaray 5-1, Sporting Lisbon beat Kairat 4-1, while Club Brugge were also 4-1 winners at home to Monaco.

There was just one draw on Thursday, with Copenhagen playing out a 2-2 with Bayern Leverkusen.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week for the first gameweek of the 2025-26 season, and it was incredibly difficult to pick due to the number of outstanding players on show.

Goalkeeper: Joan Garcia (Barcelona)

Marc-Andre ter Stegen is unlikely to win back his starting role at Barcelona once he has returned from injury, as Joan Garcia has been outstanding since his arrival over the summer. The Spain international again showed his quality against Newcastle, making five saves, and he was so calm between the sticks.

Right-back: Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid)

Llorente absolutely loves playing at Anfield, and he came up with a brace from right-back against Liverpool on Wednesday night; the 30-year-old proved to be Atletico's best attacker on the night, while he was sensational in possession of the ball, finishing with a pass success rate of 96%.

Centre-back: Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur)

Tottenham's Champions League clash with Villarreal on Tuesday will not go down as a classic, but it was a strong defensive performance from Spurs, and Van de Ven was the star of the show; the 24-year-old made three tackles, while he was excellent on the ball, finishing with a pass success rate of 93%.

Centre-back: Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)

Marquinhos once again showed his qualities against Atalanta, with the 31-year-old a key contributor to his side's win; the experienced defender got his name on the scoresheet, while he led from the back and was excellent on the ball, completing 64 of his 67 passes in Paris.

Left-back: Youssoupha Mbodji (Slavia Prague)

Mbodji was one of the standout performers in the opening set of Champions League fixtures, with the 21-year-old scoring twice from left-back in Slavia's draw, while he made three tackles during an eye-catching display in the competition.

Central midfield: Lukas Provod (Slavia Prague)

There is also a spot in the side for Provod, who was another outstanding performer for Slavia against Bodo/Glimt, coming up with two assists, but it was his overall display that earns him a spot in the side, with the 28-year-old having four shots and making three tackles during a seriously good night's work.

Central midfield: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)

Calhanoglu is an incredibly gifted footballer, and his quality was on full display in Inter's two-goal win over Ajax; the Turkey international provided two assists, while he made three tackles and finished with a pass success rate of 90%.

⭐️ STAR PERFORMER OF THE WEEK ⭐️

Central midfield: Francisco Trincao (Sporting Lisbon)

There were a number of contenders in this category, but Trincao was utterly sensational for Sporting in their home success over Kairat on Thursday night; the Portugal international came up with two goals in his side's 4-1 win, while he had five shots in total, completed seven dribbles, made two tackles and completed 41 of his 47 passes.

Right wing: Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)

There is currently a host of talk surrounding Yildiz, with Barcelona believed to be keen on his services, and the Turkey international starred for Juventus against Dortmund, coming up with a goal and an assist against German outfit, who found it incredibly difficult to deal with him.

Centre-forward: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

As if he needed to remind anyone, Kane showed that he is still one of the leading centre-forwards in world football with a brilliant brace against Chelsea; the England captain scored his first from the penalty spot before curling a second into the bottom corner, and it was a seriously good all-round performance from the 32-year-old.

Left wing: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

Mbappe has been a centre-forward since making the move to Real Madrid, but he starts on the left for the purposes of this side. The France international has been in red-hot form this season, and he led Los Blancos to a victory against Marseille, scoring twice from the penalty spot.

SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

© Sports Mole

Sports Mole's Champions League Team of the Week (4-3-3): J Garcia; M Llorente, Marquinhos, Van de Ven, Mbodj; Provod, Trincao, Calhanoglu; Yildiz, Kane, Mbappe

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