The Champions League qualifiers kick off on Tuesday as we start to look at who, out of the 28 teams from the lower UEFA coefficients, will earn the right to ply their trade against Europe’s elite.
PSG were finally able to get the monkey off their back a little over a month ago, securing their first Champions League trophy with a 2-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final.
Attention has already shifted to the 2025/26 tournament, as we feature the latest Champions League Qualifier tips.
With 28 teams made up predominantly of representatives from the lower tier of UEFA’s coefficients, it’s a delve into the unknown, but one that can yield immense value in the early part of the season.
We’ve got three games that stand out, taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday evening, with a treble paying £38.84 from just a £10 stake.
Champions League Qualifiers Odds
| Match | Market | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs Hamrun Spartans | FK Žalgiris Vilnius to win | 9/10 |
| FC Iberia 1999 vs Malmö FF | Malmö FF to win | 8/15 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad vs Dinamo Minsk | Ludogorets Razgrad to win | 1/3 |
*Odds correct as of 13:15 07/07/2025. Odds subject to change.
FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs Hamrun Spartans – FK Žalgiris Vilnius to win (Odds 9/10)
Our opening Champions League Qualifiers tip comes from the current Lithuanian and Maltese domestic champions. FK Žalgiris take on Hamrun Spartans in a game that looks a little further apart than the bookies suggest.
FK Žalgiris won the 2024 A Lyga at a canter, locking in 24 wins from 36 games to be clear by a staggering 12 points by the end of the season. Perched mid table, 2025 has been a little less dominant, but they have picked up form of late, with just one defeat in their last seven.
Hamrun Spartans celebrated their 11th Maltese Premier League title in the 2024/25 season and have been dominant domestically. However, their European experience leaves much to be desired, and they have yet to advance past the first qualifying round in the club's history.
FK Žalgiris are ranked higher in UEFA Coefficients, and while certainly not the be-all and end-all, they look good value at odds of 9/10 to win at home. The Spartans may yet progress from this tie, but we expect them to need to do it the hard way, if at all.
A tight game is on the cards here, but a FK Žalgiris win has just enough meat on the bone to nibble at.
FC Iberia 1999 vs Malmö FF – Malmö FF to Win (Odds 8/15)
Malmö FF are one of the highest-ranked teams in the Champions League qualifying stage. They’ve made multiple Group Stage appearances as recently as 2021/22 and will be chomping at the bit to make a return this year.
Their domestic form has been inconsistent; currently 5th in Allsvenskan, a league they dominated in 2024. However, they’ve lost just one of their last eight league matches and are fighting hard for back-to-back championships.
Georgian-based FC Iberia 1999 are having a fine season domestically. They are unbeaten from their opening 18 matches, with 13 wins and five draws, conceding only 10 goals in the process.
They’ve carried on where they left off in 2024 and will be a test for the Swedes on home soil.
But there’s no doubt that Malmö FF are the stronger team here. They have a coefficient of 14.500 compared to FC Iberia 1999’s coefficient of 4.500, which highlights the gulf in class between the leagues as much as anything, with a significant gap in quality.
Malmö FF priced at 8/15 is on the short side, but they are by far the better team here, and we’re happy to see just enough value at that price to be part of our Champions League qualifier tips.
Ludogorets Razgrad vs Dinamo Minsk – Ludogorets Razgrad to Win (Odds 1/3)
Ludogorets Razgrad are the unified GOATs of the Bulgarian First League. They’ve won it an incredible 14 times in a row and have reached the group stages multiple times in the past.
While FC Dinamo-Minsk have had multiple Europa League spots, they’ve yet to feature in the Champions League main event, and we think they’ll struggle this year as well.
It’s always tough to compare dominant teams from different leagues, but by using UEFA’s coefficient ranking, we can see that the Bulgarian First League is significantly more competitive, with a score of 19.875, compared to the Belarusian Premier League's score of 6.000.
Razgrad should be too strong in this game, and even though we have another short-priced favourite of 1/3 in our Champions League qualifier tips, their implied probability of 75% still looks low. We’d push this to 80% or even beyond, so it’s short, but still with plenty of value.