As the dust finally settles over last year’s World Cup in Qatar, the international theater of war has declared a ceasefire for the foreseeable future. However, this does not apply to skirmishes in club football and especially within Europe. The UEFA Champions League has returned, which means it’s time to check the odds.
After the usual break after the group stage, the tournament is preparing to come back to life. And with 32 initial participants reduced to 16, the knockout stage has arrived. And with Europe’s elite poised to continue their quest to conquer the continent, the game’s biggest names will once again go head-to-head for victory.
With 16 teams still playing an active role in the 2022-23 edition of the Champions League, the list of potential winners is quite long. This offers many options when it comes to the outright betting market.
Such a market raises questions. Will Manchester City or PSG finally get their hands on the trophy? Can Real Madrid maintain their current status as Kings of Europe? And who is this season’s continental dark horse?
Read our UEFA Champions League guide and we’ll do our best to find the answers.
Champions League odds: absolute beacons of hope
Manchester City (+170)
For all the cutlery that has been delivered to Etihad, the Champions League trophy is still awaited. It doesn’t matter how many millions of dollars the club has spent. You just can’t secure the Holy Grail.
Something that’s certainly a point of frustration for manager Pep Guardiola. And although he managed to hand over the title as Barcelona manager in both 2009 and 2011, it has been more than a decade since he himself ruled the roost of Europe.
Once again, City find themselves the absolute favorites at this stage of the competition. And once again many will be tempted to support the blue half of Manchester. On the other hand, many players have been here before and have burned their fingers.
Still, all is not well when it comes to Premier League defence. Arsenal are currently at the top of the table. An insurmountable rift between the two could pay dividends later for Guardiola on his European front. Should the Gunners shoot their way to a first Premier League title in 19 years, it could allow City to finally go broke in the Champions League. If domestic dominance has to be sacrificed for European excellence, they are likely to hear few complaints from their support.
Bayern Munich (+600)
While Manchester City are by far favourites, they are certainly not the only horse in this year’s Champions League race. With a German Thoroughbred ready to continue his stride, one would overlook Bayern Munich at one’s peril.
With Bayern once again at the top of the Bundesliga, an 11th consecutive championship title seems more likely than possible. The faster Julian Nagelsmann’s men can achieve domestic success, the more they can focus on beating the best in Europe.
Something they haven’t achieved since 2020. And although Robert Lewandowski has long since left for La Liga, the German giants still have the likes of Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Sadio Mane in their arms.
A fearsome line of attack is complemented by a new addition at the rear. Step forward none other than Joao Cancelo. After the Portuguese defender asked Manchester City for more minutes, the club instead gave him a nudge towards the exit. Cancelo might only be on loan for now, but perhaps more importantly, he’s still eligible to play against his parent club. Football certainly moves in strange ways and what stranger ways than the 28-year-old helping his new employers to yet another Champions League crown?
PSG (+750)
Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe. A three-way front that instills fear in any opposing defense. However, this trio is yet to deliver the highest prize in club football. And if you look at PSG’s current club form, they might have to wait at least another year.
Despite the Paris-based club sitting at the top of Ligue 1, they have struggled to achieve positive results in recent weeks. Coincidentally (or maybe not), that dip happened after last year’s World Cup, when Messi certainly wasn’t firing on all cylinders.
In fairness to the moody Argentine, where do you go after winning in Qatar? The only answer to that is below. He’s fighting something of a hangover and could also hamper his team’s progress in Europe.
So this could be the last hurray for this triumvirate. With Mbappe constantly being linked with a move to Real Madrid, this season may offer him his last chance to win the Champions League in PSG’s famous colours.
Not only that, but there’s the little thing play Bayern Munich in the round of 16. Undoubtedly, this will be the most interesting match of this round as two European juggernauts go head-to-head. At the same time, it could mean the end of the road for the Parisian version of the Harlem Globetrotters.
Champions League Odds: Longer shots
Real Madrid (+1200)
Real Madrid might only be fifth favorites at the time of writing but you just write this team off at your own risk. Los Blancos have won the Champions League (or European Cup as it used to be called) 14 times. No other company has achieved this level of success.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men were unpopular in last year’s edition of the tournament but still had the guts to go all the way. This group has been there many times. Winning big matches is just in their DNA.
Even if Real Madrid aren’t dripping with the talent they had about a decade ago, the team has certainly found a balance in recent years. They’re never a name you want to see as your pairing in the tournament draw.
Especially when you look at Karim Benzema and Luka Modric, two perennial favorites who never fail to defy logic when it comes to age.
Liverpool lost out in the round of 16. And if Real dispose of them, the Santiago Bernabeu team’s overall chances of winning will only decrease. If you are looking for value You shouldn’t hesitate to support Real Madrid as soon as possible.
Tottenham (+1600)
When Tottenham reached the 2019 Champions League final, it was to be the launch pad for something bigger. Unfortunately for the North London team, this launch pad has proved more of an abandoned mission.
After the defeat against Liverpool in the Spanish capital Madrid, the Spurs are in a kind of holding pattern. They may have one of the best stadiums in Europe but they don’t have the staffing to match it.
However, you have one of the best managers in Europe at the helm. And while Antonio Conte isn’t ready to commit his long-term future to the club at this point, he still has the option of working with Harry Kane for a few more months.
The England captain may have been disappointed after missing out on a chance to become England’s record goalscorer in Qatar. But a string of impressive performances in Tottenham colors suggests the missed penalty against France hasn’t weighed on him.
Instead, he will be thinking of finally ending Tottenham’s trophy drought. One that is currently standing and counting at 15 years. Add European success as a parting gift from Conte and the Premier League side could serve as the Champions League dark horse this season.
My future bet
Real Madrid reach final (+500)
With PSG and Bayern Munich facing each other in the Round of 16, it means one of the big guns will soon be sent home. The same can be said about Real Madrid and Liverpool. In this case, I see a repeat of last season’s final result.
This success came in 90 minutes. It will take at least 180 for Carlo Ancelotti to beat Jurgen Klopp this time. If this two-legged affair goes according to plan, the path to this year’s Champions League final will be significantly shorter.
Of course, the quarter-final draw can present another big hurdle. However, I like the look of Real Madrid reaching the final in Istanbul.
At +500 just for holders to hit the flagship event in June I think that’s great value. Should they make it to the finals and fall short, it still means a win for those who get involved at this early stage. And with Los Blancos’ European pedigree, it’s hard to ignore such a bet.
Good luck betting on Champions League futures odds.
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