The Champions League is starting the knockout stage, and the situation is slowly heating up.
As usual, this competition attracts the biggest attention of football fans across the globe, and it is no wonder why we lately have constant debates on who will win the trophy. There are several serious candidates, and it would be very tricky to make some strong predictions at the moment. A lot can change in the upcoming few weeks, especially in the current turbulent time we’re living in. Yet, we will run over through some UEFA Champions League odds, and present them to you.
The No.1 favourite for winning the title is Bayern Munich, with the odds 3/1 to defend the silverware. Manchester City and Pep Guardiola are right behind at 4/1, while Liverpool sits third, 7/1. After the Reds, we have Juventus, 12/1, PSG, 14/1, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid, both at 16/1.
Instead of analyzing all the teams from the list, we will focus on the top two, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.
The Bavarians will meet Lazio in the round of 16, with the first game taking place in Rome. Needless to say that the Germans are heavy favourites, with their win set at 3/5. A draw is 7/2, and Lazio’s upset is priced at 9/2. If the Eagles eliminate the UCL champs, those who bet on them will earn a lot of money because the bookies pay 8 units for one laid (8/1) on their progress to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Bayern’s odds to eliminate the opponents are 1/14.
The way the Bavarians play, many believe this should be an easy task. Right now, Flicks’ unit seems rock-solid and as if they play with 50% of their capabilities. If you remember, they began the 2019/20 campaign slowly, making a switch at the head coaching position, but magnificently ended the same, trashing all of their opponents, and setting a couple of records along the way. An especially impressive moment was their win over Barcelona in the quarterfinals, 8-2.
As for the Citizens, they are meeting with Borussia Monchengladbach. Guardiola’s crew is traveling to Germany on February 24, and believe it, or not the odds for that match are the same as the ones above. Borussia’s win is 9/2, a draw 7/2, and City’s success is 3/5. When it comes to qualifying to the next stage, it is slightly different, Monch 7/1, City 1/12.
Even though the Citizens are flying under the radar at the moment, the experts do not doubt that when the time comes, they will step up and shift into a higher gear.
We’ll finish the article with one observation. After Mauricio Pochettino arrived at Parc des Princes, a big number of pundits stated that the Saints are neck to neck with Bayern and City. According to their words, the only thing the French team lacked was a good manager who would step up in the crucial moments to motivate the team and improve the atmosphere in the locker room.
Numerous sources close to the club suggested that Tomas Tuchel didn’t know how to handle that part of the job and that he alone was the main reason for the defeat in the finals.
PSG is loaded with potential, with the Saints having an unreal attack. Their Neymar is the third favourite for the UCL top goalscorer honours, 11/2. Only the latest Chelsea’s target, Erling Haaland, 9/2 and Robert Lewandowski, 5/1, are in front of the Brazilian. Not far behind is another PSG superstar, Kylian Mbappe, 14/1, tied with Lionel Messi. In between are Juventus’ two hitmen, Cristiano Ronaldo 8/1 and Alvaro Morata 10/1.
The French powerhouse will have a tough task in the upcoming round as they face Barcelona. Despite all the talks that Blaugra might be washed out, and that its time has passed, we are more than sure that Lionel Messi and the boys have enough power to defeat any team in the world.
