First Stage of the Champions League: Favourites, Predictions, and Betting Odds
Who will come out on top in the opening matches?
The League stage draw for the Champions League took place in Monaco, with the first matches scheduled between September 17-19, and the final is to take place on May 31 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
As promised under the new format, changed for the first time in over two decades, being placed in the first pot no longer guarantees protection from facing a giant opponent early on. The fortune, Cristiano Ronaldo's hand, and artificial intelligence have already brought together pairs such as Manchester City and Juventus, Liverpool and Real Madrid, Bayern and Barcelona.
The list of opponents and the order of home and away games have been set, but the final schedule will be released on Saturday, August 31. In the meantime, we can discuss how the draw has treated some of the tournament's main favourites, assess their chances, and suggest some betting options
Favourites to win the 2024/25 Champions League
Of course, the draw results didn’t significantly impact the bookmakers' odds for the main favourites, with the top two spots held by the winners of the last three editions of Europe’s premier tournament. Notably, Real Madrid is priced with their lowest odds for the title since the 2014/15 season (when they were at 1/2, and Barcelona ultimately won). The “Whites” are always dangerous in the Champions League, even when positioned as underdogs.
Top 5 favourites to win The Champions League
Bookmakers seem almost settled on the nationality of the winner. You can bet on an English team winning the tournament at odds of
9/10
. If you think a Spanish team will triumph, the odds are
37/20
. However, confidence in German teams is quite low, with odds of
9/2
Manchester City
Home opponents: Inter, Club Brugge, Feyenoord. Sparta Prague
Away opponents: PSG, , Sporting Lisbon, Slovan Bratislava
Manchester City, under Pep Guardiola, faces a mixed Champions League group stage draw this season. While they avoided top teams like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, they will still face a tough away challenge against Paris Saint-Germain, where they lost in 2021, and another against Juventus, one of the strongest Pot 2 teams. Additionally, the Citizens must travel to Sporting Lisbon, making their away fixtures difficult.
However, City’s home games provide an advantage. They are unbeaten at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League since 2018 and will play against Inter, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, and Sparta Prague, which should allow them to secure 12 points and a strong position for the top eight. Guardiola's goal is to qualify directly for the last-16 and avoid a play-off round.
Manchester City haven't missed the Champions League knock-out stages since 2012, and they aim to maintain that streak, although away games at PSG and Juventus could pose challenges.
Real Madrid
Home opponents: Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, FC Salzburg, Stuttgart
Away opponents: Liverpool, Atalanta, Lille, Brest
Real Madrid's Champions League draw features tough but high-profile opponents like Liverpool, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund, alongside teams from Europe’s top leagues, except for Austria's Salzburg. Kylian Mbappé will play in France against Lille and Brest.
Madrid has beaten several of these teams recently, including Borussia Dortmund in last year's final and Liverpool in 2018 and 2022. Their toughest match is likely to be at Anfield.
Madrid is expected to advance, given their strong record in the group stage. They typically perform well against top teams, and anything less than progressing would be a major surprise.
Bayern Munich
Home opponents: PSG, , GNK Dinamo, Slovan Bratislava
Away opponents: Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord, Aston Villa
Bayern Munich's draw looks favourable overall. While missing a reunion with Vincent Kompany and Manchester City, their toughest match will be away at Barcelona. Home games against PSG and Benfica will be challenging, but Dinamo Zagreb and Slovan Bratislava should be manageable. Bayern will also have a relatively short trip to face Shakhtar Donetsk in Gelsenkirchen and will be confident against Feyenoord and Aston Villa.
Bayern has a strong history against PSG and Barcelona, notably defeating PSG in 2023 and Barcelona 8:2 in 2020. They aim for the tournament's later stages, with Harry Kane seeking his first major trophy and new signings like Michael Olise and João Palhinha bolstering their squad. Bayern is expected to reach the last-16 for the 17th consecutive year.
Champions League 2024/25 Betting Options
The odds for an all-Premier League final aren’t exactly shocking, either. After all, in the last six editions, two English teams have met in the final every three years on average. Tottenham and Liverpool faced off in 2018/19, and Manchester City and Chelsea met in 2020/21.
Final between two teams from the same country odds
The main contender for the top scorer title is Erling Haaland. Last season, even without being his best version, he still won the Premier League Golden Boot. This season, he has already netted four goals in just two matches. In the last Champions League, only three players scored more than him. Two of them are right behind him in the favourites list: Kylian Mbappé, finding his form at Real Madrid, and Harry Kane, whose "curse," as we know, only seems to affect team trophies.
Top 5 Contenders for the Champions League Top Scorer Title
Closing your eyes and randomly picking a player from Real Madrid or Manchester City’s squad, you’re likely to land on a contender for some individual award. For instance, the title of top assist provider is currently tipped for Kevin De Bruyne
8/1
and Vinícius Júnior
12/1
, both of whom have already registered an assist in their respective leagues. You can also back De Bruyne’s teammate, Phil Foden
20/1
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