Champions League or UEFA Champions League is an annual competition of football in which top-division European Clubs participate. This competition will be having its 16th edition in 2024-2025 season. Before 1992, it was known as the European Cup which was started in the year 1955. The competition is the most popular among the professional footballers and sees quality battles between the top European Clubs. Let’s find out who is most likely to win the Champions League this year.
Who has a chance to win the Champions League?
Champions League is the third most watched football tournament after the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship. The top teams of the Premier League are promoted to this tournament and are given a chance to compete with other European Football Clubs and prove their supremacy in the game. Clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have won this tournament in the years 2023, 2021, 2019 and 2008 respectively. However, the competition is ruled by the Real Madrid FC team and is considered one of the strongest teams. It has won the title 15 times followed by AC Milan, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona winning it 7,6 and 5 times respectively.
This year the Champions League is presenting itself in a revamped form. The group stage feature is dissolved and is replaced by a new league phase. The teams will battle against eight different teams of which home and away matches will be equal in number. Based on the current form and new revamped format, the team Manchester City is topping the odds chart and is predicted to win the Champions League. The bookmakers have assigned this team the odds as short as +225.
At Goal.com, the odds assigned to top teams for winning the Champions League are:
Manchester City 9/4
Real Madrid 3/1
Arsenal 9/1
Liverpool 10/1
Bet365 suggests otherwise though. Its odds list places Real Madrid on the top with +300 odds, followed by Manchester City at +225. The other teams and their chances of winning the Champions League are presented as:
Arsenal +900
Bayern Munich +1200
Liverpool +1000
Barcelona +1200, and so on.
Who is number 1 in the Champions League?
Currently, Real Madrid FC is the number 1 in the Champions League. The team battled out the finals against Dortmund and held the trophy last season. Manchester City, who were stopped at the semi-final stage by Real Madrid, are more motivated and mentally resilient to take up the challenge this year. That is why; despite not winning the previous season, the Blues are assigned the shortest odds. Manchester City had a fabulous run at Premier League where they held the title fourth consecutive time, displaying their ability to tackle pressure and end the game in style with late goals.
Considering the number of times any team won the Champions League, Real Madrid FC tops the list. The team has won the league 15 times and is entering the current season with all guns blazing to repeat the magic. The odds for Real Madrid are 3/1.
Arsenal is the third team on the top of the list of probable winners. It finished Premier League at the second spot falling only two points behind the champion Manchester City. The current squad is no less than a wall for the opponents and comprises unmatchable talents like Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and others who are expected to lead the team to much later stages this time. Arsenal’s odds of winning the title are 9/1.
Who is most likely to win the Champions League in 2025?
The Champions League final will be played on Saturday 31, 2025 and it is starting on July 9, 2024. This season is welcoming 36 clubs to participate instead of 32 and has the format changed from group matches to league phase where teams will contend eight opponents on both home and away grounds. Manchester City is on the radar of the bookmakers and is considered most likely to win the Champions League in 2025.
Champions League is the competition of the top-ranking European Football Clubs. That is why, the clubs from Germany, Spain, Italy, etc. also appear on the leaderboard. This season Manchester City has superseded the previous winners Real Madrid in the odds chart. They are assigned the odds of 11-4 by a number of bookmakers, while Real Madrid’s odds are 8-1.
Liverpool is behind the Blues at 14-1 owing to the able mentorship of Arne Slot that this squad is enjoying this season. They are sure to capitalize the guidance and be among the strong contenders for the season 2024-25. The strength of the squad is another bonus for this team and is quite likely to surprise the opponent with its typical style of posting late goals.
Aston Villa is another name from the Premier League teams that is lurking behind the toppers. It had a respectable end at the forth position in this competition and had their confidence boosted with runner-up position at the Europa League.
The competition is coming back to Germany after 2012. So, some of the qualifiers from the German Clubs are:
- 1st: Bayer Leverkusen
- 2nd: VfB Stuttgart
- 3rd: Bayern Munich
- 4th: RB Leipzig
- 5th: Borussia Dortmund
Of these, Bayern Munich has been placed at +1200 odds. The home matches of the team are quite likely to give it a push to the top positions in the coming season. Dortmund reached the final last time and may make a more determined comeback with an aim to be among the top contenders for the title.
Conclusion
Champions League is coming with a new format and adding of four new teams totaling the contenders at 36. The competition is the most prestigious and sees the best action from the top European Football Clubs. Betting sites have assigned the shortest odds to Manchester City putting it ahead of Real Madrid in the race to the title. To find the best odds and to seek expert advice while betting on Champions Leagues matches, the punters can reach footballtipster.net that covers all matches ranging from qualifiers to knock-outs and beyond.