Champions League betting tips – Outright picks and predictions

Last year’s finalists Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal were joint-favourites at 5/1 before Thursday night’s draw for the league phase of the Champions League and nothing has changed at the top of the betting, although Barcelona were trimmed from 6/1 to 11/2.

Bayern Munich remain one of the teams to beat at 6/1, now joined by record 15-time winners Real Madrid as fourth favourites, who were cut from 7/1 despite drawing Arsenal and Inter Milan in the league phase.

Those clubs are the only five in single digits with Manchester City pushed from 9/1 to 10/1 for glory after drawn to face a reunion or two against Rodri’s Barcelona and Kevin De Bruyne’s Napoli, as well as two-time defending champions PSG.

Liverpool and Manchester United are next best at 12/1 and 16/1 respectively with Inter Milan at 25/1, with both Atletico Madrid and Aston Villa pushed out to 33/1 and 40/1, the latter alongside Borussia Dortmund.

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Champions League Outright Tips

• Tip 1 – Real Madrid to win @ 6/1    
• Tip 2 – Kylian Mbappe to finish as the top goalscorer @ 4/1  
• Tip 3 – Napoli Top-8 Finish @ 3/1    

Real recruitment gives Jose a glory chance

Despite the possibility of losing Bradley Barcola, PSG still look stacked, particularly on the offensive front and as two-time defending champions they remain the team to beat, while Arsenal have also strengthened while retaining the core of the side that got to last season’s final and it is no surprise to see the pair at the top of the betting.

Although Real have been trimmed a touch, they look ready to mount a challenge to add to their European trophy haul, bolstering their defensive flanks with the additions of Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries, while the addition of Ibrahima Konate at the very least adds depth to central areas, given injury issues that have hampered them in the past.

Throw in the very obvious attacking threats of Bernardo Silva and rising star Yan Diomande and this looks like a squad set up for a strong tilt at the Champions League, bearing in mind that Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior are already there.

Jose Mourinho is back in the dugout and has something to prove perhaps, having failed to deliver Europe’s biggest trophy in his forst spell with Real, but he has won it twice before and knows how to win. He certainly has the talent at his disposal to take Real all the way.

Mbappe still the main man

There is no doubting that Real winning the trophy will only strengthen the chances of Kylian Mbappe finishing as the tournament’s top goalscorer, but the France ace has won this award twice before and not even reached a final.

The former Monaco and PSG star netted 58 times in 60 appearances last season, which saw him top the scoring charts in La Liga, the World Cup and of course the Champions League – winning none of those competitions.

The 27-year-old is a goal machine and Los Blancos know how to play to his strengths, even if he can often win games on his own, and while 4/1 may seem a little short to some, it speaks volumes about his frequently obvious goalscoring talents.

Draw offers Napoli a shot at redemption

As an outsider, Napoli are worth considering to finish in the top eight of the league phase at 3/1, despite their failure to even qualify for the knockout stages last season.

The Partenopei are nowhere near the top eight in the outright betting, but the league phase is not nearly as competitive with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, Aston Villa, Sporting and even Tottenham have secured a top-eight finish in the first two seasons of this format.

PSG have won the tournament twice having qualified in 15th and 11th, so there is scope for an outsider to secure a seeded berth.

There is a nice combination of talent, energy and experience in the squad while the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri could be just the tonic needed to simply accumulate enough points in the league phase, and the draw has not been unkind.

While Arsenal at home and Manchester City away will not be easy, Napoli have three other very winnable games at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona – against Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt and Viking.

While it is never easy on the road at the top level, Porto and Villarreal will not strike fear into the Serie A runners-up, and Sabah, despite the travelling involved, are the rank outsiders at 2500/1. Odds of 3/1 are certainly tempting.

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Odds correct at time of publish and subject to change.

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