Because of a delayed end tothepandemic-hit 2019/20 season, the Champions League returned to entertain football fans across world faster than usual. As the new season is well underway , the question rises again, who will win the Champions League this season?
Last season, none of the final four contestants were representing the Premier League or La Liga Europe’s most financially successful domestic leagues , which have millions of fans following worldwide. What does the gala event of European club football have in store for us this time around?
What Do Bookies Say?
Before the start of the tournament , Manchester City and Bayern Munich werethemostfavouredteambybookmakers. Both teams had 4/1 odds of winning the trophy going into this season. Liverpool are the closest with 11/2 odds.
Champions League estimations from prominent data analysis website 538 echo the gambling world’s anticipations. 538 foresees a 21% probability of Bayern Munich becoming only the second club in history to win back-to-back Champions Leagues.If you are looking for a bookmaker,to place a Champions League bet you should have a look at Bettingformat.
Manchester City came second in 538’s predictions with a 16% possibility of winning the Champions League forthefirst time in theirhistory. Their manager Pep Guardiola had won the trophy with Barcelona before, but he is yet to repeat that feat with any other club.
Who’s Our Pick?
We are backing Bayern Munich to win the Champions League again as well. Apart from a surprise 4-1 thrashing to Hoffenheim, Hansi Flick’s men have shown no signs of losing their brilliant last season form. They are topping the Bundesliga table as expected, with 5 wins and 1 loss.
The Bavarians have started their Champions League campaign emphatically as well. In their first match, they blasted 4 goals past a resolute Atletico Madrid defence. Then, they picked up a 2-1 away win at Spartak Moscow before demolishing RB Leipzig 6-2.
Bayern has lost their midfield general Thiago to Liverpool in the summer, but they replenished their already formidable squad with the likes of Leroy Sane, Marc Roca, and brought back Douglas Costa to the club for a second spell.
We should also point out that Manchester City, who are tipped to be Bayern’s biggest threat to retaining their European throne, has had a difficult start to their domestic league campaign . They did alright in Europe so far, but their league form doesn’t make us overly enthusiastic .
Real Madrid had to wait till their third match to pick up a win in the Champions League after beating Inter Milan 3-2. But, the lack of attacking options up front makes it harder for them to challenge this season. Koeman’s Barcelona didn’t give us any reason to be come hyped too.
With Cristiano Ronaldo at their folds, you can’t rule out Juventus mounting a serious title challenge in Europe. But, on paper, they lack the steel in midfield to do so. Liverpool lost their defensive core as Virgil Van Dijk got injured for the season. So, Bayern seems to be the obvious pick.
