The Champions League is the premier European club competition for football fans and the first part of the competition is now over. From eight groups, two teams have qualified to give us 16 teams that will now progress into the knockout phase.
One of these will go all the way and lift the trophy in May, much to the delight of their fans. But who is fancied to do that?
We have a little while to wait as the first knockout round doesn’t begin until February and ends in March.
However, that hasn’t stopped the bookmakers putting together their odds for the outright winner market, so we can see where the money is going and who is fancied to win this competition the most.
Bayern Favourites to Win Again
After winning the 2020 Champions League final against PSG, Bayern Munich are favourites to win again in 2021.
The German side has been a giant in Europe for many years, so it is no surprise to see them towards the head of the market, they have been there for over a decade, each and every season.
However, what we saw from them last season was a real dominance, they brushed aside some very good sides with ease. With that in mind, it is no surprise to see them head the betting.
This has been the case since the start too, over the summer before we kicked a ball in the Champions League this season, Bayern were always favourites with the bookmakers.
A best price of 11/4 can be taken on them, and that will only decrease with each win they have. The Germans take on Italian side Lazio in the first knockout round.
Strong Challenge from Two English Clubs
Behind Bayern Munich in the latest betting we have two English clubs, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Manchester City are second favourites, generally a 4/1 chance and they have been a team spoken about for many years. Over the last decade, they have never won the tournament and have never made the final either, but are always amongst the favourites.
Will this be the year they make their mark on the competition or will it be another year for Manchester City to come up short.
Liverpool are third favourites and many online bookmakers across the UK will have taken bets on both Liverpool and Manchester City from their fans.
Jurgen Klopp’s team won the 2019 Champions League final, beating fellow English side Tottenham and have since won what was becoming an elusive Premier League title.
You can back Liverpool at 13/2 with a few bookmakers, so they are priced bigger than Manchester City despite winning this trophy in the past, and winning the Premier League last season.
Who are the Lively Outsiders?
There are 16 teams remaining in the competition and so far we have only mentioned three of them, so another 13 remain. Everyone else is priced up at double figure odds so there could be value out there.
Those up to date with the latest football news will know the bigger names such as PSG, Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona and on their day, these teams all have the ability to cause a surprise and get involved.
Further down the list, we are seeing new teams come to the fore and challenge the European elite. The likes of Leipzig and Atalanta are two prime examples of this. Both have emerged as contenders in their own domestic leagues, and are now trying to stamp their authority on Europe.
Bayern Munich will certainly have something to say about that though, as they look to defend their crown.