On Tuesday 19th September the 2024/25 Champions League kicked off in a revamped competition.
The Champions League is one of the most watched sporting tournaments, with the final averaging twice as many viewers as the Super Bowl.
UEFA says that part of the secret to its success is its continual evolution of the tournament.
Speaking of evolution, the Uefa Champions League looks a little more like an actual league this year which sees 36 teams battle it out in a league system whereby each team plays 4 home games, and 4 away games, and their points are tallied up across every team in the league.
The first 8 teams qualify for the knockout stages, whilst the teams finishing in 9th to 24th place compete in a play-off system to join the other teams in the knockouts. The finishing 25th or lower will crash out of the tournament entirely.
But who do the bookmakers fancy this year? Let’s take a look…
Favourites
Manchester City
Defending champions Manchester City are the current bookie’s favourites and with Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, and Phil Foden ripping it up, this is perhaps no surprise.
The premier league champions will be in pursuit of a historic back-to-back double.
Form:
- Draw (Inter)
- Win (Brentford)
- Win (West Ham
- Win (Ipswich)
- Win (Chelsea)
bet365 5/2 Boylesports 12/5 Ladbrokes 5/2 Unibet 5/2
Real Madrid
The most successful football club in the Champions League, Real Madrid is always in the mix in this prestigious competition.
Real have bolstered their attacking lineup this year with the marquee signing of Kylian Mappe from PSG. He’ll be in good company with Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior which will surely be one of the most exciting attacking lineups in the tournament.
Form:
- Win (Stuttgart)
- Win (Real Sociedad)
- Win (Real Betis)
- Win (Valladolid)
- Draw (Mallorca)
bet365 3/1 Boylesports 11/4 Ladbrokes 3/1 Unibet 3/1
Arsenal
The Gunners pushed City in last year’s premier league and the market sees them as the current third favourites to win this year’s Champions League.
Unfortunately for Arsenal fans, Martin Odegaard Odegaard who last season was one of the team’s most influential players, has suffered a significant ankle injury during international duty with his native Norway.
Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and Kai Havertz will need to be on top form to ensure Arsenal remain in the thick of it.
Form:
- Draw (Atalanta)
- Win (Tottenham)
- Draw (Brighton)
- Win (Aston Villa)
- Win (Wolves)
bet365 9/1 Boylesports 8/1 Ladbrokes 8/1 Unibet 9/1
Bayern Munich
It wasn’t a good year for Bayern in 2023/24 and poor Harry Kane timed his signing with the club for their first slip-up in the Bundesliga in 11 years as Leverkusen were crowned champions of Germany.
Bayern Munich are traditionally a powerhouse in European football though and having won the competition six times, they’re never going to be written off by the Irish betting market.
The Bavarian club has a star-studded lineup joining Kane with Jamal Musiala, Joshua Kimmich, and Serge Gnabry just a sample of superstars.
Vincent Kompany’s team are not too far behind Arsenal in the markets and you’d expect to see them in the business end of the competition.
Form:
- Win (Dinamo Zagreb)
- Win (Holstein Kiel)
- Win (Freiburg)
- Win (Wolfsburg)
- Win (Grasshoppers)
bet365 10/1 Boylesports 9/1 Ladbrokes 9/1 Unibet 10/1
Liverpool
Despite a slip-up against Nottingham Forest in the premier league, Arne Slot’s team have been quietly going about their business so far this season with wins against AC Milan and Manchester United.
It was always going to take time to readjust following the departure of Jurgen Klopp, but the Reds will be hoping that Virgin van Dijk and co can get back to title-competing ways.
Irish bookmakers have Liverpool as 5th favourites for this year’s Champions League.
Form:
- Win (AC Milan)
- Loss (Nottingham Forest)
- Win (Manchester United)
- Win (Brentford)
- Win (Ipswich Town)