Champions League outright predictions with 37/1 group-phase acca!
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
The draw for the new-look Champions League group phase was made on Friday evening, leaving all 36 teams planning for their eight group fixtures between September and January.
Below, I give you a crash course on how qualification to the knockout stages is achieved and run through my favourite tips for the 2024/25 Champions League.
How does the new Champions League format work?
The 36 teams were split into four seeded pots, with every club set to play two teams from each pot. Teams cannot face off against clubs from the same domestic league as them, and the two extra fixtures mean the group stage now runs into January.
After the eight games are played, the top eight of the 36-team league will qualify for the last 16, with the other eight teams decided by a play-off round including the teams that finished ninth to 24th.
Champions League winner odds
- Manchester City – 2/1
- Real Madrid – 7/2
- Arsenal – 8/1
- Bayern Munich – 12/1
- Barcelona – 12/1
- Liverpool – 14/1
- PSG – 20/1
- Inter Milan – 25/1
- Bayer Leverkusen – 25/1
- Atletico Madrid – 25/1
- Borussia Dortmund – 25/1
*All odds correct at time of writing on 30th August 2024 with bet365
Champions League outright predictions
Champions League outright winner – Real Madrid at 7/2
Real Madrid clinched a record-extending 15th Champions League trophy at Wembley last season and they look good value to make it 16 in Munich next year.
They have won 15 of their 18 appearances in the final and have won six of the last 11 instalments, with their last defeat in the final of this competition coming back in 1981 against Liverpool.
Los Blancos’ storied history in this competition would have put them among my favourites for the trophy even before their business in the summer, but the transfer window has been kind to them and they head into the 2024/25 campaign with arguably the best squad in the world.
The world-class talents of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior remain instrumental to Carlo Ancelotti’s side, but the arrival of arguably the world’s best player in Kylian Mbappe could send them stratospheric.
As if that wasn’t enough, teenage sensation Endrick has also arrived in the Spanish capital and scored on his home debut against Real Valladolid.
Led by a manager who has won the Champions League a record five times with two separate teams, it would take a brave man to oppose Real Madrid.
Champions League top goalscorer – Kylian Mbappe at 5/1
Kylian Mbappe shared his first Champions League Golden Boot with Harry Kane last season and there is every chance he could be top of the pile again this term following his move to Madrid.
Real Madrid, as detailed above, are expected to run deep in the competition and, while Mbappa hasn’t quite found his feet at the Bernabeu yet, his quality is undeniable and it is only a matter of time before the goals begin to fly.
Mbappe is already joint-tenth on the all-time goalscoring charts in this competition with 48 strikes in 73 appearances and he could add a significant amount to that tally this term.
Champions League group stage top-eight acca
Manchester City are almost certain to finish in the upper echelon, but odds of 1/9 look too short considering they face Inter Milan, PSG, Juventus, Feyenoord, and Sporting in the group stage.
Liverpool, while impressive under Arne Slot, are in a similarly tough spot after drawing Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, Lille, PSV, Bologna, and Girona.
Arsenal look short, but they are undeniably one of the best teams in Europe right now and do not have a hugely difficult set of fixtures, with PSG and Inter representing the only major hurdles.
Bayern Munich’s draw looks relatively favourable and they have an excellent record in the previous Champions League group format, so I’d back them to make the top eight.
Borussia Dortmund face both of the Spanish giants, but apart from that all of their fixtures look winnable and they could be good value at 7/4.
Barcelona are also a solid price, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund offering the big challenges but fixtures against Atalanta, Benfica, Young Boys, Red Star Belgrade, Brest, and Monaco all seem winnable.
And finally, for those looking to boost what is already a 10/1 four-fold, AC Milan could provide a lot of value at 5/2. Meetings with Liverpool and Real Madrid will be very tough, and Bayer Leverkusen could be similarly difficult, but they could very easily win all of their remaining five fixtures against Club Brugge, Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb, Girona, and Slovan Bratislava.
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