The Champions League qualifiers have concluded and with that comes the start of the Champions League season on Tuesday, September 17. Real Madrid are the defending champions of the competition, but this season they will be rolling out a new format for the early stages. There will no longer be a group stage but instead it will be replaced by a league phase where all teams play 8 random matches decided by the draw, 4 home and 4 away, and all teams will have to fight for points to finish in the top 24. The top 8 will automatically qualify while the top 9-24 will have to play in a play-off. With the start of the competition just around the corner now, it is time to see who has the best chance of winning the Champions League Title this season.
To Win Outright
Manchester City +200: Manchester City is coming into this Champions League season as the team with the best chance at lifting the trophy according to the oddsmakers. Man City fell short in Champions League last season but they did win the Premier League Title and they still have one of the better squads in all of Europe. Getting back to the Champions League Final will be a big focus for this team this season and they have both the quality and the depth to do so. They have a very nice path in the league phase which could make them the top finisher after 8 matches, but the knockouts are where they could run into some trouble. There are few teams that can give Man City trouble and there is a very good chance that they could end up back in the Final this year, but there is a better option when betting on a team to win this competition. Real Madrid, the defending champions, are a team that has given Man City trouble in the past and if they run into them at any point, Man City could see themselves out of the competition. They have not had the same success in this competition throughout the years either, only winning the 1 Title just 2 seasons ago. There is some value in Man City to win at this price, but they are not the team with the most value in this competition.
Real Madrid +350: Real Madrid is coming into this Champions League season as the team with the next best chance at lifting the trophy according to the oddsmakers. Real Madrid are the defending champions from last season, but they have the quality and the depth in their squad to repeat as champions. They have owned European competition over the last decade and have been very successful in Champions League specifically. The hunger is still going to be there for this team as well, now that they have brought in more talent to improve their already fantastic squad even more. The big signing for Real Madrid this summer was Kylian Mbappe so there is going to be hunger to win Champions League again as Mbappe will be looking to do what he failed to do at PSG for years and win the Champions League Title. Real Madrid still has one of the better squads in all of Europe and they even went out improving it this summer with more quality and depth. The motivation will be there and even when they have struggled in league play, they are always a different team when it comes to Champions League as this is the desired competition for them to win. Real Madrid has a lot of value at this price to repeat as champions and lift the trophy once again.
Arsenal +800: Arsenal is coming into this Champions League season as the team with the next best chance at lifting the trophy according to the oddsmakers. Arsenal has a very good squad this season and they are off to a strong start in the Premier League. They have the quality and the depth in their squad to make a deep run in this tournament, but last season they struggled and they do not have the experience yet to be consistent like some of the other clubs who dominate. Arsenal has a very good defense that will carry them far, but their attack can struggle to break down opposing defenses at times and that will be a big issue the deeper they go as the defenses get better. Arsenal could very well make a deep run in this tournament, but getting to the Final will be a difficult task for them as they do not have the Champions League pedigree. There is some value in Arsenal at this price, but eventually they will run into a stronger team that takes them out, they are not a true contender to win this competition this season.
Bayern Munich +1200: Bayern Munich is coming into this Champions League season as the team with the next best chance at lifting the trophy according to the oddsmakers. Bayern Munich made a deep run in Champions League last season, but they were stopped short in the Semi Final by Real Madrid who went on to win the tournament. Bayern once again has a very talented squad with lots of quality and depth, but they have a lot to focus on this season which could leave them in a bit of disarray. Champions League is going to be a big focus for them after getting stopped by the champions in the Semi Final last season, but their focus is also going to be on other competitions as well. Last year, they failed to win the Bundesliga Title as Leverkusen took that from them, and they were also knocked out in the 2nd round of the DFB Pokal, leaving Bayern trophyless for the first time in years. They are going to be focused on winning this competition, but they are also going to be focused on taking the league title back so that could affect them deep into the season as they are making their run. They have also had defensive problems for years with the number of goals they allow, and they have not done much to address those problems which makes them a very vulnerable team deep in the tournament as the competition gets tougher. There is no real value in Bayern Munich to lift the trophy this season.
Barcelona +1200: Barcelona is coming into this Champions League season as the team with the next best chance at lifting the trophy according to the oddsmakers. Barcelona has been a bit of a disaster both on the pitch and off over the last few years. They are slowly turning things around though and they are off to a good start in La Liga this season. They are going to be focused on winning this competition as they always are, but they have not really been a true threat in Champions League over the last few years. They have a lot of quality in their starting XI but the bench lacks quality with their depth. They have also fumbled the ball in their own domestic league over the last few years so they are also going to be focused on winning the La Liga Title. They play in the same league as the defending champions Real Madrid so Barcelona will know how to handle them in this competition, but there are other teams that can give Barcelona a lot of trouble as well. They are slowly getting themselves back on track after years of disaster and this might be the year they take La Liga back, but they are going to need some more time to build this squad if they want to be a true threat in Champions League once again. There is no real value in Barcelona to win this competition this season.
Liverpool +1400: Liverpool is coming into this Champions League season as the team with the next best chance at lifting the trophy according to the oddsmakers. Liverpool is off to a good start in the Premier League this season and they have been one of the better teams in the league recently. They have a lot of quality and depth in their squad, but it has not changed much from last season. There have been some changes in the midfield and on defense, but the core of this team has pretty much stayed the same. The only new thing this season is their new manager who has replaced Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool has the quality to make a deep run in this competition, something they were not given a chance at last season. They were not in Champions League last season as they did not qualify, instead qualifying for Europa League. They failed to win Europa League as they were knocked out by the eventual champions Atalanta, but motivation to win a competition like Europa League is always in question for a bigger club like Liverpool that considers itself more Champions League quality. This year they are going to have the chance and after sitting out last season, motivation will be at an all-time high for them. They have struggled to compete with Man City for the Premier League Title the last few seasons, but this competition will always be a focus for them, especially with their new manager. Liverpool could very well make a deep run in this competition and go to the Final, but there are also better teams that they could run into which will give them trouble. The motivation factor along with the talent makes them a nice dark horse to win this competition as the possibility is there, but they are not the best option to lift the trophy this season.
Recommendation
There are other teams on the list who are very good teams with a lot of quality, but none of them have the quality of these top 6 contenders nor the experience to make a deep run to the Final. There are plenty of teams that have the potential to make deep runs this season, but only 1 team can lift the trophy and the defending champions still have the best shot at that with the improvements they have made. Real Madrid at +350 has the most value for a team to win this competition this season as they really do have the best chance and the strongest squad. Liverpool at +1400 has some value as a dark horse as well.