The group stages of the Champions League have already provided some shock results. Teams like Manchester United, Ajax, Olympiacos and Inter Milan all failed to make it out of their respective groups. With those teams now out of the running, who exactly is looking the most likely to win the most sought-after trophy in European football? Here is a closer look at some of the teams who have made it to the final 16 and look likely to make it to the final.
Bayern Munich
If you look to the bookmakers for the clearest indication of who is the most likely to win the league this season, then Bayern Munich is the team that is currently in the top spot. Looking at the current Unibet Champions League betting odds, they currently have the team at 11/4 to win the whole competition.
There’s quite a big gap between them and their second favourite team Manchester City, who have odds of 9/2 to lift that impressive trophy. So why are the bookmakers putting all their faith in Bayern Munich? Well, to start with they’re currently top of the Bundesliga just before the draw for the round of 16 is about to be made. Looking back at their group stage performance is another great indicator of their current form. They were undefeated in all six of their games, suffering just one draw.
Manchester City
As many of the bookmakers have put them just behind Bayern Munich in the odds, it’s important not to rule out Manchester City at this stage. In the Premier League, they’ve had one of their worst starts in years. They’re currently sitting outside of the Europa League qualifying place let alone the Champions League qualifying places. As it stands, both Leicester City and Southampton could be playing in Europe next year instead of either of the Manchester sides. So why are they still so high up in the odds?
Well, they topped their table with the exact amount of points as Bayern Munich, securing 5 wins and 1 draw. Not only that, but their defence was so strong in the competition that they conceded just one goal in all of the first six games combined. With a performance like that, they’ve proved league form and cup form can be completely two different things.
Liverpool
It’s never wise to rule Liverpool out of any competition, especially the Champions League. They have had some magical performances in this competition in recent years. Even when they were 3-0 after the first leg against Barcelona in the 2019 semi-final and many people had written them off, they came back and won the game 4-3 on aggregate. Like the two teams mentioned above, they also confidently secured their place in the next round. They topped their table with 13 points, securing 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. As long as they focus on their upcoming games in the knockout stages, they could quite easily make it into the final.
