Whether you play Sunday League or Premier League, everyone knows the pinnacle of football is the Champions League. Despite most of the interest in football betting in the UK being tailored towards the Premier League, on a global scale, nothing compares to the Champions League. It is the highest level, the best players of all time have all won or played in the Champions League: Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane. The list goes on and on. Winning the trophy etches your name into the history books, and being remembered for winning the Champions League is a luxury that so few players can achieve.
Every year, we hear the same names mentioned when we talk about the potential winners, but this year is different. Usual favorites, Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League and have been left in the Europa League. Teams like Arsenal have qualified for the first time in years, and this shake-up makes predicting the winners even more difficult.Â
The typical favorites and the winners of the 2022/23 Champions League tournament, Manchester City, are always being mentioned when talking about the favorites, and that is shown clearly by the odds. Manchester City are currently sat at 6/4, meaning they are currently the odds-on favorites and bring in the smallest return by some margin.
Teams like Real Madrid, who are synonymous with the Champions League, have won the trophy an astonishing 14 times. Their star players, like Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, are going to push this star-studded team to the deep stages of the tournament. Players like Jude Bellingham highlight the effects and deep-rooted history of grassroots football, even linking to football’s biggest stages. Bayern Munich are always at the forefront of the Champions League, but with the addition of Harry Kane to an already star-studded team, it would be very foolish to count them out of the race.Â
Although unlikely, Arsenal’s young and hungry team will want to make a statement and what bigger statement is there than winning the Champions League? The young team does have some past success, however, having players like Declan Rice, who led West Ham to Conference League glory last year, or Kai Havertz, who scored the only goal in the Champions League final win against the aforementioned Manchester City in 2021.Â
The 4 teams mentioned above feel like they have the most chance of winning, but this does not mean other teams should be counted out. A team like Inter Milan, who is performing at a very high level and also made the final last year, should not be counted out. In football, anything could happen, and that is the beauty of the game. The shocks and upsets are what make predicting things so entertaining.Â
Teams like Manchester City may have fewer Champions League history than Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but City have arguably the best squad in the world with the best manager in the world. This does not mean the history and the feeling that Real Madrid or Bayern Munich should be near the latter stages of the UCL does not come into play.Â
The inevitability of Real Madrid has carried them to the Champions League on multiple occasions, most recently in the 2021/22 season, with their now-famous comebacks against Chelsea, PSG, and especially Manchester City.
Our Final Thoughts
I think the final will be played by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. I believe the fixture will be a close encounter with Jude Bellingham, the former Borussia Dortmund star, coming back to haunt Bayern Munich in the late stages of the game. I could even see it going to penalties as there is not much to separate the two teams. I think Manchester City will be unlucky to miss out, getting knocked out by the winner in the semi-final after a valiant effort throughout the tournament.Â