As the UEFA Champion’s League is heating up, with the quarterfinals about to start, the question on everyone’s mind is “Who’s going all the way?”. UEFA Champions League final odds seem to be the talk of the town this time of year, and it’s no surprise with over 450 million people turning on their TVs just to see the top two leave it all on the pitch for the ultimate prize. The hopefuls remaining in the title race are
- Arsenal
- Manchester City
- Real Madrid
- Bayern Munich
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Borussia Dortmund
- Atletico Madrid
- FC Barcelona
Let’s see who seems like the favorite and who your picks should be.
The Favorites Hail from Etihad’s Stadium
Odds 1.75/1
It’s no surprise that the most dominant football club of the past decade and reigning champions are favorites once again.
Manchester City are given the UEFA Champions League Final odds for winning it all of 1.75/1. Most experts presume that with Pep at the helm, KDB returning, Rodri and Phil Foden in peak form and Haaland always seeming to pull a bag of goals out of nowhere, the City squad should beat anyone who stands in their way.
In the past, there were doubts on their performance at the biggest stage, but last year, with the narrow victory over Inter Milan, the Nerrazzurri in the 2022-23 final, showcased their resilience and capacity to clinch the title under pressure at the biggest stage.
Avoiding injuries and beating the never not scary Real Madrid in the Quarter final may very well be the biggest obstacle Man City has to face along their way, so it isn’t surprising why many hail them as the favorite.
Runner up with the 2nd best UEFA Champions League Final Odds – Arsenal
Odds 5/1
For some it may seem strange that the exiciting but unproven Gunner squad is the 2nd favorite with odds of 5/1. Their stellar form in the English Premier League these past 2 seasons, combined with a relatively favorable draw in the earlier stages of the Champions League, positions them as a serious contender for the title.
However, they face Bayern in the Quarter Finals, and we all know that even with their woeful form at the domestic front, the Bavarians always pose a threat at the highest stage. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Martin Odegaard are all world class players but they do lack the experience at this stage when compared to most of their opponents. This is why Arsenal may be a very high-risk, high-reward pick.
Always Dangerous Real Madrid
Odds 6.5/1
There has been a time when Real Madrid was struggling to get wins in the UEFA Champions League and was playing for 2nd or 3rd at home. However, that time has long gone, and for the better part of 15 years, the Madridistas are bringing terror to every single one of their opponents.
It’s a super dangerous club when they play well, but the truth is, their form has been up and down this season. They lost some high-pressure games against Atletico and struggled when opponents seemed prepared to stop their star-powered offense.
In the Quarter Finals, they got probably the strongest opponent in Man City but if anyone is capable of taking them down at this stage, Real Madrid is that team. We’ll have to look and see if Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Vini Jr., Dani Carvajal, Fede Valverde and company stand on business and rise to the occassion.
Never Count Them Out – Bayern Munich
Odds 7/1
With decent odds and Arsenal as their opponent, Bayern Munich must be content with the draw. Their domestic campaign is in shambles, but the opportunity to slide under the radar and knock everyone off at the European stage is still there. The problem with Bayern of this season is that they haven’t been able to play consistently well. They lost some high-profile games against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer, fell to Werder with coach Tuchel criticizing their effort and readiness. That seems like a theme for this season.
It’s a relatively strange sight for their fans as Bayern was always a team that came ready to play, giving 100 % and nuking opponents, whether it was Der Klassiker or a regular Champions League Group game. If there was a time to get serious, it‘s now.
Let‘s see if Harry Kane, Leroy Sane and the seemingly immortal Thomas Muller with Manuel Neuer still have what it takes to take Europe by storm. A formidable and young Arsenal stands in their way.
Will the Spending Finally Pay Off? – PSG
Odds 8/1
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is a club that has everything it needs to win “on-paper”, but always fails to deliver on the biggest stage. In the last 10 years, despite spending billions, they only managed to make the final once and once reached the semis. Although they lost to some very good teams, it’s still disappointing knowing that they have more money and raw talent than pretty much any other team on the planet.
With hot talks of their best player Kylian Mbappe leaving after this year, it may be the Swan’s song for the current era of PSG. They would like to go out with a bang. Their opponent is a recovering and financially wounded Barcelona which seems like a good draw for a team that aims high. Let’s see how they do.
Is it the Dawn of a New Era? – FC Barcelona
Odds 10/1
The tiki-taka was adored and hated at the same time. The FC Barcelona squads of the last decade were seriously dangerous and had some amazing victories to back up the media hype. However, after major financial trouble, Barca underwent a restructuring and had a fire sale of most of their best players. After winning the La Liga last year, this season marks some stabilization at the European front, with them reaching the Quarter Finals for the first time since 2019/20.
Lamine Yamal seems like a bright, young super-talent, Frenkie de Jong is becoming a master in the middle and Ilkay Gundogan is top class. With the aging veteran like Lewy being able to quickly disperse opponents’ defences, it may seem that Barca has what it takes to get back to winning ways in Europe. However, experts say that it’s PSG’s leg to lose, not Barca’s one to win…
The Fan Favorite – Atletico Madrid
Odds 12.5/1
People love underdogs. And for however long they have been around, Atletico Madrid always remain an underdog to the elite European teams and their cross-town rivals Real. The super exciting squad, headed by club legend Diego Simeone definitely wants to add a Champions League to their tally.
Atletico are off to a great start with the draw, facing Borussia, who many consider the weakest team of the bunch. Having a very experienced squad and players who know how to win big games (Griezmann and De Paul), Atletico can be labelled as the dark horse everyone’s looking for.
Maybe Don’t Count Them Out Just Yet – Borussia Dortmund
Odds 25/1
The German squad is a frequent in the highest stages of European football, but it is by far the smallest team of the 8 remaining. They have some amazing players but their form in the Bundesliga and a solid but not super convincing beating of PSV in the Round of 16 leaves a lot to be desired if you want to defeat purely elite teams.
If they can manage to beat Atletico, it would be a mega surprise. However, at the same time we must mention that some teams do well when no one expects them to. Besides, Signal Iduna Park is always a tough ground for opponents to come into and play, so you never know…