The 2018-19 UEFA Champions League is the 64th edition of Europe’s premier club soccer competition and the 27th season since changing its branding to the Champions League from the European Cup.
Seventy-nine teams were entered into this season’s Champions League and they have been whittled down to the Round of 16. These last 16 teams are made up of the eight group winners from the group stage and the eight runners-up. They now compete in the knockout phase of the competition, which take place over two legs apart from the final which is a one-off game.
The first Round of 16 fixtures take place between February 12th and February 20th with the second legs reserved between March 5th and March 13th, according to the Champions League Schedule. Those teams progressing to the quarter-finals plat on April 9-10th and April 16-17th with the semi-finals kicking off on April 30 and May 1 followed by the second legs on May 7-8th.
This year’s Champions League final takes place at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, the home to Atletico Madrid of La Liga, who are through to the Champions League 2019 Round of 16. The Champions League 2019 final is set to play out on June 1st.
Real Madrid are the reigning champions having won the title for the past three successive years. Bookmakers do not fancy Real Madrid’s chances of winning a fourth consecutive title as they are currently priced at +1200 to lift aloft the winner’s trophy.
Current favorites are Manchester City of the English Premier League with odds of +275. FC Barcelona and Juventus with futures odds of +450 and +600 are Manchester City’s nearest rivals when it comes to winning the Champions League.
Before you place any bets on the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League, make sure you check out our Champions League predictions, put together by a team of soccer experts. Keep reading to discover who we think will win the Champions League final this season.
Best Champions League Betting Lines
The most popular UEFA Champions League bets at this stage of the competition are futures bets on who will win the Champions League. As the draw for the Round of 16 has already been made, many online bookies have altered their odds on the eventual winner, with Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Juventus being the top three favorites.
You can also make money by betting on the outcome of the individual games. Some of the bigger, stronger teams have been drawn against each other which has created some betting lines that offer good odds.
It is also worth looking at the futures market for the Champions League 2019 top goalscorer. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (+185) is the current favorite as he already has six goals. Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (+300) is the second-favorite despite currently leading the charts with eight goals; Bayern Munich play Liverpool which is a difficult fixture and could see Bayern Munich eliminated.
What Are The Champions League Standings
Check out where each team finished during the group stage of the Champions League and look at who plays who in the Round of 16 and beyond. Can you spot a potential upset, one with big Champions League betting odds?
Champions League Predictions
Manchester City are +275 favorites to win the Champions League and although nothing is certain in soccer, the British outfit should easily progress to the semi-finals as they have been drawn against Shalke 04 of the German Bundesliga.
City are -2500 to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals so there is no value at all in betting on this market, but the -260 offered by Bovada on Man City beating Shalke 04 in Germany in the first leg of their quarter-final is more tempting. Shalke 04 are languishing in the bottom half of their domestic league while City are flying high in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City head coach, has been tasked with winning the Champions League, even if it is at the expense of not winning the Premier League. While City have been impressive on the domestic front, they have already lost three Premier League games and lost to Lyon in the group stage of the Champions League. We cannot see City winning this year’s competition.Of the top three favorites, FC Barcelona are best equipped to win the Champions League this season. They were unbeaten in the group stage and take on Lyon of France in the quarter-finals, and they find themselves five points clear in La Liga.
Barcelona have Lionel Messi banging in goals for fun and while Luis Suarez is yet to score in this season’s competition, he is scoring for fun domestically.
FC Barcelona are our pick for Champions League glory this season.
While our Champions League predictions have chosen Barcelona as the winners, you cannot right off the chances of Juventus (+600). The Italians are not unbeatable, as shown by two defeats in the group stage, but they have a certain Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks and he has already won the Champions League five times. Juventus are the experts and making it tough for teams to get at them and if they can overcome a strong Atletico Madrid (+2000) in the quarter-final stage, they could go all the way.
Those of you looking for an outside bet, albeit one that is risky, should look at Liverpool (+800). Jurgen Klopp’s men lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in the final of last season’s Champions League, mostly because of some horrendous goalkeeping by Liverpool’s Loris Karius.
Klopp has significantly strengthened his squad with the additions of Alisson in goal, Virgil van Dijk in central defense and midfielders Naby Keita and Fabinho. This Liverpool side is top of the Premier League and is much stronger than the squad that reached the final last season. The main stumbling block is they face a two-leg quarter-final against German giants Bayern Munich (+1200). Should Liverpool beat Bayern Munich over two legs (-120 to qualify compared to -110 for Munich), they have a realistic chance of winning what would be their sixth Champions League title.
2018/19 UEFA Champions League Winner Futures Odds
- 1. Manchester City: +275
- 2. FC Barcelona: +450
- 3. Juventus: +600
- 4. Paris St. Germain: +700
- 5. Liverpool: +800
- 6. Bayern Munich: +1200
- 6. Real Madrid: +1200
- 8. Atletico Madrid: +2000
- 9. Tottenham Hotspur: +2500
- 10. Borussia Dortmund: +2800
- 11. Manchester United: +4000
- 12. AS Roma: +5000
- 13. Ajax: +8000
- 13. FC Porto: +8000
- 15. Lyon: +10000
- 16. Schalke 04: +25000
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
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