Even fans of Vancouver Whitecaps FC have their allegiances when it comes to the Champions League, the most prestigious tournament in club soccer, and after the group stages saw a few major surprises (including the exit of both Manchester teams), the odds have been reset for the knockout stages. Here are your top five bets to make.
Barcelona (+150): Barca has won two of the last three Champions League titles and they are deservedly favorites at Bet Online after winning five and drawing one of their six group-stage matches. Barring injury, there really is no reason to think Barca won’t win again as they look just as good as ever from front to back, led by Lionel Messi and Xavi, but Cesc Fabregas has been excellent since returning to the club from Arsenal.
Real Madrid (+250): The nine-time European winners will host Barca in a La Liga “El Clasico” this weekend, but they’ll also hope to see them next summer in the Champions League final. Madrid was the only team to be perfect in the group stages, which is a major reason why they’re rated highly among those that purchase price per head bookmaking services. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to push Messi for title of the world’s best player.
Bayern Munich (+550): Bayern lost their final group match, but they had already wrapped up first place and they had a crucial trip to Stuttgart this weekend in the Bundesliga. Bayern may be the most balanced team left in the Champions League, but a lot depends on temperamental winger Arjen Robben, who can take over a game as quickly as he can injure himself.
AC Milan (+2000): Only Madrid have won the Champions League more than the seven-time winners from Milan, and they could get even stronger if they can sign Carlos Tevez from Manchester City. Tevez and Zlatan Ibrahimovich would be a potentially lethal strike pairing, if they could manage to get along. Goal-scoring seems to be Milan’s Achilles Heel and those who use bookie software know you need to be able to score at this point of the competition.
Lyon (+8000): Lyon always seem to pose a problem for the bigger teams in Europe, and they have a player that is going to garner a lot of attention when the winter transfer window opens up as Bafetimbi Gomis notched four goals in their group-stage finale and there are plenty of teams in Europe who could use a big, physical striker than has been compared to Chelsea’s Didier Drogba. Lyon is a dangerous team that won’t be overwhelmed by one of the larger sides and they could be a very profitable darkhorse bet at sportsbooks.
