Mark Langdon
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Real Madrid has won the Champions League 4 times since Barcelona’s most recent success in 2014-15 but the famous trophy could return to Camp Nou this season.
The last 12 winners of the UEFA Champions League have all come from either Spain (7 wins), England (3) or Germany (2 wins) and Barcelona will be hungry for a 6th European crown after Madrid won its record-breaking 14th with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in last season’s final.
Let’s take a look at the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League odds:
UEFA Champions League odds
EPL champion Manchester City is the +220 favorite with FanDuel Sportsbook for this season’s Champions League, followed by French champions Paris St-Germain at +550, last season’s runners-up Liverpool at +650, Bayern Munich at +700, Real Madrid at +1100 and Barcelona at +1400. Two more EPL clubs follow in Tottenham (+1600) and Chelsea (+2100), with each other club available at odds of +3400 or higher.
The group-stage games start on Tuesday, with the final in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10, 2023.
UEFA Champions League best bet: Barcelona (+1400)
Barcelona has risked its financial future on building a squad that is ready to win now and it could just pay off for the Spanish club in this season’s Champions League. Barca was a team in crisis last season but through creative accounting, sponsorship deals, including a mega one with Spotify, and selling off future income it has been able to sign a number of outstanding players.
The best of those is superstar striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich but he is not alone. Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen can all improve the Barcelona starting lineup, while Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso add depth. Frenkie de Jong, Ousmane Dembele and Memphis Depay have remained despite links to moves away from Camp Nou — or Spotify Camp Nou to give it its full name these days — and the probable improvement of young superstars Ansu Fati, Gavi and Pedri should be music to the ears of bettors who back Barcelona at the current generous odds.
The draw is tough. Playing Bayern Munich and Inter Milan is not ideal, but there is a gentle introduction against Plzen and Barca has opened the season superbly, winning by 3 goals away to both Real Sociedad and Sevilla.
Other Champions League contenders
Manchester City is favorite to win and deserves to be, despite an almost annual heartbreak in a competition which has so far been cruel to Pep Guardiola’s team. Erling Haaland has already started with 10 goals in his first 6 EPL games but it seems unlikely that City’s odds could change much before the knockout phase.
Paris St-Germain, much like City, is obsessed with winning a first European Cup and this could be a strong chance for the French club. New coach Christophe Galtier has changed formation (3-4-3) to suit Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as well as his flying wingbacks. Team unity, so often a problem, appears to be much better and PSG should not be dismissed lightly.
Liverpool has reached 3 finals in the last 5 years, although this season has not started well for the Reds and Bayern Munich’s defense will be put under more pressure in Europe than it is in the Bundesliga. Holders Real Madrid found a way to win last season but that success involved plenty of good fortune and that will be difficult to repeat.
The English Premier League is where the money is these days and therefore London duo Chelsea and Tottenham need to be respected. Chelsea is the more interesting pick after new owner Todd Boehly’s expensive outlay on summer transfers, but Barcelona looks the best bet.
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