To most pundits and football fans, Manchester City’s win at the 2023 UEFA Champions League was hardly surprising. Nonetheless, City’s victory was their first major European title since they lifted the 1970 Cup Winners’ Cup. While Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva and the rest of the squad’s definitely in with a good chance of winning the tournament in 2024, there are plenty of variables to consider between now and the final match at Wembley Stadium.
However, thanks to the recent group stage draw results, we can make some pretty solid forecasts about which clubs are going to come out on top.
UEFA Champions League groups
With the group draw results confirmed, we now have a clear picture of which teams are likely to make it far in this competition:
- Group A: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Copenhagen, Galatasaray
- Group B: Sevilla, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Lens
- Group C: Napoli, Real Madrid, Braga, Union Berlin
- Group D: Benfica, Inter Milan, Salzburg, Real Sociedad
- Group E: Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Celtic
- Group F: Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Newcastle United
- Group G: Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys
- Group H: Barcelona, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Royal Antwerp
If you’re eager to start wagering on the UEFA Champions League, group-stage betting is a great place to start. However, don’t expect any massively favourable odds when betting on most of these groups. Just about all of them have a clear favourite.
Let’s take Group A as an example. Manchester United might have once been considered genuine contenders, but the Red Devils aren’t playing anywhere near their best. Instead, it’s Bayern Munich that are almost certain to emerge victorious.
If you’re searching for better odds, take a closer look at Group F. This is a pretty balanced lineup of teams, with any one of them capable of winning the group.
Who will win UEFA 2024: the clear favourites
When picking an outright favourite to win, you have to consider the defending champions. Manchester City are riding high at the moment and are finally transplanting their domestic success to international competition. While it took until 2023 for City to lift their first Champions League trophy, they’ve come close in previous years. What’s more, their journey toward that fateful final clash with Inter Milan saw City take on and beat European heavyweights like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
With Pep Guardiola firmly settled into his role as manager, Manchester City can confidently say they have one of the strongest squads in Europe. If you’re someone who sticks to simple wagers, don’t expect any major returns on a simple bet for Man City to win. If you’re new to online sports betting, head to Bonus.org before you place your first wager. As well as boosting your bankroll, you’ll be able to use bonus offers to unlock free bets and access enhanced odds.
Which teams will give Man City a run for their money?
Few teams have managed to retain the Champions League trophy for more than one consecutive year. In fact, only Real Madrid can claim this accolade if you’re looking at the past couple of decades. While it’s possible that Man City might break this record, you can’t rule out a remarkable campaign from Real Madrid themselves or other rival teams like Bayern Munich.
At the moment, Bayern Munich are considered the only team that realistically has a chance of taking home the title. They didn’t do particularly well during the 2022/23 tournament, but the German side has had some time to work on their issues under the mentorship of Thomas Tuchel. The squad roster is also fairly impressive, with standout players in every position. Bayern Munich have also enjoyed a relatively event-free year on home soil, leaving them plenty of training time to focus on getting ready for the Champions League.
With Real Madrid, things are less certain. They’ve won the Champions League title a staggering 14 times over the years, so it’s no wonder that they’re often touted as potential victors. However, you need to consider the current squad to weigh up their chances. The 2023/24 lineup might look a little different to the one that secured Champions League success in 2022, but some staple favourites remain. However, Real have had to say goodbye to prolific scorers like Karim Benzema. That being said, they’ve invested in their midfielders, with English player Jude Bellingham joining the team in a six-year deal reported to be worth around €103 million and enjoying an incredible start to his career for the Spanish giants.
Wagering on the UEFA Champions League
Standard bets on outright winners might be straightforward enough, but if you’re keen to make things more interesting with group stage matches and in-game betting, you need to be more cautious. Take stock of player and team stats ahead of every match. You’ll also need to consider who’s actually playing. A strong squad might not perform so well if one of their star players is ruled out by an injury, or if a goalscorer has been relegated to the bench for rotational reasons.
