Long before the season even starts, the odds are in for who will become the next European champions
As the dust settles on an international break which has captivated few, the players prepare to take some time off before regrouping for pre-season. We have a long road ahead of us before the return of regular football. Nonetheless, the sportsbook reviews are in and bookies up and down the land are already predicting who will win next season's Champions League.
Real Madrid have barely had chance to descend from their open top bus and we are already wondering who will be celebrating this time next year. The usual suspects are making big early plays in the transfer market. Coaches are leaving and arriving. It's time to put the last season behind us and get excited for the next.
Here are the bookies' top 5 favourites to win the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League
5. Real Madrid (12/1)
As it stands, the current reigning champions who just beat Liverpool a couple of weeks ago are sitting at 12/1. Those are some amazing odds for a team which is only growing in stature and quality. Ancelotti's side have been quick to snap up the latest French sensation Aurélien Tchouameni from Monaco for €72m, as well as finalising their free transfer signing of former Chelsea centre back Antonio Rudiger. Their mixture of experience and youth now looks even more formiddable, as you can only expect the likes of Camavinga, Vini Jr and Rodrygo to get better over the next season. All that coupled with Madrid's knack for winning, even when they aren't the best team, and these early odds are very inviting for the Kings of Europe. Fans will be devestated to miss out on Kylian Mbappe, when that deal looked all but done, but they really don't need him to go all the way in the UCL again.
4. Bayern Munich (7/1)
Julian Nagelsmann's side will be expecting to improve on their poor showing in Europe last season. The inevitable signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool should help with that, but the transfer saga currently surrounding Robert Lewandowski will be toxic in more ways than one. The club have also recently picked up talented youngsters Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui from Ajax. They have a young, growing coach and a squad full of fantastic players, and will therefore surely be in with a shout. However, the situation with their Polish talisman could complicate things greatly. One to be wary of but still very good odds at this stage.
3. Liverpool (9/2)
This season's beaten finalists are coming in third in the running so far. These odds will surely change depending on how new signing Darwin Nunez adapts to life in the Premier League. The young Uruguayan star, signed from Benfica this week, is expected to take the place of Sadio Mane, and his development will be crucial to how far they can go in the Champions League. He shone in Europe last season for his former club so expectations will be high. Liverpool will likely enter the market once or twice more before the games start rolling in and these odds may get tighter. Those confident that Liverpool can become Champions of Europe once again should act fast.
2. Paris Saint-Germain (11/2)
PSG are perennially at the top of these lists every year, despite never winning the big one. They just sacked their manager Mauricio Pochettino yesterday and their odds will likely change depending on who they appoint as his successor. Zinedine Zidane and Christophe Galtier are currently the favourites. Also, keeping hold of the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe, who is surely going to continue to develop at the Parc des Princes, will greatly boost their chances of finally capturing the UCL. Fans will hope they can go all the way this time around after a series of disappointments in recent seasons.
1. Manchester City (11/4)
Like PSG, Man City are always at the top of the bookies odds, despite having never won the UEFA Champions League. Their squad is outrageously good, with strength in depth in every area of the pitch, and arguably the best coach on the planet. It's easy to see why City top this list, despite falling to Real Madrid in the semi final of the latest edition. Bookies still understandably have a lot of confidence in City. They were the far better team against Madrid in the semis and were undone by 60 seconds of madness. They have assembled probably the best squad in world football. Most importantly, they have just signed Erling Braut Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. If Mbappe is the new Messi, then Haaland is the heir apparent to Ronaldo's throne. This young man is going to dominate European football for years and years to come. Can he be the missing piece which gets Man City over the line in this, his first season? We will have to wait and see, but backing Man City has never seemed a safer bet than it does right now.
