Champions League Outright Betting Preview

With this season’s Champions League candidates now whittled down to 16 as the second phase prepares to get underway on February 14, there are some excellent prices available for the outright winner and a whole host of clubs with genuine claims towards reaching the final of Europe’s premier club competition in Munich on May 19.

Indeed, with the potential to be contesting the showpiece on their home ground, Bayern Munich look a real standout bet at 11/2 to eclipse the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid to the trophy.

The Germans powered through the group stages and have arguably been the most impressive team in the competition so far.

Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mario Gomez complete an extremely formidable strike-force and backed up by midfield generals Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger, the Bavarians are in with a massive shout – especially considering that they should ease through to the last eight having drawn tournament outsiders Basle, who progressed from their group at the expense of an under par Manchester United side.

Barcelona will obviously be there or thereabouts once again however the 13/8 about the Catalans retaining their European crown just looks a little too short as there are a lot of clubs capable of causing them problems.

Real Madrid are a class act under Jose Mourinho but their recent record in the competition hardly instils much confidence and they should be held by rivals Barca one way or another even if they manage to progress far enough to face them.

Napoli vs. Chelsea definitely looks one of the more intriguing last 16 fixtures however both clubs are unlikely to be good enough to rule supreme overall.

Another English team facing Italian opposition in the second round are Arsenal and the Gunners should also be avoided in the outright betting at 25/1. Although they achieved a great deal in qualifying from a tricky group which included Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Olympiakos, the Gunners are in dismal form domestically and opponents AC Milan are likely to prove too strong.

Milan once again have an ageing side however their experience should see them through to at least the last four and at 28/1, punters could get a decent run for their cash on the Rossoneri who are but for Real Madrid the most successful club in European Cup history.

Benfica’s odds of 50/1 are probably a little big due to their own strong European pedigree; however it is AC’s rivals Inter who complete a treble of alternatives to backing the mighty Barcelona.

The 2010 champions started this campaign incredibly poorly however boss Claudio Ranieri now has a fully fit squad once again and their overall form has improved dramatically.

Inter have climbed back to the top of Serie A and further progress can be expected in the Champions League, with Marseille being their first victim in round two.

Like AC, Inter are also priced up at 28/1 to conquer Europe in 2012 and this has to be seen as value. Between the three clubs, Bayern, AC and Inter offer solid alternatives for the punter at big odds and at the very least can put Barcelona’s title defence to a very severe test.

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02/02/2012     © Frixo 2024