UEFA Champions League Outright Betting Update: Barcelona Unchanged to Retain Trophy

The final round of group matches in the Champions League this week leaves Barcelona as the strong favourites to retain the trophy they won at Wembley last summer, with Bet 365 offering 13/8 on the Catalan side. Barcelona have been as devastating as ever in Europe this season, winning five of their six games in the group stages, and are perhaps even stronger than they were last term following the additions of AlexisSanchez and Cesc Fabregas, both of whom have impressed since joining.

Real Madrid, however, will be confident that they can win the Champions League for the first time in ten years. Jose Mourinho’s side have been perfect in Europa so far and currently lead La Liga by three points, with a game in hand over Barcelona. It remains to be seen how they will fare up against the team that beat them 5-0 last season, but we will not have to wait long in finding out, as the two clash in El Clasico this weekend. Paddy Power are top price on Madrid for the trophy, offering a standout 11/4.

Another side with a rich history in the competition are Bayern Munich, who were beaten finalists two years ago and can be backed at 13/2 with Victor Chandler to go one better this year. Bayern were responsible for Manchester City’s early exit from the competition as they topped a very tough-looking group and with the likes of Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and Mario Gomez in their squad there will be few teams hoping to face them in the next round.

The Champions League has often proved useful as an escape from domestic worries and Chelsea’ 3-0 win over Valencia has done a great job of relieving the pressure on manager Andre Villas-Boas. The Blues have looked unstable at times as the boss looks to blend youth and experience, but there is no doubting the fact that that experience is present and will make Chelsea a threat to anyone they meet. They are now fourth-favourites for the tournament, at 12/1 with Betfred.

Arsenal are the final English team left in the competition and the Gunners can be backed at 20/1 with Sky Bet for a triumph that would surely validate the controversial philosophy of Arsene Wenger. The manager is often criticised for his frugality and emphasis on youth, but with the likes of Emmanuel Frimpong and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain already proving effective in the Champions League he could yet have the last laugh over the doubters.

Italian giants AC Milan and Inter Milan are next in the betting and can be backed at 25/1 and 33/1 respectively with Bodog. Inter are a far cry from the team that lifted the trophy two years ago under Jose Mourinho, but Milan looked dangerous against Barcelona and can boast an attacking line-up to scare even the toughest of defences.

Napoli and Benfica are available at 40/1 and 50/1 respectively with Betfred and Paddy Power, but neither side looks likely to outplay those odds considering the strength of the market leaders. Benfica are perhaps the more appealing bet of the two, though, after their impressive displays against Manchester United both at home and away.

Most bookmakers bet 100/1 the field, but one side worth looking out for could be Lyon, who won 7-1 in Zagreb in their final group game and could prove something of an unknown quantity.

Champions League winner betting odds