2024-25 UEFA Champions League Odds and Predictions: Who Will Stop City?

Manchester City are back after winning the English Premier League, but their Champions League title defense ended in the quarterfinals last season at the hands of Real Madrid. The two European powerhouses went all the way to extra time, and then penalties, but Real Madrid pulled it out before going on to win the title.

“My friends from school were watching a match on TV, and ‘the guy from down the hall’ came on the screen….

They couldn’t believe it was really me.”

From uni student to @ManCity to Ballon d’Or finalist. This is Rodri.https://t.co/O0YXkvq4Pv

— The Players’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) September 6, 2024

They’re still deep everywhere, with Ederson in goal, and the duo of Rúben Dias and John Stones in defense. Rodri won Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024, and saw his Ballon D’or odds skyrocket.

Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden are the offensive sparks, but City also has Jérémy Doku, Bernardo Silva, and now Savinho to frighten the opposition. Up top, you have Erling Haaland, arguably the most prolific striker in the world.

Most importantly, City is still led by Pep Guardiola, who won two Champions League with Barcelona, and then with City in 2023. Guardiola might be the best manager in the world, still. As long as he is motivated, Manchester City have a good chance to win any competition they’re in.

The big problem here are the UCL winner odds for City. Getting only +200 in a knockout tournament is not the best idea. If you’re going to back Guardiola and his boys, better back them against every single opponent in the knockouts. The cumulative odds would surely be higher than +200.

There are three things for certain in this world: death, taxes, and Real Madrid in the Champions League. No team has won this tournament more than Madrid, who have won 15 times. AC Milan is next with seven, and none since 2007. For context, Real M has won six times since 2014. Carlo Ancelotti is doing a brilliant job in Madrid.

Midfield maestro Toni Kroos called time on his career, but the team is still in fantastic shape. Thibaut Courtois is still one of the best keepers in the world, while Antonio Rüdiger leads an underrated back line.

Federico Valverde isn’t the same type of player as Kroos but can have just as big an impact on both ends, while Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouameni add steel to the midfield. Moreover, 39-year-old Luka Modrić is back for another year.

🧊 @KMbappe 🧊#LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/GJNj2FKjvj

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 3, 2024

Further up the pitch, Real Madrid has a wealth of attacking power. Vinícius Júnior is the favorite to win the Ballon D’or, while Jude Bellingham won Player of the Season in La Liga. Rodrygo didn’t make the Ballon D’or list, but he probably should have. They added 18-year-old Brazilian wonder kid Endrick.

Did I mention that Real Madrid also added Kylian Mbappé? FOR FREE? Both the French striker and his team started the season slowly, but they have plenty of time to figure it out before the deciding stages of the Champions League.

Arsenal comes in third after a gap in these UCL odds, and they’ve never won the Champions League. However, the Gunners have their strongest squad since the Thierry Henry days. Mikel Arteta has a deep and skilled team he can call upon.

🥁 Introducing our Player of the Month for August…

Bukayo Saka 🎖️

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 6, 2024

Bukayo Saka should be a Ballon D’or contender for years to come, while Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard have been fantastic.

Declan Rice dominates the midfield, while new signing Mikel Merino will join him after he returns from injury. The Gunners also bough Riccardo Calafiori to compete with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in central defense but also provide cover for multiple positions. David Raya has made the #1 spot in goal his own.

It is tough to see Arsenal beating Manchester City or Real Madrid over two legs, however. Havertz is fine as a striker, but Arsenal doesn’t have a natural, pure goal scorer (it’s not Gabriel Jesus). Arsenal are still a little young, although they earned some battle scars by just coming up short against City in the Premier League for two seasons in a row.

They do offer some strong betting value, and maybe this is the season where it comes together for Arsenal. The problem is that the Gunners will likely fight on multiple fronts in the spring, so that could be an issue.

Barcelona appears even younger than Arsenal. 17-year-old Lamine Yamal was one of Spain’s best players in their Euro 2024 campaign. Pedri and Fermen Lopez are both 20 years old. The injured Gavi is also 20, while defenders Pau Cubarsí and Alejandro Balde are 17 and 20, respectively. All of these players are getting major minutes with Barça, who still have Marc-André ter Stegen in goal.

Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, and Pedri all played in Spain’s win over Switzerland.

Ferran ⚽️ + 🅰️
Lamine Yamal 🅰️

📸 @SEFutbol pic.twitter.com/rBBO6dwDuw

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 8, 2024

Hansi Flick has come into Barça and got them playing great to start the season. For all the youth on the team, Barça still depends on 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski up top.

However, I’m skeptical on Barça’s depth throughout the season. They’ve already had a few injuries to start the season, namely Gavi, Marc Bernal, and Frenkie de Jong are yet to play a game. Their starting 11 can compete, but if they can’t stay healthy, I can’t see Barcelona making it to the final in Munich in May 2025.

Inter Milan (+2500)

Inter Milan rolled through Serie A to win for the first time since 2021, but they were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League, losing to Atlético Madrid on penalties. They’ll want to progress further this season.

They’ll need a big campaign from Lautaro Martinez, who scored for fun in Serie A, but found the net just two goals in the Champions League. Inter is also powered by Hakan Çalhanoğlu, one of the most underrated midfielders in Europe, and Marcus Thuram is an excellent partner for Martinez up front.

Alessandro Bastoni marshals a versatile defense, and Simone Inzaghi has this team playing the way he wants to. With a good draw in the knockout phase, Inter could turn some heads.

Bayer Leverkusen (+2500)

Leverkusen made it through all of last Bundesliga season undefeated in one of the best stories of the campaign. They didn’t lose until the Europa League final, falling 3-0 to Atalanta. But they didn’t suffer any major losses during the offseason, and instead gained a fantastic midfielder in Aleix Garcia.

Garcia will pair up with Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka in a dynamic midfield, while Victor Boniface looks for another good season at striker. Jeremie Frimpong and Álex Grimaldo may be the best fullback duo in Europe.

Jonathan Tah decided to stay at Leverkusen despite strong interest from Bayern Munich. However, he’ll leave the club after this season. Xabi Alonso was the best manager on the continent last season, steering his team to a magical season. Leverkusen won’t surprise anyone this season, so that will be their biggest issue. Teams will come prepared!