Barcelona and Real Madrid lead the race for the Champions League as the knockout stages approach
Europe's premier club competition returns this month and the bookmakers seem convinced that Real Madrid and Barcelona are still the teams to beat
Feb 6, 2012 2:20:00 PM
By Adam Bate
Getty
The Champions League resumes this month and the absence of the Manchester clubs appears to have clarified things somewhat in the eyes of the bookmakers – the trophy is staying in Spain.
Defending champions Barcelona are 6/4 (2.5) favourites with William Hill to become the first team in the Champions League era to retain the trophy. And the best bet to stop them? Arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho’s men are flying high in La Liga having won a staggering 18 of their 21 league games this season.
CKSA Moscow are unlikely to hurt them in the last 16 of the Champions League – but all the indications are that Barcelona are the only team capable of stopping Real Madrid.
Mourinho’s men have been unable to beat Barca in five attempts already this season. But if the champions should slip up elsewhere, Real can be expected to finish the job. They can be backed at 5/2 (3.5) to win this tournament for the first time in a decade.
Looking past the Spanish giants, there could be value in backing one of the remaining English or Italian teams – if you are feeling confident your pick can get past their last-16 opponents.
Arsenal and AC Milan, for example, will contest a quarter-final place and this leaves both sides at a fairly high price currently. Arsenal can be backed at 20/1 (21.0) and Milan – the Serie A champions – are 25/1 (26.0) outsiders at present with William Hill.
In the other England v Italy clash later this month, Chelsea and Napoli will do battle over two legs. The London side have been the nearly men of the Champions League in recent years and if those sides couldn’t go all the way, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the chances of this vintage. Andre Villas-Boas’ men are still the 12/1 (13.0) fourth favourites with William Hill, though.
This faith in Chelsea appears to assume the Stamford Bridge outfit will have too much for Napoli. The logic is sound given that Walter Mazzarri’s side are languishing in seventh place in the Serie A table having won less than a third of their games so far this season.
However, Napoli’s counterattacking style might be well-suited to Champions League football. It was certainly enough to take care of Manchester City in the group stages.
If you think it’s going to take something a bit different to find a way past Barcelona, maybe Napoli can provide it and they are available at a huge 40/1 (41.0) with William Hill.
Sign with William Hill to bet on the Champions League and recieve a £25 free bet
Adam Bate is a professional freelance journalist who specialises in football and betting. He is editor of GhostGoal which can be found here - you can also follow Adam on Twitter
Defending champions Barcelona are 6/4 (2.5) favourites with William Hill to become the first team in the Champions League era to retain the trophy. And the best bet to stop them? Arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho’s men are flying high in La Liga having won a staggering 18 of their 21 league games this season. CKSA Moscow are unlikely to hurt them in the last 16 of the Champions League – but all the indications are that Barcelona are the only team capable of stopping Real Madrid.
Mourinho’s men have been unable to beat Barca in five attempts already this season. But if the champions should slip up elsewhere, Real can be expected to finish the job. They can be backed at 5/2 (3.5) to win this tournament for the first time in a decade.
Looking past the Spanish giants, there could be value in backing one of the remaining English or Italian teams – if you are feeling confident your pick can get past their last-16 opponents. Arsenal and AC Milan, for example, will contest a quarter-final place and this leaves both sides at a fairly high price currently. Arsenal can be backed at 20/1 (21.0) and Milan – the Serie A champions – are 25/1 (26.0) outsiders at present with William Hill.
In the other England v Italy clash later this month, Chelsea and Napoli will do battle over two legs. The London side have been the nearly men of the Champions League in recent years and if those sides couldn’t go all the way, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the chances of this vintage. Andre Villas-Boas’ men are still the 12/1 (13.0) fourth favourites with William Hill, though.
This faith in Chelsea appears to assume the Stamford Bridge outfit will have too much for Napoli. The logic is sound given that Walter Mazzarri’s side are languishing in seventh place in the Serie A table having won less than a third of their games so far this season. However, Napoli’s counterattacking style might be well-suited to Champions League football. It was certainly enough to take care of Manchester City in the group stages.
If you think it’s going to take something a bit different to find a way past Barcelona, maybe Napoli can provide it and they are available at a huge 40/1 (41.0) with William Hill.
Sign with William Hill to bet on the Champions League and recieve a £25 free bet
Adam Bate is a professional freelance journalist who specialises in football and betting. He is editor of GhostGoal which can be found here - you can also follow Adam on Twitter
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