Champions League winner odds: In-form Liverpool lead the way

Liverpool head into Matchday 6 as the favourites to win the Champions League after overtaking Manchester City in the betting.

The Reds’ assured win over Real Madrid at Anfield convinced the bookies to pull them in to 9/2 while City have drifted to 5/1 after they surrendered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at home to Feyenoord.

Here, we assess the prospects of the top five teams in the betting.

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Latest Champions League winner odds

• Liverpool @ 9/2
• Manchester City @ 5/1
• Barcelona @ 6/1
• Real Madrid @ 13/2
• Arsenal @13/2
• 7/1 bar

All odds, courtesy of BetMGM, are correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.

Champions League winner odds – leading contenders

Liverpool 9/2

Liverpool continue to thrive on all fronts, flying high in the Premier League while also blazing a trail in the Champions League, with five wins from five and only one goal conceded. 

Their latest victory, against a Real Madrid side they had failed to beat in eight previous Champions League meetings, was a dominant one, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo grabbing the goals as the holders were overrun.

The Reds are now heavily favoured to go on and win Europe’s most coveted prize for the seventh time in their history. 

Remaining fixtures: December 10, Girona (away); January  21, Lille (home); January 29, PSV (away)

Manchester City 5/1

While Liverpool’s star continues to rise, City’s unexpected malaise gathers pace. They have drifted to 5/1 after another fragile performance saw them squander a 3-0 lead against Feyenoord. 

Pep Guardiola’s men looked to be rebuilding some much-needed confidence as they surged into commanding lead, but after a defensive error by Josko Gvardiol allowed Anis Hadj-Moussa to pull a goal back, City crumbled, conceding two more in the last 10 minutes at a stunned Etihad Stadium.

The result left City 15th in the Champions League table with two tricky away ties up next, against Juventus and PSG.

Remaining fixtures: December 11, Juventus (away); January 22, PSG (away); January 29, Bruges (home)

Barcelona 6/1

Barça’s price lengthened slightly after Matchday 5, despite the La Liga leaders recording a routine 3-0 win against Brest at the Olympic Stadium.

Hansi Flick’s men are the top scorers in the competition with 18 and have chalked up impressive wins against Young Boys, Bayern Munich and Red Star Belgrade, their only defeat coming on Matchday 1 against Monaco.

At 6/1 and with a rejuvenated Robert Lewandowski leading the line, supported by the likes of Pedri, Raphinha and Dani Olmo, the five-time European champions could be worth a punt.

Remaining fixtures: December 11, Borussia Dortmund (away); January 21, Benfica (away); January 29, Atalanta (home)

Real Madrid 13/2

Madrid are fourth in the Champions League betting despite facing the real prospect of missing out on qualification for the next round. 

Their 2-0 defeat at Anfield was their second in a row in the competition, having been beaten 3-1 by AC Milan on Matchday 4, and it left them 24th in the overall standings.

Next, Carlo Ancelotti’s men face unbeaten Atalanta in Bergamo, where the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe will need to step up if they are to avoid dropping out of the play-off places.

Remaining fixtures: December 10, Atalanta (away); January 22, RB Salzburg (home); January 29, Brest (away) 

Arsenal 13/2

The Gunners succeeded where Manchester City failed on Matchday 5, silencing the Jose Alvalade Stadium with a resounding 5-1 victory against Sporting, lifting them to seventh in the standings.

Already 3-0 up at the break, Mikel Arteta’s men didn’t let Gonçalo Inacio’s 47th-minute strike knock them out of their stride as they romped home in impressive style. 

The Gunners’ only Champions League defeat so far was a narrow 1-0 reverse at Inter Milan and, with two home games to come, they look well set to progress to the next round. 

Remaining fixtures: December 11, Monaco (home); January 22, Dinamo Zagreb (home); January 29, Girona (away)

New format for 2024-25 Champions League

This season the previous arrangement of 32 clubs in eight groups of four has been discontinued in favour of a new, slightly more convoluted system.

Thirty-six teams were ranked in four seeding pots, with each drawn to face eight others – two from each pot – and the results counting towards one single league table.   

The top eight in that table will qualify automatically for the round of 16, while those finishing ninth to 24th go into a play-off round to determine eight more qualifiers. Those finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated.

Odds, correct at the time of publishing, are subject to change.