UEFA Champions League Odds Update After Group Stage Draw

• The UEFA Champions League Group Stage Draw was completed on Thursday
• Defending champions Bayern Munich are in Group A alongside Atletico Madrid, Salzburg, and Lokomotiv Moscow
• See the most recent odds for all contenders and our analysis of the draw below

Another Champions League campaign is upon us after the Group Stage draw concluded on Thursday. Several intriguing sides have lined up alongside one another, with Manchester United arguably facing the toughest pod. The Red Devils have to play PSG, Leipzig, and Istanbul Basaksehir, with the first two profiling to be very difficult opponents for the English squad.

The current title holders Bayern Munich should breeze through Group A, with Salzburg, Atletico Madrid, and Lokomotiv Moscow joining them. All eyes will be on Group G, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus and Leo Messi’s Barcelona set to clash. Manchester City, for the second year in a row, has been given a relatively easy draw in Group C with Porto, Olympiacos, and Marseille after crashing out in the quarterfinals against Lyon in last season’s UCL campaign.

2020/21 UEFA Champions League Odds

Odds taken October 1st at DraftKings

Since the groups were announced, there has been significant movement in the Champions League Odds. Man United has moved from +2000 on August 27 to an average of +2433 after their tough draw, while Pep Guardiola’s Man City has moved from +500 to +400, tied with Bayern as the favorites to lift this year’s trophy.

Chelsea has also seen their odds shorten from +2333 to +2000 and after a busy summer where they signed a boatload of new talent, the Blues should soar to the top of Group E, with Europa League winners Sevilla posing the biggest threat to the Premier League giants.

The official result of the #UCLdraw! 🤩

Most exciting group stage match? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/d7ynuEjPq3

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 1, 2020

Bayern and Man City the Current Favorites

Bayern Munich was utterly dominant en route to lifting the Champions League trophy last season. The Bundesliga giants won all 11 fixtures in last year’s UCL campaign, with Robert Lewandowski bagging 15 goals, while Serge Gnabry also added nine of his own.

By no surprise, they open as the favorites to repeat. Atletico Madrid could pose a threat to Hansi Flick’s side with their new-look attack consisting of Luis Suarez and Diego Costa, but Bayern should still finish at the top of Group A. Leroy Sane has already added a spark in the final third for the Bavarians, and frankly, given their form over the last year, Bayern should definitely be considered as a side who could find themselves at the latter stages of this competition once again.

Man City splashed the cash this summer with the hope of strengthening their squad to the point that another embarrassing exit out of Europe’s most prized competition wouldn’t happen. The Citizens added Nathan Ake from Bournemouth, Ferran Torres from Valencia, and most recently, center-back Ruben Dias from Benfica.

The English giants currently share +400 odds with Bayern to win the 2020/21 Champions League trophy and given their group draw, it’s a foregone conclusion that City will be in the last 16. With a younger and more vibrant backline who should provide a lot more solidity, Guardiola’s side will be hoping to progress past the Quarterfinals this term.

Can’t Forget About Liverpool

Although the Reds crashed out of last year’s UCL competition in the Round of 16 against Atletico, it’s hard to look past them. Liverpool is still one of the finest sides in the world, with a deadly attack consisting of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane. They also have arguably one of the best defenders and goalkeepers in the world in Virgil van Dijk and Allison Becker. Jurgen Klopp went out and enhanced his squad, even more, this summer, bringing in former Wolves standout Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara from Bayern, who is one of the most tactical midfielders in Europe.

We can’t forget that the Reds were also in the Champions League Final in back to back years in 2018 and 2019′, winning the latter against Tottenham in Madrid. They’re a shoo-in to dominate Group D, with Ajax, a high-flying Atalanta side, and Danish club Midtjylland. Liverpool currently has the third-best odds at +550, just behind City and Bayern.

Favorites Look Fair Value

Bayern has shown no signs of slowing down after winning four trophies last season. They finally lost a match last weekend, where Hoffenheim beat them 4-1. Nonetheless, the European champions should definitely be in the conversation in regards to this year’s UCL trophy.

Man City has made the necessary signings to strengthen their weakest point on the pitch. Bringing in two proven defenders will absolutely pay off and with an already lethal attack, it would be no surprise to finally see them competing for a European title.

Liverpool is going to continue to play impressive football, but I do see them being eliminated in the semifinals. With this in mind, I believe the two current favorites of Bayern Munich and Man City are justifiable favorites. I believe it’s basically a coin flip between one of those two this season.