Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid Clear Favorites to Advance from UCL Group A

• Reigning UEFA Champions League holder Bayern Munich a heavy favorite to top Group A 
• Atletico Madrid a heavy favorite to also advance ahead of Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow
• Read below to find out our Group A predictions

The draw for the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League has taken place, with reigning champions Bayern Munich and Spanish giants Atletico Madrid meeting in Group A along with Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.

We’ll take a look at the odds for winning the group and finishing top two, take a look at each team and offer a couple of picks.

UEFA Champions League 2020-21 Group A Odds

Odds from DraftKings taken Oct 17

Bayern Munich

The reigning Champions League holders are not only the team to beat in this group but in the competition as a whole. They won last season’s Bundesliga by a whopping 13 points despite their closest rivals, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, appearing to strengthen their squads. They are looking as unstoppable as ever.

But if Bayern’s rivals, European and domestic, are looking for a crumb of hope, it’s well worth noting that already this campaign the Bavarians have been beaten and beaten heavily! Just three days after winning the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, they were hammered 4-1 in Hoffenheim. While manager Hansi Flick attributed this in part due to their Super Cup exertions, it was a reminder they’re not invincible.

🗣️ #Flick on managing workloads: "We want to play our football and implement our ideas fully. That only works with 100 percent. If a player can't give 100 percent, then another will play."#FCBayern #DSCFCB #packmas pic.twitter.com/sxnhLxBKPI

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) October 16, 2020

While Flick has managed to retain most of last season’s squad, he did lose Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool over the summer. Joshua Kimmich has yet to settle in that same defensive midfield role but Flick has recalled Douglas Costa from Juventus as well as buying Marc Roca and Leroy Sane. As a result, Bayern looks to have even more attacking options at their disposal. It’s hard to see them not winning this group.

Atletico Madrid

Atleti’s golden generation has been and gone yet still Diego Simeone continues to put together teams that are competitive both in La Liga and Europe. Based on a solid, uncompromising defense, Simeone’s men will again look to go deep into this tournament and improve upon last season’s quarterfinal, where they were beaten in a one-off tie with RB Leipzig. On the way to that quarterfinal, Atleti managed to eliminate the then holders of the trophy, Liverpool.

But the domestic season, while only three games old, has been a slow burner for Atletico, who, after opening with an emphatic 6-1 over Granada, followed it up with two goalless draws. The concession of a single goal in those three games clearly fits with the Simeone philosophy, but having bought Luis Suarez from Barcelona over the summer, he will be hoping his team won’t fire too many blanks going forward.

📝 PREPARTIDO

Descubre todo lo que tienes que saber sobre el #CeltaAtleti.

➡️ https://t.co/GTtHLLjMiI

🔴⚪ #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/ludWsoSGZS

— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) October 17, 2020

Also in their attack, they have the experienced Diego Costa and young Portuguese superstar Joao Felix, so once fully up and running I’d expect them to be more free-scoring than in recent seasons. They’ll be disappointed to not make it to the Champions League knockout phase but will be pushed hard by Red Bull.

Red Bull Salzburg

As well-funded cousins of RB Leipzig, Salzburg will head into this group with genuine aspirations of making it to the knockout phase of the competition. While beating Bayern to the top spot in the group looks a big ask, they will believe second place, ahead of Atleti, is within their grasp.

As ever, this Red Bull team will have a youthful look but they have a record of developing talented young players, who get sold on for big fees. In the last 12 months, they have sold Erling Braut Haaland to Borussia Dortmund, Minamino to Liverpool, and Hee-chan Hwang to Leipzig. Among those who have been drafted in to fill those gaps are Dominik Szoboszlai and Patson Daka.

The Magnificent Seven ⚽🙌 #RBSHTB

Check out yesterday's highlights! ➡️ https://t.co/UYv8hXHjo4 pic.twitter.com/Kq9xJFnEjR

— FC Red Bull Salzburg EN (@FCRBS_en) October 5, 2020

Domestically, their new season has begun with a bang, and four wins out of four suggest another title is already in their sights. They qualified for the UCL group stages with an emphatic two-legged win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final qualifying round and look in great form. Whether they can make the step up in quality on the European stage will only become clear in the next few months, but they’re not to be written off at this stage.

Lokomotiv Moscow

Lokomotiv finished second in last season’s Russian Premier League, 15 points adrift of Zenit St Petersberg, but qualified automatically for the UCL group stages for just the fourth time. Their best performance in this competition came in 2003-04 when they made it to the round-of-16, losing to the eventual finalists, Monaco.

Under the leadership of head coach Marko Nikolic, this current Lokomotiv team has built a reputation for being solid rather than spectacular, and although down in fifth in the current Russian Premier League table, they’ve only conceded four goals in their 10 games. Last season, in their 30 league games, they conceded 29 – less than a goal per game – so it’s a quality that’s embedded in the Lokomotiv defense.

The flip side of their defensive meanness is a lack of goals, averaging less than 1.5 goals per game. This could be their undoing in the UCL and it’s hard to see them even making third place and earning that spot in the Europa League.

Picks: Bayern Munch to win the group (-286) / Red Bull Salzburg to finish second (+250)