Champions League Group F Odds & Prediction: Dortmund and Lazio Favored to Advance

• Borussia Dortmund heavily favored to get out of Group F with -400 odds of a top-two finish, followed by Lazio at -182
• Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg missed qualifying for knockout rounds by one point last season
• Read on for a look at all four teams, full odds and best bets for Champions League Group F

It’s fair to say that Group F might lack the star-studded European heavyweight clubs, but what the quartet lacks in glamour it may well make up for in pure competition. While Borussia Dortmund and Lazio are favored to move on, the Russian and Belgian league champions are no strangers to this stage of the Champions League, and aren’t about to lie down for anyone.

Zenit St Petersburg finished just one point behind eventual Champions League semi-finalists Lyon in last season’s group stage, while Club Brugge have reached this stage for the fourth time in five seasons, although they’ve never qualified from a Champions League group.

Champions League Group F Odds

Odds taken Oct. 17th from DraftKings.

Dortmund Ready To Roar

After back-to-back round-of-16 exits, the 1997 Champions League winners will have designs that go well beyond merely qualifying from the group. With a youthful squad, highlighted by the likes of Erling Haaland, Gio Reyna and Jadon Sancho – three of the continent’s most in-demand young talents – Lucien Favre’s team should have little trouble negotiating its way out of Group F.

Erling Haaland and Marco Reus link up to give Dortmund their first away win against Hoffenheim in eight years 🤝#TSGBVB highlights 📽️ pic.twitter.com/3VFiY0wMM7

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) October 17, 2020

Whether Borussia Dortmund can edge the likes of Lazio to claim top spot and a more preferential seeding for the knockout stages will depend on how well that young talent is blossoming. So far this season, Haaland has very much picked up where he left off last term, with four goals in four Bundesliga games, as well as one more in the German Supercup.

🇳🇴 Haaland hat-trick 🔥🔥🔥

Make that 51 goals in his last 48 games for club & country!#UCL | @BVB https://t.co/9aynvx40Qd pic.twitter.com/Ls9g5lFiGT

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 11, 2020

While Reyna has one, Sancho is yet to get off the mark, so it is largely Haaland’s goals that have led Dortmund to three wins from their first four games, and third spot in the Bundesliga.

Dortmund reached this stage by finishing second to a treble-winning Bayern Munich squad, but were only just edged by eventual Champions League finalist Paris St-Germain in the round of 16. But with their squad largely unchanged, it would seem the only way that Dortmund doesn’t qualify, and qualify as group winners, would be if they look past the round-robin.

Pick: Dortmund to finish first (-143)

Lazio Lacking Experience

Making a first Champions League appearance in five seasons, Lazio cannot afford to feel their way into this season’s competition.

Their lack of experience at this level could be their undoing, but in the interim, Simone Inzaghi’s team has been a consistent player in the Europa League, reaching the quarter-finals in 2018 and the round-of-32 in 2019. However, Lazio bowed out in the group stage last year after suffering four defeats in their six games.

Lazio being back in the Champions League brings back memories 😍#UCLDraw pic.twitter.com/2G4ZWYZ5ks

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 1, 2020

After qualifying by fourth in Serie A last year, Lazio have started poorly this campaign, with two defeats and a draw in their first four games, leaving them 11th in the table.

⏹ | FULL TIME

A dominant win as goals by #Quagliarella, #Augello and #Damsgaard put #Lazio to the sword.#SampLazio 3️⃣-0️⃣#SerieATIM #FORZADORIA 🔵⚪️🔴⚫️⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/YlTgbh7WyZ

— Sampdoria English (@sampdoria_en) October 17, 2020

With rumours of Massimiliano Allegri being lined up to replace Inzaghi already, an unsettling start to the campaign does not bode well for the Champions League, even with the likes of 39-goal striker Ciro Immobile in the lineup.

Pick: Third

Zenit Brings Intrigue

Winners of the past two Russian championships, Zenit will be hungry to get their teeth into some European opposition once again, particularly given the way last season’s campaign ended.

Both Zenit and Benfica finished the round-robin on seven points, one back of eventual Champions League semi-finalists Lyon, and so the Russian club will be in little doubt about its ability to compete on this stage.

#ZenitSochi highlights 📺#RPL pic.twitter.com/wuzxrc8ICZ

— Russian Premier Liga (@premierliga_en) October 17, 2020

With seven wins and three draws from their first 11 games, Zenit is currently tied with Spartak Moscow atop the Russian league, and so unlike a team like Lazio, the Russians have already found their stride and are in midseason form. And Artem Dzyuba and Sardar Azmoun, in particular, are in fine form with six goals each.

Pick: Top-2 (+150)

Brugge Bringing Up The Rear

No disrespect to the Belgian champions, but the world of European soccer has evolved greatly since the team made the European Cup final back in 1978. Club Brugge made a concerted effort in 1992-93, where they were involved in the group stage that decided the two finalists that year.

But they have never made it out of any Champions League group and haven’t qualified from a Europa League group since 2015, when they reached the quarter-finals.

FT – #STACLU 1️⃣ – 1️⃣

The two sides share the spoils. A stoppage time penalty goal from the hosts cancels out Diatta's first-half opener. pic.twitter.com/qe0Kn0LhVB

— Club Brugge English (@ClubBrugge_en) October 17, 2020

The one thing going in Brugge’s favor is its start to the Belgian league, where they have won six and drawn one of their first nine games, putting them joint-top of the Belgian first division. But the Champions League is a step up that Club Brugge looks ill-equipped to make.

Pick: Fourth