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Champions League Top Scorer Odds: Haaland, Benzema & Mbappe Among Favorites

George Nassios

by George Nassios in Soccer News

Updated Sep 5, 2022 · 7:00 AM PDT

Haaland
Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (9) looks into the crowd after the exhibition match between FC Bayern Munich and Manchester City on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Gpg Bayern Man City Match 7232022 0007
  • The UEFA Champions League group stage kicks off on Tuesday and Wednesday
  • Karim Benzema was the top scorer in the Champions League last season
  • Read below for the odds and predictions on who will be the top scorer this year

The biggest club tournament in all of sports returns to action on Tuesday as the UEFA Champions League is back with eight matches including the Kings of Europe, Real Madrid, taking on Celtic. Karim Benzema was thrilling to watch in the knockout stage last year as he topped all scorers in the tournament with 15 goals.

Real Madrid got a favorable draw in Istanbul a couple weeks ago and are big chalk from the oddsmakers to advance out of the group stage. Meanwhile, for all the disappointment in the Champions League in the Pep Guardiola era, Manchester City are the favorites to be crowned champions this year.

Erling Haaland, who is off to a torrid start in the Premier League with the Citizens, is the oddsmakers choice to be top scorer in Europe’s biggest club soccer competition. Below, we look at other contenders to score the most goals in the Champions League while also giving you our analysis, picks and prediction for top scorer.

2022/23 Champions League Top Scorer Odds

Player Odds
Erling Haaland +300
Karim Benzema +700
Kylian Mbappe +700
Robert Lewandowski +800
Lionel Messi +1000
Sadio Mane +1200
Mohamed Salah +1400
Neymar +1400
Harry Kane +1600
Darwin Nunez +2000
Heung-Min Son +2500
Vinicius Junior +3500
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang +3500
Julian Alvarez +4000
Luis Diaz +4000
Dusan Vlahovic +4000
Romelu Lukaku +4000
Christopher Nkunku +4000
Timo Werner +5000
Rafael Leao +5000

Odds as of September 5th at Caesars Sportsbook.

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Erling Haaland Favorite To Be Champions League Top Scorer

Erling Haaland has proved to be unstoppable in the English Premier League so far this year with 10 goals in his club’s first six games. It’s similar to the astonishing success he’s had in his Champions League career so far with 23 goals from just 19 matches.

It appears as though the Norwegian is embracing the pressure and that will come in handy for his current squad who have underachieved in Europe. Manchester City are the favorites in the Champions League odds, but will have to flush away the memories of their choke job to Real Madrid in the semi-finals last year.

Although he’s only 22 years old, Guardiola will be counting on Haaland to lead the way as he has in the EPL so far. Anything short of a Champions League title will be viewed as a disappointment for the Citizens.

Other Top Contenders in Champions League Top Scorer Odds

Last year’s top scorer, Karim Benzema and fellow Frenchman, Kylian Mbappe are both listed right below Haaland at +700 to score the most goals in the tournament. Benzema carried his team to an incredible title last year, scoring 15 goals in the process.

Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain fell at the hands of Real in the round of 16, a huge disappointment after acquiring Lionel Messi in the summer of 2021. Returning with a strike force that once again includes Messi and Neymar, Mbappe leads the French domestic league with seven goals so far this year.

Although not as clinical as Haaland, Mbappe proved at a young age that he is comfortable playing against Europe’s top clubs in the Champions League. The 23-year-old has 33 goals in 53 matches.

Interestingly enough, after a decade of dominance from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, there has been a different player to lead the Champions League in scoring in each of the last 5 seasons.

Last 5 Champions League Top Scorers

Season Player Goals
2021/22 Karim Benzema 15
2020/21 Erling Haaland 10
2019/20 Robert Lewandowski 15
2018/19 Lionel Messi 12
2017/18 Cristiano Ronaldo 15

Previous to 2020, the award of top scorer was handed to Ronaldo or Messi 12 out of the last 14 years.

What About the Long Shots?

If you’re looking to go for big earnings and bet on a dark horse, there are a number of players who are intriguing options. When making a bet on the top scorer, make sure to select a player from a club that you feel will go deep into the tournament.

Going back and looking at the last 15 years, only one time has a striker led this tournament in scoring without reaching the semi-finals. That was Haaland as a 20-year old, two years ago, when he scored 10 goals for a Dortmund side that got eliminated in the quarter-finals.

While there is no doubt that Benzema is the main talisman for Real, it was teammate Vinicius Junior who scored the decisive marker in the final against Liverpool last year. The Brazilian has never looked more comfortable in Madrid then he does now. He’s scored in three straight La Liga matches after notching 17 goals last year.

With odds of +3500 and playing on a Real Madrid club that consistently finds itself going deep in this tournament, Vinicius is an enticing bet and worth the risk.

Best Bet

Anybody can surprise as the last five year’s of this award has indicated with a different winner each time. At this point, it appears as though Haaland is ready to take the mantle as the best scorer in the world.

Add in the fact that he’ll get over a month of rest, while many others will be playing in the World Cup, and betting on Haaland is a proposition that is too tasty to resist. Pick the Norwegian to lead the Champions League in scoring for the second time in his career with odds of +300.

Pick: Erling Haaland (+300)

 

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