UCL Group B Odds Favor Real Madrid at -175 With All Teams Able to Qualify Ahead of Matchday 6

• Group B is still a toss-up after a wild Matchday 5
• Borussia Monchengladbach currently lead with eight points, while Shakhtar and Real Madrid are just a point behind with Inter also in reaching distance
• Who are the best bets to advance out of this group? Get our preview and best bets below

For the most part, things have gone as expected in the first stages of the Champions League. But in Group B, it’s been an absolute dogfight to this point as to who could advance to the last 16. Matchday 5 saw Shakhtar upset Real Madrid in a 2-0 victory after consecutive defeats to group leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.

Then in the other fixture, the Germans had the opportunity to book their ticket in the next round against Inter, who needed a victory to stay alive.  A VAR offside ruled out Alassane Plea’s equalizer late in the second half, with the Italian giants taking away three points in a nailbiting 3-2 victory.

With that being said, everyone in this group can still advance heading into the last fixture of this stage next week.

Champions League Group B Odds

Odds taken Dec 2 at DraftKings

Gladbach Have Been the Class of Group

For the first time ever, Borussia Monchengladbach has the opportunity to advance to the round of 16 in Europe’s most prestigious competition. Rightfully so, as Marco Rose’s side have heavily impressed to this point. A draw at the San Siro on Matchday 1 was definitely a positive result, followed by another point in Madrid the following week, although they did blow a 2-0 lead.

Gladbach did respond though with two thrashing performances against Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk, beating them 6-0 and 4-0. Frenchman Alassane Plea has been the class of this side in Europe, already netting five times while also tallying three assists. His strike partner in Marcus Thuram has also been a crucial piece of their attack, scoring a brace and setting up another two goals. This duo is arguably one of the deadliest in Europe and a huge reason they’re even at this point in the Champions League.

Although it ended in a defeat, Tuesday’s performance against Inter was gutsy as can be. After going down 3-1 in the 73rd minute, Monchengladbach hit back with a goal just two minutes later from Plea, then scored again just before injury time, but it was canceled out due to an offside call from VAR. It was a controversial call, to say the least, but this squad showed real quality to crawl back into this match. Despite the loss, they still sit at the top of the group heading into a massive clash with Madrid next Wednesday.

Can Los Blancos Turn Things Around?

It’s been an up and down campaign for Real Madrid in UCL play, with just seven points to show for through five games. They’ve beat Inter twice, but have lost on both occasions to Shakhtar, a squad who they should handle without any issues.

In La Liga, they’ve also had their struggles, currently sitting in fourth spot and a whole seven points behind league-leaders Real Sociedad. As for this Champions League group, Zinedine Zidane’s side is still well in the running. Gladbach outclassed them last time out, but Los Blancos were able to claw back and score a double within the last five minutes to secure a point.

A victory is a must next week against the Bundesliga side. A draw could possibly get them through depending on the Inter/Shakhtar result, but the safest bet would be to grab three points.

Shakhtar, Inter Still In the Mix

The Ukrainian giants have held their own in this year’s Champions League campaign, currently tied with Madrid on seven points. Having beaten the Spaniards on two occasions already is a massive feat in itself, but they also found a point in their first meeting with Inter. Obviously, their two defeats to Gladbach were embarrassing, but they can still find a way out of this group with a positive result against Antonio Conte’s men next week.

Now it looks better 🧡

In the @ChampionsLeague group stage closing round, we will play against Inter in Milan on December 9th.#ShakhtarRealMadrid #UCL pic.twitter.com/wg87z3xqq9

— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) December 1, 2020

For the second year in a row, Inter is on the verge of bowing out in the group stage. They’ve won just once through five appearances and need a win and some help to advance. The Nerazzurri will need to beat Donetsk and hope that Gladbach and Madrid don’t end drawn. A draw there, coupled with an Inter win would leave both Inter and Madrid on eight points, advancing Madrid on head-to-head points.

Should both Inter and Madrid win, then Inter and Gladbach would be tied on eight points, with Inter owning the head-to-head points tie-breaker. A Madrid loss would also allow Shakhtar to advance with a single point against Inter.

Best Bet

It’s hard to imagine Real Madrid not going through to the next round. As one of the most successful clubs in the history of European football, I don’t see them being eliminated this early, despite their poor form.

I do think Zidane’s men will secure a victory against Monchengladbach next week. A home win for Inter over Shakhtar would then vault Inter into second-place based on their superior record against Monchengladbach.

I’m going with Madrid as the winners of this group and Inter Milan as the runners up.

Pick: Winners: Real Madrid -175, To Qualify: Inter Milan -139