Home of football statistics and historyThe 2023/24 Champions League returns this week with the fourth round of group stage matches scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Reigning champions Manchester City are on track to qualify for the last-16 and should have little difficulty maintaining their unbeaten record at home to Young Boys.
The latest tournament odds according to Ladbrokes rate Man City as 11/5 shots to retain the title and it would be a brave move to back against them achieving the feat.
However, given the competitive nature of UEFA’s top club competition, it may pay to look at other markets rather than the outright betting.
With that in mind, we have scoured the bookmakers’ lists to identify five Champions League bets punters should make this season.
Real Sociedad to beat Benfica
Real Sociedad have made an excellent start to their Champions League campaign, picking up seven points from their three outings in Group D.
The La Liga outfit triumphed 1-0 at Benfica in their most recent match and they are fancied to defeat the same opponents at the Reale Arena.
They dominated possession in their first meeting and look far too strong for a side that is yet to score in this season’s competition.
Odds of 19/20 for Sociedad to win the game look too good to ignore and the Spanish side are fully expected to record another victory.
Man City & Real Madrid to win to nil
Man City and Real Madrid are long odds-on to win their respective games against Young Boys and Braga, but there is value to be had in the ‘win to nil’ market.
The Premier League side are priced at 1/2 to win without conceding and should have little difficulty keeping the Swidd outfit at bay.
Madrid may find things slightly tougher at home to Braga, but odds of 5/4 to keep a clean sheet and pick up three points are a tempting proposition.
The double pays just over 9/4 and should provide punters with a winning return this week.
Lazio to qualify from Group E
Just two points separate the top three teams in Group E and predicting which pair will progress to the knockout stage is no easy task.
Atletico Madrid are the bookmakers’ favourites to go thorough and can boost their chances by winning at home to Celtic this week.
Lazio and Feyenoord will likely fight out the other spot and the Serie A side can strengthen their claims by beating their rivals in Italy on Tuesday.
A victory over the Dutch outfit and at home to Celtic in their next game would make odds of Evens to reach the last-16 look one of the best bets of the year.
Dortmund to qualify from Group F
Borussia Dortmund host Newcastle United on Tuesday in a game which will likely decide which one of them finishes second behind Paris Saint-Germain in Group F.
Newcastle fans worked themselves into a lather after the team’s 4-1 home victory over PSG, but they were brought back down to earth in their most recent outing.
Dortmund produced a professional performance to win 1-0 at St James’ Park and will be confident about repeating the trick at Signal Iduna Park.
The Bundesliga giants are priced at Evens to progress to the last-16. Those odds will vanish if they beat Newcastle this week.
Real Madrid to reach the final
With Man City fairly short in the betting to lift the trophy again, it is difficult to find much in the way of value in this season’s Champions League betting.
However, odds of 3/1 on Madrid to reach the final could be a sensible play given their previous Champions League record.
The 14-time winners are unbeaten in this season’s competition and are well on course to win Group C ahead of Napoli. With England international Jude Bellingham producing a series of stellar performances, Madrid are a good bet to go a long way this season.
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