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⚡ Our Champions League 24/25 Outright Requested Treble with Paddy Power
🏆 Real Madrid to reach the final
🥅 Harry Kane to be top goalscorer
8️⃣ Bayer Leverkusen to finish in the top 8 of the league phase
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Anticipation is building with the first running of the new-look Champions League set to get underway on Tuesday 17 September.
The draw for the 24/25 edition of the Champions League was completed just before the international break, with the new format promising excitement right from matchday 1.
Our European football expert has been hard at work to pinpoint the best outright betting tips ahead of the new campaign.
Champions League Outright Tips
🏆 Real Madrid to Win the Champions League
Real Madrid enter this year’s slightly revamped competition as reigning champions having lifted the trophy in June. They beat Borussia Dortmund in the final to secure their 15th trophy in the competition, a record no team comes remotely close to matching.
They’ve added to an already stacked squad by signing Kylian Mbappe and have plenty of depth throughout the side under the familiar tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti, who himself has lifted the Champions League five times.
It’s hard to look past Real Madrid every year for the Champions League, they’re coming off the back of an incredibly successful season where they also lifted the La Liga title, and the majority of that squad has been retained including some incredible young talent that can lead them to European success once again.
🏆 Real Madrid to Win the Champions League
🏆 Arsenal to Win the Champions League
Mikel Arteta has been embroiled in a battle for Premier League supremacy against his former boss, Pep Guardiola, for a few seasons now but in attempting to build a side that can challenge the seemingly unstoppable Manchester City train in the league, it’s possible he’s assembled a team that can instead excel in cup competitions.
Few sides could compete with Arsenal’s defensive record across Europe last season, the Gunners only conceded 29 goals in the Premier League and just four in the Champions League last season, they conceded 0 goals at home. Such defensive solidity is extremely beneficial in the knockout rounds of these tournaments and the Emirates should prove a tough task for any visiting European side.
Arsenal should comfortably navigate the league stage with some favourable ties and are a side we should expect to see competing in the latter stages of this competition. Their defensive structure is arguably the best in Europe and they now have some experience heading into this year’s competition, having been knocked out by Bayern Munich in the quarter-final last season. That experience was something that seemed to be lacking in the Arsenal squad last season, and that ultimately showed through in their away ties.
🏆 Arsenal to Win the Champions League
🏆 Inter Milan to Win the Champions League (E/W)
When assessing the outsiders to win this year’s Champions League, Inter Milan stand out as a side that could peak at the right time. The Nerazzurri dominated Serie A last season finishing on 94 points, 19 points clear of rivals AC Milan in second place. Their Champions League campaign was cut short on penalties against Atletico Madrid last season in a tie that could have gone either way.
Their 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the 2023 final is still fresh in the memory for the majority of this side and coach Simeone Inzaghi, whose project at Inter Milan is quite underrated, having won two Coppa Italias as well as last year’s league title.
Inter Milan’s squad is balanced and has an experience which is rare looking at the strategy of other top sides across Europe, their transfer business wasn’t anything standout but it has improved the depth of their squad with players like Mehdi Taremi and Piotr Zielinski providing good rotation options. More options should benefit them in the slightly longer format this year. Only a European trophy is missing from Inzaghi’s successful spell at Inter Milan and this could be the squad to help him achieve it.
🏆 Inter Milan to Win the Champions League (E/W)
🏆 Real Madrid to reach the final
Of the last 10 Champions League finals, Real Madrid have appeared in 5 of them. Their dominance in the competition is well documented and they have once again assembled one of the best squads in world football to stake a claim for this year’s Champions League.
The role of Kylian Mbappe will be particularly important, he is yet to lift the Champions League despite multiple attempts with PSG and now spearheads a talented side supported by Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo which will cause every side in the competition problems.
The only thing to watch out for with Real Madrid is injuries, a lot of their key players played a lot of football last season and over the summer and the increased strain of a longer format in this season’s Champions League is bound to cause a few issues. They do have the depth to deal with this in almost every position but missing key stars could prove decisive in the latter stages.
🏆 Real Madrid to reach the final
🥅 Harry Kane Top Goalscorer
Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe finished as joint-top scorers with eight goals each in last year’s Champions League. Kane enjoyed a fantastic first season with Bayern Munich despite coming away trophyless – he scored 44 goals in 45 games across all competitions.
Bayern Munich are still an unknown quantity with the Vincent Kompany project still taking shape and yet to be properly tested, however, the early signs are positive. With signings like Michael Olise and Joao Palhinha, we’ll likely see Bayern Munich in the latter stages of the competition again, with Kane leading the line.
Kane has scored 29 goals across his 44 Champions League appearances and will be on penalties for Bayern Munich as they look to bounce back from a disappointing campaign on the whole. One thing which shouldn’t change is Harry Kane’s goal contributions, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are his obvious challengers but the Englishman should be right up there come the end of the campaign.
🥅 Harry Kane Top Goalscorer
8️⃣ Bayer Leverkusen to finish in the top 8 of the league phase
Bayer Leverkusen are coming off the back of their greatest season, winning the Bundesliga undefeated and also reaching the Europa League final. If it was not for that loss against Atalanta, Xabi Alonso’s side would have won a treble unbeaten, having also secured the DFB Pokal.
The Champions League is a step up but Leverkusen will fancy their chances of coming through the league stages automatically, their home ties are against Inter Milan, AC Milan, Salzburg and Sparta Praha, all games they will feel they can win, especially as they didn’t lose a single home game in all competitions last season.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are all heavily fancied to finish in the top 8 of the league phase but the other four spots are up for grabs with multiple new projects and managers vying for a bye to the Round of 16. Bayer Leverkusen come into the Champions League with momentum and have a squad that can withstand the added pressure of the competition.
8️⃣ Bayer Leverkusen to finish in the top 8 of the league phase
Here on Andy’s Bet Club we will have Champions League betting predictions available each week, as part of our expert football betting tips which includes our regular Champions League acca tips.
Be sure to check out our list of the best Accumulator sites to ensure you get the best bang for your buck, and don’t miss out on the best free betting offers and best Champions League sign up offers ahead of the competition beginning.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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