Europe’s biggest club competition is back this September, with the top clubs vying for glory in the 32nd season of the UEFA Champions League. After securing the title for the Citizens, Pep Guardiola would be looking to emulate Real Madrid’s record of winning back-to-back Champions League trophies. Chelsea’s win in 2012 was the last time a non-favorite won this title, and Inter Milan came really close last season. Can the big boys continue the trend, or will we see another surprising win in the UEFA Champions League?
The Group stage of the UEFA Champions League starts on the 19th of September, 2023, and ends on the 13th of December, 2023. The Wembley Stadium in London will be the host of this year’s final, and 32 teams have qualified for the group stages.
| Tournament: | UEFA Champions League 2023/24 season |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Stadiums across UEFA members’ countries |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 19th September – 1 June 2024 |
Manchester City is the favorite once again to retain their European title. According to the bookmakers, we have other giants like Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona among the top five favorites. Arsenal returns after a six-year absence, and they make the list of top contenders to win the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid has won the Champions League more than any team, and they are a top contender in this season’s edition.
Below you can find the favorites to claim the biggest prize in club football:
Can a renewed PSG fight for the title this season? Or can one of the Italian Serie A teams come close again?
| Teams | Predicted Group Finish |
|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Manchester United | 2nd |
| Galatasaray | 3rd |
| Copenhagen | 4th |
Bayern Munich and Manchester United are the big teams in Group A, and they are likely to progress to the knockouts ahead of Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen. The Red Devils do not have fond memories of the German team, as they lost their last European meeting against the Bavarians. Bayern Munich has the best team here, and they should top this group easily.
Manchester United has slipped up a lot in the last few seasons, but with all players fit, they should make it to the round of 16. Copenhagen is the worst of the pile, and they are likely to end this group in fourth place, while Galatasaray can settle for a place in the UEFA Europa League.
| Teams | Predicted Group Finish |
|---|---|
| Arsenal | 1st |
| Sevilla | 2nd |
| PSV Eindhoven | 3rd |
| RC Lens | 4th |
Arsenal is the top favorite in Group B, and they are joined by Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven, and RC Lens. The Gunners have a very good team, one that pushed for the English Premier League last season, and they have even gotten better this year. Arsenal has a good shot at finishing as group winners, but they would face good competition from Sevilla.
After winning the UEFA Europa League last season, the Red and Whites would be aiming to reach the knockouts of the Champions League, and this is a very achievable feat for them. RC Lens and PSV Eindhoven are almost evenly matched, but the Dutch team has a more experienced team, and that could be the difference in who comes last.
| Teams | Predicted Group Finish |
|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 1st |
| Napoli | 2nd |
| Union Berlin | 3rd |
| Braga | 4th |
Real Madrid has an easy path to the last 16, and they begin their journey with a game at the Santiago Bernabeu against Union Berlin. The Whites are a different side when it comes to the Champions League, and they have had a great start to the domestic season. Napoli is the closest team to Real Madrid in this group, and they would gladly take a second-place finish in the Champions League Group C.
Braga and Union Berlin aren’t regular names in the UEFA Champions League, and it is almost impossible any of them make it out of this group. Union Berlin is playing in the Champions League for the first time, but they have a more solid team than Braga, who is expected to come last in this Group.
| Teams | Predicted Group Finish |
|---|---|
| Inter Milan | 1st |
| Real Sociedad | 2nd |
| Benfica | 3rd |
| Salzburg | 4th |
Benfica and Inter Milan met in the knockouts of the UEFA Champions League last season, where the Italians progressed. They will be facing each other in the group stage this time, and both teams are joined by Real Sociedad and RB Salzburg. Inter Milan is the strongest team here, and they were present at the finals of this competition last season, where they lost narrowly to Manchester City.
Real Sociedad qualified for the Champions League after finishing fourth last season, and they are a good team to rival Inter Milan for the top spot. Salzburg is the weakest team here, and they would need a miracle to qualify for the round of 16. Real Sociedad and Inter Milan are strong contenders to go through, while Benfica will fight for the playoffs but likely settle in the third place after losing a few key players.
| Teams | Predicted Group Finish |
|---|---|
| Atletico Madrid | 1st |
| Feyenoord | 2nd |
| Lazio | 3rd |
| Celtic | 4th |
Atletico Madrid would be happy with the draw they got this year, but they cannot afford to be complacent again after they failed to reach the UCL knockouts last season. The Spanish team is the top favorite to progress from Group E, ahead of Celtic, Lazio, and Feyenoord. Scottish side Celtic is always present at the group stages of this competition, but they aren’t good enough to reach the knockouts, and this year, they could be eliminated in last place once again.
Lazio and Feyenoord were in the same group in the UEFA Europa League last season, and the Dutch side finished in first place while Lazio ranked third. Maurizio Sarri’s team has gotten worse since then, and they could finish behind Atletico Madrid and Feyenoord.
| Teams | Predicted Group Finish |
|---|---|
| AC Milan | 1st |
| PSG | 2nd |
| Newcastle United | 3rd |
| Borussia Dortmund | 4th |
The dreaded group of this season’s UEFA Champions League features Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, and Paris Saint Germain. Any slip-ups in this group could be very costly, but PSG have a very good team to get them through to the round of 16. Newcastle United impressed a lot last season, but they haven’t quite had a good start to the 2023/24 campaign.
AC Milan is an underrated team, and with multiple options in attack this year, they can make it to the round of 16 alongside PSG, although the latter is expected to top this group. Borussia Dortmund looks like the weakest team here in terms of roster depth, which makes the chances of Black and Yellow to qualify very slim.
| Teams | Predicted Group Finish |
|---|---|
| Manchester City | 1st |
| RB Leipzig | 2nd |
| Young Boys | 3rd |
| FK Crvena Zvezda | 4th |
Manchester City is the only team in Group G with a Champions League title to their name, and they are favorites to finish top of this group. RB Leipzig suffered a nightmare defeat against Manchester City last season, and they will be facing the Citizens in Group B. The DFB Pokal champions, however, can be confident of a top-two finish ahead of Young Boys and FK Crvena Zvezda.
The main battle in Group G would be between RB Leipzig and Young Boys, but the Germans have a much better team, one that hammered Bayern Munich 3-0 at the start of the season. There isn’t much hope for FK Crvena Zvezda to make it out of this group, and they would be lucky even to finish third.
| Teams | Predicted Group Finish |
|---|---|
| FC Barcelona | 1st |
| FC Porto | 2nd |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 3rd |
| Royal Antwerp | 4th |
Luck shone on FC Barcelona in this season’s draws and they have a very easy path to the last 16 this time around. The Spanish Champions were eliminated in the group stages last year, finishing behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, but they are the top favorite to top this group.
FC Porto, Royal Antwerp, and Shakhtar Donetsk are the other teams in this group. Mark Van Bommel’s Royal Antwerp doesn’t have much experience, and they are also the weakest team in this group. FC Porto made it to the round of 16 last year, and they have a team good enough to finish behind FC Barcelona in second place.
The UEFA Champions League has two phases of the tournament: the group stages and the knockouts. This competition starts with 32 teams in eight groups of four, and only 16 teams would qualify for the knockout rounds. Every team faces each other over two legs in home and away fixtures, and the top two teams from each group enter the round of 16. Third places will go to the Europa League 23/24 knockout playoffs, while every fourth place is eliminated.
A draw takes place for the last 16, and the remaining clubs are split into two pots of eight, with one containing the winners of each respective group from the group stage and the other holding the runners-up. Teams from the same country cannot meet in the round of 16, and after the draws, the knockouts continue in two-legged ties until the final, which is decided by a single game. Away goals have been scrapped from the UEFA Champions League.
The UEFA Champions League is Europe’s premier competition; it was earlier known as the European Cup, but it was rebranded in 1992. Olympique Marseille was the first team to win this competition since the name change 31 years ago, while Real Madrid is the most successful team with a record 14 titles. Spanish teams have been more successful in this competition, followed by the English teams and then the Italians.
Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way for most goals in the Champions League, but he won’t be participating in the competition this year. The UEFA Champions League format is set to change after this season, and the number of clubs will be raised from 32 to 36. This new format would guarantee a minimum of eight games for each team from the 2024/25 season.
Manchester City denied Inter Milan a fourth Champions League title with a 1-0 win at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium this year. Since Real Madrid’s three-peat in 2018, there have been five different winners in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s team has been present in two of the last three finals, and they have a good chance to make it back-to-back finals.
3 (33%)
(67%) 6
The Bavarians were eliminated by Manchester City last season, and they are back as one of the favorites to win the UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich’s problem last season was the absence of an elite goalscorer, and they struggled to finish off chances. Harry Kane moved to Bayern Munich for a huge fee this summer, and they are a more dangerous team with the Englishman.
With their goal-scoring problems fixed, Bayern Munich is a more complete team, and they can beat any team in this competition. Their path to the knockouts is also clear, and you can bet on the Germans to bag their seventh Champions League trophy.
3 (33%)
(67%) 6
Xavi Hernandez led Barcelona to the league title last season, and they did very well in the domestic competitions; however, they failed to make it past the group stage. Barcelona’s troubles last season were mainly down to injuries as they didn’t have a good bench, which was costly in the end.
This season, they have strengthened almost all positions, and they have one of the best backlines in this competition, with Joao Cancelo and Alejandro Balde as full-back pairing. Ilkay Gundogan was instrumental in City’s European successes last season, and he signed for Barcelona this summer. FC Barcelona can win their sixth title, and this option has good value on 23/24 Champions League odds betting.
7 (100%)
0
Erling Haaland was a nightmare for defenders in Europe last season as he finished top of the scoring charts in the UEFA Champions League. The Norwegian striker is the favorite to score the most goals in this season’s edition, and there are very easy opponents for him in the group stage.
RB Leipzig is his toughest challenge in the group stage, and last season, he scored five goals in one game against the Germans. A bet on Manchester City’s number 9 to score the most goals in this campaign is a very valuable option in the UEFA Champions League.
5 (50%)
(50%) 5
AC Milan has a very good team this season, and they got to the semi-finals last season with a weaker team. The Rossoneri defeated a strong Napoli team last season, and with a very strong midfield, they can win this group ahead of PSG and Co.
Newcastle United isn’t as good as the Tottenham team that lost to AC Milan last year, and they should have it easy against Borussia Dortmund, too. The bookmakers are offering good football betting odds on the Italians to finish top of this group, and they have a good shot at winning Group F.
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