The 2020-21 Champions League is now well underway, and after three matches there are already signs of who the favourites might be to win the competition when the final rolls around. Istanbul will play host to the showpiece match this year, having been the original venue for the 2019-20 final before the coronavirus pandemic meant the final stages of the tournament were all played out in Lisbon.
All the usual suspects are among the favourites in the UEFA Champions League odds, and with the group stage already providing some top-drawer entertainment, we could be set for a mouth-watering edition of the Champions League. Here, we run through the top three teams who are fancied to win the competition according to the latest odds.
Bayern Munich
It’s no surprise that defending champions Bayern Munich are the top favourites to lift the trophy again. Last season, the German champions were by far and away the best team in Europe, and this was evident in their 8-2 humiliation of Spanish giants Barcelona in the quarter-finals. In Robert Lewandowski, they have one of the best finishers in the world, and will take some stopping on the road to Istanbul.
They already showed signal of their intent in the opening game of this season’s Champions League, when they thrashed Atlético Madrid 4-0 in Munich to kick-start their group stage campaign. The match was proof that although Bayern enjoyed the immense satisfaction of winning their sixth European Cup last season, there is still a desire for even more success.
Manchester City
With every passing season, it seems as though Manchester City are tipped as one of the top contenders to win the Champions League, but each year they fail to live up to expectations. It is the one disappointment of Pep Guardiola’s hugely successful reign as Manchester City manager – that he hasn’t been able to land the club’s first Champions League title.
This season, there will be even greater pressure on City to avenge their defeat to Lyon in last season’s quarter-finals. They’ve got off to a winning start in their group stage campaign, defeating Porto and Marseille to take maximum points. But while City usually breeze through their group, it’s the knockout stages where they often come unstuck. They have only reached the semi-finals on one occasion, which is poor from a club that spend such large amounts. It will be Guardiola’s chief quest to put that right this season.
Liverpool
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool will be on a mission to regain their Champions League crown this season. The 2019 champions have begun the group stage well by beating Ajax, Midtjylland and Atalanta setting themselves up well to qualify for the knockout stages if they can continue their good form in the competition.
The Reds’ journey to winning the competition in the 2018-19 season was a memorable one, and set the tone for the club’s Premier League title success in the following campaign. Now the quest has begun to turn those moments of success into a real Anfield dynasty, and further success in the Champions League would cement this Liverpool team’s place in the pantheon of greats.
