Champions League predictions and tips (2024/2025)

For some of the best Champions League odds and predictions, follow the action alongside the Marathonbet blog.

We’ll describe how the format of this season’s Champions League has changed, highlight the leading fancies and suggest teams who could cause a potential upset.

This season will be the 70^th edition of a top-tier European club competition, and the 33^rd season since it was rebranded as the Champions League.

23 different teams have won the European Cup/Champions League since the first final in 1956.  Real Madrid won the first five tournaments, and five of the last nine tournaments. Overall, Los Blancos have won the trophy fifteen times, more than twice the amount of the next most successful side, Milan, who have seven titles to their name.

Champions League: league stage predictions and tips

We’re now into the first edition of the new league stage in the 2024/25 Champions League, as the 36 participating teams jostle for positions and attempt to reach the knockout stages.

Matchday 3 preview

The third round of matches will be played across the 22^nd and 23^rd October. With this round of the Champions League now taking the form of a 36-team league, and each team playing eight matches, the new format has generated some cracking ties for each matchday.

With teams predicted to need 14-16 points to finish in the top eight and thus move straight into the round of 16, or 8-10 points for a top-24 finish and progression to the knockout round, which teams will move closer to the next stage?

After the opening two matchdays, seven teams have won both their matches, whilst eight teams are still looking for their first point. However, with 24 of the 36 teams progressing to the next stage, each team still has plenty to play for.

Borussia Dortmund head the table on goal difference after their 7-1 thrashing of Celtic, whilst Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Juventus are amongst the other teams currently on maximum points.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and PSG have all won one and lost one of their opening two matches, whilst the teams still searching for their first point include RB Leipzig, Milan and Girona.  

Nine matches will take place each day. Here are a few of the top games to look out for…

Tuesday 22^nd October

Real Madrid play Borussia Dortmund in the pick of Tuesday’s matches and a repeat of last year’s final. Real Madrid were victorious 2-0 on that occasion, but will need to recover from a 1-0 loss away to Lille on Matchday 2. That defeat was the Spanish side’s first loss in 36 matches in all competitions. Dortmund top the table after following up an opening day 3-0 away win against Club Brugge with a 7-1 home victory over Celtic. However, the German club are still looking for their first win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, having faced Real six times previously in UCL matches in which they lost four times and drawn twice.

PSG are also looking to bounce back after a 2-0 loss away to Arsenal on Matchday 2. Without Kylian Mbappé to spearhead their attacking threat, the French side look short of the potential matchwinners needed to make progress deep into this tournament. They play at home to PSV Eindhoven, who have only collected a single point so far from their opening matches. That point came courtesy of a 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisboa, in which the Dutch side dominated the match only to concede a late equalising goal.

Juventus have started the competition with two good victories, beating PSV 3-1 at home and RB Leipzig 3-2 away. The victory in Leipzig was made more special by the fact they were 2-1 down and had their goalkeeper sent off before recovering to take the three points. The Old Lady host another German side on Matchday 3, as Stuttgart travel to Italy needing to get points on the board after taking just a solitary point from their opening two fixtures.

The fixture list wasn’t kind to Milan, with the Italian side losing to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen in their opening two matches. They host Club Brugge on Tuesday as they seek to finally get their Champions League challenge up and running.    

Arsenal will look to build on their good start after taking four points from their first two matches. They host Shakhtar Donetsk, who have one point to their name but are still looking for their first goal in the league stage.

Aston Villa claimed their second successive league stage win without conceding a goal by defeating Bayern Munich by a solitary goal in Matchday 2. They face Bologna at Villa Park next, with the Italians having lost 2-0 away to Liverpool after an opening-round goalless draw at home to Shakhtar.

Wednesday 23^rd October

There’s another mighty clash headlining the action on Wednesday as Barcelona host Bayern Munich, although both these sides have already lost one match each. Barcelona came unstuck 2-1 away to Monaco on Matchday 1, whilst Bayern lost 1-0 away to Aston Villa in their second match. Bayern have a fantastic recent record in matchups between these sides, winning the last six matches by an aggregate score of 22-4. That sequence includes an 8-2 win in 2020.

Manchester City are the current favourites to win the Champions League, and they followed an opening round goalless draw at home to Inter with a 4-0 away victory against Slovan Bratislava. Matchday 3 sees the Cityzens at home to Sparta Prague, although the Czech side will be no pushovers, as they have also taken four points from their opening two matches.

Brest have made a surprisingly good start to their first ever foray into any European competition. The French side have won their first two matches, including a 4-0 away victory against Red Bull Salzburg. Matchday 3 provides their biggest test to date, as they host German champions Bayer Leverkusen, who have also won both their opening games. 

Liverpool are another side currently sitting on maximum points after comfortable wins over Milan and Bologna. RB Leipzig host the men from Anfield in this round of matches, with the German side looking for their first point following defeats against both Atlético Madrid and Juventus.

Serie A champions Inter have made a solid start, taking four points from their opening two matches, and are yet to concede a goal. They will fancy their changes at home to Swiss side Young Boys, who are finding the league stage a struggle after losing their opening games 3-0 and 5-0.

Atlético Madrid and Lille both have three points coming into their Matchday 3 fixture, but they had vastly different fortunes in the second round of games. Whist Lille were defeating the current Champions League trophy holders, Real Madrid, Atlético collapsed in a 4-0 defeat away to Benfica.

Best bets: Champions League Matchday 3

Juventus vs Stuttgart – Juventus to Win + Both Teams to Score @ 3.40

Juventus have won both of their opening league-phase matches, as a 3-2 win away to RB Leipzig followed a 3-1 home victory over PSV. The Old Lady have also started well in Serie A, and although their home form has been punctuated by several draws, at the time of writing they have not tasted defeat in their last 13 competitive home matches.

Stuttgart started their campaign with a 3-1 loss away to Real Madrid before picking up a point in a 1-1 home draw with Sparta Prague. Ahead of their Bundesliga match away to Bayern Munich, which precedes this tie against Juve, Stuttgart have scored in their last 15 competitive away matches.

A Juventus win is the most likely outcome, whilst both teams should be able to get on the scoresheet. 

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich – Bayern Munich to Win (Draw-no-Bet) @ 2.16

Both these sides already have an away defeat to their name in the league stage—Barcelona against Monaco and Bayern against Aston Villa. With the top eight sides progressing directly to the round of 16, neither team will want to drop further behind the leading sides and face a potential extra knockout match.

Barcelona head the current LaLiga table, having scored 28 goals in their first nine matches. In the Bundesliga, Bayern’s fast start to the season was halted with successive draws against Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Although there is little to separate these teams on paper, the head-to-head record strongly favours the German side. Bayern have a fantastic recent record against Barcelona, having won the last six matches by an aggregate score of 22-4. That sequence includes an 8-2 win in 2020.

With Barça also having the slight distraction of an upcoming El Clásico the Saturday following this match, Bayern could extend their undefeated run against the Catalan side.

Red Bull Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb – Dinamo Zagreb to Win or Draw @ 2.15

Whilst neither of these teams are likely to be in contention for the trophy by the latter stages of the Champions League, that doesn’t exclude this match from being of interest to bettors.

Salzburg have lost their opening two UCL league matches. A 3-0 away loss against Sparta Prague was followed by a 4-0 home defeat to Brest. They then returned to the Austrian Bundesliga, only to lose 5-0 away to Sturm Graz.

Dinamo couldn’t have had a worse start to their own UCL campaign, as they opened with a 9-2 defeat away to Bayern Munich, taking the record for the most goals conceded in a Champions League match in the process. However, the Croatian side recovered well on Matchday 2, when they took a point in a 2-2 draw at home to Monaco. That will still feel like a slight disappointment though, as Zagreb were leading 2-0 until the 74^th-minute, before Monaco scored their opening goal. The away side then equalised after scoring a last-minute penalty.

These sides were drawn in the same group for the 2022/23 Champions League. Salzburg defeated Dinamo 1-0 in Austria, whilst the return match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Prior to that heavy defeat against Bayern, Dinamo had won two and drawn one of their three previous away matches in European competitions, so they could return home from this match with at least a point.

Here are the full list of Matchday 3 fixtures…

Champions League fixtures–Matchday 3

Champions League predictions

With the format changing as described in the section below, it’s yet to be seen how the new structure will affect the chances of the teams in this year’s competition. The draw will still be influential, as each team will only face eight opponents in the league stage, and in theory the better sides should be spread throughout the draw, as they will be seeded. This will rule out the ‘group of death’ scenarios from previous tournaments, in which teams only faced three opponents. However, with each team playing their opponent either home or away, the venue of a specific fixture could still play a crucial role in deciding who qualifies. 

As 24 of the 36 competing teams will progress to the knockout rounds, this format should ensure that most, if not all, of the stronger sides get past the league stage, whilst also allowing the underdogs a chance of progressing with some good results.

At this stage of the season, it’s tricky to make your UCL picks, but as soon as the transfer window closes and the domestic seasons start, you will start to get a clearer picture of who could be the likely champions.

Who are the favourites to win the Champions League?

Manchester City are the early favourites, based on their recent dominance of the EPL and despite only winning the Champions League once before. However, many will wait to see what signings Pep Guardiola makes ahead of the new season, with movement in and out of the Etihad having been quiet during the early stages of the transfer window.

Real Madrid will be on many punters’ betting slips as likely winners, given their fantastic record in the competition. Even when playing poorly, they always seem to find a way to get a result. Now, with Kylian Mbappé and exciting Brazilian youngster Endrick added to their ranks, as well as the talented 19-year-old Arda Güler breaking into the first team, Real could be stronger than ever this season.

The next two teams in the betting market are English rivals Arsenal and Liverpool. The Gunners have been strong challengers in the EPL in recent seasons, but their record in European competitions suggests there are more likely winners. The last time they reached the Champions League final was in 2006, when they lost to Barcelona, and their last European trophy was back in 1994.

Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League last season and could only reach the quarter-final stage of the Europa League. With Jürgen Klopp having departed, new manager Arne Slot will be hoping to drive the Reds back to European glory.

Bayern Munich also have a new boss at the helm this season, with Vincent Kompany taking over after an unsuccessful season at Burnley, which saw his team relegated from the EPL. Last season Bayern lost their stranglehold on the Bundesliga and saw victory snatched from their grasp in the UCL semi-final after conceding two late goals to Real Madrid. They will be spurred on by the fact that the final will be held at their home stadium, the Allianz Arena.

Hansi Flick has taken over at Barcelona to become their first German manager since 1983. His new side have not progressed beyond the Champions League quarter-finals since 2019 and they finished a full 10 points behind Real in last season’s LaLiga table.

Inter dominated Serie A last season, taking the title by a colossal 19 points. That success followed on from a Champions League final appearance in the previous season for Simone Inzaghi’s men, the first time they had made the final for 13 years. Although they lost 1-0 to Manchester City, a repeat of last season’s league form would see them in contention for European glory.

Despite their poor overall record in this competition, PSG always start as one of the fancied teams, based on their dominance of French football. However, without having the services of Kylian Mbappé to assist them, it’s hard to see them winning the title for the first time this season.

Which teams can do well in the Champions League?

Looking at the list of previous Champions League winners, you may not want to look any further than the teams already mentioned. Indeed, you need to go back as far as the 2003/04 tournament to find one of the underdogs claiming the title. Porto beat Monaco 3-0 in the final, and with Deportivo La Coruña reaching the semi-final, it was a season of upsets.

With the gap between the ‘big’ teams and the rest seemingly increasing season-by-season, are there any longer-priced teams that can make inroads into this year’s tournament?

Many eyes will be on Bayer Leverkusen following their record-breaking season in the Bundesliga, but can manager Xabi Alonso follow that up with another successful season? Leverkusen have a poor record in the Champions League, and it might pay to see how they start the season before placing your bet.

Atalanta also had a great season last year. They finished fourth in Serie A and beat Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final. That Europa League victory also included a 3-1 aggregate win over Liverpool in the quarter-finals, where they stunned the Reds with a 3-0 first-leg victory at Anfield. They could be a lively outsider.

Can Aston Villa make an impact in this tournament after qualifying for the first time since 1983?  The Villans were favourites to take the title at the semi-final stage of the Europa Conference League last season, only to be comprehensively beaten with an aggregate scoreline of 6-2 by the ultimate winners, Olympiacos.

At first glance, odds of around 36.00 for Juventus may look appealing, but since winning the Serie A title in 2019/20, the Old Lady have failed to finish in the top-two positions in their national league. They failed to qualify for last season’s Champions League and last reached the final in 2017.

Having last won way back in 1988, can PSV Eindhoven reach the dizzy heights of European success again? Although they have struggled to make an impact in the top European competition for many years, with an almost 20-year gap since they last reached the semi-finals, PSV took the Eredivisie by storm last season. They won the title from Feyenoord by seven points, and in doing so scored 111 goals for a staggering goal difference of +90.

What is the new format for the Champions League?

The format for this season’s Champions League is changing, with a 36-team league stage replacing the group stage. Under this new format, there will be four more teams competing than before. Previously, it was 32 teams competing in eight groups of four.

Each team will play matches against eight different teams, four at home and four away. The eight opponents will be drawn from among the competing teams, after they are sorted into four seeding pots, with each team playing two opponents from each of these pots.

The idea is that clubs will play a wider range of opponents, and that this format will provide fewer dead rubbers.  

How do teams qualify from the league phase of the Champions League?

• The top eight sides in the league phase will qualify for the knockout phase and move directly into the round of 16.
• The sides finishing in 9^th to 24^th place will compete in a two-legged playoff round to determine the other eight teams to reach the round of 16.
• Those sides finishing in 25^th or lower will be eliminated. There is no access to a place in the Europa League for teams that do not progress from the league phase.

Champions League schedule (2024/25)

Playoff round   

First leg:  20^th–21^st August, Second leg: 27^th–28^th August

League phase

Draw date: 29^th August

Matchday 1: 17^th–19^th September 

Matchday 2: 1^st–2^nd October 

Matchday 3: 22^nd–23^rd October 

Matchday 4: 5^th–6^th November

Matchday 5: 26^th–27^th November 

Matchday 6: 10^th–11^th December

Matchday 7: 21^st–22^nd January

Matchday 8: 29^th January

Knockout phase

Draw date: 31^st January

Knockout rounds playoffs: First leg: 11^th–12^th February, Second Leg 18^th–19^th February

Draw date for round of 16 onwards: 21^st February

Round of 16: First leg: 4^th–5^th March, Second Leg 11^th–12^th March

Quarter-finals: First leg: 8^th–9^th April, Second Leg 15^th–16^th April

Semi-finals: First leg: 29^th–30^th April, Second Leg 6^th–7^th May

Final: 31st May.

Where is the Champions League final 2024/25 being held?

The final will be held on the 31^st of May 2025 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

The stadium was constructed between 2002 and 2005. The first competitive match at the new stadium was on 30^th May 2005 between 1860 Munich and FC Nürnberg. The following day, Bayern Munich played a match against the German national team.

The Allianz Arena also hosted the 2011/12 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Despite it being the first time that one of the finalists was playing at their home ground for 28 years, Bayern could not capitalise on this advantage and lost 4-3 on penalties after the match ended in a 1-1 draw. It was a tale of late goals, with Thomas Müller opening the scoring for the German side in the 83^rd-minute, before Didier Drogba equalised for Chelsea five minutes later.

Which teams will compete in the league phase of the Champions League?

The 36 teams who will contest the league stage are:

• Real Madrid (Spain)
• Barcelona (Spain)
• Girona (Spain)
• Atlético Madrid (Spain)
• Manchester City (England)
• Arsenal (England)
• Liverpool (England)
• Aston Villa (England)
• Atalanta (Italy)
• Inter (Italy)
• Milan (Italy)
• Juventus (Italy)
• Bologna (Italy)
• Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
• VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
• Bayern Munich (Germany)
• RB Leipzig (Germany)
• Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
• Paris Saint-Germain (France)
• Monaco (France)
• Brest (France)
• Lille (France)
• PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
• Feyenoord (Netherlands)
• Sporting Lisboa (Portugal)
• Benfica (Portugal)
• Club Brugge (Belgium)
• Celtic (Scotland)
• Sturm Graz (Austria)
• Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
• Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
• Crvena zvezda (Serbia)
• Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
• Young Boys (Switzerland)
• Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

Previous Champions League/European Cup records of the teams contesting the league phase

Real Madrid (Spain)

The most dominant side in the history of the top-tier European competition. Real have reached the final 18 times, with a stupendous strike-rate of 15 titles and three finishes as runners-up. They have won five of the last nine competitions, including the 2023/24 Champions League, when they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final at Wembley. They have reached the semi-finals in each season bar two since 2010/11.

Barcelona (Spain)

Real’s main Spanish rivals have had far less success in this competition. Barcelona have five titles to their name, with the last trophy coming in 2015, when they beat Juventus 3-1 in the final. Since then, the Catalan side have reached the semi-final stage just once and experienced a run which included successive group stage exits in 2021/22 and 2022/23. If they manage to reach the final, Barcelona will be lifted by their last four final appearances, in which they were victors on each occasion.

Girona (Spain)

This is the first time Girona will play in the Champions League. It’s a remarkable achievement, given that it was only Girona’s fourth ever season in LaLiga, with the side from Catalonia finishing in third place. Their previous best LaLiga finish was 10^th. However, with heightened expectations on them after that third-placed finish, Girona may find this season much tougher going.

Atlético Madrid (Spain)

Atlético Madrid have been regular participants in the Champions League and have reached the final three times previously, but are yet to claim the trophy. Their two most recent finals were in 2014 and 2016, and on both occasions they were beaten by Real Madrid, once after extra-time and once on penalties.

Manchester City (England)

Manchester City have reached the Champions League twice in the previous four seasons, losing to Chelsea in 2021 and defeating Inter in 2023. In the other two seasons during that time, City were eliminated by Real Madrid on both occasions. Despite their dominance in the EPL in recent seasons, they have struggled to transfer that form into the Champions League. Since returning to the Champions League in 2011 (the first time since 1968), City had reached the semi-final just once before losing to Chelsea in that 2021 final.

Arsenal (England)

Arsenal qualified for the Champions League for every season between 2001 and 2017, but just managed one appearance in the final during that period. That was in 2006, when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona. After spending the next five seasons contesting the Europa League, they qualified for the Champions League last season, where they were eliminated by Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage. They are yet to win Europe’s elite club competition. Their only major European trophy was the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.

Liverpool (England)

With six titles, Liverpool currently have the fourth best record in this competition. Four of those successes came between 1977 and 1984, with their most recent title coming in 2019, when they overcame Tottenham 2-0 in an all-English final. Last season Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions league, whilst they came unstuck against Real Madrid in the round of 16 in the previous season, losing the home-leg 5-2, despite taking a 2-0 lead after just 14 minutes, and being defeated 1-0 in the away leg.

Aston Villa (England)

Aston Villa have qualified for the main European club competition for the first time since 1983. They were European Cup champions in 1982, having beaten Bayern Munich in the final, but then had to wait until last season to make the semi-finals in any of the main European competitions, this time in the Europa Conference League.

Atalanta (Italy)

Fresh from winning last season’s Europa League, Atalanta will hope to make an impact in the latter stages of the Champions League. They have qualified three times before, in successive seasons from 2019/20 onwards, but are yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals. In 2021/22, Atalanta exited at the group stage after winning just one match.

Inter (Italy)

Although Inter have won this competition three times, two of those were over 59 years ago. Their most recent success came in 2010, beating Bayern Munich 2-0. Inter reached the final again in 2023, only to lose by a single goal to Manchester City. However, after winning Serie A by a massive 19 points last season, the Nerazzurri will expect to be contesting the latter stages of this season’s Champions League.

Milan (Italy)

Milan hold the upper hand over city rivals Inter in this competition, with their seven wins making them the second most successful team of all time. Their most recent win was in 2007, when they beat Liverpool 2-0. Prior to that, they beat Juventus on penalties in an all-Italian final in 2003. Last season they exited the tournament at the group stage and moved into the Europa League, where they reached the quarter-final before losing out to Roma.

Juventus (Italy)

Despite their historic dominance in Serie A with 36 league titles, Juventus have failed to match that level in the main European competition. They have two Champions League titles to their name, with the last one coming in 1996, and have finished runners-up on seven occasions. However, in their four most recent appearances, they have exited at the round of 16 three times and failed to even qualify for the knockout round in 2022/23.

Bologna (Italy)

Bologna qualified for the league phase this season courtesy of the new European Performance Slots, which gave entry to the fifth-place teams in Serie A and the Bundesliga. This means that Bologna qualify for the main European competition for only the second time, with the previous occasion back in 1964, when they were eliminated in the preliminary round by Anderlecht. The last time they played in any of the main European competitions was in the UEFA Cup in the 1999/2000 season.   

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany)

Bayer Leverkusen won their first Bundesliga title after a record-breaking 2023/24 season. They were the first team to win the Bundesliga without losing a match, and also won the DFB-Pokal. They competed in the Europa League last season, winning every group game and reaching the final without losing a match, before a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the final saw the German side succumb to their only defeat of the season in any competition. They reached the Champions League final in 2002, before losing 2-1 to Real Madrid. In three of their last four Champions League campaigns, they have exited at the group stage.

VfB Stuttgart (Germany)

Having finished above Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, surprise package Stuttgart claimed a Champions League place for the first time since 2010. In that season, they progressed to the knockout stage before losing 5-1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the round of 16, which matched their previous best performance in this competition.

Bayern Munich (Germany)

Bayern have six titles to their name in the top European competition, with the latest coming in 2020 when they defeated PSG 1-0. However, the shock of losing their Bundesliga title for the first time in 11 seasons, coupled with their semi-final loss to Real Madrid in this competition last season, in which they conceded twice in the 88^th and 91^st minutes to be eliminated, will ensure there is plenty of pressure on new manager Vincent Kompany to succeed. 

RB Leipzig (Germany)

Formed as recently as 2009, RB Leipzig qualified for their first Champions League just eight years later for the 2017/18 season. Their best placing was when they reached the semi-final before losing 3-0 to PSG in 2020. They have been eliminated in the round of 16 in the last two seasons, after having the misfortune of coming up against Manchester City and Real Madrid respectively.

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Dortmund had their worst season in the Bundesliga since 2015 when finishing fifth last year, although they still reached the Champions League final. They lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in that final, and also lost in the 2013 final. They have one Champions League trophy to their name, which they won by beating Juventus 3-1 in 1997. Like Bologna, Dortmund qualified for the league phase this season courtesy of the new European Performance Slots, which gave entry to the fifth-place teams in Serie A and the Bundesliga.

Paris Saint-Germain (France)

Despite their recent dominance in Ligue 1, PSG have failed to make an impact in European football. They have only reached the final of the Champions League once, which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in 2020. PSG have qualified for the last 12 Champions League tournaments, but only made it as far as the semi-finals three times. Last season, they lost both semi-final legs by a scoreline of 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund.

Monaco (France)

Monaco reached the 2004 Champions League final, only to lose 3-0 to Porto. However, since then their record has generally been poor. They failed to qualify for Europe at all last season, and in the previous two seasons were eliminated from the Champions League before reaching the group stage. Prior to that, in 2017/18 and 2018/19, Monaco did play in the group stage, but they finished bottom both times and didn’t win a single match in either tournament.

Brest (France)

After exceeding all expectations by finishing third in Ligue 1 last season, Brest will be making their debut in European football. That was the first season in which they finished above eighth in the top tier of French football. However, they will be hampered by the fact their stadium does not meet the standards for UEFA European competitions, so they are likely to play their home matches at Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou , which is located around 70 miles from Brest.

Lille (France)

Lille are relative newcomers to the European stage, having competed for the first time in the 2001/02 Champions League. They are yet to progress beyond the round of 16 in this competition; however, they did top their group in 2021/22, only to lose to Chelsea in the next round. In last season’s Conference League, Lille also topped their group before ultimately losing to Aston Villa 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals. They reached the league stage of this Champions League with two hard-fought 3-2 aggregate victories over both Fenerbahçe and Slavia Prague.

PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)

PSV won this coveted trophy back in 1988 after defeating Benfica 6-5 on penalties following a goalless draw. However, it took another 17 years for the Dutch champions to progress as far as the semi-finals, and they have not done so again since 2005. In their last six Champions League competitions, two round-of-16 finishes have been their best results.

Feyenoord (Netherlands)

Like compatriots PSV, Feyenoord also have one Champions League title to their name, although that was even further back. In 1970 Feyenoord beat Celtic 2-1 to become the first Dutch club ever to win the top European trophy, although their great rivals, Ajax, then subsequently won the next three tournaments. From the 2000/01 Champions League onwards, Feyenoord have qualified for the tournament seven times, but never progressed beyond the group stage.

Sporting Lisboa (Portugal)

Over the last 10 seasons, Sporting have had a mediocre record in European competitions. They have only qualified for the knockout stage once in the Champions League during that period, before a 5-0 home defeat to Manchester City ended any chance of further progression. Their sole European success was 60 years ago, when they won the Cup Winners’ Cup, and they have never reached the final of the Champions League.

Benfica (Portugal)

Benfica are the most successful Portuguese side in the Champions League, having won it twice and finishing runners-up five times. All of those results came during the period in which it was known as the European Cup—with the victories coming in 1961 and 1962, over Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. However, since then, they have reached eight European finals (five European Cup and three UEFA Cup/Europa League finals) and have lost on each occasion.

Club Brugge (Belgium)

Club Brugge achieved their best Champions League finish with a round of 16 exit in 2022/23, after losing just once in a group that included Porto, Bayer Leverkusen and Atlético Madrid. They followed that by reaching the semi-final in the Europa Conference League last season. Back in the 1970’s Brugge reached the final in both the European Cup and UEFA Cup but were beaten by Liverpool on both occasions.

Celtic (Scotland)

Celtic have featured in 22 of the previous 23 Champions League tournaments, but have not progressed beyond the round of 16 during that period. It is now over 10 years since they even made it that far, and the Scottish champions finished bottom of their group in each of the last two seasons. Their one success came in the days of the European Cup, when they defeated Inter 2-1 in the 1967 final.

Sturm Graz (Austria)

The Austrian side have qualified for the group stage in three previous Champions League tournaments, the last time being in 2001. In five attempts since then, Sturm Graz have failed to reach the group stage, and they suffered a heavy 7-2 aggregate defeat to PSV in last season’s third qualifying round. The last time they reached the quarter-finals in any European competition was in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup, 40 years ago!

Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)

The Austrian side eliminated FC Twente and Dynamo Kyiv to reach the league stage. They have competed in every Champions League since 2012/13, but have only qualified from the group stages once. That was in 2021/22, when they won all of their three home group matches to finish in second place. However, despite a 1-1 draw in the home leg to Bayern Munich in the round of 16, Salzburg were no match for their opponents in Germany, where they lost the second leg 7-1

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)

Shakhtar have qualified for every Champions League since 2000/01; however, they have only managed to progress beyond the group stage on four occasions. Their best performance was in the 2010/11 season, when they topped their group and then beat Roma 6-2 on aggregate in the round of 16. However, a quarter-final against Barcelona was one step too far, with the Spanish side easily winning 6-1 on aggregate. The Ukrainian side have one European success to their name, winning the UEFA Cup in 2009 after defeating Werder Bremen in the final.

Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

Dinamo Zagreb have a long history in European football, with their first appearance coming in the 1958 European Cup. They reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2020/21 by defeating Tottenham after overcoming a 2-0 first-leg deficit. Two years later, Dinamo played in the group stage of the Champions League, where they defeated Chelsea 1-0 at home. However, they lost four of their other five games and finished bottom of the group. They comfortably beat Qarabağ to reach this league stage, winning both home and away in their playoff matches.

Crvena zvezda (Serbia)

Crvena zvezda, also known as Red Star Belgrade, won the European Cup in 1990/91. After a goalless 120 minutes against Marseille, Crvena Zvezda took the title following a 5-3 penalty shootout. However, they have not come close to matching that performance since, only progressing beyond the group stage three times in any competition, and have never gone beyond the round of 16. In their last two European campaigns, the Champions League last season and the Europa League the season before, they finished bottom of the group on both occasions.

Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)

Slovan Bratislava looked to be heading out of the Champions League before two goals in the last eight minutes of their playoff match saw them defeat Midtjylland 4-3 on aggregate. That was the fourth round of matches they had to play just to reach this stage and, during those rounds, they won all their home matches and were undefeated away. They do have a European title to their name, having defeating Barcelona 2-1 in the 1969 Cup Winners’ Cup final. However, since then they have failed to progress beyond the round of 16 in any European competition.

Young Boys (Switzerland)

Young Boys qualified for the league stage through excellent home and away wins in their tie against Galatasaray. The Swiss side have been regular competitors in European competitions over the years, with their best finish this century being a round-of-16 exit in the 2020/21 Europa League. They did compete in the group stages of last season’s Champions League, but home and away defeats to both Manchester City and RB Leipzig ended their hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds.

Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

Sparta Prague have already progressed through three qualifying rounds to reach this stage, eliminating Shamrock Rovers, Steaua București and Malmö. Last season, they reached the Europa League round of 16, only to encounter a Liverpool side in dominant form. Sparta lost the home leg 5-1, followed by a 6-1 defeat at Anfield. The Czech side have made little progress when competing in the Champions League of late, with their last group stage appearance coming nearly 20 years ago.

Champions League betting odds

The odds below show the prices offered on each of the teams before the start of the league phase.

• 3.00     Manchester City
• 4.50     Real Madrid
• 9.00   Arsenal
• 13.00   Barcelona
• 13.00   Bayern Munich
• 15.00   Liverpool
• 19.00   Paris Saint-Germain
• 25.00   Atlético Madrid
• 25.00   Bayer Leverkusen
• 25.00   Borussia Dortmund
• 25.00   Inter
• 41.00   Juventus
• 41.00   Milan
• 51.00   Atalanta
• 67.00   Aston Villa
• 83.00   RB Leipzig
• 101.00 Benfica
• 101.00 Lille
• 101.00 Monaco
• 101.00 Red Bull Salzburg
• 101.00 Sporting Lisboa
• 151.00 Feyenoord
• 151.00 Girona
• 151.00 PSV Eindhoven
• 151.00 Stuttgart
• 201.00 Bologna
• 201.00 Shakhtar Donetsk
• 251.00 Brest
• 251.00 Brugge
• 251.00 Celtic
• 251.00 Sparta Prague
• 251.00 Sturm Graz
• 251.00 Young Boys
• 351.00 Dinamo Zagreb
• 501.00 Crvena Zvezda
• 501.00 Slovan Bratislava

All odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to fluctuation after.

You’ll find some fantastic odds and a massive range of markets on all the Champions League matches in the Marathonbet Sportsbook, as well as some great coverage of the live action once the matches have started.

You can also find informative guides on How to Bet on Football and Handicap Betting in our Sports Betting Guide section, as well as weekly predictions for the English Premier League.