As the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League, arguably the most exciting football tournament in Europe, nears the end, betting fans across Europe and beyond - including yours truly - are champing at the bit to find which of the final 16 teams will be pitted against each other.
Thankfully, however, there is not long to wait as the draw will take place this morning (Thursday, Dec. 20) in Nyon, Switzerland. But the question that is on everyone's mind is who the tournament favourites - FC Barcelona - will face? Will it be one of the two British sides that have made it this far - Arsenal or Celtic?
Who Will Man U Face in the Next Round?
Because they are one of the group winners, Manchester United cannot be drawn against Barca, but they could well be drawn against the likes of AC Milan, FC Porto, Galatasaray, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk or Valencia. (They cannot face Arsenal or Celtic as clubs from the same nation cannot be drawn to play each other.)
But whatever this morning's highly anticipated draw yields, you can bet that there will be just as many happy football fans across Europe as those unhappy with the draw. For instance, Man U fans will be ecstatic if their team is drawn to take on Ukranian side Shakhtar Donetsk, while Shakhtar fans would likely be proportionally unhappy.
Again, the big matchup everyone is looking forward to finding out about involves Barcelona, a Spanish club that has had a sterling season so far, and one that boasts arguably the best player in Europe, Lionel Messi, who last week broke the record for the most goals scored in a single calendar year of 86 goals - and climbing.
Barcelona Betting Favourites to Win the League
It's no surprise then that Barcelona are the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League, with fellow Spanish club Real Madrid next followed by German club's Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Fifth on the odds board are Manchester United. But can the Red Devils dig deep enough to win the competition?
For my Champions League betting buck, the answer is yes. Man U manager Sir Alex Ferguson has a way of motivating his players in high pressure situations, and as long as they keep their heads down and don't make any foolish mistakes, they have a shot at bringing the coveted trophy back to Britain.
Here are the latest odds to win the UEFA Champions League as laid by leading Irish sportsbook, Paddy Power.
2012-13 UEFA Champions League Winner Odds
Barcelona - 5/2
Real Madrid - 10/3
Bayern Munich - 7/1
Borussia Dortmund - 15/2
Man Utd - 9/1
Juventus - 11/1
PSG - 22/1
Arsenal - 25/1
Shakhtar Donetsk - 25/1
Porto - 40/1
Schalke - 50/1
AC Milan - 50/1
Malaga - 50/1
Valencia - 50/1
Galatasaray - 100/1
Celtic - 100/1
Posted by Anton Johan at 08:24 on 20 December 2012
Posted by Anton Johan at 08:24 on 20 December 2012
0 comments:
Post a Comment