The revamped format for the 2024/25 Champions League offers sports bettors significantly more wagering opportunities than the previous set-up.
The addition of four teams coupled with a new league phase and knockout play-off round have ramped up the number of games in the competition.
With that in mind, we have scoured the Champions League betting markets to identify five bets that we believe are well worth considering this season.
Juventus fancied to secure a top eight finish
Juventus looked impressive in their opening match against PSV Eindhoven and look a good bet to finish inside the top eight at the end of the league phase.
Intriguingly, betting site operators think the odds of winning a blackjack hand are better than the Serie A side’s chances of qualifying automatically for the knockout stage.
However, aside from a difficult home match against Manchester City, the Italian giants have been handed a fairly favourable draw.
Odds of 5/2 for Juventus to claim a top eight spot look generous and are guaranteed to disappear if they secure a positive result from their upcoming trip to RB Leipzig.
Real Madrid fancied to reach another final
Real Madrid started their quest to win the competition for the 16th time with a comfortable 3-1 home victory over Stuttgart.
Although Carlo Ancelotti’s side face several potentially tricky games during the league phase, they are expected to progress to the knockout stage without too much trouble.
Having added prolific striker Kylian Mbappe to their hugely talented squad this summer, Los Blancos will be a tough nut to crack this season.
They can be backed at 2/1 to reach the final for the third time in four years and look a good bet to achieve the feat given their excellent record in the competition.
Bayern should dominate their Bundesliga rivals
Bayern Munich laid down a marker in their first league phase fixture, smashing nine goals past Dinamo Zagreb in a one-sided encounter at the Allianz Arena.
The German giants have a point to prove this season having been completely overshadowed by Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga last term.
Bayern’s previous experience in the Champions League could give them a vital edge over Leverkusen as the opening stage of the competition progresses.
With that in mind, odds of 4/5 for Bayern to be the top Bundesliga team in the league phase look too good to ignore.
Slovan Bratislava are out of their depth
After progressing through four qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the Champions League, Slovan Bratislava received a wake-up call in their first league phase match.
They slipped to a dismal 5-1 defeat against Scottish Premiership club Celtic – a result which does not bode well for their chances of making an impact in the competition.
With their remaining fixtures including games against Manchester City, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid and Bayern, the Slovakian team look set to struggle.
They are a best-priced 2/1 to be bottom of the standings at the end of the league phase and it is tough to imagine them finishing any higher.
Barcelona should secure a play-off spot
Barcelona have been flying in La Liga this season, but were unable to transfer that form to the Champions League stage in their opening game.
They slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco – a result which has put them on the back foot in the race to secure a top eight spot in the league phase.
However, aside from fixtures against Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, the Catalans have a fairly favourable set of fixtures in the Champions League.
Securing a top eight spot could still be tricky, but claiming a 9-24 spot at odds of 5/6 should be well within Barcelona’s capabilities.