The odds on Tottenham [38.0] or Real Madrid [21.0] winning the Champions League this season are on the drift, as both teams remain win-less after two Group matches.
Manchester City [4.2] remain as favourites, as they continued their 100% record with a 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, but the big talking point from this week’s fixtures was Spurs 7-2 humbling at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday which has seen the Germans shorten to [9.2].
Spurs must pick themselves up immediately
The question now is, can Spurs recover? The immediate answer, from Exchange bettors, is probably not. Yes, Mauricio Pochettino’s side struggled in the Group stage last season, taking only a point from their opening three matches, and went on to reach the final. But few would back them to repeat that feat following the manner of this week’s defeat.
If Pochettino fails to arrest his team’s slide soon then they will struggle to qualify for the knockout stages. Bayern, who outclassed Spurs in every area, look a shoo-in to finish top and, with Olympiakos and Crvena Zvezda the other opponents, it’s a Group from which Spurs should qualify. But something isn’t right with the squad and, on current form, anything is possible.
Real and Barca both look past their best
Real Madrid have a point from two games after they rallied in the second half to come from 2-0 down and secure a draw at home to Club Brugge. Zinedine Zidane looks short of ideas and his players appear to be lacking motivation, so it makes sense that the odds on them winning Europe’s top prize for the 14th time are on the drift.
Their fierce rivals Barcelona also look far from imperious. The Catelans are [8.0] in the betting after they had to come from a goal down to beat Inter at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. They and Dortmund are on four points a piece in Group F but don’t rule out Antonio Conte’s Inter in this group of death just yet.
Liverpool second favourites in spite of leaky defence
Has a Champions League holder ever conceded five goals in their opening two matches? Liverpool, who are [7.4] to become only the second team to retain this competition, were 3-0 up against Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday night before the Austrians scored three quick goals at Anfield. Fortunately, Mo Salah made it 4-3 and the Reds held on, but you have to be concerned about the Reds’ defence and wonder how they’ll fare against an attack as potent as Bayern’s or Paris Saint Germain’s.
Speaking of PSG, the French champions made it two wins from two by beating Galatasaray on Tuesday night. PSG are [10.0] in the outright winner market as they, like City, bid to win this competition for the first time in their history.
Juventus [12.5], meanwhile, can never be ruled out. They top Group D on goal difference from Atletico Madrid [24.0] after Cristiano Ronaldo rounded off the Italian side’s convincing 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Source: Betfair Champions League
