Manchester City recently won their first ever Champions League. A narrow 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul thanks to a second half Rodri strike was enough to seal the trophy. Having already won the Premier League and FA Cup, the win over Inter sealed an historic treble for Pep Guardiola’s men so it’s certainly been a season to remember.
However, we’re going to look ahead to the 2023/24 campaign and talk about some of the early favourites to win the Champions League next season.
Favourites
Man City 2/1
As defending champions, it’s no surprise to see Manchester City are the bookmakers favourites to retain the Champions League next season. The Cityzens are currently priced at 2/1, which are extremely short odds considering the quality of opposition and how difficult it is to win this competition.
However, now that they’ve broken their Champions League duck, Pep Guardiola will hope the flood gates open and he can truly cement his legendary status at the Etihad Stadium by winning back-to-back European Cup’s. It’s certainly going to take a special team to stop City, and they could get even stronger next season if they manager to land some of their key transfer targets this summer.
Bayern Munich 7/1
Bayern Munich are always among the early favourites to win the Champions League. The German giants are a powerhouse of European football and know what it takes to win European Cups. Many feel they still need to replace Robert Lewandowski if they’re to become genuine contenders again, so it will be interesting to see if they can sign a top class striker this summer.
Reports suggest Bayern are keen on signing Harry Kane from Tottenham. If they could land the England international, they’d be tempting at odds of 7/1 to win the Champions League next season.
Real Madrid 10/1
The Spanish giants are always among the top contenders to win the Champions League, and it’s no surprise given their illustrious record in the competition. Madrid fell just short last season after being beaten by Man City in the semi-finals. Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be looking to go at least one better by reaching the final once again in 2023/24.
Madrid have already strengthened after splashing out around £100m to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. They are also being strongly linked with a swoop for Kylian Mbappe after he went public confirming he won’t be extending his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. If Madrid could sign Mbappe then it will be virtually impossible to get hold of Real Madrid tickets next season as everyone will want to watch the La Liga giants live in action.
Adding the French international to an already formidable Madrid side would make them a great shout for the Champions League at odds of 10/1. Mbappe would also be a sensational replacement for Karim Benzema following his surprise move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
PSG 10/1
Paris Saint-Germain are going through a summer overhaul but they are still among the early favourites to win the Champions League. It may be a surprise to see them priced alongside the likes of Madrid and Bayern given a host of top names are set to depart this summer.
Lionel Messi has already confirmed he’s leaving the Parc des Prince and is set to join MLS side Inter Miami. Mbappe is also expected to be sold following his sensational statement confirming he won’t be extending his contract in Paris. Neymar is also reportedly on the market after an injury plagued campaign last season, so PSG could lose their three superstars this summer.
It will be interesting to see who they manage to sign, but it’s not going to be easy to replace the quality of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar in one summer.
Contenders
Barcelona 12/1
The Catalans are rejuvenated under Xavi and won the La Liga title last season. Barcelona are currently the 12/1 favourites to win the Champions League next season, but they’ll have to do it without legend Messi after he opted to snub a return to the Nou Camp in favour of Inter Miami.
Arsenal 14/1
The Gunners mounted a shock Premier League title bid last season but just missed out to Man City in the end following some poor form during the closing stages of the campaign. However, nobody expected Arsenal to win the league and the main aim for Mikel Arteta was to finish in the top four to book their place back in the Champions League.
They comfortably achieved that objective and the North Londoners can now look forward to playing in the elite European competition following five years in the wilderness. Arsenal’s impressive form last season has seen them installed as the 14/1 sixth-favourites to win the Champions League next season. They have never won the competition, so it would be a sensational feat if Arteta could do it but the Gunners need to strengthen their squad if they’re to compete on all fronts.
Arsenal are being strongly linked with moves for Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, and the duo would be excellent additions to Arteta’s squad if they could get deals over the line this summer.
Man Utd 16/1
Manchester United are back on track under Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman enjoyed a solid debut campaign in England after guiding United to a third-placed finish in the Premier League. United also won the Carabao Cup and got to the final of the FA Cup where they lost to City, so it was certainly an encouraging campaign for ten Hag.
He now needs to further strengthen his squad this summer to turn Man Utd into challengers for major trophies, and he’s expected to spend big on a top striker. If Utd could land someone like Harry Kane, then they could be tempting to win the Champions League at odds of 16/1.
Outsiders
Napoli are probably the dark horses to win the European Cup next season. They stormed to the Serie A title and nobody will want to play them in the Champions League next year. At odds of 20/1, they are a tempting bet – especially if they keep hold of star striker Victor Osimhen.
Newcastle United are back in the big time and they are also priced at 20/1 to win the Champions League, while the likes of Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid can be backed at 33/1.
It’s certainly going to be another fascinating season but it’s difficult to look past the early favourites such as Man City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to win the Champions League.
