Champions League: Smart Bets for 2025/26

As we approach the summer months, football fans will be rubbing their hands together in anticipation, as there is a lot to look forward to this year. Of course, summer will see the World Cup and while all eyes will be on the home nations that have qualified, before then, there’s still a lot of footy action to wrap up.

May is one of the most exciting months in the football calendar. Not only do we get to see who has clinched the EPL and who have been relegated to the Championship, but we also get to enjoy European action in the form of the Champions League final.

The Champions League is considered by many to be the toughest, most prestigious title of all. It sees the absolute best teams in Europe battling it out until just one remains. If previous years are anything to go by, this year’s final will surely be one of the most exciting in recent memory.

So, with Arsenal stuttering, and Bayern finding form, where is the smart money this year? Here are a few smart bets for the Champions League 25/26 and what sort of odds you can expect. We’ve compared the odds from leading UK bookies such as BetMGM and Betfred.

Arsenal

If you’d have checked around six weeks ago, you’d have enjoyed far better odds on Arsenal winning the Champions League tournament. In fact, at that point, Arsenal were not only on for the quad, but they were also favs to do so. Then, well, Arsenal did Arsenal things.

To begin with, they came crashing out of the Carabao Cup following a 2-0 defeat to EPL title-chasers Man City, before being dumped out of the FA Cup following a shock defeat at the hands, or rather, the feet, of Southampton. Suddenly, The Gunners were no longer on for the quad, but now, the double is in doubt as they’ve also dropped points in the EPL, and have yet to play City, who have a game in hand. A defeat by City will cut their lead to just 3 points, and again, don’t forget that game in hand.

But we aren’t here to talk about the EPL, we’re here to talk Champions League football. Despite losing 3 hugely important games on the bounce, Arteta’s men are still just about odds on favourites to win the Champions League, at least with some bookies. If you do decide to back The Gunners, you’ll find odds of 5/2 with Betfred, and odds of 43/20 with Bet MGM.

So, can Arsenal still claim the double, or will they once again “bottle it” for another year?

Bayern Munich

Whereas Arsenal were clear favourites a short while ago, most bookmakers are now backing Bayern Munich to win the Champions League, and considering the form they’re in, that’s hardly surprising.

Bayern Munich are pretty much guaranteed a second straight Bundesliga Title at this point in the season, and considering their form, and that of star striker Harry Kane, that’s hardly surprising.

Remember when Kane first joined Bayern and how people mocked him, said he would struggle, and laughed when Bayern stumbled? Yeah, well it’s safe to say that a few short years later, things have very much changed. With still almost a third of the season to go, Kane has already netted more than 30 goals, and at this point, he is clearly scoring for fun and enjoying his football at the same time. His Champions League form is equally as impressive, as he has so far averaged more than a goal a game, after 11 goals from 10 games.

With Bayern, and their key striker in solid form, both BetMGM and Betfred are offering 9/4 odds of Bayern lifting the trophy this season.

PSG

With last year’s winners still in the tournament at this stage in the season, they too are surely worth a punt?

PSG recently defeated Liverpool in the first leg of the quarter finals, so statistically, a semi-final at the very least, is looking far more likely. As of this writing, they are due to meet Liverpool in the second leg this evening, so depending on when you read this, things may have changed.

Without question, Ousmane Dembele has been instrumental in countless PSG victories over the last several months, though they’ve looked equally as impressive in midfield, thanks largely to Vitinha. With PSG currently top of Ligue-1, they clearly have momentum on their side, and this is reflected in the odds for the Champions League.

BetMGM and Betfred are both currently offering 11/4 odds in favour of the defending champs retaining their title for another season.

Atletico Madrid

Finally, it’s unusual, in the quarter finals of the Champions League, to be talking about a Spanish club having a fantastic shot of winning the title, and NOT being either Barcelona or Real Madrid, yet here we are, talking about Atletico Madrid.

Having defeated Barcelona 2-0 in the quarter-final first leg, they go into the second leg with a huge advantage. They may be struggling in the league, having recently lost to both Real Madrid and Barca, but it’s clear they have their sights set firmly on that shiny Champions League Trophy.

What’s even more impressive is, unlike Bayern with Kane, Atletico aren’t relying solely on one player or one goalscorer to win games. They’re showing the same kind of determination and teamwork that helped underdogs Leicester City win the EPL a little over a decade ago.

In the eyes of the bookmakers, Atletico Madrid have slightly better odds of winning the Champions League title than both Barca and Real. In fact, Betfred are offering 10/1 odds, whereas BetMGM have them at 12/1. Sometimes, just sometimes, the underdogs do come out on top.

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