Potential winners of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League

Barcelona have been named favourites to win the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League after holders Real Madrid decided to sell star forward Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

Barcelona and Premier League champions Manchester City are the top two favourites, while Real are joint-third with Bayern Munich, and Juventus are 6th top choices as per Bovada.

Madrid confirmed the transfer of Ronaldo to Juventus for £99.2m last month with the Portuguese international signing a four-year contract with the Serie A champions.

Although Real lost their star man to Juve, they aren’t under too much pressure to lift the Champions League this season having won it for the last three consecutive seasons but it will be interesting to see how they cope without Ronaldo.

Let’s take a look at some of the favorite teams to win this seasons UEFA Champions League and the odds for bettors to look out for:

• Barcelona

The Catalans are expected to once again be challenging for the top honours this season. They obviously have Lionel Messi in their ranks but Philippe Coutinho is tipped to have a strong campaign having settled following his January move from Liverpool while Ousmane Dembele has overcome his injury woes and is looking to kick-start his career at the Nou Camp. Barca are currently the 6/1 joint favourites with many bookmakers.

• Bayern Munich

Many bettors could be tempted by Bayern as the German outfit are rarely far away from the business end of the Champions League. They last  won the Champions League in 2013 but have been within touching distance several times since and you wouldn’t bet against them making at least the semi-finals again this year. If you fancy backing Bayern, they are available at odds of 8/1 with some bookies.

• Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s second year at Man City was a memorable one as they stormed to the Premier League title breaking several records along the way. City are red-hot favourites to retain their domestic title but the next step is for them to make their mark in Europe and Guardiola will no doubt be desperate to win the clubs first Champions League trophy this season. City average about 3 goals per game so if they can tighten up at the back, they’ll have a great chance. The Manchester giants are 6/1 joint-favourites to win the Champions League and that could be tempting for many bettors.

• PSG

With Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani leading their attack, PSG have the potential to match any side in Europe so new boss Thomas Tunchel will be under pressure to deliver the Champions League this season. No doubt they will walk the Ligue 1 title again so they can focus on European matters and you can back PSG at odds of 7/1.

• Real Madrid

It’s going to be fascinating to see how Madrid fare this season. Not only have they lost Ronaldo but Zinedine Zidane walked away as manager earlier in the summer and they haven’t brought-in any superstar signings yet. Madrid lost the Super Cup to Atletico Madrid this week and suddenly they look disjointed but you just can’t write off Los Blanco in Europe. Three European titles in a row is a phenomenal effort and you can get odds of 7/1 on them making it four in a row.

• Juventus

The Italians have gone all-out to win the Champions League after losing in the final twice in recent years. Despite losing legendary goalkeeper Gigi Buffon, Juve have signed Ronaldo for the sole purpose of lifting the European cup this season. They had a solid foundation but the addition of Ronaldo could prove to be the difference this year. And the bookmakers certain think so with odds of 11/2 being offered.

The 2018-19 campaign is now underway so fans will see plenty of Champions League betting updates over the coming weeks as bookmakers look to attract new customers but these are the main teams to be backed for this years trophy.

Madrid made it three-in-a-row with a 3-1 victory over Liverpool in Kyiv in May but not many bettors are expected to back the Spanish giants to continue their dominance following Ronaldo’s shock exit this summer.

If you’re looking to bet on the Champions League, it may be worth waiting a little while to see how each team starts the new season before wagering your hard earned money. And make sure you take advantage of the betting offers being promoted by the bookmakers as you can secure some excellent enhanced odds if you play your cards right.