With the group stage now over and the draw for the 1/8 finals confirmed, the “Who will win the Champions League” question has become much more relevant. The best 16 teams in Europe are set to fight for the Champions League title, and devoted fans, as well as gambling enthusiasts, can get started on their Champions League betting in hopes that their favorite team wins.
Despite Barcelona’s struggles in La Liga, the bookies have priced the Catalans as 3/1 favorites to win the Champions League this season. German giants Bayern Munich can be backed at odds of 7/2, whereas current European champions Real Madrid are next at 5/1.
Despite Real Madrid not being the bookies’ favorites, the 11-time European champions are the best team in Europe right now.
However, no team has managed to retain the Champions League trophy since the competition changed its format in 1992 and that’s why the bookies don’t think Zinedine Zidane’s men are going to win it this season.
History might be against Real Madrid in this case, but it’s only a matter of time before some club manages to make history by retaining the Champions League.
Teams have failed to retain the trophy time and time again not because of some curse, but as a result of the competition’s fierce competitiveness.
Real Madrid look ready to cement themselves as the most successful European club of all time by triumphing in Cardiff next year for a 12th time in their history and they certainly have the players and the mental strength to do the job.
Zinedine Zidane has transformed Los Blancos since his appointment last January. He led Real Madrid to their 11th European title last May and has been able to add some much-needed domestic consistency to his team in order to challenge for the Spanish title this season.
Real Madrid are currently first in the La Liga table with 34 points from 14 games and are yet to suffer a defeat this season despite already playing at Vicente Calderon and Camp Nou.
They didn’t manage to win their Champions League group, but playing the first 1/8 finals game at home is not that much of a problem, especially considering the fact that Real Madrid will still avoid Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in Monday’s draw.
Real Madrid’s players have the strongest mentality in European football right now and they showed it once again at Camp Nou last weekend. Los Blancos were 1-0 down in the final stages of the game, but still managed to get a point through Sergio Ramos’ 90th-minute header.
This game was the perfect example of their never-say-die attitude and this attitude is always the key to winning the Champions League.
Real Madrid are definitely able to win the trophy for a second time in a row and it all depends on whether they’d have enough motivation to go all the way again.
