Barcelona back as Champions League betting favourite after group stage
Barcelona, with Lionel Messi back at full fitness and his cast of fellow superstars helping to obliterate just about everything in its path, is the best football team on the planet, and the sportsbooks seem to agree with that proclamation.
The Champions League group stage came to its conclusion Wednesday, and the final whistles across Europe spawned a new set of odds for the potential tournament champion heading into the Round of 16.
To the surprise of nobody (outside of Munich), Barcelona has been installed as the betting favourite to retain the Champions League crown the club won in June.
Related: Field, seeding set for Round of 16 draw
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, as has been the case in recent seasons, join the Blaugrana as clubs given the best odds of winning the continent's most prized piece of silverware, while European minnows KAA Gent and Dynamo Kyiv are the proverbial longshots.
Here is the full list of betting odds entering the Round of 16.
| Squad | Odds |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | 9-4 |
| Bayern Munich | 5-2 |
| Real Madrid | 5-1 |
| Manchester City | 12-1 |
| PSG | 12-1 |
| Atletico Madrid | 15-1 |
| Chelsea | 15-1 |
| Arsenal | 20-1 |
| Juventus | 25-1 |
| Roma | 60-1 |
| Wolfsburg | 60-1 |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | 60-1 |
| Benfica | 125-1 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 150-1 |
| Dynamo Kiev | 200-1 |
| Gent | 300-1 |
(Lines courtesy: Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook)
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