Betting: Manchester City drawn against Real Madrid in Champions League's Group of Death
Aug 30, 2012 6:00:00 PM
Barcelona have been named 5/2 favourites to win the tournament and Real Madrid are available at 7/2, while Manchester United's draw sees them as 15/2 shots
Barcelona were handed a favourable group in the Champions League as they aim to secure a third title in five years. The Catalan giants have been drawn against Benfica, Spartak Moscow and Celtic. They are now 5/2 to win the tournament.Of the English sides, Manchester United and Arsenal have both been cut in price, now available at 15/2 and 20/1 respectively, while Chelsea are unmoved at 14/1.
| Champions League Winner |
||||
 |
||||
| Team | Pre-Draw | Post-Draw | ||
| Barcelona | 11/4 | 5/2 | ||
| Real Madrid | 7/2 | 7/2 | ||
| Manchester City | 7/1 | 9/1 | ||
| Manchester United | 11/1 | 15/2 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 12/1 | 12/1 | ||
| Chelsea | 14/1 | 14/1 | ||
| PSG | 18/1 | 16/1 | ||
| Arsenal | 25/1 | 20/1 | ||
The toughest group looks to be that of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund. A group which contains four domestic champions from last season.
Madrid are still expected to progress priced at 7/2 to win the tournament but the draw has seen Manchester City pushed out to 9/1 by Paddy Power, a price that could prove very attractive for punters who believe Roberto Mancini's side can claim thier first Champions League title.
Paris Saint-Germain have also been snipped from 16/1 into 14/1 while beaten finalists Bayern Munich are unmoved at 12/1 following their draw against Valencia, Lille and BATE Borisov.
The three debutant teams remain at huge prices to claim a Champions League victory at the first time of asking.
After being forced to sell key players Santi Cazorla and Solomon Rondon this summer, Malaga are priced at 66/1 after the draw.
Montpellier are 125/1 shots and Danish side FC Nordsjaelland are still given almost no chance by the bookmakers, priced as they are at 1000/1.
They will line up against defending European champions Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk and Serie A winners Juventus.
The first leg of each of tie will be played on 18/19th September.
Groups in full
Group A: Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Paris Saint-Germain, Dinamo Zagreb
Group B: Arsenal, Schalke, Olympiacos, Montpellier
Group C: AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga
Group D: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund
Group E: Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, FC Nordsjaelland
Group F: Bayern Munich, Valencia, Lille, BATE Borisov
Group G: Barcelona, Benfica, Spartak Moscow, Celtic
Group H: Manchester United, Braga, Galatasary, Cluj
Sign up with Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Jim Knight is Betting Editor at Goal.com and has been tipping football games since he was old enough to place a bet. He is a Leicester City fan, writer and member of the We Are Going Up Podcast
Follow Jim on
Inside Goal.Com
-
Madrid see red after Copa carnage
Cristiano Ronaldo was dismissed as los Blancos lost their heads during a dramatic 2-1 final defeat by their city rivals in an epic final at the Santiago Bernabeu
-
Player Ratings: Real Madrid 1-2 Atletico Madrid (aet)
Goal was on hand to cast a critical eye over the dramatic events at Santiago Bernabeu
-
Eredivisie Team of the Season: Eriksen & Bony star
Goal runs through the best players in the Dutch top flight in 2012-13 and picks out the top 11 players over the course of the campaign
-
End it like Beckham: football will be poorer without him
The former England captain’s decision to close the curtain on his playing career signals the end of a chapter in modern football history
-
David Beckham's 10 most memorable moments
As the former England captain announces his intention to retire at the end of the season, Goal looks back on his finest feats - both on and off the football field.
