How to bet on the Champions League 2021
The Champions League is the biggest regional club soccer competition that takes place each year. It sees the best club teams in Europe come together and battle it out to be crowned as the champions of Europe. There are many great rivalries to be seen, with the best players in the game being on view.
As a result of the competitive nature of this event, there are always plenty of Champions League betting opportunities. This free guide gives you an insight into what you can expect if you are placing bets on these markets and helps you to learn more about the competition.
The Champions League 2021: The Upcoming Event in Detail
The Champions League is always one of the tournaments that football fans and players alike look forward to every season. It sees the best players in the game from the leading clubs battle it out in these fixtures. There are often surprises that pop up and some exciting young players are able to make a name for themselves. Here are some of the key aspects to consider when it comes to the Champions League in 2020/2021:
Place & Dates
The 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League is going to be the 66th renewal of the competition. The final has been scheduled to take place in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. This stadium was supposed to be the host of the final in 2020 but this was changed as a result of COVID-19.
The qualifying for the Champions League will begin in August and last until the end of September. The competition itself is set to start on October 20, 2020 and last until May 29, 2021.
Lineup of teams
There are 32 teams that take part in the Champions League tournament. There are usually about 80 teams in total that are part of the tournament when you include the qualification rounds. Teams are able to qualify depending on their League standing, winning certain domestic cup conditions, performance through the previous season's European competitions and making their way through the qualification rounds.
Clubs that have already qualified for the 2020/2021 Champions League include:
- Real Madrid
- Barcelona
- Atletico Madrid
- Sevilla
- Liverpool
- Manchester City
- Manchester United
- Chelsea
- Juventus
- Inter Milan
- Atalanta
- Lazio
- Bayern Munich
- Borussia Dortmund
- RB Leipzig
- Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Marseille
- Rennes
- Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Lokomotiv Moscow
- Porto
- Club Brugge
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- İstanbul Başakşehir
Favorites to win
The 2020 Champions League season had a winner from Germany. And if it is a German team, who else should it be than FC Bayern Munich. In the final of the tournament Paris St. Germain and FC Bayern Munich had to face each other, in the end, FC Bayern won 1:0. Besides the trophy for the victory, the team of coach Hansi Flick could also win the goalscorer's crown: Robert Lewandowski scored 15 goals during the tournament.
FC Bayern Munich is thus considered the biggest favorite to win the title at the upcoming tournament. Manchester City and Liverpool FC are also highly rated.
Gossip: Rule changes, big players
Champions League officials will be hoping that the COVID-19 pandemic will not cause extensive disruption to the competition as it did during the 2019/2020 iteration of the competition.
The plan for the moment is to proceed as the competition usually does, with qualification rounds set to start in September and the group stages of the Champions League to start in October. All of the big teams in the region have already secured qualification for the most part to the tournament, with a few more to join through the qualifying rounds.
The Champions League for professionals: Expert Picks
There are always a number of stalwarts that tend to dominate the Champions League year in and year out. It is rare that there is a shock winner of this tournament, with the best teams usually rising to the top. In terms of picks, you should always look out for the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona as they have dominated the event in recent years. The top English Premier League teams are also worth watching out for, as well as Bayern Munich.
What to look out for in the Champions League betting
There are many different aspects to consider when it comes to Champions League betting. As the best teams are playing, there is always a quality performance expected. Teams are trying their best week in and week out rather than resting players unless they have already qualified for the knockout stages in first place. Here are some things to watch out for when it comes to Champions League betting:
- Tip 1: Make the most of promotions: With the Champions League, there will usually be all sorts of great promotions that are running with sportsbooks. These may be parlay insurance, money back offers or enhanced odds. Whatever the case may be, always shop around and take advantage of these offers.
- Tip 2: Look at form: There is a lot of room for analysis with Champions League games. If a team is playing well domestically, this will often carry over to the Champions League. Obviously, this depends on the standard of the domestic league, but confidence is often a big factor in a team’s success.
- Tip 3: Look at home and away records: As there are home and away clashes in most stages of the Champions League, it is important that you consider the record of different teams when they play at home and away. Some teams are known for being great away teams, while others will have a fortress of a home ground where they rarely lose.
- Tip 4: Consider the travel: Some of the matches in the Champions League mean that teams have to undertake extensive journeys to get to their destinations. Some of the matches in the depths of Russia for example can be tricky to fly to, with adverse weather conditions at teas causing delays. This is something that can disrupt even the biggest teams and have a bearing on the game.
- Tip 5: Obtain expert picks: A great way to build up your expertise is by looking at expert picks to see what these bettors are doing with Champions League betting. You can sign up to Billy’s List for free, allowing you to get sports picks delivered straight to your inbox on a regular basis.
Types of Bets in the Champions League
The Champions League is one of the biggest soccer betting events every year, there are often hundreds of different markets for each game that you can check out. Here are some of the most popular betting types:
- Type 1: Outright winner: This can go for futures betting where you are betting on what team you think is going to win the overall tournament, win the golden boot or a given match between two teams. This is the most standard form of Champions League betting.
- Type 2: Goalscorer markets: There are many goals scored in the Champions League. There is an exciting brand of football on offer a lot of the time, meaning that goals are inevitable. Everything from first, anytime and last goalscorer markets can be considered. Correct score bet markets are also popular, whether it is full-time or half-time results.
- Type 3: Handicap betting: There are all sorts of handicap betting markets for Champions League games. It could be applying a goal handicap to the favorite team to even up the odds. It allows you to place bets on potential mismatches and give you a bit of value at the same time.
- Type 4: Prop betting: There will often be specific prop betting markets for certain players or teams. This might be how many goals a certain player scores during the course of a tournament or how many red cards a team will pick up. These will be wide ranging markets and are very popular, particular for fans of certain teams.
- Type 5: Over/under: Over/under bets are very popular with Champions League betting. These are common for predicting the amount of goals a team or the two teams will score during the game for example.
The Champions League in Detail: Most Important Things to Know
The UEFA Champions League takes place every year and sees the top teams in English football battling it out against one another. Some teams qualify automatically for the group stages, while others go through the qualifying rounds. This culminates in 32 teams taking part in the group stages.
They will play each team in the group once at home and once away. The top two teams from the eight groups will then progress to the round of last 16. Each of these rounds will also be played over two legs, with the final being a one off game at a neutral venue mostly.
The Champions League has been taking place since 1955 when it was known as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup. Initially, it was a tournament that could only be entered by the teams that had won their domestic league competitions. The name was changed to the Champions League in 1992 and the qualification parameters were expanded.
In the history of the competitions, 22 teams have managed to capture the Champions League, with a dozen of these teams winning it on multiple occasions. Real Madrid holds the honor for the most titles won, having done so on 13 occasions, including recently winning three consecutive Champions League trophies.
Many of the games best players have taken part in the Champions League. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi top the all-time Champions League goalscorer lists. Ronaldo has scored more than 130 goals in the competition, with Messi scoring over 115 goals. Iker Casillas holds the distinction of having made the most appearances in the Champions League, doing so on 177 occasions during his career when playing in goals for Real Madrid and Porto.
Last time winner: Bayern Munich
The 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League certainly was a bit different than all of the ones that came before it. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were significant delays. This meant that the latter stages of the competition were played over just a few weeks in July and August. Bayern Munich ultimately came out on top, beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Lisbon on a scoreline of 1-0. Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game as Bayern Munich claimed their sixth Champions League title in doing so.
The Champions League: Try it now at one of the top 5 betting sites
As you have seen, the Champions League is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world of football. The best of the best come to this competition with their best teams in order to win the ultimate bragging rights for the year. This creates a great betting atmosphere with tons of different betting markets available for each and every game.
To get started with Champions League betting today, all you need to do is sign up for an account with one of the leading sports betting sites and claim your welcome offer.
Yes, live betting is very popular on these games, with many sportsbooks offering a wide variety of live betting markets and updating the game stats in real-time. Some platforms even live stream these Champions League games so you can keep up to date with the latest action.
Sportsbooks attract a lot of bets for Champions League games and as a result they often have promotions running to reward these bettors. These come in many different forms. Parlay insurance is popular, as well as money back offers and enhanced odds.
This is all going to come down to your own tastes and preferences. Some people will live to place pre-game bets on simple outcomes, such as match winners or goalscorer markets. Other people like to be in the moment and take part in live betting while the matches are ongoing.
The legal age for betting in the USA is going to vary from state to state. There are some states that require you to be at least 21 years old, whereas others set this age limit to 18 years old. Whatever the case may be, you can check the rules for your own state by using the BettingBilly state checker tool.
There is no single answer to this question. Some sportsbooks will generally have better Champions League odds than others, but this is not going to be the case for every game or every market. Therefore, by having an account with all of the leading sportsbooks, you can make sure that you are always getting the best odds possible.
