The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious soccer club tournament in Europe. The Union of European Football Association organizes this event annually, bringing together Europe’s’ best to compete for the title of being Europe’s best team for the year. The competition is decided through a group stage first and then, the knockout phase.
Formerly known as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup since inception in 1955, the name was changed to the UEFA Champions League in 1992 and was also expanded from a straight knockout tournament to the first group stage, then the knockout competition. Europe’s strongest leagues provide four teams while some teams from other countries have to go through a qualifying round before the group stage of 32 teams is settled on.
All Champions League fixtures are played over two legs – one in each of the teams’ home field. This system gives both teams an equal opportunity for success as the home advantage is a success factor in soccer. Spanish clubs have recorded the most success in this competition with 18 wins.
Real Madrid has won the competition a record 13 times out of the 18 by Spanish clubs and they are also the most successful in the tournament’s history. In England, the wins are more widely spread as five different clubs have won the coveted title a total of 13 times. The reigning champions are, however, from Germany, Bayern Munich, who came about the title after an amazing display through the competition and narrowly won against Paris Saint-Germain by a score of 1-0 in the final.
Best Ways to Bet on UEFA Champions League
There are several ways of betting in UEFA, all of which can be very beneficial if you are looking to win some money. Here are a few options you should consider
Future Bet: Here, you can wager on an outcome that will happen down the line as the event progresses. With the Champions League for instance, you can bet on teams that will qualify from the group stage, knockout stage, and who will eventually win the title.
Every match is played across two legs which make the “who will qualify in a round” bet valued because a 1st leg win does not guarantee the teams move to the next round even though it gives you an advantage. This type of betting can be done for the Round of 16, Quarter-finals, and Semi-finals. The final is played once in a neutral location.
Individual Events: This is a highly recommended way to bet on UEFA fixtures. All that is required is for you to select an outcome you think is most likely. This type of bet works best in single-event sports betting as you are more likely to lose bets when you spread your funds thin by adopting the parlay betting system. You can choose which ‘Teams to Score, ‘Half-time Result’, ‘Under/Over’, etc. Let us take a look at some of the popular ones.
Double Chance – This is a very unique outcome as it increases your chances of winning. As opposed to the ‘Match Result’ pick, you have the option of choosing ‘Home and/or Draw’, ‘Home or Away’, ‘Draw and/or Away’. This way, if the favorites’ form has been shaky in recent times and that is a point of concern, selecting ‘Home and/or Draw’ will secure your win if they win or only manage a draw. The odds here look like this;
Manchester City and/or Draw -450 Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund -330 Draw and/or Borussia Dortmund -125
Match Result – This is you choosing what the result of the match will be in 90 minutes. You can bet on the home team, away team, or settle for a draw. Here is what the odds look like.
Manchester City -180 Draw +270 Borussia Dortmund +320
Under/Over – This selection is simply going to allow you to choose the number of goals you think the match will end with. It commonly starts from Under/Over 0.5 goals and can get up to 5.5 as it all depends on the teams playing. An example of this type of bet is:
Over 0.5 -2800 Under 0.5 +1700
Tips on How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for UEFA Betting
You should take care to choose the right sportsbook as this is the first step towards winning in sports betting. These are some factors that really should be considered before you make your decision.
Reputation
This is perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle. Placing a bet through a sportsbook that has a bad reputation is a risk on its own before even considering the success of the bet. It is crucial that you check out online reviews of different bookies before you make a choice.
Most of these reviews analyze customer service, the number of betting options, odds, etc. These areas are worth analyzing as they will make or mar your overall betting experience.
Live Betting
This can make betting very fun and profitable. Here, you are allowed to make wagers as the game progresses. This can prove very beneficial for bettors that love to place bets strictly under the Under/Over category. Bigger sportsbooks already have this feature incorporated in their systems while some newer bookies are still sorting out the finer details.
Deposit Bonus
Almost every platform offers this as a welcome gesture to new customers. You need to first filter out those sportsbooks that do not offer a deposit bonus. Those that offer a deposit bonus can present it in terms of matching your deposit up to a certain percentage while others offer it as free betting types of deals. The type you’d prefer will come into play when choosing your sportsbook as there is no point in choosing a sportsbook that offers bonuses that you might not use.
Overall Strategy and Betting Tips
The UEFA Champions League is a unique competition where favorites are displaced fairly easily. The away goal rule also contributes to this outcome which is why betting in this competition can be tricky. However, betting on home teams to win the match is a good bet. The ambiance will almost certainly never favor the away team which can leave them distracted and not perform up to par. You should take note to favor the home team only on individual events as you might not record success if you do this for future bets.
Another good bet to make is on the number of goals in a match. The competition brings together Europe’s best teams so it is very likely to see a good number of goals scored in each match. That said, betting on over 1.5 goals can produce a mind-blowing win ratio.
As with every sports bet, researching the teams for the fixture is crucial. Always exhaustively research every team you are looking to wager on. This tip cannot be overemphasized as learning a team’s history will give you an insight into how they will perform.