Champions League winner odds and outright predictions: Bayern Munich pose major threat to hot favourites Manchester City

Where to watch the 2023-24 Champions League

TNT Sports, starts 5.45pm Tuesday

Best bets

Bayern Munich
3pts 11-2 general

Inter
1pt each-way 25-1 general

RB Leipzig
0.5pts each-way 66-1 bet365Coral, Ladbrokes

2023-24 Champions League predictions

Real Madrid have won the European Cup or Champions League on 14 occasions, Milan have been crowned champions of Europe seven times, while Bayern Munich (six titles) and Barcelona (five) also have proud records in the competition.

However, the 2023-24 Champions League betting revolves around Manchester City, a club who landed their maiden European crown just three months ago when a 68th-minute goal from Rodri saw off Inter in the final.

It had been coming. Bookmakers have rated City as comfortably Europe's best team for several seasons and June's triumph in Istanbul is expected to be the first of many.

The signing of Erling Haaland, who scored 12 Champions League goals in 2022-23, undoubtedly strengthened the Citizens but they could easily have won a couple of European titles before his arrival.

In 2018-19 City lost a frantic quarter-final tie against Tottenham on away goals and a year later, in a tournament disrupted by the pandemic, they beat Real Madrid in the last 16 before losing to Lyon in a one-off quarter-final.

The Citizens thumped Paris St-Germain 4-1 on aggregate in their 2020-21 semi-final but lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final and in 2021-22, incredibly, they were knocked out by Real in the semis despite leading 5-3 on aggregate going into the 90th minute of the second leg.

Pep Guardiola's men were not at their best in last season's final, which was understandable given that they had already won the Premier League and FA Cup and lost playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to a hamstring injury in the first half.

De Bruyne suffered a recurrence of that injury in the Premier League opener at Burnley and will be sidelined until the new year, although City are still 1-100 to qualify from Champions League Group G.

Manchester City v Red Star Belgrade predictions, betting odds and tips: Red Star could be outshone by slick City 

Football accumulator tips for Tuesday September 19: Leipzig look solid selections in 12-1 acca 

Mark Langdon: Champions League predictions & betting tips + get a £40 free bet from Paddy Power

The influential Ilkay Gundogan has joined Barcelona but the treble-winning squad has been bolstered by summer signings Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and exciting winger Jeremy Doku.

Real lifted the trophy in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022 and City clearly have the potential for a period of similar dominance. Bayern and Real, rated the main threats to the favourites, were brushed aside last term, losing 4-1 and 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.

And Arsenal, fourth in the betting on their return to the Champions League, have lost their last 12 league meetings with City by an aggregate score of 33-5.

The Gunners are respected after leading the Premier League title race for so long last season. However, Liverpool and Chelsea, Champions League winners in 2019 and 2021, have failed to qualify while Manchester United and Newcastle may struggle to challenge Europe's top clubs so Bayern look the most solid alternatives to City.

The 2022-23 season was a difficult one for Bayern, who needed a final-day slip-up from Borussia Dortmund to scramble to their 11th straight Bundesliga title.

Prolific striker Robert Lewandowski left for Barca and his replacement Sadio Mane made more headlines for a barney with Leroy Sane than for anything he did on the pitch. In December iconic goalkeeper Manuel Neuer broke his leg in a skiing accident and coach Julian Nagelsmann was sacked in March, just three weeks before the quarter-final clash with City.

Thomas Tuchel, who steered Chelsea to victory over the Citizens in the 2021 final, is a more pragmatic manager than the gung-ho Nagelsmann and striker Harry Kane has made a fine start to life in Bavaria.

The absence of a top-class striker cost Bayern against City. Both teams had 11 shots on target over the two legs but Sane, in particular, was profligate in front of goal so Kane's finishing and link-up play should improve them significantly.

There is no shortage of talent to create chances for the England captain, with Sane, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and French youngster Mathys Tel jostling for opportunities, and centre-back Min-Jae Kim, a star of Napoli's Serie A triumph last term, looks another cracking signing.

Bayern won all six group games last season, including doubles over Barcelona and Inter, but the Nerazzurri rallied to reach the final and they look a tempting price to go close again.

2023-24 Champions League schedule

Group stage
Matchday one September 19-20
Matchday two October 3-4
Matchday three October 24-25
Matchday four November 7-8
Matchday five November 28-29
Matchday six  December 12-13

Round of 16
First legs February 13-14 & 20-21
Second legs  March 5-6 & 12-13

Quarter-finals
First legs April 9-10
Second legs  April 16-17

Semi-finals
First legs April 30-May 1
Second legs May 7-8

Final
Wembley Stadium, London June 1

Serie A provided the runners-up in all three of last season's European competitions, as well as three of the Champions League quarter-finalists. Napoli thrashed Liverpool in the group stage, Milan beat Spurs in the last 16, and Inter kept five clean sheets in six knockout games before giving City a scare in the final.

Inter kicked off the new Serie A season with four victories out of four, including a 5-1 derby rout of Milan last weekend, and they won seven of their last eight matches in 2022-23. Striker Lautaro Martinez is flourishing alongside new arrival Marcus Thuram while Benjamin Pavard and goalkeeper Yann Sommer, both signed from Bayern, add experience and quality to the defensive unit.

With doubts over the Premier League challengers, other than City, as well as big guns PSG, Barca and Real, who will miss Karim Benzema's goals, Leipzig merit a small bet.

The draw opened up for Inter in 2022-23 and Leipzig, thumped by City in last season's first knockout round, are in the holders' group so should have a less daunting last-16 tie this time around. 

They sold stars Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai but new strikers Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko have hit the ground running along with PSG loanee Xavi Simons and Spain star Dani Olmo.

Leipzig, who beat Real 3-2 in last term's group stage, scored five goals in 25 minutes in the second half of August's 5-1 win over Stuttgart before a 3-0 win at fellow Champions League representatives Union Berlin and the 66-1 shots could outrun their odds.

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.