2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup outright winner predictions & betting tips: Saracens can reclaim continental crown

Paddy Power are giving new customers £40 in free bets when they bet £10 on the European Rugby Champions Cup. Read on to find out how to claim.

When does the 2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup start?

The first round of pool matches runs from Friday, December 8 to Sunday, December 10, and the pool stage concludes in January.

Where can I watch the 2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup?

You can watch the action live on TNT Sports.

Who are the favourites for the 2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup?

Leinster are favourites at 11-4 while champions La Rochelle are just behind in the betting at 10-3. Those teams have contested the last two finals, both won by La Rochelle. 

Best bets for the 2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup

Saracens to win European Champions Cup
2pts each-way 10-1 BoyleSports, Hills

Ulster to win European Champions Cup
1pt each-way 40-1 Hills

Bet on Saracens to win the Champions Cup here and get £40 in European Rugby Champions Cup free bets from Paddy Power

2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup predictions

Saracens beat Leinster in the 2018 Champions Cup final to seal a domestic and European double, but less than a year later their world fell apart as they were dealt a hefty punishment for financial misdeeds and were subsequently cast into English rugby’s second tier.

Now they’re back, crowned again as England’s champions, and have been handed a draw that gives them every chance of reclaiming their European crown at generous odds.

It’s been a long wait for Sarries but so many players are still in their team from that 2018 triumph and they showed they are the same ruthless outfit when claiming a sixth Premiership title last summer.

The format of this tournament has changed again with the 24 teams divided into four pools of six and the top four in each section going through to the knockout stage. Teams in the same pool play each other only once and do not face clubs in the same domestic league, while finishing positions will again determine seedings and home advantage for the knockout stage, and that immediately identifies some clubs who have had more fortune than others.

The only limit set on the draw was that champions in their domestic leagues should be kept apart, but that did not stop La Rochelle and Leinster, finalists in the last two tournaments and the top two in the betting this time, ending up in the same section, while they are joined by a resurgent Leicester side in a devilish Pool Four.

Tournament favourites Leinster start their campaign with a clash at champions La Rochelle, their conquerors in the last two finals, and finish with a trip to Welford Road, and the complexities of that section are an immediate incentive to look elsewhere for outright value.

Leinster and La Rochelle have contested the last two Champions Cup finalsCredit: Brendan Moran

Saracens could be that value at a far more generous 10-1. A trip to Pretoria to face the Bulls is a daunting start in Pool One, but home matches against Connacht and Lyon plus an away jaunt to Bordeaux look well within Sarries’ compass and, having scored 24 tries in their last four matches, they should be good for some bonus points to boost their seeding.

Pool Two features Toulouse, winners in 2021 and semi-finalists in each of the last five years, as well as Racing 92, twice runners-up in the last five years. The French heavyweights won’t have to play each other but they do both have to travel to Ulster, who could have a big say in this section.

Ulster have lost just two of their last 14 European pool games at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast, and beat their other Pool Two rivals Bath and Harlequins home and away when they were drawn together in 2019-20.

Another Irish outfit look set to lead the way in Pool Three as Munster are drawn to face three other former winners in Northampton and Toulon, both of whom have made strong starts to their domestic seasons, plus 2020 winners Exeter. 

It’s hard to pick out one side from that section who look to have a clear chance of claiming a high seeding for the knockout stage as all are capable of taking points off each other. 

There are plenty of obstacles ahead for the main challengers and with all the pool fixtures played in December and January it's going to be a hard slog. The best bet at this stage is to pick out teams who look to have the best chance of a smooth passage and high seeding, and Saracens and Ulster both fit that bill at attractive prices.

2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup pools and fixtures

Pool One
Saracens Bulls (a), Connacht (h), Bordeaux (a), Lyon (h)
Bordeaux  Connacht (a), Bristol (h), Saracens (h), Bulls (a)
Bulls Saracens (h), Lyon (a), Bristol (a), Bordeaux (h)
Lyon Bristol (a), Bulls (h), Connacht (h), Saracens (a)
Bristol  Lyon (h), Bordeaux (a), Bulls (h), Connacht (a)
Connacht Bordeaux (h), Saracens (a), Lyon (a), Bristol (h

Pool Two
Toulouse Cardiff (h), Harlequins (a), Ulster (a), Bath (h)
Racing Harlequins (h), Ulster (a), Bath (a), Cardiff (h)
Harlequins Racing (a), Toulouse (h), Cardiff (a), Ulster (h)
Ulster Bath (a), Racing (h), Toulouse (h), Harlequins (a)
Bath Ulster (h), Cardiff (a), Racing (h), Toulouse (a)
Cardiff Toulouse (a), Bath (h), Harlequins (h), Racing (a)

Pool Three
Munster Bayonne (h), Exeter (a), Toulon (a), Northampton (h)
Toulon Exeter (h), Northampton (a), Munster (h), Glasgow (a)
Glasgow Northampton (h), Bayonne (a), Exeter (a), Toulon (h)
Exeter Toulon (a), Munster (h), Glasgow (h), Bayonne (a)
Northampton Glasgow (a), Toulon (h), Bayonne (h), Munster (a)
Bayonne Munster (a), Glasgow (h), Northampton (a), Exeter (h)

Pool Four
Leinster La Rochelle (a), Sale (h), Stade Francais (h), Leicester (a)
La Rochelle Leinster (h), Stormers (a), Leicester (h), Sale (a)
Stormers Leicester (a), La Rochelle (h), Sale (h), Stade Francais (a)
Leicester Stormers (h), Stade Francais (a), La Rochelle (a), Leinster (h)
Sale Stade Francais (h), Leinster (a), Stormers (a), La Rochelle (h)
Stade Francais Sale (a), Leicester (h), Leinster (a), Stormers (h)

Make the most of your £40 European Rugby Champions Cup free bet: all of our Champions Cup tips

With Paddy Power giving away £40 in European Rugby Champions Cup free bets, you might feel spoilt for choice. Here are some betting tips that you may want to consider:

Saracens to win the European Rugby Champions Cup @ 9-1with Paddy Power
Ulster to win the European Rugby Champions Cup @ 33-1 with Paddy Power

*Note that these odds are subject to change

Grab a £40 Paddy Power European Rugby Champions Cup free bet

We’ve already mentioned that Paddy Power are offering a £40 free bet for the 2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup.

Well, you can follow these simple steps outlined below to grab your £40 free bet to place on the Champions Cup. It's fast, secure and straightforward.

1. Head over to Paddy Power through this link and click the Join button on their homepage
2. Create your username and password
3. Make a deposit of £10 or more using a card & place a bet on a sportsbook market with odds of 1-2 or greater
4. You will be rewarded with £40 of free bet tokens added to your balance

Paddy Power European Champions Cup betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of the European Rugby Champions Cup betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.

1. New UK & ROI customers only
2. Minimum deposit £10 bet at minimum odds of 1-2 to qualify 
3. Get £40 in free bets, valid for 30 days
4. SMS verification required
5. Bets placed on Greyhound racing markets are excluded.
6. Only deposits via cards will qualify

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