Champions League Predictions and Betting Tips
UEFA Champions League standings
| M | W | D | L | GD | Last 5 | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 18 | |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 15 | |
| 3 | Paris Saint Germain | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 13 | |
| 4 | Manchester City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 13 | |
| 5 | Atalanta | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | |
| 6 | Inter | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 12 | |
| 7 | Real Madrid | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 | |
| 8 | Atletico Madrid | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 | |
| 9 | Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 | |
| 10 | Borussia Dortmund | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | |
| 11 | Tottenham | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | |
| 12 | Newcastle | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | |
| 13 | Chelsea | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | |
| 14 | Sporting CP | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | |
| 15 | Barcelona | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |
| 16 | Marseille | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
| 17 | Juventus | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| 18 | Galatasaray | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | |
| 19 | Monaco | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | -1 | 9 | |
| 20 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | -2 | 9 | |
| 21 | PSV Eindhoven | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| 22 | Qarabag | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 7 | |
| 23 | Napoli | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 7 | |
| 24 | FC Copenhagen | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -6 | 7 | |
| 25 | Benfica | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -2 | 6 | |
| 26 | Pafos | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -5 | 6 | |
| 27 | Union St. Gilloise | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -8 | 6 | |
| 28 | Athletic Club | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -5 | 5 | |
| 29 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -7 | 5 | |
| 30 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -8 | 4 | |
| 31 | Club Brugge KV | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -8 | 4 | |
| 32 | Bodo/Glimt | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -4 | 3 | |
| 33 | Slavia Praha | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -9 | 3 | |
| 34 | Ajax | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -13 | 3 | |
| 35 | Villarreal | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -9 | 1 | |
| 36 | Kairat Almaty | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -11 | 1 | |
| M | W | D | L | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 8 | Atletico Madrid | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 14 | Sporting CP | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 13 | Chelsea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 11 | Tottenham | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 23 | Napoli | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 10 | Borussia Dortmund | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | Atalanta | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | Real Madrid | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | Inter | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 15 | Barcelona | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 16 | Marseille | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Paris Saint Germain | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 18 | Galatasaray | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Monaco | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 17 | Juventus | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 28 | Athletic Club | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 22 | Qarabag | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 24 | FC Copenhagen | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 26 | Pafos | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 31 | Club Brugge KV | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 30 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 25 | Benfica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 21 | PSV Eindhoven | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 33 | Slavia Praha | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 29 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 32 | Bodo/Glimt | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 35 | Villarreal | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 36 | Kairat Almaty | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 27 | Union St. Gilloise | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 34 | Ajax | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| M | W | D | L | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | Paris Saint Germain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 20 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | Atalanta | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | Inter | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | Real Madrid | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 27 | Union St. Gilloise | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 21 | PSV Eindhoven | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Barcelona | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 17 | Juventus | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 19 | Monaco | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 | Borussia Dortmund | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 29 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 34 | Ajax | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 18 | Galatasaray | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 22 | Qarabag | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 24 | FC Copenhagen | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 25 | Benfica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 | Marseille | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | Atletico Madrid | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 26 | Pafos | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Tottenham | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 32 | Bodo/Glimt | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 33 | Slavia Praha | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 14 | Sporting CP | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 30 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 28 | Athletic Club | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 13 | Chelsea | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 31 | Club Brugge KV | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 23 | Napoli | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 35 | Villarreal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 36 | Kairat Almaty | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Fixtures UEFA Champions League
| Tips | |||
| 20 Jan 26 | Kairat Almaty -  Club Brugge KV | ||
| 20 Jan 26 | Bodo/Glimt -  Manchester City | ||
| 20 Jan 26 | Inter -  Arsenal | ||
| 20 Jan 26 | Tottenham -  Borussia Dortmund | ||
| 20 Jan 26 | Olympiakos Piraeus -  Bayer Leverkusen | ||
| 20 Jan 26 | Villarreal -  Ajax | ||
| 20 Jan 26 | FC Copenhagen -  Napoli | ||
| 20 Jan 26 | Sporting CP -  Paris Saint Germain | ||
| 20 Jan 26 | Real Madrid -  Monaco | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Qarabag -  Eintracht Frankfurt | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Galatasaray -  Atletico Madrid | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Marseille -  Liverpool | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Bayern Munich -  Union St. Gilloise | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Newcastle -  PSV Eindhoven | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Chelsea -  Pafos | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Juventus -  Benfica | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Atalanta -  Athletic Club | ||
| 21 Jan 26 | Slavia Praha -  Barcelona | ||
Tips UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL, or CL) is the highest-quality football tournament in the world. By that, we mean that the standard of football played is better at the World Cup, the Euros, or elsewhere. It was first played as the European Cup in the 1955/56 season. Subsequently, in 1992, it was rebranded as the Champions League.
UCL is so important because of the prestige that it brings. It helps clubs attract the best players and is also hugely rewarding from a financial perspective. Moreover, over the years all of the best teams in Europe have lifted the Champions League trophy. However, none can come close to the mighty Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have won the Champions League 15 times (as of the 2024 final).
Champions League's Current Format
In the past, the Champions League format consisted of a series of qualifying rounds followed by a playoff. The competition then progressed to the group stages, where each pool boasted four teams that played each other twice - once at home and once away - creating a total of six games. Then came the knockout stages with the Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final. Each round, apart from the final, had two legs, with one game at home and the other away. The away goal was scrapped recently and is no longer in use.
Previous Champions League campaigns had 125 matches and started with 78 teams before the competition proper opened with 32 contenders. Today, the tournament has 82 teams from 53 associations before the pack is cut to 36 teams for the group stages. What does each round look like this season? Keep reading as we focus on each in more detail, from the qualification stages through to the final.
Qualification round
The first qualifying round opens the Champions League show for the season, with the teams involved playing over two legs. The winners advance to the second qualifying round, and 12 of the first 14 losers will drop into the Conference League.
The second qualifying round follows a similar path, with the winners advancing to the third round and most of the losing teams dropping into the Europa League. A total of 20 teams will play in the third round, with the best sides advancing to the playoff. Fans will then see 14 teams push for a place in the group stages.
Group round
Followers of the Champions League won't notice too many obvious changes during qualifying, but the group stages of the 2024/25 tournament will be far removed from what we've enjoyed in the past. UEFA opted for a radical shake-up in the face of increasing competition from a European Super League that attracted the attention of many major clubs from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1.
So, this year's Champions League group stage will be completely different. The new format replaces the group stage with a single league format, including all the teams involved. Each club plays at least eight league-stage games against different opponents, equally split between four home games and four away games.
Repeat games are excluded, meaning each competitor will play a different team in each match until reaching the knockout stages or exiting the tournament. A pre-competition draw decides the schedule and informs teams which opponents they'll play at home and which they must travel to play. As always, three points are awarded for a win, one point for a draw, and nothing for a defeat.
Knockout phase
In the past, the two best teams from the groups progressed to the knockout rounds while third-placed teams dropped into the Europa League, and teams in fourth went out. Now, we have one large European league, with the best teams progressing and the others fighting for a lifeline in the playoffs to get back into the running.
Here is how it works. The eight best-performing teams will progress to the knockout stages, and teams finishing between ninth and 24th will face a two-legged playoff to save their campaign. Teams finishing between ninth and 16th are seeded and enjoy home advantage for the second leg. The winners will progress to join the best eight teams from the group stages in the next round. Teams finishing 25th or lower in the league phase will exit all UEFA competitions.
After the playoff rounds, we progress to the knockout stages, where a series of rounds will reduce the field to just two teams through the Round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals. Each round will consist of two legs, with the winning team progressing and the losing team eliminated.
Final
The final, unlike every other round of the tournament, will be identical to past finals. It will separate the two best-performing teams over 90 minutes, with extra time and penalties available if required. If a game is level after 90 minutes of action, it will progress to extra time and two more halves of 15 minutes each.
If there is still no clear winner, the final moves to penalties, with the competitors facing off in a best-of-five shootout before taking on sudden-death penalties if required. In a sudden-death shootout, the first team to score and see their opponent miss from the spot is the winner. Champions League finals could be won in 90 minutes or may go the distance all the way to sudden-death penalties.
Tournament Records and Stats
The Champions League offers many great stats, records and pieces of trivia. Here, however, we will briefly examine just three of the most essential records in the competition's history.
Most wins
As noted earlier, Real Madrid is the most successful team in the history of this competition. The Spanish giants boast 15 wins overall, including each of the first five. They are eight titles clear of Milan and nine ahead of Liverpool and Bayern Munich. Given they are also 15 ahead of PSG, we do not see them losing their supremacy anytime soon.
| 🏆 Titles | ⚽ Team(s) |
| 15 | Real Madrid |
| 7 | Milan |
| 6 | Bayern Munich, Liverpool |
| 5 | Barcelona |
| 4 | Ajax |
| 3 | Manchester United, Inter Milan |
| 2 | Juventus, Benfica, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Porto |
| 1 | Manchester City, Celtic, Hamburger SV, Steaua București, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord, Aston Villa, PSV Eindhoven, Red Star Belgrade |
Most appearances
Real Madrid once again leads the way in terms of appearances by a club. Los Blancos have appeared in the CL in 54 seasons. Benfica is a surprising runner-up with 43 appearances. However, when we look at individual players, it is the usual battle of the GOATs and this is one contest where CR7 leads the way. Cristiano Ronaldo has made 183 appearances, whilst Lionel Messi boasts 163. However, Iker Casillas is second with 177 appearances.
Most goals
Regarding goals, we see a similar picture: Ronaldo has scored 140 CL goals. This compares to 129 for Messi. No other player is close to those two but Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland may have what it takes to challenge Ronaldo’s record.
How to Predict and Bet on Champions League Matches?
As probably the world's biggest and most popular football competition, your betting options for the Champions League predictions are incredible. Most UCL betting sites will have 200 or more markets for games in the competition. The very best will see that total stretch to over 700. Consequently, your hardest decision might be which market to plump for.
Popular Betting Markets for the Champions League
There are many popular bets and markets when it comes to the Champions League tips. You can do your own research (see below) or follow the Champions League betting tips and CL predictions of others. However, when it comes to some of the most popular markets, here are a few recommendations.
- Match Winner
- Over 2.5 Goals
- Both Teams to Score
- Betting on the Tournament Winner is a wise decision where the usual favourites always have great odds before the knockout stages.
- Backing the Top Goalscorer from a team expected to reach further stages in the Champions League is also a good strategy.
Predictions
There are several factors to consider to formulate your own successful betting strategies and Champions League predictions. However, below are some of the less obvious ones:
- Team news, including player injuries, suspensions and rotation are crucial for Champions League predictions.
- Domestic games on either side of the fixture could affect team news and energy levels.
- Form of teams and key players within them.
- The first leg's result (when betting on the second).
- Experience of the CL knockout phase with the teams is important for every Champions League tips.
More Champions League Betting Tips
Note that we offer a wide selection of Champions League tips elsewhere on the site.
FAQ
How often are your UCL predictions updated?
We update our Champions League predictions very regularly when games are upcoming.
When are your Champions League Predictions available?
This varies depending on the market, with football tips for specific matches usually available a few days before the game. However, for outright UCL betting tips, you can expect to see them published much earlier.
How to win by Betting in the Champions League?
As with all betting, research, discipline, and knowledge are essential for any football tips. Not to mention that good luck will go a long way too! In addition, our Champions League predictions are a good starting point. You can also use them to back up your own thoughts.
Do bookmakers release Champions League-specific bonuses?
Yes! Many top football bookies regularly have bonuses and free bets betting offers just for the UCL. Moreover, they will have bonuses for the Europa League too.
Where to watch the Champions League?
Hundreds of channels around the globe broadcast the Champions League. In addition, it may also be available to watch or follow in-play via services like the bet365 live betting section.
Which team has won the champions league the most?
Real Madrid has won the most CL titles with 15, which means they are well ahead of Milan with 7 titles.
