The 2022 UCL Winner Top Picks
Posted: March 30, 2022
Updated: March 30, 2022
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Manchester City on top of the list
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Liverpool's strength returns with the arrival of spring
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Bayern Munich are a goal-scoring powerhouse in the UCL
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The latest report on the 2022 UCL winner top picks
The UEFA Champions League predictions arrive each year as soon as the competition begins. If we’re counting the qualifying rounds, the UCL almost runs for a whole year, providing a thrill to football fans across the world. Once the group stages begin, the predictions usually tighten and get clearer. Just as for the 2022 UCL predictions include winner top picks, top goal scorers, furthest advancing clubs, nationality of the winner, and so on. If you’ve been following football this season, you might already know who the top clubs are. In this article, we’ll list the top three favourites for the UCL title in descending order. We will also be discussing their recent performances and why they are considered the favourites, among other things.
This is now the second consecutive UEFA Champions League quarter-finals without both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. After both Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain failed to advance past the Round of 16, many believe we are getting closer to the end of a legendary era. But as something comes to an end, another thing rises. Both Manchester City’s and Liverpool’s success in the past couple of seasons deserve the highest praise. Their rivalry is shaping up to be this decade’s Real-Bayern competition. As for Bayern Munich, they’ve been here for a long time. The Champions League is no strange ground to the Bavarians and everyone recognizes their potential each year. As both Bayern and Liverpool have won the UCL in recent years, all eyes are on Manchester City after last year’s disappointing finish. Can they secure their first-ever UCL or will someone else take the glory?
Manchester City Remains The Top Pick For The 2022 UCL Winner
Manchester City’s incredible performance this season puts them as the top pick for the 2022 UCL winner. They have been playing unbelievably well in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. What differentiates City from the other clubs on this list is that they haven’t won a UCL title yet. In the past few years, Pep’s squad has won the Premier League, Fa Cup, League Cup, and Supercup. They came the closest to the title in the club’s history last year when they reached the finals but were eliminated by Chelsea. The city has competed for ten consecutive years but they’ve always had mixed results. Since the 2018/2019 season Manchester City and Liverpool have been considered the favourites for nearly everything. So let’s examine the odds and see why this club is the favourite to win the UCL this year.
Earlier in the season, experts already had the top pick to win the UCL. Fast forward a couple of months, and they’re still on the top. One thing that changed, however, is the odds. Currently, Manchester City has 2/1 (33.3%) odds as the outright winner on 888sport. But the gap isn’t as big between the top picks as was before. If you were to bet £100 on City with these odds, the turnout would be £300. A 5-0 win on aggregate against Sporting CP only solidified their odds even more. If you want to check out their chances and the betting preview against Atlético in the quarter-finals, here’s the article. Odds aren’t solely calculated based on Champions League performance but performance across all competitions, among other things. And Manchester City’s Premier League performance this season is as good as it gets. Or is it?
Liverpool is Breathing On The Neck of Their Rivals
The battle between Liverpool and City continues for all the spoils. A few months ago we covered the Premier League special predictions for the winner. At that time, City had a double-digit lead on Liverpool. After 29 league matches, there’s only a one-point deficit between the two best clubs in England. Liverpool’s drive in the past few months is the major reason why the odds for both the Premier League and Champions League winners have changed. Both clubs have the chance to win both competitions this year, which would be an immensely impressive feat. The Reds will face Benfica on April 5 as the 1st leg of the quarter-finals begins. They’re considered the heavy favourites so much so that Benfica’s odds of winning the UCL are 150/1 (0.7%). Liverpool’s odds for the UCL are 21/10 (32.3%), literally a hairline behind their rivals, Man City.
After beating Arsenal 2-0 on March 16 Liverpool is only one point behind City like we’ve said earlier. To clarify things, they were 14 points behind in second around mid-January. Jurgen Klopp stated that “there is no pressure, there is an opportunity” implying that they are moving forward one game at a time. Being one point behind is better than trailing by fourteen, but they’ve got the right mentality. Fans of the club have been saying that Liverpool is peaking at the right time. As the race for both the Premier League and the Champions League intensifies, that statement seems true. The club is going into the UCL with the same mentality they play in the Premier League. There is good competition but just take things one step at a time. Check out Liverpool’s chances on online gambling sites in the UK.
You Can Never Go Wrong With Bayern as a UCL Winner Top Pick
Bayern Munich has been a force to be reckoned with for a very long time. They’re arguably the strongest club in Central Europe and are always in competition for multiple titles. As we all know the Bundesliga title race isn’t as unpredictable or even at times as in the Premier League. So, all eyes turn towards Bayern when they are playing in European competitions, like the Champions League. Their most recent UCL title is from the 2019/2020 season when they went unbeaten all the way to win the trophy.
The Bavarians are a safe bet and they make a solid case for champions each year. This year is no different as they are among the top picks for the 2022 UCL winner. Along with Manchester City and Liverpool, Bayern is ahead of the competition this year. They also haven’t lost a single UCL match yet.
Bayern is the third favorite to win the UCL with 3/1 (25%) odds. In comparison, the next closest club is Chelsea with 12/1 (7.7%) on 888sport. In this year’s competition, the German club is averaging the most goals per match with 3.75. They are also tied with Chelsea and Real Madrid for the least goals conceded, with 0.63 per match. Only Chelsea is averaging a higher possession than them this season, and that difference is a minimal 0.38%. Passing-wise, Bayern is in third with an 89.13% completion rate compared to Real’s 89.25% and Man City’s 90.88%. With possibly the deadliest attack in all of Europe and brilliant defiance, it’s no wonder they’re top picks for the UCL every single year. Look away Villarreal fans because experts also believe Bayern will advance to the semi-finals without an issue.
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