Who Are the Best Champions League Strikers in 2022

The Champions League quarter-finals are here and so are the updated betting odds for the title, goal scoring, and match favorites. Names like Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah, and Karim Benzema are common in sentences linked to goals. Many believe that the race for the top goalscorer is already over as Lewandowski is ahead of everyone else. In this article, we’ll focus on the best Champions League strikers and attackers in 2022. You will also find some information about our quarter-finals predictions and the top picks for this year’s title. There’s a chance to witness history be made each year in the UCL, so let’s get to it.

This is now the third consecutive Champions League season that will finish without either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi as the top goalscorer. The two most recent players to win the award are Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. With Dortmund eliminated earlier this season, it looks like the Polish striker is on the path to winning the award once again, previously doing so in 2020. If Lewandowski keeps his current pace up he could break Ronaldo’s record for most goals scored in a UCL season. He needs 6 more goals to beat Ronaldo’s 17 from the 2013-2014 season. With a maximum of five matches remaining, it seems doable. So now you know who’s the clear favorite but let’s look at the cases of everyone.

Robert Lewandowski is Currently the Best Champions League striker in 2022

To no one’s surprise, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski is the leading goal scorer in the Champions League this season. The Polish striker has played in all of his team’s UCL games so far and managed to score 12 goals in those 8 matches. He’s averaging 1.50 goals per game which is higher than some of the remaining clubs’ averages. Sébastian Haller of Ajax proved a worthy competitor as he had 11 goals in 8 matches. That is until Ajax was knocked out by Benfica. Karim Benzema and Mohamed Salah are tied for second with 8 goals each but many believe already that no one is catching up to Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich striker was also the top goal scorer in the 2019/2020 UCL when he finished with 15 goals to his name. We believe he will surpass those numbers by the end of this competition.

A maximum amount of five matches remain for the two furthest advancing teams in the UCL. Bayern’s chances of not making it through to the semi-finals are quite low. Check out our betting preview for the 1st leg of the quarter-finals for more details on this. To put things into perspective, Lewandowski would have to stay goalless for the remainder of the competition and either Benzema or Salah would have to average at least one goal per match. Plus they would have to make it into the finals on top of that. As you can see, Robert Lewandowski almost definitely will finish as the best Champions League striker in 2022. Even the odds are tipped one way. On 20Bet Sportsbook his odds are 1.05 (95.2%). Surprises, of course, can happen and the picture will be even clearer by the end of the quarter-finals.

Mohamed Salah and Liverpool Show Great Promise

Even though he’s currently tied for the 3rd spot with Benzema, experts believe that Salah’s chances of becoming the top goal scorer of this year’s UCL are slightly higher than the Real Madrid striker’s. The statement that everybody is more comfortable with is that Salah will most likely surpass Haller and move up to the 2nd spot. The Liverpool-Benfica match has the most one-sided odds out of all the remaining matches. So people aren’t wondering if the Reds can advance, they’re thinking how strong their case for it will be. Salah’s current 8/8 1.00 goal ratio is respectable but it won’t be enough to become the top goalscorer. Many believe the Benfica matchup is a great opportunity for the Liverpool forward. Yes, although his true position is right-wing, Salah does play as a forward and his playstyle can be similar to that of a striker.

Most online sportsbook sites in Germany agree on the fact that Mo Salah has the second-best odds of becoming the top goal scorer. Those odds aren’t that high, however. On 20Bet Sportsbook, for example, his odds are 11.27 (8.9%) which is a huge gap between the first and second favorites. Salah has made the starting eleven in all of Liverpool’s eight matches in this Champions League and he’ll likely make it on April 5 as well. In an earlier report, Salah was ranked 6th in the race for this year’s Golden Shoe Award. But it seems the man-to-beat there as well is none other than Robert Lewandowski. Here’s a tip for you. Lewandowski is way ahead of the competition and has a high chance of winning the award this year again.

Karim Benzema Remains One Of the Best Champions League Strikers in 2022

Benzema has scored 8 goals in 7 matches for Real in the UCL this season. He’s tied for 3rd place with Salah, has a better goal ratio and yet, he’s the third favorite to win. Some would call this discriminatory, others would call it fair. We’ll explain why this is by taking a look at betting previews and numbers. Benzema continues to have an incredible season as he keeps finding the back of the net across all competitions. He’s leading the LaLiga in goals scored and is the second favorite to win the Golden Shoe Award. He missed a match for Real due to knee problems but the latest reports indicate he’s ready to go against Chelsea. And this is why he’s only the third favorite to finish as the best Champions League striker in 2022. Because of Real’s odds against Chelsea.

Both Liverpool and Bayern Munich are among the 2022 UCL winner’s top picks. There’s also a strong agreement among fans and experts that both teams will advance past the quarter-finals. Madrid’s odds against Chelsea are not as one-sided, however. For a detailed betting preview, check out our previously mentioned article. So despite performing great, and possibly better than Salah, you can’t become the top goal scorer if you can’t advance. Of course, the 34-year forward has proved time and time again that he’s more than capable of being a menace to defenders. One of the more recent showcases of this was his hat trick against PSG in the Round of 16. Benzema’s odds on 20Bet Sportsbook are 17.16 (5.8%), which is not so far behind Salah but very much ahead of the next person on this list, Riyad Mahrez.

Manchester City’s Squad Depth Favors Riyad Mahrez 

When it comes to league performance, Mahrez cannot compare to the first three players on this list. At least not this season anyway. Where he showcased his talent this year however is the Champions League. Mahrez plays mainly as a right-winger but some sources might list him as a forward. Contrary to those sources, Riyad does play as a winger and doesn’t perform as a forward, unlike Salah. The impressive thing is that the Algerian winger is ranked only the 12th best player on the Manchester City squad in 2022 and yet he’s their top goalscorer in the UCL this season. Mahrez appeared in 8 matches for City and scored 6 goals so far. Out of those 8 appearances he made the starting eleven seven times. Many believe this is City’s year but the title can still be stolen from them.

Players like Riyad Mahrez will be crucial to Man City’s further performance this season. Let’s quickly compare some of his UCL and Premier League numbers. While making the starting eleven 88% of the time in the Champions League this percentage was only 40 in the Premier League. This only showcases further the depth of the Manchester City squad. Mahrez’s odds for the top goal scorer in this year’s UCL are 80.4 (1.2%). Do we believe he can get to number 1? Not at all. Especially because City have so many options on the offense they don’t have to push one player. If you’re interested in further betting categories for Riyad Mahrez or Manchester City in the Champions League, check out some of the online sportsbook sites in Germany.

Rounding off the List of The Best Champions League Strikers in 2022

As you’ve seen the major jump in odds between the third and fourth favorites, you would only expect this gap to grow even larger. And it does. Joining the four favorites for the top goal scorer of the 2022 UCL are Leroy Sané and Antoine Griezmann. Sané is Bayern’s primary left-winger and one of the most important pieces on their attack. Just like Mahrez, he has 6 goals in 8 matches. He also has 6 assists and a 40% goal participation in his team’s total of 30 goals so far. The 26-year old winger is considered a top player in both the Bundesliga and internationally. But as long as Lewandowski’s the main goal-scoring option, no one is netting more balls than him. Sané’s odds on 20Bet Sportsbook are 114.0 (0.9%). A €100 bet would return €11.400 but with near-impossible chances.

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Atlético Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann rounds off our list of the best Champions League strikers in 2022. The Frenchman’s loan from Barcelona will end on June 30 but he managed to be a valuable asset to Atlético this season. When it comes to the list of top goalscorers this season, he’s a bit further down than the others in this article. Griezmann has 4 goals in 7 appearances for his team so far and only made the starting eleven 50% of the time. His odds to win top goalscorer would require nothing short of a miracle. With 375.0 (0.3%) he’s the 6th favorite for the title. Atlético faces their second Manchester club in the quarter-finals and they will need everything they have as experts predict City to win it all this season. There have also been some rumors lately that state that Simeone is capable of beating City.FC