This has been one of the strangest football seasons that we have ever seen. For a while, it looked as though all competitions were going to be wiped out by the pandemic, but the majority of the major European Leagues returned to action and are all now close to completing their seasons. In Spain, it was Real Madrid who pulled off a bit of a surprise in pipping Barcelona to the La Liga title. Madrid were a perfect example of how some teams have reacted better to this strange situation than others. While Barcelona folded, Madrid went unbeaten and surged to the title. Let’s take a closer look at the current state of the Real Madrid so you can start planning ahead your bets against their Champions League odds.
UEFA – Real Madrid odds to win Champions after winning LaLiga
The question now is how all of that will translate to the Champions League, which will see the final 16 teams converge in Lisbon to finish the tournament. This is the competition that Real Madrid has exceled in, even going back to the days when it was called the European Cup. They have won this competition 13 times, and even in seasons when they have not played well as the domestic level, they have found ways to raise their game and win it all. Can they do it again this year.
Road to the Round of 16
Real Madrid found themselves drawn into Group A with PSG, Galatasary, and Clun Brugge. They saw things get off to a very rocky start, losing 3-0 in the road in Paris. They were in real danger of losing back to back games, needing to come from 2 goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with Club Brugge at home. The group stage turned around with the next 2 games, both of which came against Galatasaray. They got started with a 1-0 win on the road in Turkey, before thumping Galatasaray 6-0 at home. A 2-2 draw with PSG at home helped the cause, and Madrid earned second place in the group with a 3-1 win on the road against Brugge in Matchday 6.
In the Round of 16, Real Madrid were drawn against Manchester City, a very tough tie that was certainly not an easy passage to the next round. That proved to be the case, with Madrid losing 2-1 to City in the home leg and being reduced to 10 men in the process. All the more disappointing was the fact that Madrid had a 1-0 lead going late into the game, only to surrender a pair of goals in the final 12 minutes. That puts their progression to the quarterfinal in serious jeopardy.
Real Madrid Odds to Win the Champions League
Real Madrid have a huge hole to dig themselves out of in the second leg against City, although the slight benefit is that they will be playing in a neutral venue with no fans in attendance, so the home advantage for City is essentially gone. The bookies do not fancy their chances and have them in at +2000 to win the UCL. I tend to be in agreement and believe that they will bow out in the Round of 16.
