Discover expert analysis and predictions on who will lift the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League trophies this season.
The Elite European football season is at its business end, and now is the time when the home of some of the beautiful game's most prestigious pieces of silverware will be determined. Newcastle United claimed the first trophy of the campaign as they beat Liverpool in the League Cup final at Wembley, but the Reds will have the last laugh when they surely claim the Premier League title. Elsewhere in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain have already been crowned champions of France, while Bayern Munich looks set to follow them in Germany.
But what of UEFA's three marquee competitions? Well, the Champions League, Europa League, and the Conference League have all reached the quarterfinal stage, and now each remaining team has their eyes on the prizes. But who will emerge victorious? Here are our picks to reign supreme.
Real Madrid isn't just the record champion in the UEFA Champions League with 15 titles to their name; they're also the reigning champions and remain the team to beat. Last season, they knocked off Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, courtesy of goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr. But rather than resting on their laurels, they added the best player in the world to their ranks in the form of Kylian Mbappe, and the Spanish capital's royal club is looking menacing once again.
As such then, it should come as somewhat of a surprise to see that Los Blancos aren't the online betting favorites to win the Champions League this season; nor are they the second favorites. Websites offering online betting in Canada give those honors to Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, pricing both at +300. Then come Real at odds of +350, but write them off at your peril.
Most of that pricing comes from the fact that the Parisians and the Catalonians have far easier-looking quarterfinal ties than the reigning champions. While Los Blancos have a two-legged tie against Arsenal to look forward to, the two frontrunners will face off against Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund respectively. But even so, surely at such long odds, betting on Real to go all the way might not be a bad idea.
Yes, facing Arsenal is a much more difficult prospect than either the Villains or Die Schwarzgelben, but even so, Mbappe and Co. will surely still progress. The Gunners managed to overcome their injury difficulties to put seven past PSV Eindhoven in the previous round, but surely they will struggle against the Spanish giants, especially without a recognized striker.
That said, Bodog doesn’t seem to think that will hurt them, according to their tweet on the matter!
March 4, 2025
Once that’s wrapped up, all roads will lead to Munich. Both Real’s El Clasico rivals Barcelona and PSG have been success shy in the Champions League in recent years, while Real has won the tournament six times in the last 11 years. We wouldn't be surprised to see them go all the way once again on May 31st. Premier League Power Struggle in the Europa League
The Europa League is a much closer run thing, but it has two familiar Premier League faces at the top of the betting odds list. Both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are eyeing up Europe's secondary prize this season, and with winning the tournament being both clubs' only route into European competition next season, the stakes have never been higher.
Both teams have had a disastrous time of it domestically this year. They both sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table and both teams appear to be somewhat in disarray. New United boss Ruben Amorim has done little to dispel the discontent at Old Trafford, while Spurs boss Ange Postocoglu is seemingly at war with his own club's fans thanks to their shocking displays this term. As such then, the Europa League should provide a welcome respite from their domestic woes, but Spanish side Athletic Bilbao will also have a say in where the trophy ends up this season.
The Basque outfit's San Mames home will be hosting this year's Europa League final, and boy, would Bilbao love to feature in the final on home turf. The bookies make them the +285 favorites for the trophy, narrowly ahead of both Spurs and United and unlike their two English counterparts, Athletic have had a solid season this year. They currently sit inside the top four in La Liga and look likely to qualify for next season's Champions League whether they win the Europa League this season or not.
Ending the campaign with the giant trophy is their aim though, and it is up to two Premier League giants to attempt to stop them.
Over in the Conference League, the story has been the same all season: Chelsea are the team to beat. The Blues are much more familiar with life in the Champions League, even winning the most coveted prize in club football as recently as 2021. However, this season, they find themselves in the Conference League, and they have been the team to beat from the outset and throughout.
Now, as they gear up for a quarterfinal against Legia Warsaw, the narrative hasn't changed. The London side is a short-priced -225 frontrunner for glory, and they will be hugely disappointed if they don't live up to the billing. With the likes of Cole Palmer in their squad, Chelsea are far stronger than any of the other eight remaining teams. However, Real Betis is a team that looks reborn following the loan signing of the much-maligned Antony, and they could still have a role to play if the Blues start taking games for granted.
