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A look at the favourites for the Champions League

This season, it seems like the Spanish hold on the trophy could finally be broken. Ronaldo has left Real, Barcelona haven’t significantly strengthened and PSG, Juve, and Man City all look capable of mounting a concerted assault on the competition. In this article, we take a look at the main runners and riders in this season’s Champions League.

Juventus

The Old Lady came within minutes of taking eventual champions Real Madrid to extra-time in last season’s knock-out stages, and have bought this summer with revenge in mind. The sale of former talisman Gonzalo Higuain has been mitigated by the arrival of Europe’s hottest property, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward has won the Champions League more than most clubs in Europe and will be determined to win it again with Juve. The return of Leonardo Bonucci coupled with the arrival of holding midfielder Emre Can should add even more defensive solidity to Juve’s already formidable backline. Who they’ll need to perform: You guessed it, Ronaldo. Top performances from him will be the difference between failure and success for the Turin outfit.

Man City

Pep Guardiola’s expensively assembled squad made short shrift of their domestic opponents last term, but came up short once again in Europe, being heavily beaten by Liverpool over two legs. Sheikh Mansour has pumped well over a billion pounds into the former exploding clown car of English football and will see Champions League success as the minimum expected return on his investment. Who they’ll need to perform: Sergio Aguero may grab the goal-scoring headlines for City, but Kevin De Bruyne could prove to be the difference in tough clashes against Europe’s elite.

PSG

Just like Manchester City, PSG have the expectations of super-wealthy investors on their shoulders. Neymar was signed last season for an eye-watering amount, and his arrival failed to usher in European success. Experienced ‘keeper Gigi Buffon has joined this summer from Juventus, and the PSG hierarchy will be hoping his experience and winning mentality will rub off on the rest of the squad. Who they’ll need to perform: Thomas Tuchel, the new manager is tasked with one of the toughest jobs in football. Getting a tune out of some of the best players in the world, who seem thoroughly disinterested in taking orders from anyone.

Tottenham

When Liverpool were smashed by Spurs and Man City last season, who would have predicted they’d reach the Champions League final? Absolutely nobody. That’s the beauty of the European competition and what makes placing a bet on these competitions exciting, sometimes the winners or runners-up come in the form of an unlikely team. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have been growing as a group for the past couple of years, and undoubtedly possess the talent to advance in tight knock-out games. One or two favourable draws in the latter stages could see Spurs surge to European success in the most unlikely of fashions. Who they’ll need to perform: Harry Kane, their prolific frontman loves scoring but has been known to go missing in some of the bigger games. His performances against Croatia for England, and Juve and Man United last season for Spurs left much to be desired. If he rises to the occasion for Spurs though, he could fire them to European glory.

Who are we backing?

Manchester City are the favourites, although Juventus seem like the strongest outfit in the Champions League this term. Max Allegri’s tactical flexibility could be key in crunch games, and the arrival of Ronaldo brings star quality to their squad. That being said, any of the teams mentioned above could feasibly win the tournament. There could even be a massive upset with a real outsider winning the tournament for the first time since Porto in 2004.

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Totals Betting

Totals betting, also known as over/under betting, is a type of wager available on almost any professional sport played worldwide – football, basketball, tennis, baseball, and hockey, to mention a few. As the name suggests, punters bet on the total number of something happening in a sporting event. Precisely, this consists of the number of goals in football, games or sets in tennis, points in basketball, runs in baseball, and it can be other things as well. This total number is going to be completely independent of the outcome of the contest. It does not matter who wins the game, but instead, how many points, runs, or goals have both teams combined. Totals betting is more commonly referred to as an Over/Under bet. The name of this type of wager is interchangeable, and bookmakers use both of them. Totals bets are one of the simplest and most popular bets to place. Bookmakers usually set the bets on football totals at Over/Under 2.5 goals. If you think a game is going to be low-scoring or high-scoring, you have the opportunity to bet on Over/Under 1.5 goals or Over/Under 3.5 goals. The totals bet is arguably one of the most straightforward bets to make in all sports. The winner and loser of the match don’t matter when you place this kind of wager. The only thing that matters with this kind of bet is to estimate the total score of a sporting event. Totals bets are a great way to diversify your sports betting picks and make a profit in the process. Totals bets are entertaining when you love or hate both teams playing. If you are a fan of both teams and want to cheer for both to do well, you can logically do this with an over bet. When you bet the score over, you don’t care which team scores as long as they do a lot of it. There are times you’re watching games just for the beauty of the game, and you are not rooting for either team to win. If you’re looking for a fun way to bet on the match but don’t want to cheer for either team, then you can choose the under option. To demonstrate how the totals betting strategy works, let’s consider a Bundesliga clash between German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Both clubs are strong in attack, and their games often end up with four or more goals, so a bet for over 3.5 goals could be a safe option with reasonably high odds. Over/Under means you bet on whether the combined score will add up to more or less than the projected total number set by the bookmakers.Advantages of Totals Betting Totals bets have, for sure, plenty of advantages. We mention a few of them as follows: This wager is great for casual bettors and beginners because it is simple to understand how it works. You do not have to predict the winner of the game. For example, in football, you just have to bet on the total number of goals scored by the two teams involved in the match, whether it’s per quarter, half, or game. There is a 50/50 chance of winning with this type of bet. Tips for Totals Betting Don’t let the simplicity of betting on football totals fool you. There’s always the risk of losing money when betting on sports. Take into consideration the following factors before betting on totals: Analise the matchups - examine the teams playing and consider their strengths and weaknesses. Also, take into account how many goals each team score per match. Venue - most of the teams play well at home and score more. In football, the home field has a significant impact on the majority of the clubs. Past matchups – look at the previous meetings between the two teams to help you predict the possible outcome. Over/Under record – examine the teams’ Over/Under record in the current season, at home and away, and against each other. Weather forecasts – the weather plays a crucial role during football matches. If the game takes place in inclement weather, like rain or snow, it will limit the players’ ability to move the ball. In conclusion, totals bets are not difficult to understand and allow you to support both teams involved in the game. Even though you are a beginner or an experienced punter, we hope our tips will help you profit from totals betting.

Betting on football leagues and competitions

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