Champions League winner predictions: Our experts deliver their best bets to win the competition

Who will win the Champions League?

Warren Ashurst: Barcelona look the best bet factoring in the draw and their current form. Hansi Flick’s men are unbeaten in 15 matches going into the last-16 clash with Benfica, a team they have already beaten in this season’s tournament. They have avoided the half of the draw that includes Real Madrid, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid and look well set to go deep in the competition.

Dan Childs: Liverpool are cruising towards the Premier League title and can make it a truly special season by becoming champions of Europe for the seventh time in their history. The only blemish on the Reds' Champions League schedule came in the 3-2 lost away to PSV Eindhoven when they gave a run out to several fringe players. The draw has not been especially kind to Arne Slot's side, who face Paris St-Germain in the round of 16 and could be up against 15-times winners Real Madrid in the final four. However, Liverpool have looked strong in all departments and possess the ultimate game changer with Mohamed Salah enjoying the best season of his stellar career.

Liam Flin: Barcelona have a favourable route to the final, starting with Benfica in the last 16, but the intensity of the La Liga title race could have a knock-on effect. The value pick are PSG. Their price is inflated by the fact they face Liverpool but they go into that tie in red-hot form, their attack is freescoring and hungry and they have pretty much wrapped up the Ligue 1 title.

Mark Langdon: I think there is a wrong favourite in this market and Barcelona, who are in the easier half of the draw, look a value bet. Benfica and then Dortmund or Lille blocking the path to the semi-finals looks a nice route and the worst-case scenario in the last four would be Bayern Munich, who were soundly beaten 4-1 by the Catalans in the league phase. The domestic table suggests there is little between the big three in Spain, but Barca have beaten Real Madrid by an aggregate 9-2 in their two games this season and their expected-goals difference is comfortably superior to that of their La Liga rivals.

James Milton: It's a fascinating last-16 line-up. Barcelona's attacking quality and kind draw mean they are big runners but they are involved in a three-way title scrap in La Liga so it could pay to back Bayer Leverkusen at a juicy each-way price. They have won three and drawn three of their last six meetings with last-16 foes Bayern Munich, dominating February's goalless stalemate in the Bundesliga, and beat potential quarter-final opponents Feyenoord and Inter in the league phase.

Which team will be the beaten finalist?

Warren Ashurst: I wouldn’t be surprised to see an all-Spanish final, with the two Madrid teams finding their form at the right time. Whoever wins the last-16 tie between Real and Atletico will play either PSV or Arsenal next, neither of whom look to have the firepower to cause them problems at the back. Liverpool are the other obvious candidates but a two-legged affair against PSG is a tricky test for the Reds, who probably deserved better from winning the league phase.

Dan Childs: Barcelona lead the way in La Liga and can reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2015. Barca lost 2-1 away to Monaco in their opening game of the League Phase but recovered to finish second and were the top scorers with 28 goals. They remain unbeaten in 2025 and their star star-studded attack – featuring veteran goal machine Robert Lewandowski, talented teenager Lamine Yamal and exciting winger Raphinha – should help them to navigate a path through a softer section of the draw. Barca are making great strides but they may be better equipped to go all the way in 2025-26.

Liam Flin: PSG are the value to get through one side of the draw, so I'd suggest Barcelona or Inter from the other half. Both are engaged in testing title battles but I lean towards Inter because of their watertight defence. To concede just one goal in eight league phase matches is ridiculous and they should make light work of Feyenoord in the last 16. I'd also fancy them against either Bayern or Leverkusen over two legs given their defensive prowess.

Mark Langdon: Whoever comes through will have had to do it the hard way, but Liverpool look as likely as anyone despite a difficult looking last-16 tie against Paris St-Germain. Arne Slot's runaway Premier League leaders will be able to focus on Europe given their healthy lead domestically and the Merseysiders have barely put a foot wrong this season. They lack the explosiveness of Real Madrid but the holders might have to get past two defensively sound opponents in Atletico Madrid and Arsenal just to make the last four.

James Milton: I expect the winners of the PSG-Liverpool tie to make it to the final although I'm less confident about which of the two will prevail. The Reds, with home advantage in the second leg, are a tentative pick but PSG's in-form wide players will fancy their chances of causing problems for Liverpool's full-backs. If Arne Slot's men progress they will face a nice quarter-final against Club Brugge or Aston Villa and their strong position in the Premier League should help Slot keep his key players fresh for Europe.

Where's the Golden Boot value?

Dortmund ace Serhou Guirassy leads the way with ten goals in this season's Champions LeagueCredit: Borussia Dortmund via Getty Imag

Warren Ashurst: As I expect Barca to go well, I think Raphinha represents good value in the battle to be the tournament’s top scorer.The Brazilian, around 7-1, is on eight goals, just two behind the leader, Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy. Raphinha scored twice in the previous meeting with Benfica and is more than capable of adding to his tally over the two legs against the Portuguese side.Robert Lewandowski is just one behind Guirassy and is the favourite in the betting at 2-1.

Dan Childs: Robert Lewandowski's standards remain incredibly high and he looks a solid favourite to be the Champions League's top scorer for the second time in his career. The Pole bagged nine goals in the league phase and sits in second place, just one goal behind's Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy. The pair could come up against each other in the quarter-finals. Barca look equipped to advance deep in the competition and that could help Lewandowski in his quest to top the scoring charts.

Liam Flin: There is a common theme to my answers but I like the look of Ousmane Dembele at 33-1. He is four goals off the pace but he has scored 18 goals in 2025 already – no player this century has scored more by this stage of the year in the top five leagues. Goals could be hard to come by against Liverpool but he could boost his tally against Club Brugge or Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.

Mark Langdon: Lautaro Martinez might give you a run for your money at 50-1 given the Inter hotshot takes aim at flimsy Feyenoord in the last 16. However, he has five goals to find on leader Serhou Guirassy and Robert Lewandowski is a worthy favourite. Lewandowski is already on nine goals in the Champions League and the 36-year-old has been prolific domestically, showing there are no signs of the veteran slowing down. The Polish finisher is helped by brilliant service from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal and is fair enough at 5-2.

James Milton: Coaching Robert Lewandowski to score goals is not the hardest job in football management but Hansi Flick seems to bring out an extra level of ruthlessness in the veteran Barcelona striker. Lewandowski scored 15 Champions League goals for Flick's Bayern in 2019-20 and he has struck nine times in eight European games for Barcelona this term. The Pole converted two penalties in the chaotic 5-4 league-phase win over Benfica and a two-legged last-16 tie against the leaky Lisbon giants may well propel him to the front in the Golden Boot race.

Give us the winner of the Europa League

Warren Ashurst: The winner could come from the last-16 tie between Roma and Athletic Bilbao. Roma sit a disappointing eighth in Serie A, but they have won five and drawn one of their last six matches. Bilbao will be desperate to make the final at their home ground. Ernesto Valverde’s men have won all four of their Europa League home games, while only Atletico Madrid have beaten them on home soil in La Liga.

Dan Childs: Lazio have performed with greater consistency in the Europa League than in Serie A and look overpriced to get their hands on the trophy. Marco Baroni's side moved up to fourth in Serie A after Sunday's 2-1 win away to Milan and look well-placed for Champions League qualification. They finished top of the Europa League's league phase and have landed in a favourable section of the draw with Viktoria Plzen next up in the round of 16. Tottenham are the favourites but their season has been blighted by injuries and that may continue to be the case due to their high-intensity brand of football.

Liam Flin: In the last three seasons, Roma have won the Conference League and reached the final and semi-finals of the Europa League, so it is in their DNA to perform on the continental stage. Claudio Ranieri has done a good job since arriving in November and they will probably view this competition as a better route to Champions League football next season than qualifying via Serie A. If they get past Athletic Bilbao, they have an excellent chance.

Mark Langdon: Tottenham have landed a lovely draw but that is reflected in their status as favourites and it might be worth looking elsewhere. Athletic could have had things easier in the last 16 with a draw against Roma, but they look a strong outfit in La Liga and the lure of a final on home soil should mean there is a real focus on the competition. The Bilbao-based club have a number of highly-rated players with Nico Williams the obvious standout, but Oihan Sancet is another and Daniel Vivian and Unai Simon won the Euros with Spain.

James Milton: Tottenham have a great opportunity to salvage their season in the Europa League as the top half of the draw is not fraught with danger. However, Spurs look short enough in the outright betting so preference is for Lyon, who finished sixth in the league phase, losing only one of their eight games and thumping Rangers 4-1 at Ibrox. January's decision to replace manager Pierre Sage with Paulo Fonseca was a bold one but Lyon have scored 14 goals in their last five Ligue 1 games, winning three of them and losing 3-2 to leaders PSG and second-placed Marseille.

How about the Conference League?

Warren Ashurst: It’s hard to see anyone living with Chelsea, who have not even got out of second gear en route to the last 16, by winning all six matches in the league stage. Even the draw looks kind to Enzo Maresca’s men, as the only team who look capable of challenging them are not likely to face Chelsea until the final. That team is Real Betis, who have moved into the top six in La Liga after wins over Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in the last month. Betis have a lot of European experience in their squad and at 11-2, they do represent some value should Chelsea get embroiled in a battle to qualify for the Champions League via the league.

Dan Childs: Chelsea are the top team in the Europa Conference League and look worthy odds-on favourites. There are other teams with a realistic chance of winning the competition, such as Real Betis, Fiorentina and Panathinaikos, but none of them are in Chelsea's half of the draw. The Blues should breeze through to the final and, irrespective of their opponent, their odds are likely to be a fair bit shorter than they are at the moment.

Liam Flin: I might sack Enzo Maresca myself if Chelsea do not win the Conference League this season. They are the obvious pick as they have a seriously straightforward draw ahead of them and the best squad in the competition by a distance. I would not rush to back them at odds-on, though, and I'd look at Real Betis in the other half of the draw.

Mark Langdon: This has looked a penalty kick for Chelsea ever since the entrants were known and there is next to no depth in the competition even before the Blues landed on the soft side of the draw. Chelsea are likely to play Betis or Fiorentina in the final but there is not much between them and therefore an each-way bet is tricky. It's Chelsea at 4-6 or no bet.

James Milton: It is not much of a betting heat given the gulf in resources between Chelsea and their nominal rivals in the Conference League. Fiorentina could be the main threats to the Blues as they finished third in the league standings, rattling in 18 goals in six matches. La Viola have had a solid Serie A campaign, beating Inter, Roma and Milan at home and completing a league double over Europa League contenders Lazio, so a third straight Conference League final defeat could be on the cards.

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