Champions League Group G betting

Group G Champions League odds and tips

Group G – the aptly named ‘group of death’. Real Madrid, AC Milan, Ajax and Auxerre all stand a chance of qualifying but only two can make the cut. The Jose factor will be quite significant when analysing the chances of Madrid who are unsurprisingly favourites to top the group at 8/13 (Stan James) but the remaining three clubs shouldn’t be too far behind.

Group G winner odds

The ‘Special One’ led Inter Milan to last years Champions League overcoming Bayern in the Bernabeu finale. Now, the Portuguese boss will be sat in the home dug-out in the Madrid stadium after swapping it for the San Siro. Inter hadn’t previously won the Champions League but Mourinho quickly settled that score and he can continue his excellent record in the competition at Madrid, who are second favourites at 11/2 (Betfred) to win the Wembley final. Real must first negotiate Group G which looks all set to produce some mouth-watering clashes. Madrid must aim to overhaul Barcelona’s tag as the best team in the world and have set about doing so with the signings of Germany star duo Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira. They will be pivotal in their European adventure when they kick off at home to Martin Jol’s Ajax. The nine time winners of this trophy must be warned against complacency in a group which could potentially catch them out.

AC Milan at present seem to be on a downward spiral and have arguably been replaced by Inter as the top Italian club. They have not won Serie A since 2004 but do have good history in Europe’s elite competition winning it seven times, second only to Madrid, and being runners-up on four occasions. But last seasons miserable third place finish in the league does not send confidence roaring and they could well be the first big-name to enter the 2010-11 Champions League. Head coach Massimiliano Allegri’s ageing squad have however been boosted by the double capture of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho and they can provide the spark that has been missing since their 2007 winning year. Milan have to be taken seriously of course in Group G, and are available at 7/2 (Bwin.com) to finish as group winners and are as short as 2/5 (Paddy Power) just to progress to the knockouts. They will come head to head with Real Madrid in a carbon copy of last years group stages and it was the Italians who had the edge a year ago with a win and a draw. Auxerre are first up at the San Siro but there is little value at 2/5 (general) for them to start with a win.

Martin Jol resisted the clutches of Fulham over the summer in order to stay at Ajax and that says something about how highly he rates the team he has assembled there. But Ajax have been out of the European limelight for a while now since their European success in 1995 and had to book their place this year through qualifying and have not won the Eredivisie since the 2003/04 season. They will need to improve if they are going to trouble the likes of Madrid and Milan and Uruguayan Luis Suarez musr be on top of his game if Ajax are to make an impact in Group G. Odds of 3/1 (Coral) are available for them to make it through the group and the club from Amsterdam start with the toughest of tasks in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Perhaps the nightmares of draws for A.J Auxerre, which was their reward for finishing third in the French league and beating Zenit St.Petersburg in qualifying. Jean Fernandez’s team will know the size of the task ahead of them but they can play in the knowledge where nobody expects them to progress. This underdog tag could work in their favour and some punters might nibble at the 5/1 Totesport are offering for them to qualify. While this may seem unlikely, the French outfit will not give up the ghost easily and could shock a few of their more fancied rivals. If they get anything in Milan on September 15 it will deliver a real statement of intent.

Reccomended bets: Real Madrid to win the group at best odds 8/13 with Stan James – Free £25 bet for new customers

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers