The only story in world football right now is PSG’s sensational £200 million swoop for Neymar, which shattered the world transfer record. It is a statement of intent for PSG and it directly weakens a rival for the Champions League. Barcelona produced one of the greatest comebacks in history to knock PSG out of the competition last season and Neymar’s brilliance was at the heart of it. Now that they have secured the services of the Brazilian, PSG should easily recapture the Ligue 1 title they yielded to Monaco last season. But what does it mean for the Champions League betting? And how will it affect the title race in Spain now that Barca have lost one of the key pillars of their fabled attacking triumvirate? Here we break down futures betting for all three competitions.
Ligue 1
Monaco romped to an unlikely title triumph last season and also made it through to the semi-finals of the Champions League. That magnificent campaign alerted Europe’s biggest clubs and the heart is currently being ripped out of the side. Man City twice raided the club to sign Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy for a combined £100 million and Chelsea signed Timoue Bakayoko for £40 million. Arsenal continue to be linked with the £45 million signing of Thomas Lemar and Real Madrid are expected to complete a huge deal to sign Kylian Mbappe for well north of £100 million. Monaco have a lot of money to reinvest and have signed a few players, notably Youri Tielemans, but they will be worse next season, while PSG have strengthened exponentially with the signing of the marvel that is Neymar. The Brazilian should thrive after escaping Lionel Messi’s shadow and will find it easier to run rings round defenders in Ligue 1 than he did in La Liga. PSG are 1/4 with Paddy Power to win the title and it looks impossible to oppose them.
La Liga
Barca will have been devastated to lose out to fierce rivals Real Madrid last season, having won the title two years in a row before that. It cost Luis Enrique his job and Ernesto Valverde has replaced him. A new manager typically galvanises Barcelona, as Enrique, Tito Villanova and Pep Guardiola all enjoyed magnificent debut campaigns. Barcelona would have been the tip to regain the title, but the loss of Neymar is a huge blow. Alongside Messi and Luis Suarez he formed the MSN trio that terrorised defences. While he was less effective than the other two in terms of goals and assists during his four seasons at the Nou Camp, Neymar was the youngest and the one that was constantly improving and had the potential to supersede them this season. It will take an enormous effort from Messi and Suarez now to make up for his loss, and it will be interesting to see how Valverde replaces him. Borussia Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele is being touted but he is not in the same league as Neymar. This opens the door for Real Madrid to retain their title. Ever since Zinedine Zidane took over from Rafa Benitez as manager they have been the best team in the world. They won La Liga last season and secured a second consecutive Champions League title. They have the best midfield in the world and in Cristiano Ronaldo they have a forward that wins games singlehandedly. Real are even money will Bet Victor and other green listed bookmakers, and that looks a good bet in the wake of Neymar’s departure.
Champions League
Real Madrid and Barcelona are the favourites to win the Champions League, but the loss of Neymar may raise questions about La Liga’s global dominance. PSG have gone into 7/1 with some bookmakers after buying Neymar, but you can still get 11/1 with Bet365. Manager Unai Emery said the only way they could compete is by signing someone like Neymar, so he has no excuses after the club’s Gulf owners put their money where his mouth was. However, it is still difficult to look past La Liga’s big two. Real were superb last season and blew Juventus away in a ridiculously one-sided final. If they capture Mbappe they will be devastating on the break and deserve their status as 11/2 favourites with Bet Victor. If Barcelona are drawn against PSG, you can imagine Messi showing everyone who is boss by putting in a career best performance and blowing PSG away. There is a reason Barca made him the world’s best paid player and waved goodbye to Neymar, rather than the other way around. Messi will be quietly furious at seeing Ronaldo walk off with the last two World Player of the Year awards and will go all out to seize the title next season, making Barcelona a real threat. They offer greater value now after being moved out to 11/2 following Neymar’s departure and that looks interesting. Bayern Munich at 6/1 will be in the mix as they came closest to stopping Real last season and were only thwarted by some dubious decisions from the officials. Winning the Champions League looks beyond any of the Italian teams, but the Premiership clubs could muscle their way into the picture. The league has five representatives – Chelsea, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd – and you would expect one or two to reach the latter stages. In particular, Chelsea look good value at 14/1 William Hill and various others.
Calculators
