Man City’s favourable draw for the next round of the Champions League has prompted us to slash the odds on them winning the competition for the first time – and is, no doubt, doing little to quell Jose Mourinho’s conspiracy theories.
The Premier League leaders will face Swiss side Basel, while divisional rivals will take on Juventus, Barcelona, Porto and Sevilla.
In reaction, we have installed Pep Guardiola’s side as 16/5 favourites to win the tournament, ahead of Bayern Munich (4/1) who also got lucky in the draw, landing Turkey’s Besiktas.
The other English sides have lengthened in the betting, with United and Liverpool both rated at 14/1 shots, while Chelsea and Spurs are at 25/1.
Spokesman Paddy Power said: “We all thought Jose Mourinho was a bit bonkers when he started talking about the ‘gods of football’ in his post-match interview yesterday but, after this draw, maybe he’s right.
“Since the draw, all the money has been for City and, with a draw like Basel, you’d have to say they’re certs to progress – possibly as the only English side.”
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS
16/5 Man City
4/1 Bayern Munich
5/1 PSG
15/2 Barcelona
14/1 Liverpool
14/1 Man United
20/1 Juventus
25/1 Chelsea
25/1 Tottenham
35/1 Roma
100/1 Sevilla
100/1 Beskitas
100/1 Porto
125/1 Shakhtar
250/1 Basel