Barcelona's stunning 3-1 win over Manchester United in the Champions League final has seen them installed as hot favourites to retain their title in 2012. Pep Guardiola's side are available at 5/2 in the betting with William Hill, while their Spanish rivals Real Madrid are second favourites at 5/1, with the four English contenders following in behind.
The win at Wembley over United was as one sided as a final could be and bared a remarkable resemblance to their 2009 win over the same opponents. It showed how far the other teams have to go to match the La Liga champions and Sir Alex Ferguson admitted as much after the game, with a summer overhaul expected at Old Trafford.
Lionel Messi was again the main man for Barca as he scored his 53rd goal of the season and in doing so equalled the Champions League record of 12 goals in a season set by Ruud Van Nistelrooy in 2002/03. SkyBet bookmakers offer 9/4 that Messi is top Champions League scorer again in 2012.
Jose Mourinho meanwhile will have to go back to the drawing board in his second season at Real Madrid as he bids to end the monopoly of Barcelona both domestically and potentially on the European stage. A summer of big spending could well be on the cards at the Bernabeu as the top teams attempt to keep pace with Barca.
Man United are expected to clear out their squad, with Paul Scholes announcing his retirement and others expected to be sold. An overhaul of the midfield is top priority for Sir Alex Ferguson and Hills offer 6/1 that they win the Champions League next season. Meanwhile, SkyBet offer 12/1 that Wayne Rooney is the competition's top scorer in 2012, although the Reds are likely to face stiff competition from the other English sides.
Chelsea are available at 7/1 to win the tournament outright next year as they continue their search for a new manager and British success is certainly expected according to the bookmakers.
WilliamHill.com goes 10/11 that a British team makes next year's final, while they offer 5/4 on it to be an all British affair in the final and 5/4 again that any British team wins the 2012 Champions League outright.
It is of course Manchester City's first season at the top table of European football and they are expected to spend big again this summer as they bid to challenge for top honours again in 2011/12. They are available at 9/1 in the betting and it shows how far they have come in the past season that they have edged ahead of Arsenal in the favouritism.
Arsene Wenger's side are priced 14/1 after another trophyless season and the feeling among Arsenal fans and pundits is that big signings are needed to match the youthful exuberance of their current class. However, everyone looks to face a tough task to match Barcelona and the Spanish side are firm favourites for 2012.
5/2 Barcelona
5/1 Real Madrid
6/1 Manchester United
7/1 Chelsea
9/1 Manchester City
14/1 Arsenal
16/1 AC Milan
16/1 Inter Milan
16/1 Bayern Munich
25/1 Valencia
40/1 Shakhtar Donetsk
40/1 Borussia Dortmund
66/1 BAR
All odds are supplied courtesy of WilliamHill.com, who provide several other outright and specials betting markets for the 2011/12 Champions League season.
Posted: Tuesday, 31st May 2011
Author: Chris James
Tags: champions league, barcelona, manchester united, lionel messi, william hill,
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