Bayern and Barca still the teams to beat in Champions League

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Coral have cut odds on holders Bayern Munich becoming the first team to retain the Champions League in the modern era from 3/1 to 15/8.

Like competition second-favourites Barcelona (7/2), Pep Guardiola’s Bayern ousted Premier League opposition to book quarter-final berths.

Arsenal and Manchester City (7/4 for the top-flight title) both found 2-0 losses in their first legs too great a deficit to overcome.

Barca’s El Clasico rivals Real Madrid, who crushed Bundesliga outfit Schalke 6-1 in Gelsenkirchen and still have to play them at home, are next in the market at 4/1.

French Ligue 1 leaders PSG are a tempting 10/1 to lift the European Cup after battering Bayer Leverkusen by the same scoreline on aggregate.

Chelsea, who won the Champions League in 2012 and hold a slender away goal advantage over Turkish giants Galatasaray (300/1), are the Premier League’s best bet in this competition at 12/1.

Atletico Madrid, managed by notorious ex-Argentina midfielder Diego Simeone, are the same price after handsomely overcoming Clarence Seedorf’s AC Milan 5-2 on aggregate.

Beaten finalists last term Borussia Dortmund are 14/1 shots to go one better this season and are 4-2 up on Zenit St Petersburg (1500/1), who recently sacked head coach Luciano Spalletti, in their last 16 encounter.

Premier League champions Manchester United come next at 40/1, but must overturn a two-goal deficit after a shock defeat in Greece to 125/1 outsiders Olympiakos.

The Champions League Golden Boot race looks to have five contenders in it. Usual suspects Cristiano Ronaldo (odds-on favourite at 1/2), Lionel Messi (5/1) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (9/4) are joined by 16/1 shots Diego Costa and Robert Lewandowski. Bar those, it’s 40/1 and longer.

Punters and bookmakers alike await the quarter-final draw on March 21st with bated breath. No matter the outcome of that, however, PSG look a decent outside bet with the prolific Ibrahimovic up front, and an energetic and experienced midfield behind him. Take 10/1 before the price shortens.

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