We’re going to have to make do with watching United and Inter (or possibly Rangers) this evening and, in all honesty, you start to get the feeling that many Gunners fans have their eyes firmly fixed on the next stage of the competition. Spurs are still trying to lock down their progression to the round of 16 and, if they can get a result tonight, they’ll be solid favourites to go through.
Arsenal have outperformed the other British teams in the competition so far and, while it has a bit to do with a relatively easy group, it’s the series of emphatic victories that are really setting us apart. Chelsea and Manchester United are favoured to progress further than us but we are priced at a solid price of 4.1 to progress further than our British brethren- Chelsea trade at 2.06 with United around 3.15.
Should Arsenal wind up making it all the way to the final, you’re looking at a 6.2 price and that’s been trending downward since we got the competition off to a rollicking start. We are pretty much neck and neck with Manchester United at this point, in regards to the outright winner odds. You’ll find Man U at a 12.0 price while we’re just behind at a 12.5 listing- the odds are fluctuating often though we may see a reshuffle if United drop points at Bursaspor.
The Nominate Finalists market indicates that our most probable competition in the final would be Chelsea or Barcelona, priced at 15.0 and 15.5 respectively. Barcelona vs Real Madrid looks like the betting favourite for the final with a 9.0 listing currently available.
One or two English teams are favoured to make it to the semi-final stage with either 1 or 2 entries trading at 2.16 while three pays out at 4.1. Should we see an All-English semi-final, you’re looking at a hefty 15.5.
We’re facing the most difficult fixture in our group stage campaign tomorrow and, if we can pull off a victory, we’ll have the group done-and-dusted with a (hopefully) weak opponent in the round of 16. Arsenal look dangerous and if you reckon our Champions League campaign is going to continue in a similar vein, then there is plenty of money to be made wagering on those latter stages of the 2010/11 Champions League.