Football season may be over in America, but across the pond it’s only getting hotter.
The final of the 2023-24 Champions League season begins on Tuesday, with 16 teams aiming to win the trophy.
While strong teams such as Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Real Madrid are still in the field, there are also some sleeper teams that could make bettors sweat big.
Savvy bettors and soccer fans will tell you that there’s no way the longshots will ever win the Champions League, but the rebuttal to that argument is to point out that they’ve come close in recent years.
In 2019, we saw Ajax reach the semi-finals. A year later, Lyon and RB Leipzig made it to the last four. Villarreal were a long shot at 200/1 when they reached the semi-finals two seasons ago.
This year, it looks like there are two big long shots who can make a fuss and advance beyond the semi-finals: Real Sociedad and PSV Eindhoven.
Real Sociedad (80/1, DraftKings)
We will start with Sociedad, who are undefeated in Group D and finished in first place ahead of Inter Milan.
As one of LaLiga’s most solid defenders, Sociedad ticks almost all the boxes for a sleeper in the tournament. Sociedad are a well-organized unit, used to playing a tight, defensive game and finding ways to get results. The white and blue have conceded just two goals in the group stage and have one of the most impressive statistical profiles in La Liga, especially defensively.
Sociedad may not have the attacking power to overwhelm the best teams in the field, but their defensive power is second to none against any club in the world.
The downside to this bet (and one of the reasons why you can still get a good deal on Sociedad) is that they will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16.
It’s not an ideal matchup, but Sociedad’s ability to crush more talented teams gives them ample opportunity to pull off an upset and grab attention for the rest of the contenders.
PSV Eindhoven (150/1, bet 365)
It’s been a great season for PSV Eindhoven.
The Red and White are still unbeaten in the Eredivisie (Dutch’s top division) and have qualified for the Champions League round of 16 for the first time since 2016.
PSV were fortunate to be drawn into a rather weak group, but they took care of their own business and were able to pass ahead of Lens and Sevilla.
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And although things could get very awkward if PSV are drawn against one of the favorites in the round of 16, the football gods have smiled on the Dutch side and they have managed to achieve an outstanding performance. Not included in the two games against Borussia Dortmund. For most of the season so far.
There are legitimate concerns about whether PSV will be able to compete with the Champions League powerhouses, but there is little to dislike at this price for a team with 18 wins, 2 losses (WDL) and a goal difference of +54 (GF63). , 9 GA) in the domestic league.
PSV also has the added bonus of having several American players on their roster (Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi).
