Bettingchoice Analysis: Start of the Champions League Group Stage

At the start of the Champions League group stage, Chelsea are the outright tournament favourites with bookmakers across the board. The Blues are available at 5/1, although it is the chances of the second favourites that hold greater appeal.Having secured their first trophy for six seasons by winning La Liga, Barcelona can now go one step further by winning Europe's biggest prize. The Catalan giants can be backed at a best price 7/1 (VCBet) at the time of writing. The Barca squad remains much the same as last season except for the addition of experienced Dutch international midfielder, Mark van Bommel and Spanish winger, Santi Ezquerro, both of whom joined on free transfers in the close season. There are also several players who return from long-term injuries to give the squad added depth. Sweden striker Henrik Larsson, Brazilian defender Edmilson, midfielder Thiago Motta and Gabri have all recovered from long-term knee injuries.Arguably the most attractive feature about Barcelona is their impressive forward line of Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho, a match for any defence. And with Larsson waiting in reserve, scoring goals really ought not to be a concern. The draw for the opening phase has grouped them with Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen and Udinese. It could have been easier for the La Liga champions, but with their quality qualification for the latter stages should be a formality. A slight concern in backing Barcelona is they only have one solitary triumph in this competition and that was back in 1992. That said this season is special as Barca are the only club to have appeared in all 50 seasons of European competition. There would be no better way to celebrate this achievement by winning the Champions League. And if they are to win the competition, then Samuel Eto'o is sure to have scored plenty of goals along the way.Take the 8/1 at Blue Square as well on the Cameroon International topping the scoring charts.See all our free bets on the Champions League now!