With the 2015-16 seasons all wrapped up, it seems like the only thing on anyone’s mind is the all-Madrid (Real vs Atletico) Champions League final, which pits two bitter rivals against each other in the most viewed club game in the world.
Don’t worry about going into soccer withdrawal when it’s over, though. The Euro and Copa America are just around the bend. The USA take on Colombia on June 3 to kick off the Copa America, and Romania challenge host nation France on June 10 for the Euro.
And after that, the MLS will tide us over until the 2016-17 seasons are ready to begin in Europe! In sum, we won’t have to endure any long stretches of soccer-free living. Glory be to schedule makers!
But what will the landscape of the tournaments and leagues look like next year? That brings us to the order of the day: futures odds for all of soccer’s major competitions!
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS
Odds to win 2016-17 Champions League
Barcelona: 4/1
Bayern Munich: 5/1
Real Madrid: 11/2
Atletico Madrid: 8/1
Manchester City: 10/1
After a shock exit from the 2015-16 Champions League, Barcelona will return as the favorites next year. Bayern and new boss Carlo Ancelotti come in behind Barca, followed by Real and Atletico. Will Atleti be able to recreate last year’s magic, when they eliminated both Bayern and Barca?
Odds to win EURO 2016
Germany: 3/1
France: 7/2
Spain: 11/2
England: 8/1
Belgium: 11/1
Although they may not have the strongest team on paper, host nation France remains one of the favorites to take the Euro this year. But they’ll have to contend with World Cup winners Germany and two-time defending champs Spain, who both have more complete squads than the young French team. For the first time in years, England actually have a fighting chance.
Odds to lead 2016 EURO in goals
Football.ua [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Thomas Muller (Germany): 8/1
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 19/2
Harry Kane (England): 14/1
Diego Costa (Spain): 29/2
Antoine Griezmann (France): 29/2
“Where’s Karim Benzema?!” you’re saying. Snubbed from the French roster.
“How can anyone be higher than Ronaldo?!” you add. Portugal figures to get fewer games than Germany, and Thomas Muller is a prolific international performer.
Odds to win 2016 COPA America
Argentina: 9/4
Brazil: 5/1
Chile: 7/1
Uruguay: 10/1
USA: 10/1
This year’s tournament, which will be held stateside, will be the first hosted outside South America. Argentina have edged pass Brazil to become the favorite, but let’s not forget about Uruguay and 2015 champions Chile. The Copa America has a tendency to provide upsets and with the strength of South American nations at the moment, 2016 should be no different.
Odds to lead 2016 COPA in goals
Lionel Messi (Argentina): 4/1
Luis Suárez (Uruguay): 9/2
Alexis Sanchez (Chile): 12/1
Sergio Aguero (Argentina): 12/1
Ricardo Oliveira (Brazil): 15/1
“Where’s Neymar?!” you’re saying now. Not on the Brazilian roster, unfortunately. Barca wants him to rest. But his clubmates Messi and Suarez should be there and in top-form. If one of those two doesn’t lead the tournament in goals, I’ll be very surprised. But a deep run from Chile or Brazil would have to be powered by someone. Sanchez and Oliveira are the best bets.
ENGLAND
Odds to win 2016-17 Premier League
Manchester City: 13/8
Chelsea: 5/1
Arsenal: 6/1
Tottenham: 7/1
Liverpool: 8/1
After a chaotic and unpredictable 2015-16 season, the EPL is expected to return to normalcy next year. Once again, Manchester City are favorites, despite finishing a distant fourth. And Chelsea come in second, despite a disastrous tenth-place finish. The only deviation is the absence of Manchester United from the top, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone given their scoring struggles.
And since I know you’re going to ask: Leicester is 20/1. (That may seem long for a team that won the league by ten points, but it’s still a pretty big step up from the 5000/1 odds they went off at last year.)
Odds to be relegated for 2017-18 Premier League
Burnley: 4/5
Middlesbrough: 11/10
Watford: 2/1
Odds to be promoted for 2017-18 Premier League
Newcastle: 3/7
Norwich: 9/11
Sheffield Wednesday: 3/2
EUROPE
Odds to win 2016-17 La Liga
Lluís from Sabadell (Barcelona), España, CC BY 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/2.0]
Barcelona: 8/11
Real Madrid: 5/4
Atletico Madrid: 11/1
Villarreal: 66/1
Sevilla: 80/1
La liga remains stacked as always, with Barca, Real Madrid, and Atletico all vying for the cup. As expected, Barca remains the favorite but not by much.
Odds to win 2016-17 Bundesliga
Bayern Munich: 3/20
Dortmund: 6/1
Bayer Leverkusen: 30/1
Wolfsburg: 33/1
FC Schalke: 35/1
Odds to win 2016-17 Serie A
Juventus: 18/25
AS Roma: 7/2
Napoli: 6/1
Inter Milan: 12/1
AC Milan: 24/1
Odds to win 2016-17 Ligue 1
PSG: 3/22
Lyon: 9/1
Monaco: 9/1
Nice: 93/7
Lille: 35/1
The Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 odds should not come as a surprise to anyone. Bayern Munich, Juventus, and PSG are strongly favored to once again finish on top in their respective leagues. None were capable of hanging with Spain’s top powers this season, but their domestic leagues don’t have the strength to put up a serious challenge.
NORTH AMERICA
Odds to win 2016 MLS Cup
LA Galaxy: 4/1
FC Dallas: 9/1
Sporting Kansas City: 10/1
Portland Timbers: 11/1
Columbus Crew: 14/1
Eternal favorites LA Galaxy are once again the golden child. There’s still a long way to go, but the Galaxy have lost just once in their first ten games and have outscored opponents by a 2:1 ratio (by far the best in the league). Sporting KC are off to a rough start, but the talent on the roster is undeniable, and the playoff format of the MLS Cup means that no one is truly out of it at this early stage.
(Photo credit: Peter Woodentop (LCFC lift the Premier League Trophy) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.]