Champions League Top Scorer Betting: Mbappe And Kane Battle It Out With Haaland

Matchday five of the Champions League group stage is upon us and the best betting sites are offering several outright markets to bet on.

One of those is for the tournament’s top scorer. This is the first Champions League season without either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, two men who dominated the goal charts for years, since 2003. 

So far at least, no one has opened up a sizeable lead at the summit of the scoring charts, so this could be a competitive race.

Which players are in contention for the prestigious prize? Let’s take a look at the various candidates and their respective odds.

Haaland And Kane The Two Leading Contenders

Erling Haaland finished as the Champions League’s leading goal-getter last season, as his 12 strikes helped Manchester City win the tournament for the first time in their history. 

Haaland finished four clear of Mohamed Salah in second place, so no one really got close to him.

City’s centre-forward is the 5/4 favourite to finish as this term’s top scorer too. He already ranks joint-second with four goals to his name, so it would be brave to bet against him.

Harry Kane is second on the list at 9/4. The chance to win the Champions League was a big reason why the England captain left Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich, and Kane has started well with four goals to his name so far. 

Mbappe And Morata Next On Betting List

Kylian Mbappe is arguably the best player in the world right now, but he is a distant third in this market at 9/1 with football betting sites. 

That is because the France international already has ground to make up, having made the net bulge in this competition just twice so far.

There is also a doubt over how long Paris Saint-Germain will last in the Champions League. 

They were drawn into a tough group, and it is by no means guaranteed that they will advance to the next round.

Alvaro Morata is the joint-top scorer after four group games, hence his position at 11/1. 

The Atletico Madrid frontman has made a fine start in Europe following his return to the Spanish capital over the summer.

Lewnandowski And Alvarez Among Possible Dark Horses

Robert Lewandowski was the Champions League’s leading scorer in 2019/20, when he notched 15 goals as Bayern Munich were crowned kings of the continent. 

The Poland international is at Barcelona these days and even at 35 years of age he is among the most feared strikers in Europe.

However, the striker has only scored once in this competition so far, leaving him as a dark horse at 20/1 with Bet365.

Julian Alvarez (20/1) is available at the same price. The Argentine is an excellent footballer, but he plays second fiddle to Haaland at Manchester City when it comes to putting the ball in the net. So that's already a start when it comes to determining the best football betting strategies.

Alvarez has scored three times up to now, but he will struggle to finish on top of the pile.

Hojlund Starring And Griezmann’s Quality Clear

Rasmus Hojlund is still waiting for his first Manchester United goal in the Premier League, but he has been thriving in Europe. 

The former Atalanta striker has scored five times in the group stage, a tally that no other player can better.

Even so, Hojlund is a 25/1 long shot with Parimatch. 

That is in large part because United are currently bottom of their group and in danger of suffering an early exit.

Antoine Griezmann is shining back at Atletico Madrid, for whom he has scored four goals so far. 

With that in mind, it is slightly surprising that he is only available at 25/1, but that is perhaps because the Frenchman is not an out-and-out striker.

Real Madrid Pair Only Outsiders At This Stage

Real Madrid are used to having a player top the Champions League scoring charts. 

Cristiano Ronaldo did so six times during his time at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and Karim Benzema achieved the feat in 2021/22.

Jude Bellingham (25/1) and Vinicius Junior (33/1) are the two leading Madrid candidates, but neither is among the favourites with betting apps. 

Bellingham has enjoyed a sensational start to life in Spain, but he is still a midfielder and may find it tough to get into double figures in Europe.

Vinicius is one of Madrid’s main men, but he is already three points shy of Hojlund and Morata in first place - so, the Brazilian has work to do.