If you weren’t aware, the English media has been discussing the strength of the Premier League teams taking part in the UEFA Champions League. At the halfway point in the League Phase, four of the six English teams are in the coveted top eight spots, whereas the other two, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, are just outside the top eight. 

Collectively, the English teams have lost just three games between them in the entire campaign. Tottenham, Arsenal, and Man City remain unbeaten. It’s been a formidable campaign from the English thus far, and it would have been a rewarding one for bettors in Africa and beyond backing English teams. 

The rise in popularity of the UCL among Africans has been well-documented, with viewership figures across the continent on the rise and bidding wars from African broadcasters to show the games. Interest in betting on the games has naturally accompanied that. 

Comprehensive UCL betting coverage at Moors Malawi

While the League Phase is sometimes criticized for its lack of jeopardy, we’d argue that it can offer opportunity for bettors. Betting platforms like Moors Malawi offer comprehensive UCL betting coverage, and perusing the English teams’ markets should be top of your list in terms of strategy, especially if this dominant trend continues. 

Indeed, when looking at Moors Malawi betting odds for MW 5, all six English teams are favorites to win their games, despite the fact that they have some stiff opposition: Arsenal will host Bayern Munich, for instance, whereas Chelsea will have to entertain Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. 

Betting value can be found backing English clubs

Yet, while being dominant in this period of the Champions League does not guarantee success further down the line, we would argue that it is the squad depth of the English clubs that is acting as the difference maker. 

A case in point was Chelsea’s 5-1 hammering of Ajax a few weeks ago, where Blues’ boss Enzo Maresca heavily rotated, even playing several teenagers. Only a handful of teams across Europe have the kind of depth enjoyed by the Premier League sextet, and it’s making a real difference this season. 

There are tough games to come no doubt, and we certainly aren’t saying that the English teams are going to win every game. Indeed, we can pick a few matches where you might find some betting value in going against the Premier League giants. 

Inter Milan hosting Liverpool at the San Siro in Matchweek 6 looks like a potential banana skin for the Reds, and we could also see a young Chelsea side struggle with the intense atmosphere of Stadio Diego Armando Maradona when visiting Napoli on the final round of the campaign. 

Backing Arsenal to win to nil bets have paid off

Yet, overall, there is good sense in backing English teams to triumph in different ways. Arsenal’s defense has been out of this world, making “win to nil” betting markets highly attractive for those backing the Gunners. 

Newcastle have also been playing with incredible freedom in the Champions League, which has been a welcome antidote to patchy form in the Premier League, and they are a good option to cover handicap bets at St James’ Park. 

Player-specific betting markets can bear fruit

Erling Haaland has been on a mission to break all-kinds of goalscoring records for Man City this season, so if you can find betting promos that can boost your first/anytime goal scorer betting odds for Haaland, grab those opportunities. 

Anthony Gordon has also been on fire for Newcastle. He has four goals from four games thus far, and the Englishman has interesting odds of 6.80 to score first in Newcastle’s next game against Marseille. Odds of 3.80 for Gordon to score anytime also scream value. 

Adjust betting strategies as trends can change

Again, we should reiterate that this does not mean English teams have a divine right to be in the Champions League Final late next spring. But this group phase feels really set up for them to use their squad depth to their advantage. 

All the signs were there for bettors during the first half of the League Phase, and there seems little reason to believe that won’t continue. They will lose a game here and there, and we’d be fairly certain that all six teams won’t finish in the top eight at automatic promotion spots, but they will swat aside plenty of teams between now and January before the real business end of the Champions League begins.