European Champions Cup Predictions & Betting tips
Find our free Champions Cup prediction on the final winner, as well as our expert predictions on all the matches of the Champions Cup 2022-2023. You will find it full of information to help with your sports betting!
Champions Cup presentation - Rugby
The Champions Cup is the most prestigious European Rugby Cup. It sees 24 clubs from three leagues (Top 14, English Premiership and Pro 14) pitted against each other every season.
The way it works is simple, the teams are drawn into two pools of 12 teams each. These teams will compete over four matchdays. The top eight teams in each pool qualify for the final phase and therefore the round of 16. The teams who finish between 9th and 11th place are moved into the Challenge Cup, the second European rugby union competition.
In the event of a tie on points, it is the points difference that takes precedence, followed by the number of tries scored. Since the 2021/2022 edition, the round of 16 matches have been played over two legs. All in all, this makes the Rugby Champions Cup one of the favorite rugby union events for sports bettors to place wagers on.
It’s the fact that the top teams in Europe play against each other that makes this competition so exciting. For this 2022-2023 season of the competition, your rugby predictions are going to be fascinating again. The final of this competition takes place in Dublin on 20 May 2023, so put that in your diaries right away, it’s not to be missed!
Tournament details
- The venue of the final: Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Ireland)
- Dates : 9 December 2022 to 22 January 2023 for the group stage, and 31 March to 20 May 2023 for the final stage
- Participants: 24
- Edition: 28th
- Matches played: 66
- Defending champion : La Rochelle
Our tips for betting on the Champions Cup
What you need to know before you start betting on the Champions Cup is that the level of the teams is improving every year, and this is especially the case for the lesser known teams such as the clubs from Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Even if we are used to seeing French or English clubs at the front, it is not rare to see teams from other countries stand out. This is the case of Leinster or Munster, Irish teams, who regularly do well in this competition. This 2022/23 Rugby Champions Cup sees South African clubs playing for the first time, with three taking part. Although there are some big wins in the group stage, the match-ups are often very close in the Round of 16.
So, you're probably wondering how to place reliable bets on the Champions Cup? We give you our tips on how not to leave anything to chance! First of all, try to register with as many bookmakers as possible, this will allow you to choose the best possible odds and optimise your winnings. There can sometimes be big differences depending on the sports betting site. For the rest, just read on, we'll give you all the details.
Analyse the level of play of the teams
As you can probably imagine, before anything else, you will have to look at the level of play of each club. If you actively follow the European leagues, you should have a pretty good idea of how each team is progressing. If not, no problem, just look at the teams' results in the league, their standings, but also their performances in the past seasons in the European Cup, this can give you an idea of the level of play of a team in the cup and the importance given to it. The same clubs often go very far in the competition, so take this into account.
Analyse the form of the teams
Next, you have to look at the teams' latest results, both in the cup and especially in the league. A team may have had a very good December and January and qualified for the last 16, but then have a much more complicated phase a few months later. The dynamics of the teams must be taken into account before placing your bets on the Champions Cup. An in-form team should be taken more seriously than a team with a losing record, even if the teams are basically of the same standard. The confidence and motivation will not be the same.
Find out about absentees and likely line-ups
The absence of a key player plays a big role in rugby, even more so than in football. Line-ups vary from game to game and teams often rotate in the league. In the Champions Cup, the line-ups are often the best possible, but injuries, suspensions, or the absence of key players who have to play for their national team can change the game. So take this into account and try to know the likely composition of the teams before you place your bet.
Favour the home teams
As in the championship, the advantage of playing at home counts for a lot in rugby. The home crowd advantage, the motivation, and the fact that you don't have to travel means that most rugby matches end in a home win. The Champions Cup is no exception, with the home team having a clear advantage. Again, away teams can sometimes rotate depending on the stakes, so watch the line-ups!
Watch the head-to-head match-ups between the teams
Finally, also consider the history of matches between two teams that are playing each other. To be more precise, look especially at the most recent match-ups. For example, a team that has beaten another team four times in a row between 2020 and 2022 will have an advantage, as it will have the psychological upper hand. If the last head-to-head took place in the same season and the circumstances are roughly the same, then a similar result would be likely.
Have you taken all this advice into account? Then you are ready to place your bet. You should also know that some bookmakers offer boosted odds on rugby, so if you are interested in one of them, don't miss it! Also note that you will be able to watch live video of your match, as some books offer you the possibility to watch Champions Cup matches in streaming.
Rugby Champions Cup predictions: statistics to remember
In order to make the right predictions for the 2022/2023 Champions Cup, there are a few statistics to keep in mind. Here are the most notable ones from the last edition:
- Average points per game: 45.3
- Average points scored at home: 25.5
- Average points scored away from home: 19.7
- Matches with +2.5 points difference: 94
- Matches with +3.5 points difference: 85
- Matches with +4.5 points difference: 83
- Matches with a +7.5 point difference: 62
- Matches with a +14.5 point difference: 44
- Matches with a +19.5 point difference: 33
- Matches with a +24.5 point difference: 27
- Matches with a +29.5 point difference: 17
- Victory of the home team: 58
- Draw: 2%.
- Victory of the team away from home: 40%.
You can see that it will be smart to predict wins with a handicap during this Champions Cup 2022/2023, and in matches with a high number of points. However, this advice should be applied especially in the group stages, where the gaps between the teams are large. In the finals, the battles are much closer and the big odds can be more easily tempted. La Rochelle, for example, were priced at 4.90 in the 2021/2022 Champions Cup final. Keep this in mind.
Our prediction for the Champions Cup 2022/2023 winner
Last season's Champions Cup winner, La Rochelle, is back in the running for the title this year. They will again be strong contenders, though not since Saracens in 2017 has a team retained this trophy. They will be attempting to reach a third successive final. Leinster were the finalists in 2021/22, their second final in the past four years. They are never a team to rule out of contention. We make Toulouse our favourite. Semi-finalists in the last edition, Antoine Dupont's teammates are shining this season in the Top 14 and should be able to take over from La Rochelle. With a solid squad and the most successful club in the competition with five titles, we see Toulouse lifting the title as they did in 2021. The odds for a Toulouse title are very interesting and seem too high to us. Do you agree with us? Place your bets!
Champions Cup prediction: Odds for the title
The online sports betting sites allow you to bet on the future winner of the Champions Cup. Here are the proposed odds for the favourites of this 2022-2023 season:
- Leinster, odds of 3.00
- Toulouse, odds of 7.00
- La Rochelle, odds of 7.50
- Racing 92, odds of 8.50
- Saracens, odds of 8.50
- Leicester Tigers, odds of 15.00
- Exeter Chiefs, odds of 17.00
- Munster, odds of 21.00
- Clermont, odds of 22.00
Odds taken from bet365.com.
Our current Champions Cup predictions
There are no previews at the moment for this competition
Rugby Champions Cup: the best odds to bet
1.37
25
3.22
1.6
30
2.4
1.3
30
3.7
1.13
40
7.25
1.13
40
6.75
1.35
30
3.32
1.2
35
5
