As the Champions League is set to resume, we give you the current top-scorers and favorites to finish top in May.
After an agonizing two-month break, the Champions League is finally back.
Europe’s premier club competition will host the first round of last-16 ties this week and we couldn’t have asked for better. All 16 clubs have the potential to progress far in the competition, especially during these crazy times.
Things on goal-front have also gotten a little insane, with four top-scorers level on six goals each. These are Alvaro Morata, Erling Haaland, Neymar, and Marcus Rashford.
Three more players sit a goal behind the four leading scorers in the charts. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has finished as the top-scorer on seven occasions, is on four goals, with Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski on three goals apiece.
Top 3 favorites
Age has only made Lewandowski more lethal. The prolific Pole scored a sublime 15 goals in only 10 Champions League games in 2019/20 and has since added another three goals to his tally in four outings this season. He looks a solid bet to finish top-scorer again, with reigning champions Bayern Munich expected to go far in the competition.
Another man who cannot be ruled out is Ronaldo. The Champions League’s record goalscorer is a specialist in the knockout stages, having scored all seven of Juventus’ goals since joining the club in 2018. He has already bagged four group-stage goals and could be a serious threat if Juve reach the semi-finals at least.
Next up we have Neymar. The Brazilian has scored a joint-best of six goals this season, but he is out of Paris Saint-Germain’s first-leg against Barcelona with another injury. But if the star makes a return for the second leg, and PSG reach the final again or similar, he could end up going on top.
Top 3 dark horses
Haaland loves the Champions League. The Norwegian has continued his prolific stats from last season into the current one, scoring a stunning six goals in only four games. His chances of finishing top-scorer, however, could be hampered by Borussia Dortmund’s progress.
The German giants, who sacked manager Lucien Favre in December, have struggled this season and expect a tough time against Sevilla in their last-16 knockout tie.
The next dark horse is Morata, who is averaging a goal every 75 minutes in the competition. The Spaniard has cut a reborn figure on loan at Juventus and has converted 60% of his scoring opportunities into goals.
Keeping up his impressive stats may prove difficult, especially as Juve will probably turn to Ronaldo to supply the goods in the knockouts.
The third, and final dark horse, to finish Champions League top-scorer is Youssef En-Nesyri. The Moroccan striker has scored 17 goals in only 33 games across all competitions for Sevilla, including 13 in La Liga and four in Europe.
En-Nesyri is having the best campaign of his career to date. And given Sevilla’s reputation as knockout specialists, having won the Europa League a record six times, why can’t he finish top?
Who do the bookies think?
According to odds from Bet365, Haaland is the strongest favorite to finish as the top-scorer. The Dortmund ace has a price of 5.00, with Lewandowski as the second favorite on 6.00, Neymar in third, and Ronaldo completes the top-four.
* Odds correct at the time of writing.
| Pos | Player | Club | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | 5.00 |
| 2 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 6.00 |
| 3 | Neymar | PSG | 7.00 |
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | 9.00 |
| 5 | Alvaro Morata | Juventus | 11.00 |
| 6 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 15.00 |
| 7 | Kylian Mbappe | PSG | 15.00 |
| 8 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 15.00 |
| 9 | Alassane Plea | Gladbach | 21.00 |
| 10 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 21.00 |
Fancy a bet?
If you want to place a bet on who can finish as the Champions League top-scorer, you can sign up here with Bet365 and make a bet.
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