With the start of the knockout rounds just weeks away, the race for the top goalscorer in the Champions League is set to resume.

After the group stages, four players are tied for first place with five goals each – Antonine Griezmann, Erling Haaland, Rasmus Hojlund, and Alvaro Morata. With Manchester United eliminated, Hojlund’s race is run, but the other three remain in the mix.

Let's take a look at where the Champions League top goalscorer odds stand, per the soccer odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Here are the odds for the top-15 players along with a breakdown of the main contenders and notable longshots.

UCL Top Scorer Odds

Erling Haaland, Manchester City (+105)

Except for international competitions, Haaland has been at the pinnacle of the soccer world for over a year. He is the defending champion for this award after helping lead City to the UCL title with 12 goals last season. He is also the defending champion of the EPL’s Golden Boot following his record-setting 36-goal debut campaign last season. Whatever you want in a frontrunner for a goalscoring award, Haaland has it.

He leads the UCL in xG (5.4) and non-penalty xG (3.8) -- per FBRef's xG model -- and is one of only two players averaging more than 1.0 xG per match among those with at least three 90s played. He ranks third in shots per 90 (5.80) and first in shots on target/90 (3.01).

Haaland’s outlook also appears favorable from a team perspective. A key to being the competition's top goalscorer is playing as many games as possible. With City as the current favorites to win the title (+210), per the UEFA Champions League odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, Haaland is expected to play in the maximum number of matches.

Adding to his outlook is a dream Round-of-16 matchup against FC Copenhagen. Among remaining teams, Copenhagen allowed the second-most xG in the group stage (8.7) and have the second-lowest xG differential (xGD) per 90 (-0.19).

Harry Kane, Bayern Munich (+250)

Haaland’s closest competitor is Harry Kane. Kane knows from experience how difficult outscoring Haaland can be as Kane finished second to Haaland in the EPL Golden Boot race last season by six goals as a member of Tottenham. Now on Bayern Munich, Kane is finally on an even playing field from a team perspective.

In the Bundesliga, Kane has been on fire, tallying 22 goals from 16.3 xG. In the UCL group stages, he was less impactful, scoring four goals from 3.1 xG despite playing nearly every minute of Bayern’s six matches. His xG/90 (0.53) is well behind Haaland’s (1.15). To overcome the current one-goal gap, Kane will need his UCL metrics to move closer to his scoring pace in the Bundesliga.

The same can be said of Bayern from a team perspective. They finished the group stages ranked 14th in xG (9.3) and allowed the ninth-fewest xG (6.8) -- good for an xGD/90 (+0.40) that ranked 11th, far below Bayern’s lofty standards. Bayern has the second-best odds to reach the UCL final (+145), so Kane is expected to play roughly the same number of games as Haaland. To catch and surpass Haaland, Kane will need to make those games count.

In the Round of 16, Kane has a tougher matchup than Haaland as Bayern will face a Lazio side that allowed the 10th-fewest xG among remaining teams (7.1). In Serie A this season, Lazio have allowed the eighth fewest xG/90 (1.04).

Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain (+650)

Mbappe is in a tier of his own, behind Haaland and Kane but well ahead of the next-closest competitor. Mbappe played the full 90 minutes in all six of PSG’s group stage matches. He ranks second in xG (4.4) but has only three goals to show for it, putting him two goals behind Haaland.

Like Kane, Mbappe has been on fire in his domestic league. His 19 goals in Ligue 1 rank first by huge margin, 10 more than Wissam Ben Yedder in second. He has outperformed his 15.6 xG and is averaging 1.2 goals per 90 from 0.99 xG/90. Against a tough Group F in the UCL group stages that included Dortmund, AC Milan, and Newcastle, his xG/90 dropped to 0.73.

Unlike Bayern, PSG performed at an elite level in the group stages. Despite playing in a difficult group, they generated the third-most xG (13.4) and allowed the sixth-fewest xG (6.3), finishing with an xGD/90 (+1.18) that ranked third. Their actual results -- two wins, two draws and two losses -- were far below their underlying metrics. They won five of their six matches on xG.

If Mbappe and PSG can get their results to match their xG metrics, he will have a chance to catch Haaland. The problem is, PSG have a history of early exits from the UCL, failing to advance past the Round of 16 in five of their seven most recent appearances. PSG’s odds of reaching the final (+550) are just fifth-best.

Adding to the difficulty is a tricky Round-of-16 matchup with Real Sociedad. Sociedad allowed the fewest goals in the group stage (two) and surrendered the second-fewest xG (3.8). In La Liga, they have allowed the third-fewest goals (21) and third-fewest xG/90 (0.95). PSG are talented enough to overcome that and advance, but a blowout is far less likely for Mbappe than it is for Haaland.

It all adds up to a difficult hill to climb, even for a player as talented as Mbappe.

Alvaro Morata, Atletico Madrid (+1300)

Morata is tied with Haaland for the current lead with five goals from 3.2 xG. His 0.65 xG/90 ranks 11th among players with at least two 90s played.

Three of Morata’s five goals came against a Celtic side that allowed the second-most goals in the group stage (15). His other two came against Feyenoord, who ranked 14th in xG allowed (8.0). In 118 minutes across two matches against Lazio, Morata recorded just one shot on target.

Morata has excelled in La Liga this season. His 13 goals are tied for third-most in the league, and he also ranks third in xG (9.0). He has accomplished that despite not attempting a penalty kick – his 9.0 non-penalty xG ranks second behind only Robert Lewandowski (10.2).

While that is impressive, it is also a huge drawback for Morata’s odds of winning top goalscorer. The presence of Antonie Griezmann gives Atletico a powerful forward combination, but Griezmann’s role as the primary penalty taker limits Morata’s goal-scoring upside. Haaland, Kane, and Mbappe all have that advantage over Morata.

Morata’s other obstacle is his team’s outlook. Atletico’s odds of reaching the final rank seventh (+1000). There is a very real possibility that he will finish with fewer matches played than all three of the players above him on this list. His current standing above Kane and Mbappe on goals scored helps to counter that, but he still must contend with Haaland.

Morata also has an extremely difficult Round-of-16 matchup against Inter Milan. Inter went undefeated in the group stage -- with three wins and three draws -- and their xGD/90 (+1.17) ranks fourth. In Serie A, they have been exceptional, ranking first in goals/90 (2.45), xG per 90 (2.21), goals allowed/90 (0.50) and xG allowed/90 (0.50).

Others

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham (+1800) is the first non-forward on the list. Despite playing in midfield, he is tied with Kane on goals scored (four) thanks to an overperformance of his 2.5 xG. There’s an argument to be made that Bellingham is the best player in the world right now, so no task is impossible for him. That said, catching and surpassing Haaland on goal scoring is a tough task due to volume. In the UCL this season, Bellingham is attempting 2.54 fewer shots per 90 than Haaland is. In domestic competition, Haaland has a significant edge on xG/90 (1.03 to 0.48) and averages 1.37 more shots and 0.47 shots on target per 90.

Next up is Haaland’s teammate, Julian Alvarez (+2000). Alvarez has been extremely efficient in limited minutes in the UCL this season, scoring four goals with just 1.8 90s played. His 2.2 goals/90 is more the double Haaland’s (1.06). Alvarez will benefit from all the same team-level advantages as Haaland, but he could see less playing time and -- barring a change -- won’t take penalty kicks over Haaland. With a larger sample size in the EPL this season, Alvarez falls well behind Haaland on xG/90 (1.03 to 0.39).

Barcelona’s Joao Felix (+2300) has three goals in 3.5 90s played. His teammate, Robert Lewandowski (+2900), struggled in the group stages with just one goal in 4.2 90s played. They both have the same team-level obstacle – Barcelona has the fifth-best odds to make the final (+650) amid a season of a woes. They face a tough Round-of-16 fixture against Napoli.

Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus (+2900) has four goals from 2.0 xG so far, finding the back of the net in each of his last four UCL matches. His domestic struggles (just 0.43 xG/90) have not impacted his UCL performances. Arsenal has the fourth-best odds to make the final (+250), only slightly behind Real Madrid. A Round-of-16 clash with a Porto side that allowed just 6.3 xG in the group stages presents a challenge but one the Gunners can certainly overcome.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

Looking for more soccer betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to check out all of the soccer odds.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.