Revealed: Opta supercomputer predicts new favourites to win the Champions League after Liverpool’s shock exit… with Arsenal’s chances assessed ahead of huge Real Madrid showdown
Barcelona have been chosen as the favourite to win the Champions League 2024-25, according to Opta’s supercomputer.
The Catalans have emerged as the leading contender for a prestigious triumph following Liverpool’s exit from the tournament on Tuesday.
Arner Slot’s band – who were most likely to lift the trophy before they faced Paris Saint-Germain with 23.9 per cent – were eliminated by penalty shootout against an impressive Luis Enrique-led French side.
With Liverpool out, Barcelona inherit the tag of favourite for the rest of the tournament, with 20.4 per cent – not far ahead of the Parisians – with Hansi Flick’s men to face Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.
However, in order to even progress to the final stage, in case of a potential victory over the German giants, Blaugrana would have to get past the winner between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
PSG, meanwhile, sit second with a 19.3 per cent chance of winning the whole thing, followed by Arsenal, following their dominant display over PSV, concluding the round 9-3 victors on aggregate.
Arsenal have been tipped as the third-favourite team to lift the Champions League 2024-25 trophy, according to Opta supercomputer
Barcelona, meanwhile, top Opta’s list with 20.4 per cent following Liverpool’s exit on Tuesday
The Reds saw their Champions League elimination following a lost penalty shootout against PSG, thought to be the second-favourite team of the tournament with 19.3 per cent
The current title holders, Real Madrid, are pipped by Inter after Simone Inzaghi’s side confidently outplayed Feyenoord in both ties of the Last 16 round.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men endured a challenging second leg at Wanda Metropolitano, as their clash went to extra time – then to a penalty shootout – following Conor Gallagher’s opening goal in the first minute.
However, a controversial decision during the shootout, with Julian Alvarez deemed to have touched the ball twice, and four penalties scored by Los Blancos saw them advance to the next phase.
They are set to take on Mikel Arteta’s injury-hit squad, with the first game taking place at the Emirates on April 8.
Despite a confident win over Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen, Vincent Kompany’s are perhaps a surprise sixth place with 9.7 per cent, just ahead of Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund.
Many fans expected Bayern Munich to be severely outplayed by Xabi Alonso’s side following their draw in the domestic league, but Kompany’s men concluded the game without a single shot on target.
However, in addition to several defensive mistakes, the Belgian manager did his homework and pushed his team to a confident 5-0 victory on aggregate.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are thought to have only 2.8 per cent of lifting the trophy, an expected increase from a 1 per cent change before the quarter-finals, considering fewer teams are left in the competition.
| Team | Semi-finals | Final | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 80 | 41.5 | 20.4 |
| PSG | 72.2 | 36 | 19.3 |
| Arsenal | 52.8 | 30.3 | 16.8 |
| Inter Milan | 57.3 | 32.7 | 16.4 |
| Real Madrid | 47.2 | 26 | 13.6 |
| Bayern Munich | 42.7 | 21.3 | 9.7 |
| Aston Villa | 27.9 | 7.7 | 2.8 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 20 | 4.5 | 1 |
Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid sit in fifth place in Opta’s rankings with a 13.6 per cent chance
Bayern Munich and Harry Kane face Inter Milan in the last eight after beating Bayer Leverkusen
Luis Enrique will certainly need Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroics once against Aston Villa
Dortmund are bottom of the list following their unconfident victory over Lille on Thursday. Their first clash ended 1-1 at Signal Iduna Park.
The German giants are set to face favourites Barcelona, which recorded eight wins, one draw and one loss throughout the tournament.
The Catalans concluded their League Phase with a strong second position, behind Liverpool.
They are thought to have a more straightforward side of the draw, with all their potential opponents falling short of winning their domestic leagues last year.
Flick’s side reached an expected progression to the quarter-finals after they beat Benfica in both ties of the round of 16.
The Catalans’ leader, Raphinha, has scored his 11th goal and tops the Champions League’s goalscoring rankings, followed by Harry Kane, Guirassy and team-mate Robert Lewandowski.
