On the eve of the Champions League quarter-final first leg, Opta’s supercomputer updated its projections one last time.
The first confrontations will be played tomorrow and Wednesday, and the gaps are becoming clearer between the teams still in the running. First observation of these predictions, Arsenal comes at the top of the teams best placed to reach the semi-finals. The English are credited with a 77.71% chance of beating Sporting, which confirms their status as big favorite before their double confrontation.
FC Barcelona follows with a solid estimate. The Catalan club has a 68.03% chance of qualifying against Atlético de Madrid, which is at 31.97%. The gap is quite marked on paper, while the recent duels between the two Spanish clubs have always been close.
Bayern ahead of Real
In one of the other posters, Bayern Munich leaves with a clear advantage against Real Madrid, according to Opta Analyst. The Germans have a 64.51% chance of qualifying, compared to only 35.49% for the Madrid club.
Finally, the duel between PSG and Liverpool promises to be the most balanced of the four. Paris maintains a small advantage with a 59.57% chance of passing, compared to 40.43% for the English. It is the quarter who seems the most open before the first legs.
The favorites for the title
Across the competition, Arsenal still remains the team best equipped to go all the way according to Opta, which has been betting everything on Arteta’s team from the start. The Gunners are at the top of the probability of winning the title (49%), ahead of Bayern Munich (41%) and FC Barcelona (33%).
A little further behind, PSG, current title holder, would have a 26% probability of making the back-to-back. Real Madrid and its 8% remain in ambush, while Atletico and Sporting barely have a little more than a 3% chance of reaching the final and winning it.
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