The semi-finals of the Champions League are just around the corner, following an exciting quarter-final. Before the second legs, which will decide who advances to the next round, experts are already discussing the favourites to reach the final. Sports betting sites have updated the odds after the first round of the quarter-finals, with one of Europe’s best teams sitting comfortably in the driver’s seat.
Supercomputer simulations have shown that Arsenal and Barcelona are most likely heading to the final. The Gooners won’t lift the Premier League once again, but at least they’re making great progress in the CL, especially after the masterclass against Real Madrid, from which the current CL champ may never recover. Let’s take a look at the top 4 teams that are likely to reach the CL final.
Barcelona
Just like cats, the world’s best teams always land on their feet. And they have many lives. Barcelona was—and still is to a degree—in a financial crisis, which has been going on for around 4-5 years. In that time, the 5-time European champion has won one La Liga and a few Spanish Cup and Supercopa titles. Not bad for a club in crisis.
Moreover, if you take a look at the best betting apps for free bets, you’ll see that Barca is always among the top favourites for any tournament it participates in. That’s the case with this year’s Champions League, where the Catalan giants are having the best possible season.
After finishing second in the league phase, the bookie odds for Barca’s CL winning chances went up almost instantly. This set them up with a round of 16 tie against Benfica, the team that Barca won against in one of the most thrilling matches of the season. Barca dominated the round of 16 tie, winning with a total score of 4-1. The first leg of the quarter-final showed a dominant Barca yet again, with a commanding 4-0 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund.
With great performances from the front trio and a stellar defence, Barca is the major bookmaker favourite for the CL. It remains to be seen if it can go all the way, but if it does, it will definitely announce the return of the giant.
Arsenal
Arsenal surprised everyone after thrashing PSV 9-3 over two legs in the round of 16. They got Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, winning 3-0 and humiliating the European champion.
Bookmakers instantly had Arsenal’s odds up, putting the London team’s chances on-par with Barcelona. In some cases, the Gooners are in the lead to make the final and win it. Mikel Arteta’s team has shown great quality, coming close to winning the Premier League last year and competing decently this year.
It definitely has the quality to reach the final, but before that happens, a rematch against Real Madrid awaits. After that, Arsenal is likely travelling to Paris, meeting one of the other major CL final favourites.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG has been among the CL final/winner favourites in the past 6-7 seasons. The stellar squads have ensured that, just like the decent performances. Paris Saint-Germain’s starry days may be over, with coach Luis Enrique betting on youngsters. It has been a successful experiment so far, with PSG reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League and likely heading to the semi-finals.
The quarter-final clash against Aston Villa resulted in a dominant 3-1 win for the French champions. Bookies have accordingly updated PSG’s odds for the CL final, putting Lucho’s team into the second or third seat, right behind Barcelona. With a quality squad that just added Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and young guns in Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, PSG has the quality to play another final in the Champions League.
Inter Milan
The Italian Champions are two years removed from their last CL final, and there’s a chance they might appear in it once again. The first leg of the quarter-finals was a positive one for Inter, beating Bayern Munich 2-1. It will be tough to win again at the Allianz Arena, but time and time again, Inter has shown it has the squad to compete with the best.
If it progresses, a difficult tie against (most likely) Barcelona may follow. It will be a true test for Inter Milan’s strength, where the odds will likely be in Barca’s favour. But Inter didn’t win the Serie A last year just like that. It showed composure in key moments and a great level of quality overall, which might be more than enough to make the CL final—and possibly win—this year.
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