The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals came to an end this week and now, only four teams remain in pursuit of the biggest club trophy in world soccer.
Both Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona survived ferocious comeback attempts to advance to the semifinals. Hansi Flick's side had a four-goal advantage going into the second leg vs. Borussia Dortmund, but the Germans didn't go away quietly; on the back of Serhou Guirassy's hat-trick, the tie ended with the Catalans advancing 5–3 on aggregate.
PSG were up 5–1 on aggregate at one point in the quarterfinals, but Aston Villa scored three unanswered and had the Parisians with their backs against the wall in the second leg at Villa Park. Luis Enrique's men held on to win the tie 5–4 and continue their pursuit of the club's first ever Champions League trophy.
Arsenal brilliantly dominated reigning champions Real Madrid over both legs to win the tie 5–1 and return to the semifinals for the first time since the 2008–09 season.
Inter Milan had to defend until the final minutes, but were overall better than Bayern Munich and booked a spot in the semifinals after defeating the Germans 4–3 over both legs.
Now that the Champions League semifinals are set, Opta's supercomputer ran predictions to see who the favorites are to win the competition. Before the quarterfinals, Opta had Barcelona as the odds-on favorite to win it all. However, there's been a change at the top ahead of the semifinals.
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UEFA Champions League Winner Odds
Opta's supercomputer currently favors Arsenal to win their first ever Champions League trophy. Mikel Arteta's side dispatched title holders and 15-time champions Real Madrid with authority and have been brilliant overall in Europe this season, coming in third in the league phase and dominating the knockout stages so far.
The Gunners are favored to defeat Inter Milan in the final to capture their first European trophy, just like Manchester City did two seasons ago. Simeone Inzaghi's side have been the best defensive team in the Champions League this season and Opta sees them getting past Barcelona in the semifinals.
The big surprise is that Opta's supercomputer doesn't have either of the two most in-form teams in Europe during 2025 reaching the final. Opta had Barcelona and PSG as the top two favorites to win the competition going into the quarterfinals, now, they have the lowest odds of the remaining four teams.
UEFA Champions League Semifinals Games
- Arsenal vs. Paris Saint Germain
- Barcelona vs. Inter Milan
More on the semifinals can be found here.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as New Favorites to Win the UEFA Champions League Ahead of Semifinals.
