The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League took place on Friday, with all six Premier League clubs still in the competition, allowing teams to chart their path to the final in Budapest.
Mikel Arteta’s side are dreaming of Champions League glory (Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Arsenal have emerged as favorites to win the Champions League after a favorable reception in Friday’s draw. The Gunners are in contention for a draw that would see them avoid the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain until the final in Budapest.
Arsenal faced Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16. If they advance, they will face either Bodo/Glimt or Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals.
Their semi-final opponents will be Tottenham, Newcastle, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid. Thanks to being first in the Champions League table, Arsenal will have home advantage in each second leg.
That’s why data company Opta has given Mikel Arteta’s side the best odds of lifting the trophy in May. Arsenal are given a 27 per cent chance of winning the Champions League for the first time in their history.
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This is almost twice as much as second-place candidates Bayern, who are narrowly ahead of Liverpool. Arsenal’s rivals for the Premier League title, City, have a 10 per cent chance of finishing fourth after drawing with Real Madrid in the last 16.
Barcelona, who are fifth, have a 7 percent chance. The La Liga champions sit above Chelsea, Newcastle and PSG.
Perhaps the most surprising ranking is that of Real Madrid. The 15-time European champion is given just a 2 percent chance of winning the 16th place title.
The least likely English team is Tottenham, who will face Atletico Madrid in the last 16. Opta rates Spurs’ expectations at just 1%.
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Opta lists Arsenal as favorites to win (Image: Opta)
Following Friday’s draw, Arsenal manager Arteta said: “We’re really excited. The team’s consistent performance, playing on four fronts, gives us a lot of hope and positivity about what’s to come. But we can only focus on the present.”
“We’re going to put our energy into that and that’s Sunday (against Chelsea). I’m putting a lot of focus on how we’re doing as a team and what we have to do to continue our trajectory and obviously try to improve from there.”
This year’s final will be held on Saturday, May 30th at the Puskas Arena. PSG remains the holder of the title after defeating Inter Milan 5-0 in the 2025 final.
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