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The odds had certainly been in Liverpool’s favour before that unexpected penalty shootout exit. After strolling to the summit of the inaugural league phase table, Opta’s supercomputer wasn’t the only outlet making the Reds favourites to win the entire competition.
Yet, whether it was a case of misfortune or missed chances, Liverpool will not be lining up for the quarter-finals. But which of the eight sides that will feature in April’s highly anticipated knockout clashes go on to lift the big-eared trophy?
PSG may have finished below Milan and PSV Eindhoven in the league phase table, but their newfound status as Liverpool’s conquerors has swollen their chances of winning the club’s first-ever Champions League title. Luis Enrique’s free-flowing French giants are second favourites according to Opta, narrowly ranking behind the Spanish coach’s former employers, Barcelona.
The Catalan giants breezed past Benfica in the round of 16 and are on what is widely seen to be the easier half of the draw. Before going up against one of Bayern Munich or Inter, Hansi Flick’s side are preparing for a quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund. The Bundesliga strugglers – they’ve won as many league games as they’ve lost this term – are rank outsiders to go one step better than last season, when they were beaten in the final by Real Madrid, boasting just a 1% chance of continental glory.
Aston Villa don’t fare much better in Opta’s 10,000 simulations of the competition’s remaining matches. Unai Emery’s side supposedly boast just a 2.8% chance of winning the whole thing. They will have to get past this in-form iteration of PSG in the quarters, a daunting prospect which Emery sheepishly described as a “huge, huge challenge” against his former club.
Arsenal and Real Madrid also find themselves on the tough side of the draw. …
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