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What is the story?
A recently released odds about the favourites to win this season's Champions League has indicated that Barcelona’s chances are three times better than Juventus' after the first leg of the quarter-final encounters.
However, last season's runners-up Liverpool have the highest odds to go on and lift the famous trophy in June.
In case you didn’t know….
Barcelona are very much on track to qualify to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in three years, following their crucial 1-0 win at against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. Although the tie is not over by any stretch of the imagination, it's difficult to bet against the Catalan giants, considering their stupendous home form.
Meanwhile, Juventus and Ajax played out a highly competitive 1-1 draw in Amsterdam. David Neres of Ajax cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning header to give the Dutch giants hope of once again rewriting the history books as they already did against Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
If Barcelona can overcome the threats of the Red Devils in the return leg, then there is a high possibility of them meeting Liverpool in the semi-finals; the Reds beat Porto 2-0 at Anfield on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Juventus will face the tough task of eliminating the high-flying Ajax team next week, and if Ronaldo and company produce another magical night in Turin, then the Italian champions will play either Tottenham or Manchester City in the semi-finals. Spurs edged out Manchester City 1-0 at their new stadium on Tuesday.
The heart of the matter…
According to data compiled by FiveThirtyEight’s Soccer Power Index, Barcelona are sitting in the second position with 27% odds, while Juventus are fourth with just 9% chance of lifting the Champions League this season.
Liverpool are summiting the table with 29%, while Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have a 21% chance of winning the Champions League, despite their first leg defeat against Tottenham.
On the other hand, both Manchester United and Porto have less than 1% chance of winning the continental tournament in June, while Ajax are sixth with a 5% chance.
The data is based on various footballing stats which includes every team’s offensive and defensive ability along with the recent forms.
What’s Next?
We have to wait for a little less than 2 months to find out who will eventually lift the most prestigious trophy in Europe.
However, the return legs of the quarter-final are scheduled on 16th and 17th of April.
