Champions League begins! Manchester City is the favorite
According to a report prepared by Opta, the reigning champion Manchester City is shown as the strongest candidate for the title this year.
12punto
The UEFA Champions League round of 16 is beginning, and this season's favorites have been determined. Last season's champion Manchester City stands out as the strongest candidate this year. Real Madrid, as the team with the most titles, is positioned as the second favorite for this season.
According to the report prepared by Opta, Manchester City's probability of reaching the quarterfinals after defeating Inter 1-0 in Istanbul was shown as 93.9%. It was stated that they have a 69.3% chance of reaching the semifinals and a 50.3% chance of playing in the final. Their chance of winning the championship was recorded at 32.1%.
Real Madrid's championship probability for this season was determined to be 15.4%. The report included that they have a 72.8% probability of reaching the quarterfinals, 47.1% for the semifinals, and 28.1% for the final.
Inter, who lost to Manchester City in the final last season, was shown as the third strongest candidate this season. The Italian team's championship chance was calculated at 11.6%.
According to the report prepared by Opta based on 10 thousand simulations, the ranking of favorites among the teams remaining in the Champions League round of 16 is as follows:
1 - Manchester City
2 - Real Madrid
3 - Inter
4 - Bayern Munich
5 - Arsenal
6 - Paris Saint Germain
7 - Barcelona
8 - Borussia Dortmund
9 - Atletico Madrid
10 - PSV
11 - Porto
12 - Leipzig
13 - Real Sociedad
14 - Napoli
15 - Lazio
16 - Copenhagen