Arsenal have received some good news from the Champions League draw.
The Gunners finished the league phase on top of the table, winning all eight of their games. They have been the best side in the Champions League so far.
However, the real test begins in the knockout stages, and Arsenal take on Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 of the competition.
Looking at the potential path to the final, Opta thinks the Premier League leaders are the favourites to go all the way in Europe.
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Opta’s supercomputer predicts Arsenal are the likeliest team to win the Champions League
Arsenal’s potential path to the Champions League final is very straightforward.
If the Gunners get past Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16, their opponents in the quarter-final will either be Sporting CP or Bodo/Glimt.
Should Mikel Arteta’s side emerge victorious in that round as well, the semi-final will be against one of Barcelona, Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal have beaten three of those four teams already this season, and they should back themselves against Barcelona’s high line as well.
That is why many people think they have a big chance of reaching the final, and Opta’s supercomputer agrees too. In fact, it even thinks Arsenal are the favourites to win the Champions League.
Opta have given Arsenal a 27.4 per cent chance of lifting the European Cup. Bayern Munich are the second favourites, but the likelihood of them winning it is almost half – 14.2 per cent.
The only other teams with a greater than 10 per cent chance of winning the Champions League are Liverpool and Manchester City, with 12.8 per cent and 10.7 per cent chances respectively.
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Arsenal have got lucky with the Champions League draw
Arsenal fans are absolutely delighted with the way the draw panned out.
The Gunners made it into the blue side of the bracket, which was the best-case scenario for the North London giants in the Champions League.
If they were on the opposite side, their list of opponents would’ve been Atalanta in the next round, Real Madrid or Manchester City in the quarter-final and one of Liverpool, Galatasaray, Chelsea or PSG in the semis.
That would’ve been significantly more difficult, but thankfully, the Gunners got lucky.
If Arsenal don’t make it into the final after such a favourable draw, they will only have themselves to blame.
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