Revealed: Odds of Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham winning the Champions League
Arsenal have been named the favourites to win the Champions League this season for the first time in their history.
Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres got the goals as Arsenal beat Inter Milan 3-1 on Tuesday, strengthening their grip on the top spot of the league stage.
The Gunners are guaranteed to go straight through to the last 16 stage after winning seven straight games.
It should be a similar story for their North London rivals, after Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on Tuesday.
The Lilywhites will finish in the top eight if they win in Frankfurt next week, despite the uncertainty surrounding Thomas Frank’s future at Tottenham.
Premier League clubs vary in Champions League chances
Results have varied elsewhere in the Champions League this week for Premier League clubs.
Man City lost 3-1 to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday, and now must hope for teams to lose to drop points above them if they are to qualify in the top eight.
It was a more positive story for Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool on Wednesday, however. The Blues beat Pafos at Stamford Bridge courtesy of Moises Caicedo‘s goal.
A difficult trip to Napoli stands in front of a top-eight finish, but Liam Rosenior‘s side will be confident.
Liverpool can feel very comfortable with their chances, with victory over Qarabag at Anfield set to be enough after they beat Marseille 3-0 on Wednesday.
Unfortunately for Newcastle, the most difficult game of their Champions League fixture list was saved for last.
If the Magpies are to avoid the play-offs, they must travel to European Champions PSG and emerge victorious, as they almost did in 2023.
Arsenal retain the favourites status for winning the Champions League at 7/2, while Man City (7/1) and Liverpool (10/1) offer the next best chances for Premier League clubs, according to one major bookmaker.
Chelsea come in at 18/1, Tottenham at 33/1 and Newcastle represent the English top-flight club with the longest odds at 50/1.
How does finishing spot affect Champions League knockouts?
Teams finishing outside of the Champions League top eight will play a two-legged play-off match to qualify for the last 16.
But even outside of that, there are benefits for finishing higher up, within that top eight.
The higher you finish, the more favourable your route to the Champions League final can be expected to be. Arsenal, for example, will be drawn at home for the second leg in each of their knockout games.
And below the top eight, a higher placement could earn you a play-off match against weaker opposition.
There are incentives for each Premier League team to win their final game, with the final standings currently anyone’s guess.