We have finally arrived at the “business” end of the 2024-25 Champions League season. With the newly expanded league phase, this year’s opening rounds have seemed to have gone on forever. The new-look format was supposed to guarantee the big clubs would progress to the knockout rounds – but that is not exactly how things transpired.
It is true that most of the traditionally successful teams have made it to the final 16 of Europe’s most prestigious competition. But some of them needed the fallback of a playoff tie to make it and the biggest shock of all was that Manchester City – one of the wealthiest clubs in the world – will be taking no further part this year.
The draws for the remaining rounds of the competition have now been made and all the ideal online soccer betting sites will be offering their own ideas on who is going to lift one of the most famous trophies in the sport. There are still some very good teams in the mix – so here are our predictions for how we see the rest of the 2024-25 Champions League campaign going.
Long Shots
Although anything can happen in a two-legged knockout tie, there are a few teams who will most likely exit it in the next round or, at the very least, not make it to the latter stages. Many of them have performed well to get to his point but navigating the Champions League knockout rounds requires experience as well as talent.
Dutch soccer seems to be enjoying a purple patch at the moment but both Feyenoord and PSV face tough opposition in the round of 16 and may not go any further. The same can be said for Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen and Lille – and all three of those sides will enjoy a sense of achievement getting this far. Club Brugge and Aston Villa have been drawn together in the round of 16, so one will go through to the last eight. The fact that they will then play the winner of the PSG-Liverpool tie suggests that their European adventure will then be over for another year.
Dark Horses
The remaining nine clubs all have good Champions League pedigree and a good number of trophies and titles between them. But elite soccer, like any sport, has a distinct hierarchy and this group can be broken down into two separate groups once again. The four dark horses here could all go on to win the final but it would be something of a surprise if they were to do so.
Inter has been the main Italian force in recent years – and reached a final just two years ago – but is enduring a patchy run of form and would probably have to face Bayern and Barcelona before reaching the final, so another trophy seems unlikely. Dortmund will feel as though it can make it past Lille after receiving one of the most favorable draws in the round of 16. But a potential quarterfinal against Barcelona would probably be asking too much.
Atletico and PSG have both reached the final in the last decade and have an array of talent to call on in their quest for European glory. But the prospect of Real Madrid and Liverpool, respectively, virtually assures that their continental seasons will be over long before we get to the final in Munich.
Favorites
The remaining five teams all have a justifiable reason for thinking that they can win the Champions League this season. Because we now know the potential matchups all the way to the final, we can also suggest which are more likely to be able to fulfil those hopes.
It would seem that Barcelona and Bayern find themselves on the easier side of the draw. Everything is relative, of course, But a semifinal between those two would not be the biggest surprise of the soccer season. Barcelona can be notoriously inconsistent and with the promise of playing the final in its own stadium, Bayern must be confident right now.
It is on the other side of the draw where we find the real favorites though. Make no mistake, Bayern could beat any of them in Munich in a one-off game. But these three should be considered the best teams left in the competition. Arsenal has been one of the better EPL sides in recent years and would dearly love to finally win a Champions League. The possibility of facing Real Madrid in the quarterfinal probably extinguishes that dream though. A win there would greatly improve Arsenal’s chances though.
Real Madrid considers the Champions League as its own and will be the overriding favorite of many, although Liverpool can also be considered a very good candidate this season. Those two could meet in what would be an eagerly-anticipated semifinal.
And the Winner Is…
With the draw for the rest of the competition already known, it makes sense that one team from either side should be considered the out-and-out favorites. But it does feel as though one from the first half of the draw will be successful in the end. That potential semifinal between Real Madrid and Liverpool could end up deciding where the trophy will be going at the end of May.
Arne Slot has done wonders in somehow improving Liverpool in his first season as head coach in England. But it is Real Madrid that always has to be feared when it comes to this competition. The La Liga side has shown time and time again that it can never be written off – no matter how far out of sight it looks. That is why we confidently predict that the winners of the 2024-25 Champions League will be Los Blancos.
