A supercomputer has predicted the winner of this season’s Champions League trophy.
As the competition reaches the round of 16, the serious candidates start to emerge and the final edges ever closer.
Over the few weeks, the first legs of the last 16 ties were played, most of the ties are still in the balance but reigning champions Real Madrid look set to advance to the last eight after winning their first leg 5-2 against Liverpool.
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However, according to the supercomputer, Madrid are not the favourites to lift the trophy.
In fact, the favourites are German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, who won the Champions League in 2020. Julian Nagelsmann’s side have been given a 26% chance of winning this season’s edition.
Behind the Bavarian club are the champions of England, Manchester City, with a 19% chance of winning. Europe’s elite competition remains the only trophy that Pep Guardiola has failed to win during his time with the Blues.
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Madrid complete the top three as they are ranked as third favourites with a 14% chance of tasting glory once again.
Perhaps surprisingly, Napoli are the fourth favourites due to their brilliant start to the Serie A season, whilst they wiped the floor with Liverpool during the group stage, beating them 4-1.
Favourites Bayern are currently 1-0 up against French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint Germain ahead of the second leg, which will take place on Wednesday night in Munich.
It is far too soon to write off a team containing the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, Bayern boss Nagelsmann spoke about how to stop the PSG stars.
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He said: “In the first leg they were without Kylian Mbappe at the start, which affected their match plan a little bit.
“When he came on, they started playing a different way. As I said, I expect it to be much more attacking and open than in Paris.
“Both we and PSG have enormous pace in attack. We want to get at them when they take possession and be physically present from the first minute. What we need in the second leg is to prevent them from using their pace.”
Who do you think will win the Champions League this season? Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Champions League, Football, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Napoli