Which Team is Coming out on Top in the UEFA Champions League?

It has been nothing short of a jaw-dropping season in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, and only five matches remain to decide the winner of European football’s premier competition. Today, the leading gambling platforms can give you access to not only the best odds available, but also the best online casino software crypto. However, just because the odds are in a certain team’s favor, doesn’t mean that the bookies will always win. We saw evidence of this once again in the Champions League quarterfinals, as each of the four teams who were favored to win ended up being eliminated from the tournament.

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain served up an enthralling first leg of the quarterfinals, with Raphinha giving the hosts an early lead, only for PSG to score twice within the first five minutes of the restart. Rather than settle for defeat, however, the Blaugranas would storm back and level proceedings via Raphinha, whilst birthday boy Andreas Christensen completed the comeback 3-2 win.

It should come as no surprise that the major gambling platforms deemed Barcelona as the favorites to qualify, but rather than rest on his laurels, Luis Enrique made various changes in his return to his former stomping grounds, with Achraf Hakimi, Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaïre-Emery being drafted in. The tie looked over after Raphinha opened the scoring early on, but instead, the tide would turn after Ronald Araújo saw red within a half-hour.

This proved the impetus for PSG, with Ousmane Dembélé pulling one back before halftime whilst Vitinha equalized in the 54th minute. A late brace from Kylian Mbappé would see PSG complete the comeback in Spain and book their ticket for the semifinals, denying the Blaugranas a place in the final four.

Paris Saint-Germain faced off against Borussia Dortmund on two occasions in this season’s group stage, and they’ll be facing off once again in the semifinals. Atleti looked headed for a comfortable victory as Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino scored within a half-hour, but a late goal from Sébastien Haller would see BVB make a late push.

The second leg in Germany proved a topsy-turvy affair as Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen scored before halftime to give Dortmund the lead, but Atleti would turn the tie on its head and take the lead on aggregate once again. Two teams that are struggling to make top four in their domestic leagues found themselves locked in a heated battle to make the final four in Europe’s premier competition.

With 30 minutes left on the clock, it appeared to be doom and gloom for BVB, but they didn’t lie down and quit. Instead, they kept on fighting and got their reward in the 71st minute as Brandt rolled a through ball towards Marcel Sabitzer, who fired a powerful cross that was met by the head of Niclas Füllkrug. The Atleti defenders had barely had a chance to catch their breath before they were on the defensive once again, with Sabitzer controlling a loose ball, taking his time to weigh up a shot, before firing a rocket of a shot into the bottom right corner.

Whilst BVB are headed to the final four for the first time in 11 years, Bayern Munich are headed back to the semifinals for the first time since 2021, when they won the treble under Hansi Flick. The first leg produced a roller-coaster 90 minutes as Bukayo Saka opened the scoring within 12 minutes, only for Serge Gnabry to level proceedings against his former side immediately after. A penalty goal from Harry Kane would see Bayern enter halftime on top, and they looked headed for a victory until the 76th minute as Leandro Trossard drew Arsenal level.

The following weekend would see Arsenal fall to a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, relinquishing the top spot in the title race to Manchester City, whilst Bayern would see their dynasty come to an end after 11 straight championships as Bayer Leverkusen claimed their first-ever Bundesliga title.

Bayern would probe Arsenal’s backline and assert their dominance on home soil in the second leg, and they nearly got their reward after the restart as Leon Goretzka’s header careened off the post. The Bavarians continued to mount the pressure, with Raphael Guerreiro collecting a ball on the edge of the box and firing a well-timed cross into the path of Joshua Kimmich, who headed home past David Raya to take the advantage within 63 minutes.

The German behemoths will take on Real Madrid, who just about managed to sneak their way into the semifinals. After a pulsating 3-3 draw in the Spanish capital, Los Blancos took an early lead via Rodrygo, weathering an onslaught of attacks until the 76th minute as Kevin De Bruyne drew City level. Real continued to sit back, soak up pressure, and remain compact at the Etihad, and in the end, they eked out a narrow penalty shootout defeat.

Whilst Real Madrid are seeking a record 15th Champions League title, Bayern can go level with Milan with the joint-second-most titles (7). Indeed, whilst Real and Bayern have been to a total of 28 Champions League Finals between the two, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain have combined for three between them. BVB won the 1996/97 final against Juventus before losing to Bayern 16 years later, whilst PSG came up short against Bayern in their only trip to the final in 2020.