The Champions League is all the way down to the ultimate 4, and it appears broad open between Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and PSG.
There have been some thrilling contests within the quarters, with Atletico triumphing over Barcelona, Arsenal edging previous Sporting, PSG comfortably beating Liverpool and Bayern eliminating Actual Madrid straight away traditional. However who appears finest positioned to get their palms on the trophy subsequent month?
We’ve ranked the 4 groups that stay within the Champions League.
4. Atletico Madrid
Atletico discover themselves 22(!) factors behind Barcelona in La Liga and are even 4 factors off Villarreal, who took one level within the Champions League league part and ended up second-bottom of the 36-team desk.
That tells you that this crew aren’t anyplace close to one of the best in Europe. Does that matter? Fairly probably not.
Atleti’s limitations have been uncovered over a 38-game marketing campaign. However one recreation, or a two-legged tie, is a special story. They’ve now knocked La Liga’s champions elect out of two competitions, withstanding spirited fightbacks in each.
The final two occasions they eradicated Barca from Europe, they reached the ultimate. However this time, mercifully, Actual Madrid received’t be standing of their method. Is that an omen that that is lastly their 12 months?
They’re the clear outsiders, however that’s precisely the place they need to be.
3. Arsenal
We had Mikel Arteta’s Gunners prime of our quarter-final energy rankings.
It feels a bit harsh to knock them down a few spots once they made it previous Sporting with a pair of fresh sheets – their shows have been something however glowing, missing in real creativity and risk, however that form of grit may carry them additional.
Of the 4 groups within the semis, we’re most assured of Arsenal reaching the Budapest last. They swept Atletico apart with a 4-0 victory within the league part and may – in principle – have an excessive amount of for them over two legs.
However they outclassed PSG in final season’s league part, after which what occurred within the semis? Might they run out of steam on the essential second once more?
Of their present state, you’d must make Arsenal the underdogs towards both Bayern or PSG, ought to they make it previous Atletico. The Gunners simply don’t seem like European champions in ready to us.
Alongside the not particularly convincing win over Sporting, it’s one win and three defeats of their final 5, together with two cup exits and a serious wobble within the league.
A two-legged tie towards Diego Simeone’s die-for-the-cause Atletico is arguably the very last thing they want within the midst of this psychodrama.
The opposite three sides left on this competitors even have the luxurious of placing their full deal with Europe and resting gamers accordingly. Arsenal may simply pay the worth for not wrapping up the Premier League title once they had the prospect.
2. Bayern Munich
A historic third treble is on.
Vincent Kompany’s males weren’t practically as spectacular within the second leg as they have been for 70 minutes on the Bernabeu, the place they performed Madrid off the park, however even then they got here from behind 3 times to win 4-3 in a breathless thriller. And producing large moments is in the end what this stage of the season is all about.
Bayern’s full-backs are not any match for PSG’s, whereas they might actually do with Jamal Musiala getting again to his pre-injury ranges, however that is in any other case a severe crew with only a few flaws.
The outrageous numbers of their entrance three attest to one of the best assault in European soccer. And towards Madrid, Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz all demonstrated they received’t go lacking when push involves shove.
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1. PSG
We’re giving PSG the sting over Bayern as a result of they’ve been there and completed it earlier than. The Bavarians (and Arsenal) regarded the extra spectacular facet for the primary two-thirds of the 2025-26 marketing campaign.
PSG seemed to be struggling a Membership World Cup hangover and significantly underwhelmed as they discovered themselves dumped out of the French Cup by noisy neighbours Paris FC and locked into an unlikely Ligue 1 title battle with relative minnows Lens.
The Champions League is all about peaking on the proper moments and that appears to be precisely what PSG are doing – simply as they did final season. Liverpool are garbage, granted, however a pair of 2-0 wins is nothing to be sniffed at.
On the proof of what they produced within the latter levels final time period, together with a very brutal mauling of Inter within the last, we’re backing this horse as soon as once more.
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TRY A QUIZ: Are you able to identify each membership to seem in a Champions League semi-final?
