Supercomputer predicts Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester City and others’ chance to win Champions League; surprise club ranked above Liverpool
A supercomputer from Opta has predicted where clubs, including Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool all rank in their bid to win the UEFA Champions League this season. The rankings have revealed that the Merseysiders will rank lower than a surprise club (via Sport Bible).
The competition, which has been reworked into a league structure, is about to begin. Juventus and PSV Eindhoven will face off in Italy, alongside Aston Villa and Young Boys in Switzerland to kickstart the tournament on September 17.
The Opta supercomputer ranked Aston Villa 22nd out of 36 spots as the least likely side to win the Champions League. They are notably the only English club sitting outside of the top 10 spots.
In 10th place are RB Leipzig, with the German outfit expected to put in strong performances in the competition this season. In 9th place, the supercomputer ranked Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), who notably lost their main attacker Kylian Mbappe this summer.
Bayern Munich are in eighth, with the legendary German club working on taking back the Bundesliga crown after they lost it to Bayer Leverkusen last season. In seventh place, Liverpool are ranked with a small 4.2% chance of winning the Champions League under new head coach Arne Slot.
In sixth, the supercomputer placed Barcelona, with the Blaugrana taking La Liga by storm under new manager Hansi Flick. In fifth place, ranking surprisingly above Liverpool are Bayer Leverkusen, who won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal last season without losing a single game.
Arsenal sit in fourth, with a 6.3% chance of winning the competition, while Inter Milan are third. Real Madrid sit in second place after winning their 15th Champions League trophy last season. Meanwhile, Manchester City are seen as favorites with a 25.3% chance of securing the Champions League.
Superstar agreed on Liverpool move before joining Real Madrid: Reports
Liverpool have been ranked lower than expected by the supercomputer, and there is a chance their ranking might have been better if they had signed Kylian Mbappe.
The French forward completed a drawn-out move to Real Madrid after leaving PSG in the summer. However, reports have revealed that he agreed on a move to Anfield first. Back in 2022, when he looked set to leave Paris, he agreed to personal terms with Liverpool, according to L'Equipe (via Mirror).
However, with PSG requesting well over £300 million to let him leave, the Reds had to set their hopes aside. Two years later, he moved to Real Madrid, but the Anfield giants will wonder what might have been if they had signed Mbappe in 2022.