With four key battles in the second leg of the Champions League 1/8 final, the final four places in the Champions League will soon be decided. Premier League duo Arsenal and Villa are all but assured of qualification, while Real Madrid are also favourites to reach the last eight of the Champions League for the 40th time. In contrast, Borussia Dortmund face a tough test, with only a 39% chance of qualifying according to OPTA data.
In the first leg of the 1/8 final, Arsenal showed their strength by beating PSV Eindhoven 7-1. As a result, OPTA predicts that Arsenal’s qualification probability is almost 100 percent, with little suspense. Villa, also from the Premier League, performed well in the first leg, beating Bruges 3-1.
Villa, with a 94 per cent chance of promotion according to OPTA, are also promising. Emery’s Villa are in fine form after winning three straight games in the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Premier League. If Villa make it through to the last eight, they will face powerful Paris Saint-Germain in the next quarter-finals.
On the other hand, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are also much in the attention. In the first leg, Real Madrid won 2-1. Looking back at Real Madrid’s historical record, they have progressed 49 times after winning the first leg at home in 62 European games, with a probability of 79%, which is not far from OPTA’s prediction of 74%.
As a result, Real Madrid are confident of qualifying for the last eight. However, the showdown between Lille and Borussia Dortmund is full of suspense. The teams drew 1-1 in the first leg. According to OPTA, Borussia Dortmund’s chances of qualifying are only 39 percent, while Lille are favored. From this season’s Champions League performance, Lille’s strength is indeed not to be underestimated. They have beaten the likes of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. Therefore, OPTA would prefer Lille to qualify for the last eight. If Lille get their way, they will face Barcelona in the next game.
