Ahead of the Champions League last 16 draw in Nyon, Switzerland, the anticipation builds to unveil the matchups for the European football competition. The process involves grouping the teams, separating the group winners from the runners-up. The former includes Bayern, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Atlético Madrid, Dortmund, Manchester City, and Barcelona. The latter comprises Copenhagen, Eindhoven, Inter, Napoli, Lazio, Paris Saint-Germain, Leipzig, and Porto. Scheduled matches for the round of 16 occur on February 13-14, 20-21, and rematches on March 5-6, 12-13.
As the draw looms, the “OLBG” supercomputer utilized group stage data to predict the likelihood of each team winning the prestigious Champions League trophy. Surprisingly, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal emerges as the top contender with a 22% chance, surpassing reigning champions Manchester City at 20%. The calculation seems against expectations, positioning Arsenal ahead of highly-favored clubs like Manchester City and Real Madrid.
The supercomputer’s predictions place Bayern Munich at 15%, Real Madrid at 12%, followed by Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid. Teams like Copenhagen, Eindhoven, Lazio, Porto, and Real Sociedad hold less than 1% chance according to the calculations.
Additionally, the supercomputer conducted a virtual draw for the round of 16, showcasing potential matchups such as Inter – Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain – Arsenal, and Napoli – Bayern Munich, among others, sparking excitement and speculation among football enthusiasts.
