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With reaching the playoff stage of this year's Champions League and narrowing down the remaining teams to 16, it seems to be a good time to consider who might end up being some of the favourites.
The following teams are still in the competition:
* AS Roma
* FC Porto
* Manchester United
* Paris Saint-Germain
* Ajax Amsterdam
* Real Madrid
* Tottenham Hotspur
* Borussia Dortmund
* FC Liverpool
* FC Bayern München
* Olympique Lyon
* FC Barcelona
* Atletico Madrid
* Juventus Turin
* FC Schalke 04
* Manchester City FC
The first look at the remaining teams makes it hard to immediately name a favourite, given the fact that all the top teams in the world are still remaining in the competition. So taking a closer look at some facts about the top teams might give us an easier time at naming some favourites:
Real Madrid:
Real Madrid has won the previous three Champions League seasons in a row and thereby setting a record, as this had never been done in Champions League history. In the domestic cup, they are currently just six points behind archenemies Barcelona, who also remain in the Champions League and could face Real Madrid at a later point.
They are sure to be favourite in their round-of-16 game vs. Ajax, however, not considered the favourites for the entire tournament.
Barcelona:
Having a total of five Champions League titles to their name, four of which came within the last 13 years, they are looking really strong in the domestic cup, leading the table. Also, their performances in the Champions League have been outstanding, winning their group without losing a single game. With their superstar Lionel Messi being back to top form, they are one of the favourites to win the Cup; however, experts put them at second place.
Juventus:
Juventus are completely dominating domestic league football in Italy and are currently the only team in Europe's top five leagues that are still unbeaten (in 23 games!). They made media headlines last year with the signing of Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Given their superb domestic league record and strong squad, experts give them the third best odds to take the Champions League trophy to Italy this year.
Manchester City:
After making history last season for being the first team to ever get 100 points in a single season of the Premier League they struggled a bit at the start of this season. Recent performances, however, had produced the expected quality again, while leaders up until then Liverpool dropped points, resulting in Manchester City taking the lead in the Premier League back. They also finished their group in first place with a comfortable five-point lead over runner-up Olympique Lyon. Experts agree that Manchester City has the best odds to win the Champions League this year.
Who do you think will take the cup home this summer?
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We wish you the best of luck and enjoy the final stage of this year's Champions League.
