Arsenal are the favorites to win the Champions League, according to Opta’s supercomputer, bookmaker Diego Simeone and several experts.
Mikel Arteta’s side defeated La Liga giants Atletico Madrid 4-0 on Tuesday night, conceding just one shot on goal to David Raya.
Atlético came close to taking the lead when Julián Álvarez’s long-range shot hit the crossbar, but it seemed to be just the shot Arsenal needed, as they made it four points between Gabriel Magalhães’ 57th-minute opener and Victor Goqueres’ second goal of the night in the 70th.
The Gunners showed their Champions League qualifications and issued a warning to their rivals in the competition, but reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain also recorded an emphatic win on Tuesday, defeating Bayer Leverkusen 7-2 in Germany.
Arsenal’s excellent performance and result has had an incredible impact on the bookmaker and Opta’s analytical team, with the latter’s ‘supercomputer’ giving Arsenal the favorites to win the Champions League with a probability of 20.47%.
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Before the start of the season, the Londoners were given a 16% chance of winning, with Premier League champions Liverpool seen as favorites.
Arne Slott’s side have dropped from 20.4% to 10.36%, but that could change if they win away to Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.
It’s no surprise that Arsenal are favorites to win the title, and the bookmakers agree.
Tim Sherwood is one of the pundits to wax lyrical about Arsenal after their 4-0 win over Atletico, backing them to “go a long way” in the Premier League and Champions League.
“There aren’t many teams that would do that on (Diego) Simeone’s side,” he told Sky Sports.
“Arsenal have been great, in fact I think they’ve been great all year. Even if they’re not at their brilliant best, they’re very difficult to score on and they manage to get the job done, whether it’s set-pieces or whatever they need.
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“That’s what champions do to get as many points as possible to get over the line.
“I’m very impressed with them and I don’t think they’ll stop, to be honest. The balance of their squad right now, the acquisitions they’ve made in certain areas.
“Earlier, when they were injured, we felt we couldn’t do without him. That’s not the case now. We see them being very strong in every department, and obviously I think they’re the team to beat in the Premier League, and I have to say they’ll do a lot in this competition and in the Champions League.”
Meanwhile, CBS Sports presenter Kate Scott confirmed that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has named the Gunners as one of the teams he thinks can win the competition.
She said: “Thierry speaks in very high terms about Arsenal and clearly ranks them as favorites to win this tournament, behind Bayern Munich and PSG.”
When asked if he agreed, Jamie Carragher said: “Looking at this team now, you can see how strong they are defensively. The Liverpool team that won the Champions League wasn’t a great attacking team, but they were strong defensively.”
“It always gives you a chance, especially in the knockout stages or when you get into a two-way game. If you have a strong defense, you always have a chance.”
“Yes, I see Arsenal as one of four or five teams that can win this competition.”
Not only that, Atletico manager Diego Simeone believes Arsenal are the best team he has faced this season.
Simeone, who managed Real Madrid and Liverpool in the 2025-26 season, said: “Yes, I think this is the best team we have played against this season.
“They are very competitive, the players keep running and they have quality all over the pitch. They deserved to win today and I would like to congratulate them.”
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