It was a revenge of the Champions League final, or rather the one that did not take place. Vexed by his elimination in the semi-finals last season against Inter, FC Barcelona wanted to measure himself (finally) at Paris Saint-Germain.
The verdict? Quite scathing. Without his attacking trio (gifted, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia), without his captain (Marquinhos), and without the precious Joao Neves, PSG has established itself in Catalonia, with the rigor of the play plan of Luis Enrique and the carelessness of his youth. Barça therefore fell from above. “There is no point where we can say that we were at the same level”could only see Hansi Flick, the Catalan coach.
After this shock at the top, PSG has strengthened its unofficial status for the best team in Europe. Logically, we should find the capital's club at the top of OPTA forecasts for the Champions League 2025-2026. And yet, this is not the case.
The private PSG of the title by Arsenal?
According to the OPTA super-computer, who compiles multiple statistical data, PSG is “only” third in the list of favorites, with 13.96% chance of carrying out the double. It is a little less than Liverpool (14.70%) and especially Arsenal (18.09%), which is often very well rated in OPTA forecasts, while the Gunners still run after its first major trophy since 2020.
To return to PSG, the forecasts give 79.87% chance of qualifying for the knockout stages, and 67.53% chance of going at least in the quarterfinals.
