Arsenal in prime bottling position as Champions League favourites ranked | OneFootball

Arsenal were gifted the best possible draw and are thus primed for an almighty bottling in the Champions League.

Tottenham join the lucky so-and-sos on the blue (or easy) side of the draw, while Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are clumped with Champions League royalty on the silver (or sh*te) side.

Here’s our ranking of the Champions League favourites.

16) Atalanta (Italy)

Last 16: Bayern Munich Quarter-final: Real Madrid, Manchester City Semi-final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool Final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal

Impressed in their comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund – one of the top ten of all time –but this isn’t Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta and they’re playing Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich.

15) Galatasaray (Turkey)

Last 16: Liverpool Quarter-final: PSG, Chelsea Semi-final: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich Final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal

Victor Osimhen will need to play the two games of his life and even then we suspect Galatasaray’s progression would depend on Liverpool imploding in some style.

After his exasperation was clear for all to see in Turin after the Turkish side did their level best to throw away a three-goal lead to Juventus, Osimhen confirmed after the game “I can’t do it alone” and will be particularly concerned by how his “scared” teammates might perform at Anfield.

14) Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

Last 16: Arsenal Quarter-final: Sporting, Bodo/Glimt Semi-final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich

The 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad in November will give manager Kasper Hjulmand some hope of pulling off a big shock against Arsenal but we can’t see the Bundesliga side having anywhere near enough across two legs.

13) Tottenham (England)

Last 16: Atletico Madrid Quarter-final: Newcastle, Barcelona Semi-final: Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal Final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich

It didn’t really matter, did it? Miraculously finishing fourth in the league phase to bring shame upon the whole of Europe isn’t worth it when you a) have zero hope of making it though the last 16 and taking advantage of a home second leg in the quarter-final, and b) are much, much worse at home than you are away from home in any case.

12) Sporting (Portugal)

Last 16: Bodo/Glimt Quarter-final: Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal Semi-final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich

Average temperate in Lisbon in March: 16°C. Average temperature in Bodo: 0°C. Need we say more?

11) Bodo/Glimt (Norway)

Last 16: Sporting Quarter-final: Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal Semi-final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich

It’s probably time we accept that Bodo/Glimt are a) good at football, and b) may actually be benefiting from this all going on in their off-season.

The Norwegian side have already earned £45.77m by getting through to the last 16 and will win a further £10.85m if they reach the quarter-finals, which will take their prize pot comfortably over the market value of their entire squad (£50m). We’re all Bodo/Glimt fans.

10) Newcastle (England)

Last 16: Barcelona Quarter-final: Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Semi-final: Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal Final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich

Eddie Howe will know that anything less than a victory at St James’ Park in the first leg against Barcelona and they’re toast. They need a fast start to pay dividends before heading to the Nou Camp, sit back and counter.

If they get through that last-16 clash they’ve got a decent chance of reaching the semis, but without Bruno Guimaraes we don’t hold out much hope of them beating Flick’s side.

9) Atletico Madrid (Spain)

Last 16: Tottenham Quarter-final: Newcastle, Barcelona Semi-final: Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal Final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich

A very speedy reunion for Conor Gallagher, who presumably already wishes he hadn’t made the rash decision to leave Atletico in January to help plunge Tottenham into genuine relegation peril.

Diego Simeone must be looking forward to what’s set to be a very one-sided fight (perhaps literally) against Tottenham and the potential for a tete-a-tete with fellow managerial mob boss Igor Tudor on the touchline.

The Spanish side have been bang average in the Champions league for a while now though, winning just three knockout ties and failing to make it past the quarter-final in the last eight seasons.

8) Real Madrid (Spain)

Last 16: Manchester City Quarter-final: Atalanta, Bayern Munich Semi-final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool Final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal

They have many of the component parts of a very good Real Madrid team, many of the same parts of a previously very good Real Madrid team, but are not a very good or even good Real Madrid team.

The players evidently have very little respect for Alvaro Arbeloa, who isn’t so much coaching a football team as acting as a counsellor for a bunch of unruly, extortionately overpaid children. And although Real Madrid have come from nowhere to win the Champions League in the past, that was always under a manager who knew how to do it.

7) Paris St-Germain (France)

Last 16: Chelsea Quarter-final: Galatasaray, Liverpool Semi-final: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich Final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal

They were outplayed by Monaco when it was 11 versus 11 in both legs of the play-off but were gifted the benefit of an extra man for 80 minutes across the tie to see them through. A very similar team to the one that destroyed opponents with outstanding control and devastating attacking dynamism last season looks almost as if it’s run its course this term.

They’re nowhere near what they were and the way in which Luis Enrique snapped at Ousmane Dembele’s “worthless” comments and his manner on the touchline suggests he too is in his endgame at PSG, in excellent news for Manchester United.

They obviously have the quality to beat anyone on their day but currently look far more likely to crumble like the star-studded PSG teams of old.

6) Chelsea (England)

Last 16: PSG Quarter-final: Galatasaray, Liverpool Semi-final: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich Final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal

Weird that Chelsea will fancy themselves against the reigning champions who swept all aside in the knockouts last season, but the Blues taught PSG a lesson in the Club World Cup final and Luis Enrique’s side have been far from convincing of late.

They will look at the quarter-final and again feel confident but even the most cocksure stakeholders won’t imagine them getting further than that with this imperfect team and under a manager getting his first taste of Champions League football.

5) Liverpool (England)

Last 16: Galatasaray Quarter-final: PSG, Chelsea Semi-final: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich Final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal

Defeat to Galatasaray in September means Liverpool will and absolutely should be wary of the Turkish side, but Arne Slot’s team were in the absolute pits at that stage of the season and a Big European Night at Anfield in the second leg should see them through to the quarter-finals at the very least.

Fingers crossed Chelsea come through against PSG so we can all live in a world of glorious noughties nostalgia for a while – Jose Mourinho vs Rafa Benitez, ghost goals, Alex’s thunderb*stard. Liverpool might just have the edge with significantly more Champions League experience.

4) Manchester City (England)

Last 16: Real Madrid Quarter-final: Atalanta, Bayern Munich Semi-final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool Final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal

The 14th and 15th games in ten years between the dominant teams in England and Spain. They’ve won five apiece in that time and City put what was a pretty limp exit at the hands of the 15-time winners in the play-offs last season behind them with an impressively composed victory from behind at the Bernabeu in December.

The return of Vincent Kompany to the Etihad as manager of Bayern Munich in what will definitely be billed as an audition to replace Pep Guardiola at the end of the season is a huge narrative plus point.

3) Barcelona (Spain)

Last 16: Newcastle Quarter-final: Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Semi-final: Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal Final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich

Marcus Rashford scored a brilliant header and then an even more brilliant screamer from the edge of the box to win the game for Barcelona at St James’ Park in September and Hansi Flick will be confident of his side going deep on that side of the draw.

They won’t be hugely keen on a potential quarter-final against Atletico Madrid after Simeone’s side spanked them 4-0 in the Copa del Rey earlier this month, but they beat them 3-1 in La Liga and are 13 points clear of them at the top of the table.

Their high ranking has a lot to do with being on the favourable side of the draw.

2) Bayern Munich (Germany)

Last 16: Atalanta Quarter-final: Real Madrid, Manchester City Semi-final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool Final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal

Atalanta should pose few problems despite their remarkable comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund in the play-offs. But a penny for thoughts of the salty men of football, Bayern chiefs Karl-Heinz Rummenige and bitter comrade Uli Hoeness, at seeing them rewarded for finishing second in the league phase with a quarter-final against Real Madrid or Man City, while Arsenal go up against what we suspect they would refer to as a bunch of laggards.

They’re the team to beat on that ‘silver path’ path to the final.

1) Arsenal (England)

Last 16: Bayer Leverkusen Quarter-final: Sporting, Bodo/Glimt Semi-final: Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Final: PSG, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta, Bayern Munich

They finished top of the league phase with a 100 per cent record, scoring more goals (23) and conceding fewer (4) than any other team. Well done, Arsenal. Pats on the back and home legs in the last 16 and quarter-final are entirely merited. But the fortune of that draw is extraordinary.

To get to the semi-final they need to beat the sixth-placed team in the Bundesliga, whose manager was poached and squad ravaged in the summer, and then one of the two lowest-ranked teams (according to the UEFA coefficient) left in the competition. They can’t meet any of the five highest-ranked teams – PSG, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Man City or Bayern Munich – until the final.

The delightful silver cloud to this absurdly easy path to the final is that anything less than reaching the denouement in Budapest at the end of May constitutes a bottling.