Which La Liga side has the best chance of winning the UCL?
After Sevilla’s shock Champions League exit at the hands of Leicester City, three La Liga sides – Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid – remain in the hunt to win Europe’s premier club competition, but which of them has the best chance of winning the title?
Atletico have been given the kindest draw as they’ve been handed a quarter-final matchup with Leicester and the Madrid-based side will be firm favourites to advance. Their record in Europe over the last few years has been superb, with two final appearances in three seasons.
Barcelona, fresh off the back of one of the all-time great comeback wins against PSG, have been handed a tricky tie with Serie A Giants Juventus in what will be a rematch of the 2015 final. Despite possessing one of the most feared attacks in the world, Barca haven’t been firing on all cylinders and look vulnerable at the back. Juve have a very good defensive record and in Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala, they have a duo who will take most chances that come their way.
Real Madrid are looking for back-to-back Champions League wins, as well as their first La Liga title since 2012. Rankings place Real Madrid on top of the table and CrownBet’s La Liga betting odds currently show that the club is the crowd favourite. It is also interesting to note that if Zinedine Zidane can claim another European Cup win, he’ll have had one of the best starts to a managerial career in history.
However, Madrid won’t have it all their own way as they’ve been drawn against the mighty Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga side, managed by former Real boss Carlo Ancelotti, gave Arsenal a hammering in the last round and are in fine form.
As it stands, I think Atletico are the most likely of the La Liga sides to win the competition, even though they’re probably the worst of the three on paper. The draw has been kind to them and with two of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid set to go out, Diego Simeone’s men will fancy their chances of getting back to the final once again, only this time, they’ll be looking to get over the line after two losses to their bitter city rivals.