The 2024/25 Champions League has been whittled down to just four teams, who are now two games away from a place in the final. That will take place in Munich on the 31st of May, with the semis set for the 29th and 30th of April, and the 6th and 7th of May.
We have four huge teams, with the second semi final seeing Barcelona meet Inter Milan. Barca have won this competition five times, most recently in 2015, whilst they have also been runners-up on three occasions. Inter too have lost three finals, missing out as recently as 2023 when Man City got the better of them. But they have also won this competition three times, including in 2010 under José Mourinho.
Our focus here, however, is the first semi final, which sees Arsenal and PSG do battle. Those two teams do not have a single past success in this competition between them. That includes both the era of the Champions League and the European Cup. Both clubs have made one previous final, PSG losing to Bayern Munich in the 2020 showpiece, whilst the Gunners went down to Barca back in 2006.
Arsenal and PSG can both make very strong claims to being the best side never to have won Europe’s top-tier competition. The Gunners are the record holders of the FA Cup and the third-most successful English side in terms of top-flight titles. PSG have won Ligue 1 13 times, matching Arsenal’s tally of championships, and have also won the Coupe de France 15 times. Both teams have won the European Cup Winners’ Cup too, just a couple of seasons apart in the mid-1990s, but this is the one they both desperately want.
With Inter or Barcelona waiting in the final, whoever progresses could well fall short once again this year. However, we know that one of these famous, hugely successful clubs will be making a second appearance in the UCL final this season, so they are with a great chance of finally landing the trophy they crave so much.
2024/25 Champions League Is Wide Open
There is very little to separate the four remaining sides in this year’s Champions League if the bookies are to be believed. The odds for each to lift the trophy are as follows:
- Barcelona – 9/4
- PSG – 5/2
- Arsenal – 11/5
- Inter – 9/2
For those unfamiliar with betting, converting those prices into decimal odds may give a better indication of just how tight things are. The favourites, Barca, are 3.25, with PSG 3.50, Arsenal 3.75 and Inter 5.50. There really is very little to separate all four, but the first three are especially close in the betting and it is easy to make a really strong case for Barca, PSG and the Gunners.
Arsenal Impress Against Real
The Gunners were hugely impressive in both legs against Carlo Ancelotti’s defending champions, Real Madrid, in their quarter-final clash. Mikel Arteta’s men won 3-0 at home and 2-1 away and gave up just six shots on target across both games. The only goal they conceded they absolutely gave away – it was a total howler – and the form of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka in particular makes them a dangerous opponent.
Saka is looking brilliant after returning from injury and the extra freshness he may offer having missed a good chunk of the season could prove vital to his team’s cause as the season draws to a close. Arsenal still have injuries to contend with, but with Martin Odegaard in fine fettle, Myles Lewis-Skelly continuing to shine and Mikel Merino beginning to really show his worth, they can be a match for anyone.
They can also choose to prioritise this competition which is not a luxury they or other English teams have always had in its latter stages. In the Premier League they surely cannot catch Liverpool but with a nine-point lead over sixth-placed Chelsea, they are all-but guaranteed re-entry into this competition next term. Arteta can rest and rotate as he sees fit, and put all his focus on the two massive upcoming clashes with PSG.
PSG Getting Better and Better
PSG have been a little bit of a surprise package in this year’s tournament having been unimpressive in the league phase. They finished way down in 15th spot, only just managing to grab a seeded place in the play-off round. They lost three of their eight games and finished five points shy of the other three teams in the semis.
That Barcelona, Arsenal and Inter finished second, third and fourth respectively, on 19 points, shows that the cream has risen to the top in this competition. PSG are the outliers but they have come alive in the knockout phase. First, they hammered Brest 10-0 on aggregate in the play-offs to make their intentions clear.
They followed that up by beating the only team to accrue more league-phase points than the three other semi finalists. Their victory over Liverpool in the round of 16 was well deserved, even if they needed penalties. They fought back from the disappointment of losing 1-0 at home in a game they should have won 4-0 and beat a side many were proclaiming as the best in the world.
Their victory over Aston Villa (who finished eighth in the league phase) was also down to fine margins, despite them coasting at 5-1 up on aggregate at one stage. In the end they conceded three unanswered goals to lose the second leg 3-2 but sneak through 5-4 overall.
They would love to eliminate a third English team in a row by seeing off Arsenal, and the tie is certainly a very tough one to call. Arsenal boss Arteta played 53 times for PSG early in his career, so this will be a huge occasion for him too, but really this semi final is all about two gigantic clubs desperate to win the Champions League.
We think that Arsenal will just edge it, with Saka looking close to unplayable right now. PSG showed themselves to be vulnerable to the counter against both Liverpool and Villa, and we fancy the Gunners to exploit that and confirm their place in the final. Whether they can get past Inter or, more probably Barca, remains to be seen!