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Champions League 2019: Updated Title Odds After Quarter-Final Draw
March 15, 2019
Manchester City have emerged as favourites to win the 2019 UEFA Champions League following Friday's quarter-final draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
The Premier League champions will face Tottenham Hotspur in the next round, while Barcelona are also well-fancied after being drawn against Manchester United.
The two other ties see Liverpool paired with Porto, while Cristiano Ronaldo and his Juventus team will take on Dutch side Aiax, who saw off Real Madrid in the last 16.
Here's a look at the updated title odds, per Caesars Entertainment:
Manchester City: 9-4
Barcelona: 7-2
Juventus: 3-1
Liverpool: 3-1
Manchester United: 14-2
Tottenham: 20-1
FC Porto: 75-1
Ajax: 30-1
Friday's draw also saw teams discover their potential semi-final opponents. Here's a look at how each team can make it to the final at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday, June 1:
Manchester City's search for their first-ever Champions League title will continue against familiar opposition in the form of Premier League rivals Tottenham.
Pep Guardiola's side have already tasted victory over Spurs in the league this season. They won 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in October, courtesy of an early Riyad Mahrez goal.
The first leg will take place at Tottenham's new stadium, and taking on an English side could help Spurs, according to the Evening Standard's Dan Kilpatrick:
Tottenham flirted with disaster in the group stages after failing to win any of their first three games against Inter Milan, Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven.
However, they managed to sneak through in second place behind Barcelona and then impressively saw off Borussia Dortmund 4-0 on aggregate in the last 16.
Yet Manchester City achieved the biggest win of the first knockout round. Guardiola's side thrashed Schalke 10-2 on aggregate to highlight the attacking threat they possess.
The City boss offered his reaction to the draw:
Tottenham have suffered a slump in recent weeks, which has seen them drop out of the title race and facing a battle to finish in the top four.
However, if they can rise to the occasion, they will provide Manchester City, who were knocked out of the tournament last season by Premier League rivals Liverpool, with a tough test.
Barcelona are on the opposite side of the draw and have been in superb form this season, particularly in Europe. Ernesto Valverde's side topped Group B by six points with four wins and two draws.
The Catalan giants then thrashed Lyon 5-1 in the last 16 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Captain Lionel Messi announced at the start of the season his team would do "everything possible" to win the Champions League this season, per Goal's Jamie Smith.
He has been as good as his word with eight goals in six Champions League outings and possesses an excellent record against English opposition:
The Argentinian will have fond memories of playing Manchester United, too. He scored in both of Barcelona's Champions League final wins over the Red Devils in 2009 and 2011.
Manchester United will be underdogs for the clash, but in the last 16, they showed they have the ability to pull off a shock.
The Red Devils overturned a 2-0 first-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain to go through, despite having a host of key first-team players missing through injury and suspension.
Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News said United should look forward to the draw:
Caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will surely relish a trip to the Camp Nou. The striker scored a 93rd-minute winner for Manchester United against Bayern Munich to win the competition in 1999.
The Norwegian has overseen a dramatic improvement at Manchester United since taking over from Jose Mourinho in December. The Red Devils have lost just twice in 18 matches, but overcoming Barcelona will be his greatest managerial challenge yet.