UCL: Arsenal overtaken as favourite to win trophy this season
By: Akinde .S. Oluwaseun
Let’s be real. For a minute there, it felt like Arsenal’s year. In the Champions League, anyway. They were buzzing. Playing that beautiful, intense football. Top of the Premier League too. The narrative was set. The Gunners, back on the big stage, ready to go all the way. Everyone was talking about it. Pundits. Fans. The bookies, of course. Arsenal. Favourites.
Then came Leverkusen.
Away in Germany. The Round of 16. A huge night. And what happened? A 1-1 draw. A decent result, really. Away goal. Not a disaster. But the feeling… it changed. The performance wasn’t that dominant, free-flowing Arsenal we’d seen. It was gritty. A bit scrappy. They held on. But it felt… less convincing.
And so, the favourites tag. It slipped.
According to The Sun, and you can feel it in the chatter, Bayern Munich have taken it. Simple as that. One result for Arsenal, and Bayern’s recent displays in Europe—they’ve been, frankly, scary good. Ruthless. Clinical. The kind of performances that scream we know how to win this thing. So the bookies adjusted. The perception flipped. Bayern are now the ones with the target on their back. The team to beat.
It’s a funny old game, perception. One minute you’re the darling, the next you’re the challenger again. Arsenal, they’re not used to this. Not in the UCL lately. Being the favourite is a new pressure. Maybe that draw… it took the shine off. Took the absolute belief away. Now they’re in that “among the favourites” pile. Which, let’s be honest, is a much bigger, more dangerous pile.
But here’s the thing. You write off Arsenal at your peril. Mikel Arteta, he’s built something solid. Deep. This squad, it’s probably the best they’ve had in over a decade. They’ve got options. For every injury, there’s a capable replacement. They’re competing on four fronts, for crying out loud. That’s not luck. That’s a seriously good, well-coached team.
They know they dropped points in that Leverkusen game. They’ll be frustrated. But they won’t be panicking. The confidence is still there. It’s just… different now. The pressure’s off a little, maybe. No one expects them to win it now. That can be freeing. They can just play.
The second leg at the Emirates? That’s where they can remind everyone. Remind themselves. A big performance, a win, and suddenly the narrative swings back. Favourites again. It’s that volatile.
Bayern, they’re the benchmark. They’ve been here, done this, bought the t-shirt. They have that aura. But even they’ll tell you, the UCL is a monster. One bad night, and you’re gone. Arsenal’s draw wasn’t a bad night. It was a survivable night. They’re very much alive.
So, the story has changed. Bayern are the darlings. Arsenal are the hungry ones again. The ones with something to prove. And sometimes, that’s a better place to be. The team with everything to lose is Bayern now. Arsenal, they’re just hunting. Playing with a bit of that old, familiar grit.
It’s not over. Not by a long shot. The draw just reshuffled the deck. Made it more interesting. The Gunners, they’ve got the tools. They’ve got the manager who believes. And they’ve got a second leg at home to set the record straight. Don’t count them out just because the bookies have. Football’s funny that way.
The favourite tag? It’s a fleeting thing. A media creation. What matters is who’s standing in April. May. June. Arsenal are built for the long haul. This little setback? Might just be the wake-up call they needed. To get hungry again. To remember what it’s like to chase, not be chased.
So, the UCL landscape shifted. Bayern’s on top. For now. But the Emirates awaits. And Arsenal, they’re not done writing this chapter. Not even close. They’re just getting started. And that’s a scary thought for everyone else.
