The first half of the UEFA Champions League semifinals is in the books with Paris Saint-Germain taking a one-goal lead back to France over Arsenal, and Barcelona and Inter Milan tied 3-3 on aggregate.
Ousmane Dembele scored the lone goal at Emirates Stadium, but PSG looked the better side on the night. If for some better finishing, PSG could've had three or four goals. On the other side of the bracket, Barcelona and Inter traded blows all night. Each of the six goals were high quality and all signs point toward another high intensity affair at San Siro. Jules Kounde's injury is a cause for concern despite Raphinha breaking records for fun.
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Supercomputer Predicts Champions League Winner After Semifinal First Legs
Opta's supercomputer ranked each semifinalist's chances of lifting the trophy after the first leg.
- Paris Saint-Germain: 41.9%
- Barcelona: 25.8%
- Inter Milan: 20.2%
- Arsenal: 12.1%
PSG overtook Arsenal as the favorites to win the competition after their first leg performance. Arsenal's chances dropped near 20 percentage points from kick-off until now. The Gunners will get a big boost in France with the return of Thomas Partey. He should slot naturally into midfield allowing Mikel Merino to return at striker. Arsenal missed his presence leading the line and was off the pace trying to track Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Kylian Mbappe.
Barcelona hold an edge over Inter Milan despite having to travel to Italy. A potential final of PSG's front three against Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski would surely be an exciting event. Though, Inter remain one of the more staunch defenses in Europe after keeping eight clean sheets in the competition. They'll hope to keep Barca at bay after showing they can take the game to the Catalans' defense at a moment's whim.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Supercomputer Predicts Champions League Winner After Semifinal First Legs.
