"This year is notable for one specific reason: Manchester City are not No. 1. In fact, they're not even close to being No. 1. City have been the favorites to win the European Cup in six of the past seven seasons, and they were second favorites the only time they weren't No. 1. Without City leading the way, it's way more open at the top than it has been in a long time."
"The easternmost team to ever play in the Champions League got here with shootout victories in qualifying against Celtic and Slovan Bratislava. Per Transfermarkt, the entire squad maintains a transfer value of about €12.53 million. That's roughly the same as the average player on Benfica, who according to the betting odds, have about a 1-in-200 chance of winning this tournament."
Year 4 of the Champions League rankings finds the competition unusually open because Manchester City are no longer the clear No. 1. City were favorites in six of the past seven seasons and second favorites the other year. With City displaced, five clubs have reasonable claims to be tournament favorites, while numerous others remain capable of winning the title. Qarabag, the easternmost team to play in the Champions League, qualified via shootout wins and has a squad market value of about €12.53 million. That valuation approximates Benfica's average player, and bookmakers give Benfica roughly a 1-in-200 chance of winning. Estimated match strength suggests Qarabag would beat Kairat by about a goal, a gap similar to Liverpool versus Nottingham Forest.
Read at ESPN.com
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