CT Sports Selects: The UEFA Champions League

Following the exciting quarter-finals in the UEFA Champions League, only four teams remain to take home the cup. 

Drew Thompson, Staff Writer

Following decisive victories over last year’s Champions League winners, Real Madrid, in the quarter-finals, Arsenal advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in over 15 years with their eyes firmly set on the title. Arsenal has a tough draw against Paris Saint-Germain, but with the domestic title being nearly out of reach, the Gunners should have their full focus on the UCL.

Manager Mikel Arteta has consistently proven himself to be one of the best young tactical minds in the managerial world, and the time has finally come for Arsenal to win the UCL. 

Arsenal is led by their captain, midfielder Martin Ødegaard, a composed player whose passing and vision is amongst the best in the world. Despite injuries, Arsenal still boasts a strong and fluid attack through primarily Ødegaard and winger Bukayo Saka. Saka, in seven games, has five goals and two assists, and is one of the premier threats in the Gunners lineup, according to UEFA. 

Arsenal’s defense is similarly sound, bolstered by defensive midfielder Declan Rice and center back William Saliba, who are considered to be two of the very best at their respective positions. 

The Gunners main concern lies with injuries to key players. Arsenal are without defenders Gabriel Magalhães and Riccardo Calafiori for the rest of the season, as well as attackers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. However, because of their positional depth and strength, they have not appeared to miss a beat. 

Midfielder Mikel Merino has taken over as striker for the foreseeable future and has taken to the role smoothly, scoring eight goals and assisting four in all competitions, according to Sofascore. 

Arsenal is in a key position to continue their momentum through the semifinals and inevitably the finals en route to their first UCL. 

Alexis Washington, Staff Writer 

Barcelona is set to win its sixth UEFA Champions League title with the help of a brand new staff. They are set to play Intern Milan in the semifinals on April 30. 

Barcelona is known for its intense defense, aggression and strong offense from forwards Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha Belloli.

This powerhouse team has 27 La Liga titles, three FIFA World Cups and 31 Copa Del Rey, according to FCbarcelona.The last time Barcelona won the UEFA League title was 2015, but with Barcelona’s strong ability to control possession, they will come up on top. 

Andrew McGhan, Staff Writer 

Paris Saint-Germain will win the 2025 championship for the first time in their club’s history. PSG punched their ticket to the semifinals by beating Aston Villa in the quarterfinals. Their top goal scorer in the Champions League is forward Ousmane Dembélé with seven goals, according to football-reference. Defender Achraf Hakimi leads the team in assets with five and is tied for second place in the Champions League campaign. 

Head coach Luis Enrique is no stranger to the Champions League, even winning the Champions League with Barcelona back in 2015. PSG is set to play against Arsenal in the semifinals. Once they beat Arsenal in the semifinals, PSG should be able to handle the winner between Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Renata Belhaj-Mendez, Contributing Writer

The 2024-2025 soccer season has been one of Barcelona’s best in recent years. Under the new coaching staff led by German coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona has been turning heads on and off the pitch with a more aggressive and fluid style of play. 

With a strong final four group remaining, Barcelona is set to win the UEFA Champions League this year. 

FC Barcelona secured a spot in the semi-finals, where they will face Inter Milan after beating Dortmund with a 5-3 aggregate score. Leading in goals in the Champions League with 37, according to UEFA.com. Barca is also first in La Liga with 84 goals, according to FCBarcelona. Barcelona only has seven losses combined across all competition

On the offensive side, players like forwards Robert Lewandowski, Raphina and Lamine Yamal have been a dominant power-front with 82 goals combined between the three of them alone this season. 

Defenders like Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde and Pau Cubarsi keep the possession alive with their recoveries and tackles, preventing goals against the club. 

Barcelona’s immense success this season is also due to their use of their “offside trap,” which is simply when the defense pushes upfield to put the opposing offense in an offside position, preventing the concession of a goal. 

This season alone, Barcelona has forced opposing teams into offside 140 times, according to Yahoo Sports. 

With stats like these, the road to Munich is clear as day for the Blaugrana, where they will undoubtedly lift the UCL cup after 10 years.

Ethan York, Contributing Writer

After a tough battle against Bayern Munich, Inter Milan looks to add a fourth championship to the shelf as they prime themselves to take on Barcelona. 

While they are tasked with a daunting feat of knocking out Barcelona in the quarter finals, this feat might not be as difficult as some think. 

Barcelona has shown an impressive performance in this Champions League as they lead the League in scoring with 37 goals, according to UEFA. 

However, they are coming up against one of the meanest defenses in the League. Inter Milan leads with eight clean sheets, according to UEFA. 

They also have only conceded five goals, so if they are able to contain Barcelona’s offense like their previous opponents and play the ball correctly, they shouldn’t have a problem in this matchup. 

This matchup will be their biggest obstacle coming up, not PSG or Arsenal.

Inter Milan will win their fourth Champions League, and prove that their defense is an elite factor to come up against.