The Top Flight
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Favourites to steal Liverpool’s Champions League throne after Ro16 1st leg

By Ashley Anthony

DORTMUND, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 18: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Erling Haland of Borussia Dortmund during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain at Signal Iduna Park on February 18, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 18: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Erling Haland of Borussia Dortmund during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain at Signal Iduna Park on February 18, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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The first leg of the Champions League fixtures have sailed their course and by the looks of things, the Premier League clubs have only one team flying the Union Jack high.

It was a week of upsets in Europe’s biggest club competition. The champions Liverpool were totally starved, while Atalanta, Dortmund, Lyon, and RB Leipzig confirmed nothing can be predicted in this game we call soccer.

In return, what this sets us up for is some interesting return legs, as nothing is ever decided in first meetings. Teams who couldn’t hold onto clean sheets on the road will come out guns blazing, ready to change the deficit in their favour.

With Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham all losing their first run-ins and only Man City winning, is the cup heading back to Spain where it lived for so long? Or is the Champions League trophy heading to a new venue with the champions chasing their fixture?

After the Round of 16 first leg completed, who looks like the favourites this early on? Here are the favourites to win in order of least favourite to biggest favourite.

Lyon

The young Lyons of the competition pulled off a 1-0 win over one of the tournament favourites, Juventus. Lucas Tousart’s 31st-minute goal the only difference between them continuing to live the dream like Atalanta, or serves as a minor setback for the Old Lady’s side.

Considered darlings in the cup only because they hold world great, Cristiano Ronaldo. This is the reason the French outfit make the list. The cup tie comes at a good time as Juve struggle in their domestic campaign. They have now lost two of their last five Serie A outings.

A lot still to change as they sit two points off first place, with a game in hand. With their attention spread out between their domestic run and European push, they could be stretched and Lyon could find a way to beat them to a final eight slot.

The reason why they make it in at last place is that they only have a narrow advantage and must travel to Allianz Stadium and attempt to stop Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado, and many others from scoring on home soil.

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