Breaking down the 2024-25 Champions League semifinalists ahead of first legs

The 2024-25 Champions League is nearing its conclusion, with the first legs in the semifinal round taking place Tuesday, April 29, and Wednesday, April 30. Premier League giants Arsenal will face Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in one semifinal, while La Liga leaders Barcelona will take on Serie A contenders Inter Milan. Here's a breakdown of all four teams remaining and which squad is most likely to win Europe's top club competition.

The Catalan club are favored to lift this year's Champions Trophy behind one of the most dynamic attacking units in the world. Robert Lewandowski has 36 goals across La Liga and Champions League matches but the real surprise has been Brazilian winger Raphinha. He's having a career-best season with 15 La Liga goals and 12 Champions League goals, the latter being a team-best mark. He also has 16 assists across both leagues. Lamine Yamal has grown up quickly in Hansi Flick's system, leading the team with 12 assists in domestic play while also adding four goals and three assists in Champions League matches. Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo have also made big contributions for this side.

Barcelona's defense has also been incredible, allowing just 32 goals in La Liga play. The back line slipped a bit in Champions League action with 13 goals allowed in eight group phase matches before tightening up in the knockout round, allowing just two goals across four Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches. Barcelona needed a 3-1 result in the second leg of the Round of 16 to take down Benfica before steamrolling last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in the first leg of the quarterfinal en route to a 5-3 victory on aggregate.

Along with Barcelona being favored to win it all, Raphinha is a +110 favorite to be the competition's top scorer. Lewandowski, who is only one goal behind his teammate in Champions League goals, is priced at +225 to be the top scorer. Barcelona is priced at -150 on the money line (risk $150 to win $100) in Wednesday's first leg against Inter Milan, and is -185 to advance to the final.

Prior to their 3-2 loss to Aston Villa in the second leg of the quarterfinal round, Paris Saint-Germain had won seven matches in a row across all competitions. The club was unbeaten in 22 matches across all competitions prior to the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the first leg of the Round of 16. After years of failing in Champions League knockout rounds, this could be PSG's time to break through.

With the Ligue 1 title locked up, PSG can focus more strategically on Champions League play. This means resting key players and potentially saving some tactical deployments for the day of the match. Ousmane Dembele has been a breakout star for the French side after Kylian Mbappe's departure, turning in a career-best season with 21 goals in Ligue 1 play and seven more in the Champions League. Dembele had the equalizing aggregate goal in PSG's Round of 16 tie against Liverpool, eventually defeating the Premier League winners on penalty kicks after the teams finished level through two legs. He's gotten strong support from Nuno Mendes, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, especially in the quarterfinal round against Aston Villa when he was held scoreless through two legs. Mendes scored in both legs, with his goal in the second leg ultimately being the difference for PSG to advance. Doue opened the scoring for PSG in the quarterfinal round and has emerged as one of the top young players in the world, while Barcola has played a variety of roles this season to provide an important secondary spark in the final third. This group doesn't have a lot of box office stars, and it's possible that has allowed PSG to fly under the radar a bit to reach the semifinal round.

The Gunners couldn't keep up with Liverpool in the Premier League, thanks in large part to five draws over their last eight domestic matches. Despite those results, Arsenal do have confidence ahead of the semifinal clash with PSG thanks to a 5-1 aggregate victory over defending champions Real Madrid in the quarterfinal round. Arsenal won 3-0 in the first leg before going to the Santiago Bernabeu and delivering a knockout punch in the form of a 2-1 victory. It was a shocking result given Real Madrid's history at home in Champions League play, and Arsenal's reputation in the knockout stage. Declan Rice, who scored two goals on brilliant free kicks in the first leg, is +290 to score or assist in Arsenal's first leg against PSG Tuesday.

Arsenal are getting a boost offensively with Bukayo Saka returning from an injury earlier this month. Saka provides explosiveness and creativity on the wing, which opens up Rice and Martin Odegaard to maintain control of the midfield. Saka is +120 to score or assist in Tuesday's match, while Odegaard is +215 in the same category. Arsenal are in a similar position to Paris Saint-Germain, who have nothing to really play for in domestic action. The Gunners can focus entirely on the Champions League final, a match they haven't participated in since 2006.

The Italian side are in a tight domestic title race, similar to their semifinal opponents Barcelona. They have lost three straight matches entering Wednesday's first leg, including a brutal 3-0 defeat in the Coppa Italia semifinal second leg against rivals AC Milan. That being said, Inter Milan was an intriguing longshot play ahead of the Champions League knockout stage thanks to a formidable defense and opportunistic attack.

Prior to the knockout stage, Inter Milan allowed just one goal in eight Champions League group stage games. The side conceded just once against Feyenoord in two legs before scoring an impressive 2-1 win on the road against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the quarterfinal round. A 2-2 draw in the second leg was enough to go through to the semifinal round, which was the only knockout game where Inter conceded more than one goal. They are +500 to record a clean sheet in the first leg against Barcelona Wednesday, and are +125 to hold the Spanish side to Under 1.5 goals.

Lautaro Martinez, who scored in both quarterfinal legs against Bayern Munich, has erupted in the Champions League with eight goals. Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu have provided great support for the Argentine striker, while Benjamin Pavard had a key goal in the second leg against Bayern Munich to secure a spot in the semifinal.