Photo by Janosch Diggelmann on Unsplash
The 2024/25 European football season has reached its business end. While domestic league titles are currently in the process of being claimed by the likes of Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich, it’s the continental stage that we are most interested in. UEFA’s elite club competitions have just concluded a wild quarter-final round, and now all attention has turned to the final four.
The semifinals are a round in which the heavyweights stake their claim, and underdogs are usually brushed aside. In both the Champions League and the Europa League, there is a definitive outsider. But do either of them have any hope of upsetting the odds and emerging with a European trophy this term? Let’s find out.
Inter Milan
Following the shock exits of tournament favorites Liverpool and Real Madrid, this year’s UEFA Champions League is perhaps the most wide open it has ever been. Online betting sites currently have all four remaining teams quite evenly priced, with the top three teams, namely Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Arsenal, separated by just half a point in betting terms. However, those same popular online sports betting sites have Inter Milan listed as the outsider, pricing them at 4/1 to win the title.
The Nerazzurri may be somewhat offended by that pricing. They are well on course to successfully defend their Serie A title, while they have made it through to the Champions League semifinals for the second time in three seasons. Back in 2023, the Italian giants lost to Manchester City by a solitary Rodri goal to nil in Istanbul, but since then, they have only gotten stronger, and they will fancy their chances at forcing the naysayers to eat their words.
Inter will meet tournament favorites Barcelona in the semifinals, and anyone thinking that the clash will be a walk in the park for the Blaugrana ought to think again. 15 years ago, the two teams met at the same stage, and the Catalonians – under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola – were considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled and huge favorites to secure a spot in the final. They were the reigning champions and were seemingly an unstoppable force.
Step up, Jose Mourinho. The Special One was in charge of the Nerazzurri back then, and he masterminded a defensive masterclass in the second leg at the Camp Nou to secure his side’s spot in the final. They would then go on to knock off Bayern Munich in the showpiece, and 15 years later, Simone Inzaghi is looking to follow in his footsteps.
The current Inter boss has molded his side into Italy’s dominant force. In Alessandro Bastoni, Inter arguably have the best central defender in the world on current form in their ranks. Add to that the brilliance of playmaker Nicola Barella and the goalscoring nous of the prolific Lautaro Martínez, and the current Serie A table-toppers will fancy their chances against any of the three remaining teams in the competition.
Bodø/Glimt
FK Bodø/Glimt made history in the Europa League as they managed to become the first Norwegian team ever to reach the semifinals of a continental competition. They were huge underdogs to progress past Italian giants Lazio, but managed to defeat the Eternal City outfit on penalties in the Stadio Olimpico to progress to the final four.
Their reward? A significant clash against Premier League heavyweights Tottenham Hotspur. But Norway’s finest certainly won’t be afraid.
The Eliteserien champions have been a revelation on the continental stage in recent years. Over the last couple of campaigns, they have beaten the likes of AS Roma, Lazio, Olympiacos, and Celtic up in the Arctic Circle. Now, they will have their sights firmly set on an out-of-sorts Spurs.
The North London side has had a disastrous time of it in 2024/25. They currently sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table and are set for their worst finish in 21 years. Even though they may end the season with their first-ever European title, manager Ange Postecoglou is all but guaranteed to depart, having gone to war with his own club’s supporters week after week all season long.
Bodø/Glimt are primed and ready to take full advantage of that chaos. The club is run as well as any in Europe, and with players such as Patrick Berg, Kasper Høgh, and Jens Petter Hauge, they have proven match winners able to turn any game on its head. They know their style of play, and they will certainly be up to the task both against Spurs in the semifinal and against either Athletic Bilbao or Manchester United in the final.
The bookies currently make them a 12/1 afterthought to complete their Cinderella story and shock the world. While we’re not saying that they will do that, don’t be surprised to see them push Spurs to their limits in the coming weeks.
