The Champions League Returns – Who Are The Teams to Watch?
The qualifiers are over. We are now left with the 36 teams that will compete against each other to qualify for either the Round of 16 direct, or the Round of 16 playoffs, in the Champions League.
This year sees a record six teams from the Premier League competing, but they will be up against a number of top clubs from across Europe, including the current Champions of Europe, Paris Saint-Germain.
Let’s now take a look at some of the teams who could be challenging to win the trophy this season.
Genuine Contenders
Paris Saint-Germain (France) – 13/2
Last season’s Champions look well set to make a real attempt at winning a second title. Luis Enrique’s young team should be targeting the semi-finals at the very least.
Barcelona (Spain) – 6/1
Another youthful side blessed with huge talent, Barcelona have underperformed in this competition in recent years. This year they will be looking to make a real attempt at winning the trophy.
Real Madrid (Spain) – 8/1
The most decorated team in Champions League history, packed with talent but they look second best to Barcelona in Spain, but don’t expect them to be Bridesmaids in this competition.
Bayern Munich (Germany) – 12/1
Bayern are always in the conversation as potential winners and this year won’t be any different. The Bundesliga Champions will expect to go deep, but the injured Jamal Musiala will be a big miss.
Liverpool (England) – 6/1
Arne Slot’s Premier League Champions went out to eventual winners PSG on penalties last year. They will want to improve on that and push hard for a seventh Champions League crown. Joint favourites with Barcelona.
Arsenal (England) – 7/1
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners reached the semi-finals last year, losing to PSG over two legs and they’ll be hoping to go one better this year. They should be one of the favourites alongside Barcelona, PSG and Liverpool.
Chelsea (England) – 12/1
The Club World Cup Champions now have a chance to add another Champions League. However, this is their first Champions League campaign for a couple of years, which will be a big test.
Manchester City (England) – 9/1
Pep Guardiola’s team had a poor campaign last year but will be expected to go deep in this competition once again. However, a relatively slow start to the campaign has seen their odds drift slightly.
Napoli (Italy) – 25/1
Serie A Champions Napoli have had mixed results in this competition in recent times but after winning Serie A last year, they’ll hope to go deep in the competition like Inter did last season.
Outsiders
Inter Milan (Italy) – 25/1
Well beaten in the final last year by PSG and will do well to repeat anywhere near that level of success this season.
Juventus (Italy) – 40/1
It has been a few year since Juventus went deep into the tournament and their focus may be more on Serie A this season.
Borussia Dortmund (Germany) – 66/1
Dortmund have perhaps over-performed in this competition in recent times, reaching the final two years ago. However, they have struggled domestically and their squad isn’t quite as strong as in previous years.
Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) – 66/1
After sacking Erik Ten Hag just two games into the season, Leverkusen have had a poor start to the campaign which has seen their odds on Champions League success drift.
Newcastle United (England) – 33/1
It’s been a tough summer for Newcastle and while they do have Champions League football to look forward to, the sale of key players has not helped their preparation for this campaign.
Tottenham Hotspur (England) – 25/1
The Europa League Champions qualified for this tournament via that success and under Thomas Frank have made a solid start to this campaign.
Atletico Madrid (Spain) – 33/1
Diego Simeone’s team are always a danger in this tournament, capable of beating any team on their day. However, they seem to lack the consistency they were famous for several years ago.
Top Games This Week
The first matchday sees a number of top-quality matches to enjoy involving several of these top contenders including:
- Juventus v Borussia Dortmund
- Bayern Munich v Chelsea
- Liverpool v Atletico Madrid
- Newcastle United v Barcelona
- Manchester City v Napoli
Follow the action throughout the autumn as the 36 teams attempt to qualify for the Round of 16, or the Playoffs in the new year!
