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As we are hours away from another mouthwatering Champions League season, the trophy seems to be an affair between a handful of teams yet again. We take a look at the top 10 favorites, with analysis and insight over their prospects in the competition.
FC Barcelona – Since the new Champions League format was introduced, no team managed to defend its trophy and that statistic does not coexist well with the fact that Barcelona are favorites to repeat. However, if its one team to break the trend, it seems to be Barca. The Catalans were dominant last season and there`s no reason they shouldn’t look the same this year, with Messi, Suarez and Neymar all in top form. With Arda Turan also eligible to play after the transfer embargo is lifted in the Winter, Barca are well deserving of the “favorite” status given to them by bookmakers.
Real Madrid – The most recognized club in World football will seek for an “Undecima” Champions League title, but Rafa Benitez doesn`t exactly seem the right man for the job. After releasing Casillas and failing to sign De Gea, Real Madrid seems to actually be weaker than last season. “Los Blancos” will obviously always have a chance, but if they are to go all the way they can not do it without Ronaldo being at the very top of his game – and Bale needs to contribute more as well. I would be way more comfortable in picking Ronaldo to be top scorer (4.50) than Real Madrid to lift the Cup.
Bayern Munich – Losing the German Supercup to Wolfsburg was not a good sign for Bayern, but it was expected for the new signings to take some time to adapt. Indeed, Arturo Vidal and Douglas Costa were not only world class transfers, but exactly what Bayern needed. If under-pressure Guardiola will be able to use these two in order to facilitate a more direct transition, Bayern can go all the way this season. They don`t have a lot of time to work on chemistry though, because they need to be careful not to lose the first place in the Group to Arsenal – which could make a potential road to the finals very difficult. All in all, the Bavarians addressed the issues that saw them go out last year against Barcelona, they have more quality and more depth, being able to cope with a situation in which Robben and Ribery would become injured.
Bayern is my tip to win the Champions League at odds 5.50 by Unibet . In regard to betting on the competition, you can choose the best bookie to suit your needs from our trusted bookmakers list.
Chelsea – The Blues started the season in horrible fashion, but they will most likely recover at some point. However, it will be very tough to go all the way in the Champions League and if Mourinho ends up leaving the club or getting sacked, that could very well be the end for Chelsea’s European hopes this season.
Manchester City – City is viewed less favorably by the bookmakers then Chelsea, but Pellegrini’s men could finally break the bad run in Europe and reach the latter stages. With Otamendi, Sterling and De Bruyne in their ranks, City probably had the best transfer window of all top clubs and they are already on a roll in the Premier League, playing some excellent football on both ends of the pitch.
PSG – The French champions will seek to become the first team outside the Top 4 leagues to win the UCL in the last 13 years and the addition of Angel Di Maria will surely help them. Still, being in a group where they are projected to finish second and with Ibrahimovic aging, PSG looks 50-50 to even reach the quarterfinals – from which stage they will likely be outsiders.
Manchester United – With the Manchester United board seemingly going mad by giving unlimited credit and cash to Van Gaal, the Dutch manager should really do something this year in the Champions League. However, he`s starting to prove that he was always overrated as a manager and United would do well to even reach the quarterfinals.
Atletico Madrid – Don`t count out Atletico Madrid just yet. Arda Turan and Mario Mandzukic highlight a list of 5 first team players that left, but in came Filipe Luís, Luciano Vietto, Ferreira Carrasco, Stefan Savic or Jackson Martinez. It could well be the best team that Diego Simeone had at Vicente Calderon and once they get used to playing together, they will be a very tough bunch to beat.
Arsenal – Expect a classic second place finish from Arsenal, which will end up with another loss to a strong team in the Last 16. That`s if they don`t get a lucky draw like Monaco last year, but they couldn’t even do the job back then.
Juventus – With Tevez, Vidal and Pirlo gone, one will be very brave to back Juventus in any capacity this season. They did sign some good players, but it`s never good to lose the backbone of your team. If Pogba gets injured again, Juve could be one of the biggest disappointments of this year’s competition – let alone get close to repeating last season`s final. In a Group with Man City and Sevilla, even going trough to the Last 16 will be tough.
Bayern is main favorite now I think as well. Unstoppable? We will see.