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A treble-winning season, where a team becomes the National League Champions, Continental Champions, and Domestic Cup Winners - is a dream for every club in the world. However, only 8 clubs under UEFA jurisdiction have been able to win the treble till date.
Winning the National League can be a daunting task in itself. Winning a domestic cup requires a lot of steel as well. And to win the UEFA Champions League, one has to be the best of the best in Europe. To achieve all three in one season is one of the hardest tasks in the world.
Which brings us to these three clubs. All the three clubs mentioned here have been in fine form this season and are in the hunt of the near impossible once again. So which three clubs could still win a treble this season? Read on to find out.
#3 Manchester City
The Premier League giants have already won the League Cup this season and could also have a domestic treble by the end of the season. City are through to the finals of the FA Cup, are in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and are also well placed to defend their Premier League trophy.
In the FA Cup, City had a relatively easy run, seeing off Rotherham, Burnley and Newport City at the start. Their first real test was against Swansea in the quarterfinals, when the Swans took them to the wire and City had to toil to win 3-2.
The semi-final against Brighton was also narrowly contested, but City won 1-0 thanks to an early strike from Gabriel Jesus. They will be up against a resolute Watford side in the final, but there’s no doubt that Pep Guardiola’s men are favorites.
In the UEFA Champions League, City lost their first game, at home against Lyon. However, it remains their only defeat. After convincingly seeing off Schalke in the round of 16, City face old foes Tottenham in the quarter-finals. Guardiola's team has already defeated Spurs once this season in the Premier League and remains the favorites to progress to the semi-Finals. Based on their current form, the reigning Premier League Champions are competent enough to go all the way and lift the trophy in May.
In the Premier League, they are currently in second, 2 points behind Liverpool at the top, but City do have a game in hand. Their next 6 games are relatively tougher – they face Tottenham and Manchester United, while Liverpool do not have any top 6 opposition. However, you cannot bet against Pep Guardiola masterminding 6 wins in 6 games.
As such, City remain on course for a historic treble by the end of this season, even though it will not be an easy task.
#2 Ajax Amsterdam
The Dutch side are on course for a fantastic treble, if they can maintain their current momentum in all competitions. Erik ten Hag has brilliantly set up his young team to be both sparkling and ruthless with equal efficiency and the results have been speaking for themselves.
Ajax are already in the final of the KNVB Cup, where they shall face Willem II in May. The two sides have already met twice in the League and Ajax have won both games, including this past weekend's 4-1 away win. After scoring 17 goals in 5 games in the tournament, ten Hag's men are favorites to lift the Cup.
In the league, competition is a bit tighter. Ajax are currently at the top of the table, but only by virtue of a better goal difference. PSV Eindhoven and Ajax are tied on 71 points from 29 games, but Ajax have a goal difference of +74 compared to PSV's +65. Interestingly, Ajax have scored 100 goals in 29 games in the league. With just 5 games left till the end of the season, this one could go down to the wire, but Ajax will be favorites to claim the prize.
In the Champions League though, the Dutch side are the underdogs going into the quarter-finals. They face a prudent Juventus side, who have Ronaldo returning from injury. But as they had shown against Real Madrid, Ajax are no pushovers, so this tie could be more balanced than would appear to the normal eye.
Ajax have already won the treble once, in the 71/72 season, and they could very well repeat the feat this season.
#1 Barcelona
Barcelona, this season, could make it a treble of trebles! The Catalans have won the treble in the 2008/09 season and last won the top three prizes in the 2014/15 season. Since then, they have come close to winning the treble on a couple of occasions, but have fallen short in the end. This season though, they have a fantastic chance once again.
The race to the La Liga title is all but over. Barcelona are currently 11 points clear at the top, with 7 games to go. Their form in the league has been bullish and the Catalans have been reigning at the top for most of the season. Their nearest competitors, Atletico Madrid in second and Real Madrid in third, have shown no signs of a resurgence of late either, so it is quite likely that Barcelona will lift the trophy in May.
The Catalans have reached another Copa del Rey final, after playing a near flawless tournament. Defeating Real Madrid in the semi-finals was a high point and they face Valencia in the final in May. The two clubs have met twice in the league and both games have ended in draws. But a cup final is a different proposition and one cannot help but feel that Barcelona are the favorites here too.
It is in the Champions League that Barcelona might face some competitions. After a fantastic showing in the group stages, they blew away Lyon in the round of 16, courtesy the man, the goal-scoring machine, Lionel Messi. Up ahead, they have an unpredictable Manchester United side, but Barcelona and Messi are still clear favorites for the trophy.
