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An exciting 2018/19 season is coming in European football. With many changes in big teams, led by Cristiano Ronaldo's move from Real Madrid to Juventus, the upcoming campaign promises a lot of excitement and significant moments in the world's most prominent leagues.
The UEFA Champions League 2018/19 is the primary task for every big club in Europe, especially for the winners of the last three editions, Real Madrid, who will enter the competition with the objective of forgetting the Cristiano Ronaldo's days.
Other clubs who expect to be at their best come UCL time are Spanish champions Barcelona, Premier League title-holders Manchester City, the French champions Paris Saint-Germain. Juventus will be in the spotlight for Ronaldo's move to Italy since the Italian squad last won the European Cup 22 years ago, and the Portuguese megastar won it four times in the last five seasons with Real Madrid.
It is time to take a look into bold (and early) predictions for the 2018/19 season in the most exciting football tournaments in the world.
#4 Liverpool break through in the English Premier League
Liverpool won't walk alone in 2018/19. After its heartbreak at Kyiv in the UEFA Champions League, it would be fit for the Jurgen Klopp-led squad to break its curse in the English Premier League, a tournament Liverpool has not won since its inception in 1992.
Liverpool had the best trio of strikers during the past season, with Mohamed Salah (44), Sadio Mané (20), and Roberto Firmino (27) accounting for 91 goals in the campaign. With the three players still in the squad, the Reds maintain the hope of reaching the top spot in the domestic competition.
In the 2017/18 season in the EPL, Liverpool was fourth in points but was the second team with the least losses (5) behind Manchester City's two defeats. The problem for the Reds in the EPL was essentially the draws. Liverpool was tied for the most draws in the top 14 with 12.
Winning its first EPL title and the first domestic league since 1990 would make up for every Liverpool fan who suffer the hard luck in the past UCL final and the many years failing to win the domestic league championship.
#3 Real Madrid win the Spanish League and the Copa del Rey under Lopetegui
Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Juventus inevitably leaves Real Madrid with many doubts in their options for the upcoming season, despite the signing of some new superstar who some might say will replace Cristiano. But the Casa Blanca won't be kicking themselves after the offseason's events.
With Spanish Julen Lopetegui taking charge as the new boss, after Zinedine Zidane's goodbye, Real Madrid has a big challenge on its hands, but the club is ready, and the experienced players in the squad will respond.
Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema all face a big challenge on their hands, especially with Barcelona waiting for any point of weakness. A guaranteed way to respond well to its best player leaving for another club would be if Real Madrid reigns supreme once again in the Spanish League and dominates the domestic soil with the Copa del Rey championship.
Every football fan wants to see Real Madrid play without its football leader and temperamental commander for the past nine seasons.
#2 PSG reach the UEFA Champions League final
PSG struggled in the UCL in recent years and had performed poorly in many knockout-stage matches. Coming off the first season after pairing Brazilian Neymar with the French wonder boy Kylian Mbappé and winning the Ligue 1 and the two domestic cups, PSG still targets the UCL as the primary objective.
Neymar's injury before the second leg versus Real Madrid in the round of sixteen made PSG season a particular one to analyze. Even though PSG lost at the Bernabeu 3-1 after dominating most of the match, the second leg still represented a chance to advance, but the Brazilian's right-foot injury stopped the dream.
The upcoming season promises to be different in many ways, in fact, the hierarchy in the team structure might have changed after the FIFA World Cup at Russia. Mbappé's rise to glory with France and Neymar doubts with Brazil, made the upcoming season for the Thomas Tuchel-led squad an important one.
PSG's rumours about signing defending midfielder N´Golo Kanté might boost their chances in the UEFA Champions League. PSG making a deep run and reaching the final, which will take place in Atlético Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano would change their perception in Europe and will make the future look bright for the French side.
#1 Atlético Madrid win the UEFA Champions League at their stadium
For many football fans, Atlético de Madrid deserved to win at least one of the finals played in 2014 and 2016 versus Real Madrid, but football does not work that way. If Atlético has a significant chance of taking the UCL trophy home and, in a certain way, need an emotional boost to compete for that trophy, is in the 2018/19 season: Wanda Metropolitano will host the UCL final in 2019.
Atlético comes off of a disappointing campaign in last year's UCL, when they fell off in the group stage. However, Atlético found its way in the second-tier UEFA Europa League and won the tournament with Antoine Griezmann as the star, predictably.
Diego Pablo Simeone's team finished second in the Spanish League behind almost unbeatable Barcelona, but the 2018/19 expectations might be the highest of any season under the Argentine coach, especially after the signings of French player Thomas Lemar and Portuguese winger Gelson Martins.
Winning the UCL at their grass will be Atlético's most prominent achievement in its history, but the way won't be easy since many teams are planning to make another strong charge for the UCL title in 2019.
The 2018/19 UEFA Champions League will be one of the most exciting tournaments of the last years due to many teams with high expectations and high level of play.
