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The UEFA Champions League will be back in under a month's time. We will get to see a lot of thrilling contests. Bayern Munich were the only team to win all their group-stage matches. while S.L. Benfica surprisingly topped their group above PSG and Juventus F.C.
The most interesting group in this year's Champions League was Group D, where anyone could have qualified for the round of 16s. Surprisingly, Atlético Madrid even failed to qualify for the UEFA Europa League while FC Porto and Club Brugge got first and second positions, respectively.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a power ranking of the top five clubs that are the favorites to win it and become the European Champions in 2022-23.
The rating runs from fifth to first, with the first name being the least probable of the five clubs to win the UCL and the last name, being the most likely to win the Champions League title this year.
#5 Napoli
The current leaders of Serie A have clearly improved a lot this season. They currently have 50 points, 12 more than the team in the second position, AC Milan. They have scored 46 goals and conceded just 14 in Serie A this season. Their UCL record this season has been phenomenal too. They have won five of their six group-stage matches, averaging 3.34 goals per game.
Victor Osimhen has been a crucial part of their success as he has scored 13 goals in this season's Serie A. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also has seven goals this season and will surely get big offers from the best clubs in Europe. Napoli will surely go deep in this year's Champions League.
#4 Real Madrid
The most successful club in Europe, won the Champions League last season against all the odds. They were considered the eighth favorites by many last season but went on to win their 14th UCL title after one of the greatest roads to the final. They overcame Ligue 1 champions PSG in the Round of 16, UCL champions Chelsea in the quarter-finals, Premier League champions Manchester City in the semi-finals and Liverpool in the final.
Los Blancos surely have the quality to go all the way in this year's Champions League too. They are ranked as the fourth favorites due to their recent dip in form. They sit second in the La Liga table, three points behind Barcelona. Real Madrid have scored 53 goals this season and topped their group at UCL too as they will play Liverpool in the Round of 16. They can once again surprise everyone by winning their record-extending 15th UCL title this season.
#3 Paris Saint-Germain
Many would consider Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) the top favorites to win the tournament due to the presence of Kylian Mbappe and World Cup winner Lionel Messi. These two, along with Neymar, make a deadly trio. PSG have a decent back four too. They currently sit at the top of the table in Ligue 1 but failed to top their UCL group. As a result, they will play against table-toppers Bayern Munchen on 14 February in the Round of 16.
They are ranked as the third favorite club to win UCL this year due to their lack of experience in this tournament. They have never won UCL so it will be tough for them and the defensive capabilities of their front three could prove to be an issue in this tournament. They still have the potential to go all the way this year.
#2 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich are the second favorites for this year's Champions League. Other teams would love to avoid Bayern in the UCL draws because they are a formidable team to compete against. They usually reach the quarter-finals every time they play in this tournament. They currently sit at the top of the Bundesliga, with five more points than second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt. They easily topped their UCL group too but were unlucky as they got PSG into the next stage of the tournament.
Their UCL record this season has been nothing short of perfect as they have won all six of their group-stage matches. Bayern scored 18 goals and conceded just two goals, which is an astonishing record. It's clear why they are one of the most feared teams in Europe.
#1 Manchester City
Manchester City are the favorites to win the Champions League this year. They are mostly regarded as the top favorites as Pep Guardiola has turned City into one of the best clubs in Europe. City have scored 67 goals this season across all competitions and currently sit second in the Premier League table, five points behind Arsenal. They have often failed to qualify for the final and were defeated 1-0 by Chelsea in the 2021 final.
Pep then signed Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund for nearly £60 million. Haaland has already scored four hat-tricks in the Premier League this season and is a strong contender for the Golden Boot. Kevin De Bruyne is also playing at the top level. It's fair to say that Manchester City have a real chance of winning the UEFA Champions League this season; the first one in their history.
