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With the conclusion of Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League, let us take a closer look at the teams that could go all the way on the basis of their performances in the opening round of Europe premier competition
Dark Horses
Bayern Munich: Bayern got their Champions League campaign underway with a convincing 2-0 win over Benfica in Portugal. While most of the footballing world have been counting on the Spanish and English clubs to go all the way, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have flown under the radar as the tournament's dark horses.
Defence wins you championships and with a solid back line of Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and David Alaba, Bayern certainly have the defence to win it all. Bayern may make it through the group without dropping a point and could go unnoticed until the quarter-final.
But lack of competition in the Bundesliga may prove to be a problem for the Die Roten as they have been having it easy in the league for several years now.
Atletico Madrid : After a comprehensive 4-2 win over city rivals Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup final, an impressive summer window and keeping hold of their star player Antoine Griezmann, it looked like Simeone's men were ready to make a mark in the Champions League, but then only one win in their first four LaLiga games suggested otherwise.
A comeback win against Monaco may do their confidence a world of good. As long as Diego Simeone is coaching, the capital club is always a dark horse and a first Champions League title in front of their home crowd is a real possibility.
Liverpool: After spending very heavily this summer, it looks like Liverpool's wait for a major trophy may finally be over. Bench strength is looking good, the frontline of Mane, Firmino and Salah is looking devastating and the midfield is looking solid.
Liverpool were all over PSG since the first minute and raced off to a 2-0 lead, PSG managed to come back by the 83rd minute and it looked like the match was heading to a draw but Liverpool pushed for a winner. And who scored the winner? Roberto Firmino, who came off the bench to score in stoppage time. After a 100% start in the league and a win against Spurs, this win was another big statement to the rest of Europe that Liverpool are looking to go one step further than last season.
#4 Manchester City
A shocking 2-1 loss to Lyon at the Etihad stadium has pushed City down the rankings (it may be for a short while). But it was a disappointing performance from Pep Guardiola's men as their manager could only watch from the stands due to a touchline ban. City were initially rated as the favourites but they looked far away from that as Lyon punished them for their early mistakes.
The pace of Depay and Cornet were too hot to handle for the city defenders. Anthony Lopes made some key saves in goal for the visitors. City fans would have been disappointed with the team's performance. Still, it's early days in the competition and it may have been a wake-up call for City. Not a good start, but there is still plenty to play for.
Prediction: Semifinals
Manchester City are definitely one of the favourites for the title. This loss is going to be a wake up call for City that things aren't going to be easy. But I do not believe that this team will go all the way and win it all, but with Pep Guardiola as their manager, I could be proven wrong.
#3 Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a straight red card. That's right, the competition's leading goal scorer was sent off in the 29th minute of the match against Valencia CF for the first time in the competition.
It is obvious that Juventus signed Ronaldo to help them win the Champions League for the first time since 1996 after losing two finals in the last four seasons. With Ronaldo's red card taking all the headlines, it was forgotten that Juventus managed to pull off a 2-0 win at the Mestalla stadium with 10 men.
Pjanic took the responsibility and slotted home both penalties to give Juventus the win. Ronaldo will now miss Juve's next match against Young Boys but it remains to be seen whether he will be eligible to play against his former club Manchester United at Old Trafford later in October.
Prediction: Semifinal
Yes they have signed one of the greatest, if not the greatest player of the competition, but going all the way may be far too fetched for the Old Lady right now.
#2 Real Madrid
Yes they lost one of the greatest players in the competition in the summer but that does not mean you can count them out. The club still possesses some of the best players in the world such as Bale, Modric, Kroos, Marcelo and Ramos. Real haven't replaced their 50 goal a season forward but they have Bale, Isco, Benzema and Asensio who could share the workload between them.
Lopetegui has managed to get the team playing together as a unit rather than relying on individual brilliance. A strong start to the season in LaLiga and a convincing 3-0 win over Roma is definitely a statement for the rest of Europe. After all, this team has just won three consecutive Champions League titles.
Prediction: FInal
They may have lost their best player to Juventus in the summer but they still have the other 10 players who won them three consecutive Champions League titles.
#1 FC Barcelona
After seeing their close rivals Real Madrid win three consecutive Champions Leagues and the shocking loss to Roma last season must have left a bitter taste in their mouths. Barca's newly appointed captain Lionel Messi has pledged that Barcelona will do everything within their power to bring the trophy back to the Camp Nou.
And Messi delivered what he promised with an impressive record-breaking eighth hat-trick in the competition over Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. With Dembele looking more settled in the club, Coutinho not cup-tied this season and the bench looking stronger than ever, this Barca team may fancy their chances of winning the Champions League for the first time since 2015.
Prediction: Champions
Messi is a man on a mission. After losing in the quarterfinals for three consecutive years, Barcelona have made some significant changes to their squad by adding some much-needed depth. This team is my pick to lift the trophy on 1 June 2019 at the Wanda Metropolitano.
