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As another Champions League season dawns upon us, we bet you'd be lying if you say you aren't already thinking about how the cup competition is going to develop. Who's going to impress, who's going to have a shock exit, and who the dark horses would be.
Most importantly, however, we're all thinking about the big one: the final. Who is going to run away with the biggest trophy in club football and declare themselves the best team in the world? Here, we take a look at the ones that are most likely to do it and how their seasons have developed so far:
1) REAL MADRID
The holders. The team who have made the Champions league their playground for the past 3 seasons are the obvious favourites to retain their crown and win the cup for a record-breaking 14th time.
The Los Blancos however, have undergone major changes over the summer, losing both their talisman- a certain someone who goes by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo- and boss and club legend Zinedine Zidane.
Real Madrid has however, started the season strong as ever, with Gareth Bale and Benzema showing that they can cope without the clubs all-time leading goalscorer. They have also bought in Borja Mayoral and Brazilian youngster Vinicius Jr to fill in the void left by the Portuguese superstar.
Always competing at the very top level is something of a habit for the Spanish outfit, and it's going to be another campaign to look forward to for the supporters.
2) BARCELONA
The other side of the Spanish coin who never seem to be far away whenever fierce rivals Real Madrid are mentioned. They, of course, tipped Madrid to the La Liga title last season as they blew away all competition, showing no signs of complacency.
An uncharacteristically lacklustre display against Roma in the quarterfinals proved to be their undoing last season as their hopes of breaking the Real Madrid domination came to a plummeting fall.
Having had a full season under his belt, Valverde would now be looking to steal the title from their domestic rivals, and he has possibly the strongest weapon he could hope for to spearhead his conquest in Leo Messi. He would also be encouraged by the fact that Philippe Coutinho is now eligible to play in the Champions League, having signed in the winter transfer window last summer.
The fact that Dembele is finally starting to live up to the promise he has shown previously, and that Suarez is also starting to rediscover his sharpness will also be crucial for Barcelona in the Champions League this season.
3) JUVENTUS
When Juventus went out and spent nearly 100 million pounds on a 33-year-old forward, they wanted to show just one thing: They wanted to win the big one. The Champions League. It is the one trophy that they have failed to win recently, having come agonizingly close on two different occasions losing out to the aforementioned Spanish duo.
Last season Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League by the winners themselves with Ronaldo scoring 3 goals over the two games. So, what suggests they would do any better this season? Well, having the man who has made the Champions League his own over the last decade or so certainly helps their cause. That, coupled with the fact that Juventus have one of the most frightening attacks in the world and the classical Italian stronghold of Chiellini and Bonucci at the back certainly makes them contenders, and very strong ones at that.
Juventus- and Ronaldo alike- have started this season steadily if not spectacularly. Having added Emre Can, Bonucci and Cancelo among others to the roster means they have more than enough quality to compete on all fronts.
4) MANCHESTER CITY
It's often easy to forget just how good Manchester City team were last season. But make no mistake, Pep Guardiola has created a team which is good enough to beat any team in the world. Their possession-based football coupled with intense pressing as soon as they lose the ball meant that the premier league teams were chasing them all season: both figuratively and literally.
So how did they not end up winning the Champions League you ask? Well, they came up against the 'to be finalists' Liverpool in the Quarterfinals who got the better of Pep's pressing style football and knocked them out in spectacular style.
But the Spaniard is an elite tactician and would be aware of Man City's weaknesses and prepare them better this season as he looks to do one better than winning the league last season. He will be pressed all the way because of the higher level of domestic competition the Premier League adds. But with David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne in his midfield, he'll be confident of staying in control, regardless of the opposition pressure. The addition of the skill and trickery of Mahrez to his already devastating attack might just give them the edge they need to go all the way.
