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The UEFA Champions League has seen Real Madrid dominate the tournament by a huge margin in the last few years. Winning the tournament thrice in a row, surely is a massive achievement and it must be painful for every other club participating in the tournament to not being able to be as effective as Madrid.
Also, this summer has seen a lot of personnel changes from almost every top club. The biggest being Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus. A transfer like this, along with the others has changed the dynamics of the challenge in the Champions league this season. We look at the top seven contenders likely to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
#7 Bayern Munich
The Bavarians put up a strong fight last time as they came very close to the eventual champions Real Madrid in the Champions League. Bayern were beaten 3-4 by Real Madrid on aggregate in the semi-final and it is safe to say that the fixture could have gone either way.
Nevertheless, with the new season, comes a new hope and new strategies. Bayern Munich have been ruthlessly dominating the Bundesliga for almost a decade now and it is time now, that they make a statement by showing their brilliance in the European tournament as well.
With Robert Lewandowski set to stay at the German club, the Bavarians will be boosted by the news. The Polish striker is craving for the UEFA Champions League trophy from a long time and we can expect him to give his everything to achieve that, this season.
Bayern's manager Niko Kovac will be hoping to make the best use of the squad available at his disposal and help the German club win the Champions League after six years.
#6 Liverpool
The Merseyside club came very close to win the UEFA Champions League after more than a decade as Jurgen Klopp and his men had a very impressive season. Liverpool with their attacking style of play, looked very deadly while going forward and it was that style of play that helped them beat the likes of Porto, Manchester City and Roma to reach the final, last year.
This season, they are already looking stronger with their summer transfer signings and players returning from injury. Mohamed Salah had a stellar time last season in front of the goal and is once again expected to do a lot of damage going forward.
This season, he will be encouraged by the support of Xherdan Shaqiri and the return of Daniel Sturridge. The arrival of Naby Keita and Fabinho will only strengthen Liverpool’s midfield. Also, the signing of Alisson Becker should give them more stability between the sticks. Klopp will be once again hoping to repeat last year’s feat, only this time ending up winning the trophy.
#5 Real Madrid
The Los Blancos have been brutally dominant in the Champions League from the past five years. They have won it four times in the last five tournaments and their last season’s triumph ensured a hat-trick of tournament victories.
It is truly an unbelievable feat considering how difficult it is to win the tournament even once. That being said, Madrid have been dealt with a big blow already this summer with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.
Madrid haven’t signed any replacement for the Portuguese superstar yet and with not much time left in the transfer window, it only gets more difficult for them here on. New manager Julen Lopetegui has some good amount of work to do with the team at his disposal. Madrid’s squad has some big names in it but the presence of Ronaldo had a different dimension and threat to the team, which will be missing this year.
Taking in account, Madrid’s performance in the UEFA Super Cup recently against Atletico Madrid, the Los Blancos have loads to improve on before they can strongly challenge for the Champions League this season.
#4 Manchester City
The 2017-18 Premier League champions were brutal in the league last season. Securing 100 points in the Premier League is certainly not a joke. Under Pep Guardiola’s guidance and tactics, City look extremely dangerous while going forward.
The Spaniard has always been a genius with his game-planning and it was disappointing to see City being knocked out in the quarter-finals last season by English rivals Liverpool. There was very little City could do then and for sure, Pep would have noticed what went wrong and figured out the ways to mend it.
City already have some stunning players in their attack and with Riyad Mahrez’s arrival, it only gets better for Pep. There is no doubt that Pep Guardiola would love to do better this season in the Champions league and we can expect a much better tactical approach in Europe by the Blues.
#3 Paris Saint Germain
Paris Saint Germain (PSG) always have had one of the best squads in Europe, yet they have struggled to make a strong impact in the Champions League. Last season too, they were one of the favorites to clinch the Champions League title but luck didn't seem to be there in their favor as they were drawn with Real Madrid in the round of 16.
This season under Thomas Tuchel, we can expect them to do better. With the likes of Neymar, Edison Cavani and Kylian Mbappe in the attack, there are not many who can rule out the French club from doing well in the tournament.
PSG have a very balanced squad with some very good options in the defence and midfield and they will surely be boosted by the signing of the legendary Gianluigi Buffon this summer.
#2 Juventus
Coming into this summer, not many would have touted Juventus that strong a contender to win the UEFA Champions League. But the entire prospect changed when they signed Cristiano Ronaldo this summer from Real Madrid.
While it is still difficult to digest that the move has happened in reality, it is true that with the presence of Ronaldo, Juventus have a lethal threat about themselves. The Old Lady came close twice in the last five years to win the tournament but went on to lose to both Barcelona and Real Madrid to end as runners-up.
The Italian club would be willing to go all the way this season and with Ronaldo in the squad, it only increases their chances significantly. Massimiliano Allegri has all the ammunition with him to go on and finally pose a strong challenge for the Champions League this season.
#1 Barcelona
Barcelona would surely have been devastated last season having lost 4-4 on aggregate to Roma in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The Catalan club though, will be hoping to do better this season.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has learnt from his lessons and it seems he has a very good chance of taking Barcelona all the way in the tournament this time around. Barcelona have a strong defence with Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti at the heart of it. Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto have looked good too.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen has been quite solid between the sticks and Barcelona’s attack has been one of the finest in the world from the last decade. Their new summer signings in the form of Malcolm, Arturo Vidal, Clement Lenglet and Arthur Melo provides them with a strong depth at their disposal.
Ernesto Valverde now has all the ingredients to go all the way in the Champions league if he gets his tactics right. Also, Lionel Messi would love to get back to his brutal best and help the Catalans end Real Madrid’s dominance in the UEFA Champions League.
