UEFA Champions League 2017/18: 5 things to look forward to as the competition restarts

#5 Who’s going to be a good outside bet?

Harry Kane could turn Tottenham into an outside bet for the Champions League

While Real Madrid started as one of the favourites for the tournament in 2016/17 and ended up winning, not many people were talking up Monaco or Juventus as possible finalists at this time last year. And yet the Italians ended up facing Madrid in the final after edging out the French side, with some more favoured sides – Barcelona, Paris St. Germain, and Bayern Munich – falling by the wayside.

The big sides like Real, Barca and Bayern will always be the favoured contenders while the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Man City also have the financial clout behind them to buy themselves into a strong position. But which outsiders could end up rising to the challenge and going on a run into the deeper stages this season?

Tottenham Hotspur could be a decent bet – they struggled last season but have more experience this time around, ended the season as the Premier League’s hottest side, and Harry Kane can’t stop scoring goals. RB Leipzig surprisingly finished second in the Bundesliga last season and have some tremendous young talent such as Emil Forsberg, Timo Werner and Naby Keita – as well as a huge chip on their shoulder due to being the most hated side in Germany.

And that isn’t mentioning Monaco. Admittedly, Bernardo Silva is gone and they may also lose Tiemoue Bakayoko, Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Lemar, but who knows what other young talent the French side may be hiding?

Europe’s biggest clubs will always hold an advantage but some of the smaller sides are catching up. Could 2017/18 be the year that an outsider wins the biggest prize? It’ll be interesting to find out.