The UEFA Champions League returned this week, as the knock-out stages began. Four first-leg ties have already taken place across Tuesday and Wednesday, with a further four to be played next week. Here we take a look at which teams could win the whole tournament.
Manchester City
The current European and World champions are of course favourites to retain their crown. After a stumbling period in December, Manchester City are well and truly back on track. They have just made it 11 wins in a row in all competitions, beating Copenhagen in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Their 3-1 victory away from home means they have one foot firmly in the quarter-finals. They had already topped their group with a 100% record. No team will want to face Pep Guardiola’s side in any game, let alone a two-legged tie. Especially with the recent returns of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland from injury, the Citizens look almost unstoppable. The club are second in the league, just two points off leaders Liverpool with a game in hand, are in the fifth round of the FA Cup, and are looking strong in the Champions League. They are hitting their stride at the perfect time of the season, and a second consecutive treble is not out of the question.
Arsenal
City’s title rivals Arsenal must also be considered amongst the contenders to win the Champions League. The Gunners have never won the competition before, but it can be argued that this might be their best ever opportunity. Aside from Manchester City, who they have already beaten this season, it is very open as to who could be victorious. Despite a slump just before and after Christmas, Mikel Arteta’s side have returned to form and have been absolutely dominant in their last four games, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two. They will be confident of beating any of the remaining teams, should they advance against Porto. Though, it may come to a point where Arteta may need to prioritise either the Premier League or Champions League, which could cause problems. But at full strength, Arsenal are very hard to stop, and their youthful squad may be the one to finally go the whole way.
Real Madrid
You cannot talk about Champions League contenders without mentioning the most successful European side in history. Real Madrid currently sit top of La Liga, five points clear of Girona. They are not the outright favourites, but they will fancy their chances against any side they go up against. In the league they have been defeated just once, and have only lost one other game in all competitions, so this team will be very hard to beat with a number of match winners in the squad. The summer acquisition of Jude Bellingham has seen them gain a new face of the team, with the youngster playing at an elite level, scoring 20 goals and providing eight assists in 29 games. He is currently out with an ankle injury, but the Spanish giants will hope he returns soon as he is widely regarded as their most important player. Alongside Vinicius Junior, the pair form a dangerous duo which will give any opposing defence issues. They topped their group with a perfect record, with Napoli finishing just behind them. Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping to deliver Los Blancos’ second title in three seasons, as well as his fifth as a manager. They currently hold a 1-0 aggregate lead over RB Leipzig.
Bayern Munich
Similarly to Real Madrid, it is difficult to discuss contenders without including Bayern Munich. They topped their group, winning five of six, finishing above Copenhagen, Galatasaray and Manchester United. However, they are second in the Bundesliga, trailing Bayer Leverkusen by five points, and are currently 1-0 down in their Round of 16 first leg tie against Lazio. Manager Thomas Tuchel is under increasing pressure following their 3-0 defeat at Leverkusen last weekend. This pressure is only growing after their first leg loss. Despite this, they certainly have the personnel and head coach to be a threat to any team. The signing of Harry Kane gives them perhaps the best goal threat in all of football, and Tuchel has already reached the final twice, once with PSG and again with Chelsea, who he won it with in 2021. But their recent form and performances has led to many questioning whether they have what it takes for a deep Champions League run. They will need to come from behind to advance to the next round.
Inter Milan
Perhaps not as spoken about as much as the others is Inter Milan. The Italians are at the top of Serie A and are in excellent form, winning eight of their last nine games in all competitions. They are led by striker Lautaro Martinez who has scored 22 goals in 30 appearances. However, they did finish second in their group to Real Sociedad, as they drew three times. But since then they have improved significantly and could prove to be a big threat to the rest of the competition. Last season, to many people’s surprise, they reached the Champions League final, in which they were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Man City. Inter are in a much stronger position now, so it would not be as much of a shock if they were to repeat this feat. That being said, the competition this season is a lot fiercer and more open.
Other Contenders
PSG
As long as Kylian Mbappe is in the squad, anything can happen. But Ligue 1 champions PSG have fallen short before with far stronger teams, including Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. They currently hold a 2-0 aggregate lead over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Round of 16 so are in a good position to advance but will face far tougher tests.
Barcelona
Barcelona face a tricky tie against Napoli in the Round of 16. Xavi’s men are playing knowing that their manager will be departing upon the conclusion of this season, which could have an effect on their performances. They sit third in La Liga and score a lot of goals, but their defence is not strong enough to compete with the superior teams remaining in the competition.
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