It is the most prestigious club competition in European football. There is an argument to be made that it is the most important in the world, considering the fact that most of the best players on the planet regularly feature. We are, of course, talking about the UEFA Champions League and this season’s competition is really heating up now.
The format for the later phases has changed this season, with the old groups of four being replaced by an actual Champions League. There are 24 teams in the league but they don’t all play each other and even if you don’t really need soccer betting explained to you, something so new has made things a little confusing.
With clubs only playing eight games, the top eight in the league automatically qualify for the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th advance to the playoffs to determine the other eight clubs through to the knockout rounds. The fans have just about gotten their heads around the new format but the question still remains – who is going to win the Champions League this season?
Unfamiliar Names at the Top
If you were to have taken a glance at the Champions League standings at the halfway stage you might have been forgiven for thinking that we are set for a surprise winner this season. For a format that had been initially criticized for making it almost impossible for the bigger, wealthier teams not to progress, the top eight was far more of a mixed bag.
Although many of the teams leading the way are hardly strangers to European football nights, some were definitely overachieving. Liverpool led the way at the top and, although the EPL club has multiple Champions League wins under its belt, it had not even been considered to be the most likely English club to win.
Sporting, Monaco, and Brest (in its first-ever Champions League season) came closely behind Liverpool and it wasn’t until you scanned further down the standings that the likes of Barcelona and Inter appeared. There is, of course, a very long way to go in this competition this year. But the first few Champions League match days have sprung more than a few surprises.
Big Guns
So how are the preseason favorites doing? Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and current champion Real Madrid were all taking up a potential playoff position as the league phase reached its halfway point. Although there was no real talk of crisis for any of these big three, there is much to be done to improve in the second half of the campaign.
Real Madrid is the most successful club in the history of the competition but had found that even acquiring Kylian Mbappé hadn’t helped at home or abroad. Los Blancos trail Barcelona in La Liga and lost to both Lille and Milan in the opening games of the Champions League. Manchester City is also struggling, in relative terms, in the EPL and only managed two wins out of four at the beginning of its European campaign. Bayern can at least point to a successful Bundesliga campaign so far but has lost to Aston Villa and Barcelona in the Champions League – that last defeat being an embarrassing 4-1 reverse.
There is still plenty of time for all the big teams to climb the standings and finish this phase in the way that many had predicted. But results so far have been far more entertaining and interesting for the neutrals among us.
Danger of Missing Out
As we mentioned, this new format should have just about guaranteed that all the bigger clubs would progress to the knockout rounds. But there is one big gun in particular that is in real danger of missing out on the millions of dollars in prize money – and a chance to win a first-ever Champions League.
Paris Saint-Germain has changed tactics this season, discarding the Galactico signings it has been known for over the last ten years and concentrating on a more youthful roster, particularly focusing on young French – and specifically Parisian – players. Domestic domination is still just about assured but PSG found itself outside even the playoff spots after four games and had won just one, with the prospect of some very tough fixtures to come.
Again, there is plenty of time to right things at the Parc des Princes. But the club’s wealthy owners’ dreams of winning the Champions League look even further away than ever from becoming reality at the moment.
Knockout Round Normality
With the remainder of the league phase still to be played, there is the likelihood that normal service will be resumed for the round of 16 knockout games. Most of the big clubs we have mentioned here will probably make it through somehow and the draw for the next round should look very familiar.
The competition format has been specifically designed to allow the biggest clubs the best chance of making it through and our advice would be not to be too quick ruling out the chances of past winners of the trophy. There is a reason why those clubs enjoy success in the competition and we would not be surprised if a familiar name is etched into the cup after the final in Munich next May.
The Winner Is…
With that in mind, our prediction for the winner of the Champions League this season is Real Madrid. The league phase may not have gone entirely to plan so far but there is little doubt that the club will progress to the knockout stages. From there we can see Carlo Ancelotti leading his men to glory.
There may be a few more upsets along the way but incredible talent and depth of roster always win out in the end – and now a record 16th Champions League title might be on the cards.
