Who are the favourites for the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League?
With the domestic leagues around Europe underway, it will not be long until we are back in Champions League action. The tournament is currently in the qualification phase, with teams still looking to book their names in the newly remodelled Champions League format. For the first time in history, the Champions League will scrap the group stage format, and it will be replaced with one single league.
The number of teams has also increased from 32 to 36 with each team playing eight matches in the league stage. All teams competing in the competition will be ranked according to their UEFA club coefficient and divided into four pots, with each team drawing two teams from each pot. Four matches will be played at home, and four away from home.
Reigning champions
Real Madrid currently holds the crown after beating Borussia Dortmund on 1st June 2024 at Wembley Stadium. The 2-0 victory marked the 15th time Los Blancos have lifted the trophy, and the fifth time in the last ten campaigns the trophy has gone to Madrid.
And Carlo Ancelotti’s men will go into the new tournament as one of the overwhelming favourites after adding French superstar Kylian Mbappé to their attacking ranks to compliment the likes of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.
It is a frightening attack and despite the retirement of Toni Kroos, there is enough strength in other departments that rightfully make Real Madrid one of the leading contenders for a 16th success at betting sites at the Daily Star. Real Madrid have already claimed their first piece of silverware of the season, beating Atalanta Bergamo in the UEFA Super Cup (2-0), where Mbappé marked his competitive debut with a goal.
source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Real_Madrid_C.F._the_Winner_Of_The_Champions_League_in_2018.jpg
Who else could challenge Madrid’s might?
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side could be Real Madrid’s closest rivals for the Champions League crown. The former Barcelona manager came close to dumping Real out of last season’s competition, losing on penalties after the tie finished 4-4 on aggregate. City have lost Julian Alvarez to Real’s neighbours Atletico Madrid, but the squad remains a potent one, with Erling Haaland hungrier than ever for goals after a full preseason.
Elsewhere, there is intrigue as to how Bayern Munich will fare under new manager Vincent Kompany, while Arsenal have added more strength in depth with the acquisition of Riccardo Calafiori. Barcelona, Liverpool, Paris Saint Germain, Juventus, and Inter Milan have all reach the Champions League final in the past decade and all stand a chance of etching their name onto the trophy in Munich on 31st May 2025.
Or will we witness a surprise in Europe’s premier club competition? Bayer 04 Leverkusen ended Bayern Munich’s dominance in the Bundesliga and finished the domestic campaign unbeaten, with their only blemish in the Europa League final (0-3) against Atalanta Bergamo. Sturm Graz did similar to Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga, and they are joined by competition debutants Brest and Girona, while Aston Villa are playing in the tournament for the first time in 42 years.
The new Champions League season with the revamped format promises to be an exciting one. With the number of matches increasing from 125 to 189, there will be lots more action to follow, but can anyone topple the Madrid juggernaut?
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