Manchester City
Despite a potential Champions League ban hanging over their heads, juggernaut Manchester City is still the envy of the football world and one of the favourites to take out the tournament. City interestingly has never won a Champions League trophy, and after their record-breaking Premier League season last season, they are still one of the premier football sides in the world. They were unable to progress past the Quarter-Finals stage in the 2018-19 tournament after they were bundled out by Tottenham in dramatic fashion, so you can expect Pep Guardiola’s side to be raring to go and looking for redemption. City is one of the richest and most powerful clubs in the world, with their stacked squad highlighting their lack of weaknesses in any area on the field. Their midfield and forward lines however are world class, and are headed by Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling. With a squad as deep as theirs, they’ll undoubtedly go deep into the tournament once again. If you believe City can break their Champions League duck this season, be sure to check out the best football acca tips here.
Barcelona
Having been drawn in Group F with Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan, Barca won’t have the easiest of times exiting the group stage, but their world-class line-up is more than likely to produce some damage during the tournament. Barcelona’s off-season recruitment haul was highlighted by signing French star Antoine Griezmann, rounding out their forwards group of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Ousmane Dembélé as one of the best attacking fronts in the world. Barca has won the past two La Liga titles, but has been unable to win the Champions League since their last back in the 2014-15 tournament. And despite their success in the La Liga last season, they encountered tactical problems with current manager Ernesto Valverde, who is struggling to prove he is the right man to lead them. But with one of the world’s best in their line-up in Messi, you can never count Barca out.
Liverpool
The reigning Champions League winners and the current leaders in the English Premier League, Liverpool is again likely to go very deep into the tournament. The Reds have been drawn in Group E and their chances of defending their title haven’t been harmed given their best opponent in the group stages is Napoli. Coached by ex-Dortmund manager Jϋrgen Klopp, they are an elite team on both ends of the field, spearheaded up front by the trio of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and two-time Premier League golden boot winner Mohamed Salah, whilst they are anchored down back by UEFA Player & Defender of the Year Virgil Van Dijk. They have one of the deepest squads on the European circuit and are in the well and truly in the middle of a golden era, Liverpool will undoubtedly be one of the final sides remaining in this upcoming tournament.
Real Madrid
This list wouldn’t be complete without perennial powerhouse Real Madrid, who has won the Champions League a record 13 times. However in recent times, Real’s dominance has been no more, with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo having a ripple effect on the team’s success, seeing them fail to progress past the round of 16 in the 2018-19 Champions League for the first time since the 2009-10 tournament. Real also finished third in the La Liga in the 2018-19 season for the second time in a row, highlighting how much they have missed one of the world’s best footballers. But with the recruitment of former Chelsea star Eden Hazard, as well as getting back onto the right page with gun striker Gareth Bale, Real is still one of the premier football sides in the globe and cannot be counted out in this upcoming Champions League tournament.
