The Champions League expanded and revamped is just around the corner and Europe’s premier competition promises to deliver more sensational stories in 2024/25.
Real Madrid increased the gap on their rivals at the end of last season, winning their 15th European Cup after beating Borussia Dortmund in the final. You have to look to Milan to see the club with the most wins in the competition, with seven titles.
However, this season’s Champions League will be bigger than ever. Four more teams will compete in the competition, as the group stage has been abolished in favour of a simplified league stage process. How this might affect the tournament and its most successful teams remains to be seen.
With that in mind, here are the favourites for the 2024/25 Champions League, ranked.
Inter claimed the Serie A title last season after coming very close to Champions League glory in 2022/23. Losing the final 1-0 to Manchester City in a game that could have gone either way was a real missed opportunity for the Milan club.
Their European record has been surprisingly poor since their last triumph in 2010 and they were eliminated in the last 16 again last season. But Simone Inzaghi has turned the Nerazzurri into one of the most devastating teams in Europe and Lautaro Martinez comes into the 2024/25 season having led Argentina to Copa America glory.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Inter could be challenging for the crown in the latter stages of the season, but there are several teams who are considered more likely favourites.
Paris Saint-Germain have found remarkable ways to implode in the latter stages of the Champions League. For the club’s Qatari owners, it is the ultimate prize – and one that remains elusive.
The 2023/24 season was another of the tightest for the Ligue 1 champions
, who reached the semi-final under Luis Enrique. After some sensible signings last summer and with Kylian Mbappe in fine form, it was one of their most impressive European campaigns in recent years.
However, they have now lost their talisman to Real Madrid and history suggests it may prove too difficult for PSG to claim their first European Cup.
Still, it would be foolish to write off the French giants.
Barcelona’s disastrous Champions League quarter-final defeat to PSG last season was one of the key reasons behind Xavi’s dismissal. In new manager Hansi Flick, they have someone with experience of lifting the Champions League trophy.
The German won the competition with Bayern Munich in 2019/20 and will be eager to add a second European Cup to his trophy haul in Catalonia. Problems persist on and off the pitch for the Blaugrana, but they still boast an extremely talented squad.
It will be a challenge for Flick to repeat his Bayern heroics on the continent in 2024/25 and Barca still find themselves in the shadow of their El Clasico rivals Real Madrid when it comes to European success.
Bayern were also semi-finalists in the 2023/24 season under Thomas Tuchel, but suffered a dramatic last-minute defeat to eventual champions Real Madrid and denied the world a Klassiker final at Wembley for just the second time in the 21st century. Harry Kane’s trophy curse subsequently continued.
Vincent Kompany’s hiring as Tuchel’s replacement certainly came as a surprise. The Belgian was relegated with Burnley last season and has no experience of managing at such a high level.
However, the former Manchester City defender has a distinctive philosophy centred on high-risk, high-reward passing football, which could suit Bayern’s exceptional squad well.
Things surely can’t get any worse for the Bavarians in 2024/25 after a trophyless season under Tuchel.
Like Barcelona and Bayern, Liverpool will have a new manager for the 2024/25 season. The departure of Jürgen Klopp at the end of last season has left a significant void, which former Feyenoord manager Arne Slot has taken on the task of filling. The first signs are positive.
Liverpool fans will not be expecting a Champions League title in what is guaranteed to be a transitional season, but the Reds’ history in Europe’s premier competition means they can never be written off. With the likes of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister in their ranks, they have a chance of securing a seventh European Cup.
Of course, the effectiveness of the tactical changes being made under Slot in the Champions League remains to be seen, but some of Europe’s other big-hitters are also finding themselves in uncertain times. Could Liverpool take advantage of them?
The Gunners returned to competition with a vengeance in the 2023/24 season after many years away, reaching the quarter-finals with little trouble. However, on the big stage, they froze.
Arsenal were favourites for their quarter-final clash with Bayern but were left unimpressed by the weight of expectation. Mikel Arteta will hope such an experience will be beneficial to the north London side ahead of the Champions League campaign ahead.
Arsenal have shown little sign of slowing down in their quest for domestic and European glory and have a squad that is in its prime, with plenty of game-changing players in their ranks.
However, there are still questions about the team’s mentality when things get tough.
Manchester City were favourites to defend their Champions League title in the 2023/24 season and, had it not been for a pair of missed penalties in the quarter-final shootout against Real Madrid, they might well have done so.
The 2022/23 champions look likely to make a strong showing in this season’s competition and there is absolutely nothing stopping them from securing a second win.
They have a world-class goalkeeper, a host of elite defenders, the best defensive midfielder in the world, some incredible creative maestro and a relentless finisher leading the attack. They are unstoppable at their best.
If Manchester City were to win the Champions League again in the 2024/25 season, it could be a perfect way to say goodbye to Pep Guardiola.
Defending champions Real Madrid have earned the right to be considered favourites for the 2024/25 season. The addition of Mbappé to their star-studded squad only improves their chances of securing a 16th European Cup.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side already have a European trophy in their pocket after winning the UEFA Super Cup in mid-August and are likely to improve as the season progresses. As their French superstar adjusts to a new environment, it is frightening to think of the quality they display both on the pitch and in the dugout.
It would be brave to bet against Real Madrid in any Champions League campaign. Their affinity with the competition is remarkable and their ability to take a beating and still come out on top is second to none.
More information on the 2024/25 Champions League:
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