The Champions League is back, but the million-dollar question remains: which team will get their hands on the famous trophy in Madrid on June 7, 2027?
Key Highlights:
- Champions League returns, with PSG aiming for a third straight title.
- Arsenal are favourites to win, according to Opta, with a 20.4% chance.
- Bayern Munich, Man City and PSG are among the main contenders.
- Players to watch include Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kvaratskhelia.
- Five Premier League teams are among the top 10 favourites to win the trophy.
Defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain is aiming to win the title for the third year running as the league phase begins tonight.
Five English teams will try to stop them, with Arsenal the favourites to better their runners-up slot from last year.
Commenting on the likelihood of PSG retaining the prestigious title, football expert, Julien Laurens, while speaking with the BBC, said it would be incredible if the French side did the treble.
“It would be an incredible achievement. I don’t think they will do it. I think two in a row is already special; three in a row is impossible unless you’ve got Cristiano Ronaldo in your team, which they don’t.
“I think they will be close. I think they’ll reach at least the semi-final, but I think going for three in a row is tough,” he said.
On the chances of Real Madrid winning the trophy, he expressed doubts about the club’s project under Jose Mourinho.
He, however, picked Bayern Munich and Arsenal to reach the final as the most probable teams, other than PSG, who deserve to be there the most based on their performances in the past two seasons.
“To win it, I’ll go for Arsenal. They have the best defence in Europe by far, and that’s what wins you titles. I would go for PSG to reach the last four, Bayern as close runners-up, and Arsenal to win it,” he predicted.
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Another football expert, Guillem Balague, in his comments also with the BBC, observed that with PSG’s irregular start to the current season, it’s now very obvious to see how difficult it is to maintain the same level the club displayed last season.
Balague said: “Luis Enrique continues to push the team to be in the vanguard of football, which is demanding, with dynamic football and relentless pressure. With the league phase considered a place to experiment and prepare for the second half of the season, there will be a time of transition and strange results before the crunch time from January onwards.
“As the main axis is there, I expect them to get very close to winning it again. But Barcelona are flying. They would like another centre-back and a number nine. It is what Hansi Flick wanted to get to the next level, but he feels they are on the way to the top anyway.
“Arsenal have found a way to win regularly, and with that off their shoulders, players feel a release that will make them play better. Those three should be in the semis unless they meet before. The fourth, again draw permitting, should be Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Manchester City.
For the five players to watch out for as this year’s Champions League kicks off, Laurens’ first pick was Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid, newcomers Como’s number 10 Nico Paz, PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lens’ Ismaelo Ganiou and former Aston Villa player, now with Roma, Donyell Malen, who has been banging in a goal per game as a lone striker for Gian Piero Gasperini‘s side.
As for Balague, his first choice of the five players to watch out for is Bayern Munich and England forward, Harry Kane, in contention for this year’s Ballon d’Or, Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Shakhtar Donetsk’s 20-year-old Brazilian star Kaua Elias and Arsenal’s Norwegian striker, Martin Odegaard.
Meanwhile, Opta forecasts that last year’s runners-up Arsenal are the overall favourites to win the Champions League (20.4%), with Bayern Munich, who lost to PSG in the semi-finals, only marginally behind (20%).
PSG’s chances of winning a third European title in a row are 7.3%, fourth overall, while 2023 winners Manchester City are third, having been given a 12.7% chance.
All five of the Premier League teams are ranked inside the top 10 for overall win probability, and all have been given a more than 50 percent chance of reaching the last 16.
In the league phase, Liverpool has the easiest draw according to Opta’s power rankings, while Stuttgart has the easiest run overall and Inter Milan the most favourable of the teams from pot one.
Arsenal also have a relatively favourable draw. Despite drawing Real Madrid and Bayern Munich from pot one, Mikel Arteta’s side also drew the two lowest-ranked sides in the competition, Sabah and Slovan Bratislava.
Manchester City face the toughest fixtures of the English clubs, with only five teams receiving a tougher draw overall. They have drawn two European giants from pot one in Barcelona and PSG, while 24th-ranked Napoli are a particularly difficult test from pot three.
Last season, Arsenal finished top of the league phase after being given one of the easiest fixtures, according to Opta, while Bayern Munich finished second despite being handed the toughest set of opponents of all 36 sides.
