The UEFA Champions League is Europe's premier football tournament. The tournament is only open to the best teams from the various European leagues. As a result, it's high-octane, high-quality action from the start, and even the group stages are jam-packed with thrilling battles between evenly matched teams.
Last season, Real Madrid won their 14th Champions League title, defeating Liverpool 1-0 in the final. Los Blancos have dominated the competition in recent years, winning the Champions League five times in the last ten years.
It's difficult to predict whether they'll be able to retain the title as the new season begins. Several top European teams have strengthened their squads and are expected to go all out in Europe.
Without further ado, here are the five early favorites to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
To cut their losses, Chelsea allowed Romelu Lukaku to return to his former club Inter Milan on loan. But it won't be a big loss for them because the big Belgian striker has been a liability since his arrival on a club record (€113 million) deal last summer.
While Antonio Rudiger's free transfer departure must have broken many Chelsea hearts, he has been replaced by Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese center-back is one of the best in the world, and he will undoubtedly strengthen the Blues' defense.
Together with Thiago Silva, Koulibaly has the potential to make Chelsea one of the strongest defensive units in Europe. Andreas Christensen is another player who will be missed, but he was never a first-team regular.
Last season, Thomas Tuchel's men performed admirably in the Champions League, only to be eliminated by an unstoppable Real Madrid side. They have the ability to up their game for the occasion and will be optimistic about their chances in the Champions League.
Last season, Liverpool came up just short of a historic season. They won the FA Cup and the League Cup, as well as reaching the Champions League final, where they were defeated by Real Madrid. Manchester City won the Premier League title on the final day of the season, edging out Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.
Sadio Mane, their star forward, has left to join Bayern Munich this summer. However, they have broken the bank in order to sign.
A settled Lionel Messi will be a completely different player than the one we saw at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2021-22 season. Kylian Mbappe's decision to continue his career at PSG is a significant one for the club's Champions League hopes.
Neymar Jr. will be eager to silence his detractors once more. They've also strengthened their midfield by signing Vitinha from FC Porto for €41.5 million. Nuno Mendes' loan agreement has also been extended for another €38 million.
If Marquinhos can regain his form and the PSG defense and midfield perform significantly better than they did in the 2021-22 season, they will be among the favorites to win the Champions League this time around.
Karim Benzema's incredible form helped Real Madrid win their 14th Champions League title last season. Can he repeat it this semester? Perhaps. Can Vinicius Jr. repeat his heroics from the previous term? If the answers to both of these questions are positive, Real Madrid may be able to repeat their feat this season.
They've strengthened their defense with the addition of Antonio Rudiger, a world-class center-back from Germany. The addition of Aurelien Tchouameni to the midfield will provide depth, but he isn't an upgrade over the world-class Casemiro.
Manchester City were one of Europe's most dominant teams in the 2021-22 season, despite the absence of a true striker. They only added Erling Haaland, one of the world's most prolific goal scorers, to their squad this summer for €60 million.
They've also signed Julian Alvarez, a promising young striker. Kalvin Phillips has joined from Leeds United in a €48.75 million deal, adding to their squad. City have bulked up significantly this summer, and the truth is that they didn't even need to in order to be a credible threat.
However, they are clear favorites to win the Champions League heading into the new season.
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