MY ACCOUNT
The group stages of the Champions League get underway this week and many fans will be looking for some early guidance as to which teams can go all the way this season.
Defending champions Real Madrid will once again be amongst the favourites to lift Europe’s top club prize, but they will find it hard to retain the trophy they won so impressively last season.
Nagelsmann can lead Bayern to success
Having lifted the European Cup in 2019-20, Bayern Munich have failed to get past the quarter-finals in the last two seasons but their big new addition could change that.
Sadio Mane decided to leave Liverpool after six years this summer and seems intent on adding to his winner’s medals with the German giants.
The Senegal international won the Champions League with the Reds in the 2018-19 season and played a significant role in knocking Bayern out in the last-16 stage.
It is no surprise to see Mane hit the ground running in the Bundesliga, scoring four goals in six domestic games, and he can show how impressive he is on the biggest stage.
Bayern do face a tough group, having been drawn alongside Barcelona and Inter Milan, but they should have enough to progress to the knockout stages.
PSG should qualify as group winners
One team still seeking their first Champions League success is Paris Saint-Germain, but the French club could not have wished for a better group draw.
Christophe Galtier has not got a lot of European managerial experience but he should feel good going into a group that includes Juventus, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa.
Juventus look to be in a spell of transition under returning boss Massimiliano Allegri, whilst a lack of quality in the other squads should see PSG take top spot.
Once they get to the knockout stages though, Galtier will be tested to the maximum and his lack of top-level experience may prove costly although you can never rule out a team that includes Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
City look best of British but Chelsea are a threat
Another team desperate for a first European title are Manchester City, with the Champions League once again at the top of Pep Guardiola’s priority list.
The Spaniard will be hurting from disappointment in previous years, but he and the City fans will believe that Erling Haaland could prove the difference in the search for the elusive prize.
On paper, City’s group could be tricky but Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla have not looked great so far this term and the Premier League side should go through as group winners.
Although their league form has been patchy, Chelsea are another team who could go far in this tournament, under a manager who helped them lift the trophy in 2020-21.
The Blues, who start their campaign with a trip to Dinamo Zagreb, have lost just two of their last 13 Champions League matches and have added European experience in the shape of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly this summer.
