The Football Faithful
·17 September 2024
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Yahoo sportsThe Football Faithful
·17 September 2024
The Uefa Champions League has kicked off for another year and it’s bigger than ever.
Whether that results in higher quality football remains to be seen, but the ‘league phase’ of the tournament
There are now 36 teams vying for 24 spots in the knockout rounds, but realistically only a select few can expect to be in contention win it at the end of the season.
We’ve consulted the betting odds to see who the bookmakers reckon are the most likely clubs to lift the famous trophy in 2025.
The German giants endured a dreadful campaign last year, finishing third in the Bundesliga and without a trophy for the first time in 12 years. And yet they came within a whicker of reaching the final. If Harry Kane can continue his spectacular goalscoring form from last season then they will fancy their chances against any team in the knockouts.
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It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen Barcelona at their best in the Champions League, but the Catalan outfit look really sharp so far under new manager Hansi Flick. The German has previous in this competition, having won it as part of a Treble with Bayern in 2020. It’s been a decade since Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez led the club to glory in Berlin – their longest run without a European trophy in 45 years.
Last season’s quarter-final exit at the hands of Bayern Munich was unexpected, but such is the jeopardy of knockout football at this level; the better team doesn’t always come out on top in a two-legged tie. Arsenal are in the ‘win now’ stage of the Mikel Arteta project – can the Basque coach finally lead the Gunners to a maiden Champions League win?
Real Madrid weren’t the best team in Europe last season (or in 2022) and still won the Champions League. Now that they’ve added Kylian Mbappe, the question should be: who can stop them?
Well, who else other than Manchester City? Pep Guardiola’s men relish the opportunity to exact revenge on Real after Carlo Ancelotti’s side low blocked their way to victory in the quarter-finals last season if they should meet in the knockouts. City’s squad is a little bit thin compared to previous years, but as long as Erling Haaland stays fit they will fear no one.
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