Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink names Real Madrid, Manchester City and 2 other teams as his favorites to win the UCL this season
Chelsea icon Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has named Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Barcelona as his four favorites to win the Champions League this season. The inaugural season of the elite club competition of Europe under the new format is underway with 36 teams taking place.
Premier League side Aston Villa, managed by Unai Emery, are currently the surprise league leaders with a 100 percent win record. The Lions have been truly impressive and secured a memorable victory against German giants Bayern Munich.
Liverpool are the only other side with a 100% win record and are second in the table with Manchester City and AS Monaco sitting third and fourth, respectively. Brest, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan, and Sporting Lisbon are occupying the remaining of the top eight spots at the moment.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Benfica and Juventus are all just outside the automatic qualifying positions right now. However, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has backed Manchester City and Real Madrid for Champions League glory alongside Arsenal and Barcelona.
Hasselbaink told BoyleSports, as quoted by Metro:
"As well as Manchester City and Real Madrid, I’d put Arsenal and Barcelona in my four favourites to win the Champions League this season."
The former Chelsea striker added:
"I might’ve said Bayern Munich but I didn’t like how they played. I think it will be one of those four who lift the trophy. I really think Arsenal will go far."
The fourth gameweek of the Champions League will take place during Tuesday, November 5, and Wednesday, November 6.
Manchester City set to battle Real Madrid for Bundesliga sensation: Reports
Manchester City are reportedly set to go head to head against Real Madrid for the signature of Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz. The German wonderkid played a pivotal role behind Bayer Leverkusen's success last season under Xabi Alonso catching the eye of European elites.
The 21-year-old scored 18 goals and produced 20 assists in 49 appearances across competitions last season. His numbers played a crucial role for Xabi Alonso's side as they won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal undefeated.
Wirtz has carried on with his expectations form this season too having contributed with seven goals and one assist in 15 games. His exploits has seen him attract interest from major European clubs in recent months. As per David Ornstein via Football 365, both Manchester City and Real Madrid are keen on the 27-cap Germany international.