Ranking the 5 favorites for the UEFA Champions League this season (2021-22)
As we edge closer to the commencement of the 2021-22 season, some of the biggest clubs in Europe are working hard in the transfer market to add quality players to their squad. The UEFA Champions League is the most coveted prize in club football and the usual suspects are set to be in the reckoning once again.
Before I reveal my top five favorites, it is important to address the elephant in the room first. Lionel Messi's decision to leave Barcelona has sent shock-waves across the footballing world, with the Argentine edging closer to a move to Paris Saint-Germain after it was announced that he will not be renewing his contract with Barcelona.
As for Barcelona, I wouldn't have had them as one of my five favorites for the UEFA Champions League this season even if Messi had stayed, as they are simply not the team they were a few years ago. Similarly, I don't believe Juventus will be strong enough to win the competition. Cristiano Ronaldo is a year older now and they've faltered in important games a handful of times over the years, so I don't expect anything too different this time around.
Real Madrid are always in the conversation when you speak about the UEFA Champions League, but as I said before with Lionel Messi and Barcelona, I don't expect them to win the competition even if they manage to sign Kylian Mbappe this summer.
Atletico Madrid are a strong side and Liverpool could also be in the reckoning if Virgil van Dijk returns to his best, so I've put these two teams down as dark-horses. Borussia Dortmund could impress in the group stages, but they are going to need a lot more than just Erling Haaland to make their presence felt in the knockout stages.
Now that the honorable mentions are out of the way, here are my top five favorites to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
#5 Chelsea
The defending champions, Chelsea, will definitely be in the running for the UEFA Champions League this season, but only if they manage to snap up Romelu Lukaku. If they don't manage to do so, I don't believe they have enough goals in the side to conquer Europe again.
Lukaku is a fantastic striker and will guarantee you 20-25 goals a season - no one else can do that for Chelsea right now. Chelsea will be a completely different proposition if they manage to get someone like him, so we'll have to wait and see how this one pans out.
It's hard to win the UEFA Champions League once, let alone in successive seasons. Some of the strongest teams in history have failed to win the competition back-to-back, but Chelsea will be in the reckoning, in my opinion.
#4 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have performed well in Europe in recent seasons and won the UEFA Champions League in 2020. With Robert Lewandowski - who is one of the most lethal goalscorers in the modern game - they will always be in with a chance of winning every competition they take part in.
They walk the Bundesliga pretty much every season and are expected to do so once again this time around, so they can concentrate on the UEFA Champions League at the business end of the campaign.
The likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, for example, could be embroiled in a title race in the Premier League, but that is unlikely to be the case for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. They will not be involved in a dogfight for the league title, so they can even afford to rest a few players to keep them fresh for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Bayern Munich are an experienced side and you just know they are going to be right up there.
Also Read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Chelsea pushing for major signing, updates on Lukaku and Kane's futures and more