The 2023-24 Champions League group stage has come to a close and we now know who will be progressing to the round of 16.
With major clubs such as Manchester United, A.C. Milan and Newcastle failing to qualify past the group stage, the pool of likely candidates has diminished.
We take a look at which teams we believe stand the best chance of attaining European glory at Wembley Stadium on 1st June 2024 and some of the dark horses to watch out for.
The favourites
Manchester City
Man City are the bookies’ favourites to win this season and it is understandable why. They have arguably one of the greatest managers the sport has ever seen in Pep Guardiola; a man that has revolutionised modern football and is the envy of every club.
Moreover, they boast world class players in nearly every starting position. Erling Haaland continues to be one of the greatest goalscorers in the world, whilst the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones, Kyle Walker and Ederson make scoring against City a colossal task.
Rodri and Bernardo Silva are the epitome of class in the midfield and while he is fighting to recover from injury, Kevin De Bruyne is perhaps the defining midfielder of his generation. Guardiola’s side also have a plethora of wingers to choose from, with Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and new signing Jeremy Doku all vying for a place.
City are the reigning champions after winning their first ever Champions League title last year so this team now knows exactly what it takes to go all the way. Pending further injury troubles to their key players, Manchester City should feel confident that they truly are the team to beat.
Real Madrid
Embed from Getty ImagesReal Madrid have won more Champions League titles than any other club at an astounding 14. That’s double second-placed A.C. Milan, who have seven. For that reason, Los Blancos will always be in contention.
In the 2021/22 season they proved to be the cockroaches of football, in that they could survive almost anything, coming back from insurmountable odds on three separate occasions to win their 14th title.
There is no team that knows how to win the Champions League quite like Real Madrid and whilst their most recent title may have been largely aided by the heroics of Karim Benzema who has since departed the Santiago Bernabeu, they have a new talisman. Jude Bellingham may have been signed as a central midfielder, yet he is currently the top scorer in La Liga with 11 so far.
He has been outscoring the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Gerard Moreno, Alvaro Morata and Robert Lewandowski. The young Englishman is the jewel in this Real Madrid side and may prove to be precisely what Carlo Ancelotti Needs to challenge Man City this year.
Bayern Munich
Embed from Getty ImagesBayern Munich look reinvigorated this season after a somewhat disappointing Champions League campaign last season. There is one simple reason for that; Harry Kane. The signing of the England captain may have been initially unexpected, however England’s all-time goal scorer has taken to life at Bayern so perfectly that he has turned the side into Champions League title contenders once more.
After initially failing to replace the hole left by Lewandowski’s departure, in Kane the Bavarian giants once again have one of the greatest goal scorers in the world. Furthermore, Kane’s playmaking abilities have given Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane in particular new life. Jamal Musiala is proving to be one of the greatest young talents in football and Joshua Kimmich provides the perfect balance to him in midfield. New signing Kim Min-Jae has shown excellent defensive qualities, gifting Bayern a balanced starting 11. They deserve to be alongside City and Real as worthy title contenders.
The dark horses
Arsenal
While it may be slightly unfair to label Arsenal as dark horses this year, the club has never attained European glory in either the Champions League or the European Cup. This is also the first time Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League since the 2016/17 season, therefore few of their players are experienced in the competition.
Nonetheless, they boast an excellent, albeit still youthful squad, full of passion and potential. Mikel Arteta is proving why he should be considered Guardiola’s prodigy, with a similar free-flowing, attacking style of football. Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice all look like they were made for playing at this level and will give Gunners fans faith this this could finally be their year.
RB Leipzig
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter losing Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku, and Josko Gvardiol in the summer, many would have expected Leipzig to suffer. Instead, Marco Rose’s team have excelled this season, finding themselves fourth in the Bundesliga and winners of the German Super Cup after thrashing Bayern Munich 3-0. If their league form is anything to go by, the giants of European football should be cautious should they have to face Leipzig.
Napoli
Embed from Getty ImagesThough they may have lost their previous manager Luciano Spalletti and star centre-back Kim Min-Jae, Napoli should not be overlooked this year. Victor Osimhen, Hirving Lozano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have all chosen to remain at the club, providing an excellent attacking outlet. Giovanni Di Lorenzo grants vital experience in the midfield and the young Dane Jesper Lindstrom brings an excellent creative outlet.
Despite having never won the Champions League and only managing a UEFA Cup in 1989 thanks to Diego Maradona, Napoli are another dark horse this year that might just be able to provide a shock to European football.
