Ladies and gentlemen the wait is almost over and we are just days away from watching the biggest teams in Europe battle it out in their respective leagues. This however is not what Bogoljub Karic and I are going to focus on today, instead we are going to turn our attention to the greatest club competition in the world, the Champions League.

Last season was full of thrills, spills and shocks which saw Liverpool become eventual winners, beating Spurs in the final. That all seems a long time ago now, so let’s look ahead to who will be the contenders this year, and how we think they will fare. 

Liverpool 

The Champions of Europe will certainly be in the mix again and we expect them to at least get to the Quarter Finals. Liverpool are incredible and they have a squad which could win this trophy for a second consecutive year. Unfortunately we think that they may just be focusing harder on the Premier League, which is why we think that they may fall short. 

PSG 

PSG walk the league every year and their main focus is always the CL. Despite having spent more money than God in recent years, they just can’t get close enough and this season will be much the same. Cavani is another year older, there is a split in the camp around Neymar and whilst Mbappe is arguably one of the greatest players on the planet, he won’t be able to do it alone.  

Spurs

Spurs shocked the world by getting to the final last year, and having tasted that disappointment they’ll want to get there again. We expect that with a favorable draw Spurs could easily get to the semi-finals again this year, the rest will be up to them. 

Real Madrid

We don’t expect to see Madrid at the top table for a while, even with the purchase of Eden Hazard. The reason for this is the turmoil at the club, Zidane isn’t the safest pair of hands at the moment and they will be pushing hard to win La Liga. Last 16 or quarter finals will be as far as Real go. 

Barcelona 

Desperately unlucky to have lost a 3-0 lead against Liverpool last year, Barca and Messi will be looking for vengeance. We expect the Catalans to reach the final this year, they are still an outstanding team and Messi and Suarez will have Griezmann alongside them for additional support. 

Juventus 

We don’t see Juve getting beyond the last 8 this year, Ronaldo will be another year older, Kean is gone, Dybala possibly going and Sarri isn’t the man to lead them to the CL trophy. 

Atletico 

Atletico look set to give a real push this year having smashed their transfer record twice. Simeone is still at the helm, the defense is tight and they have some brilliant attackers, expect them to reach the semi finals. 

Man City 

We think that this will be the year that City finally lift this trophy which is missing from their cabinet. They have one of the best teams in Europe, along with the best manager, it is only a matter of time, and this year will be theirs. 

Jane