Champions League storylines: Will Arsenal lastly win?

The Champions League returns this week and among the world’s greatest golf equipment are trying to dethrone reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain by lifting the European Cup in Budapest, Hungary, subsequent Could. Six Premier League groups, Spain‘s heavyweights of Barcelona, Actual Madrid and Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich will all again themselves to topple PSG, whereas Italian champions Napoli might be a harmful outsider.

Matchday one — unfold over three days — has thrown up some field workplace clashes together with Bayern Munich in opposition to Chelsea, Newcastle at dwelling to Barcelona and Metropolis in opposition to Napoli. In order membership soccer’s most glamorous and prestigious competitors resumes (sorry, FIFA Membership World Cup followers), who’re the gamers and golf equipment to be careful for, and the place are the most effective storylines?

Can PSG go back-to-back and win it once more?

The French giants received their first-ever Champions League final season in type, with Luis Enrique’s crew recording a report 5-0 victory within the ultimate in opposition to Inter Milan in Munich.

The Ligue 1 champions overcame 4 Premier League groups — Man Metropolis, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal — on their solution to the ultimate, and their run to glory noticed Ousmane Dembélé put himself in pole place to win the Ballon d’Or, with the winner set to be introduced in Paris on Sept. 22. Désiré Doué, Vitinha, João Neves, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi additionally had excellent seasons for Enrique’s crew and their Champions League success sparked a debate about whether or not they may now have a interval of dominance much like these of Actual Madrid and Barcelona in recent times.

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So, may they do it? PSG are largely unchanged from final season, though Gianluigi Donnarumma‘s transfer to Man Metropolis following the signing of Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier means a major change of personnel. With a world-class coach and so many gamers on the high of their sport, PSG are the crew to beat they usually have what it takes to go all the way in which once more.

Is that this Arsenal’s time?

With PSG ending their wait to turn out to be European champions final season, Arsenal at the moment are arguably the largest membership who’re nonetheless with no first Champions League title.

Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta mentioned after final season’s semifinal exit in opposition to PSG that his crew had been the most effective within the competitors, regardless of the defeat, and Arsenal have strengthened considerably throughout the summer season. The addition of Viktor Gyökeres, Martín Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and others means there are not any extra excuses now for Arsenal and Arteta in each the Premier League and Champions League.

Arteta’s aspect begin their marketing campaign away to Athletic Membership on Tuesday, which is an opportunity to make an instantaneous assertion that this may lastly be their yr. They’ve the standard and the depth, in addition to the motivation of going so shut final yr; anticipate them to mount a severe problem.

Can Napoli finish Italy‘s lengthy look ahead to glory?

Solely Spain (20) and England (15) have received extra European Cups / Champions Leagues than Italy’s 12, however Serie A has not been in a position to lay declare to the European champions since Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich within the 2010 ultimate.

Inter and Juventus have each misplaced twice within the ultimate that 2010 success and though the 2 golf equipment are as soon as once more within the Champions League this season, Italy’s greatest likelihood of offering a winner is more likely to come from Napoli. Antonio Conte’s crew received the Scudetto final season, impressed by the targets of Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay, they usually added the expertise of Kevin De Bruyne — a Champions League winner with Manchester Metropolis in 2023 — throughout the summer season.

Napoli’s matchday one conflict with Metropolis on the Etihad will give us an early perception into their prospects of difficult to win the competitors, however they’ve the firepower and the expertise to go all the way in which and finish Italy’s prolonged wait for fulfillment.

Can anybody cease Barcelona?

If attacking menace was the important thing to profitable the Champions League, Barcelona can be the clear favorites this time round. Hansi Flick’s crew has the prodigious expertise of Lamine Yamal, the seasoned goalscoring expertise of Robert Lewandowski and the tough tempo of Raphinha, who topped the targets (13) and assists (8) charts in final season’s competitors.

With Marcus Rashford, Ferran Torres and Swedish teenager Roony Bardghji additionally in his squad, Flick arguably has extra potential goal- scorers than some other crew. However as final season’s 7-6 combination semifinal defeat in opposition to Inter confirmed, it’s Barcelona’s weak spot on the again that offers opponents hope.

Solely Slovan Bratislava, Salzburg and Feyenoord conceded greater than the 24 targets that Barcelona let in final season — champions PSG conceded solely 15 targets. However with the ache of final season more likely to focus Barcelona minds, mixed with the return to Camp Nou after two seasons at Montjuic, Barca have the squad to win the Champions League for the primary time since 2015.

Will Alonso, Slot or Kompany strike for the brand new teaching era?

If you wish to win a Champions League, it normally helps to have a coach who has received it earlier than or already reached a ultimate.

The previous 4 Champions Leagues have been received by coaches who had already lifted the last word prize: Carlo Ancelotti (Actual Madrid, 2022, 2024), Pep Guardiola (Man Metropolis, 2023) and Luis Enrique (PSG, 2025). And when Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea, 2021) and Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool, 2019) lifted their first European Cup, each had already suffered defeats in earlier finals.

Hansi Flick, with Bayern in 2020, is the one first-time winner with no earlier expertise of a ultimate since Zinedine Zidane guiding Actual to the primary of three successive titles in 2016. Enrique and Guardiola will each anticipate to go deep on this season’s competitors with PSG and Metropolis respectively, however may a brand new coach break the mildew and go all the way in which with out earlier ultimate expertise this yr?

Xabi Alonso at Actual and Liverpool’s Arne Slot may each tick that field, whereas Bayern Munich will anticipate Vincent Kompany to take the Bundesliga champions all the way in which. Antonio Conte (Napoli), Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) and Enzo Maresca (Chelsea) will all harbor hopes of success too, which means the previous guard might must make means for a brand new identify this season.

Who has the most effective probabilities from England’s “huge six” individuals?

The Premier League is over-represented on this season’s competitors because of the success of its golf equipment taking its most allocation of 4 slots to 6 on account of Tottenham profitable the Europa League and England topping UEFA’s co-efficient desk. Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Metropolis, Chelsea and Newcastle make up England’s six-pack, however regardless of the power of the Premier League, it hasn’t offered a Champions League finalist for the previous two seasons.

With such a heavyweight contingent this time round, it appears inevitable that not less than one English membership will make it to the ultimate, and we may even see an all-English ultimate for the primary time since Chelsea beat Metropolis in Porto in 2021.

Six-time Champions League winners Liverpool are England’s strongest contender and their pedigree within the competitors makes them a formidable prospect, however Arsenal are sturdy and Chelsea have developed a knack of profitable main trophies. Metropolis appear to be in a interval of transition, however they nonetheless have Pep Guardiola and the targets of Erling Haaland, and Spurs now know what it takes win silverware after final season’s Europa League success.

With Newcastle additionally within the combine, it tasks to a Premier League-heavy competitors once we attain the knockout levels in 2026.

Who’re the damaging outsiders?

It has been some time since a crew from outdoors Europe’s main leagues received the Champions League — Jose Mourinho’s Porto in 2004 had been the final to take action — and it’s powerful to envisage that altering this season. The most effective hope of a shock is likely one of the less-fancied groups from England, Germany, Spain, Italy or France going far within the competitors and perhaps even reaching the ultimate.

Monaco might be price a watch with each Paul Pogba and Ansu Fati making an attempt to reignite their careers with the Ligue 1 aspect, whereas Eintracht Frankfurt have proven an unbelievable capacity to seek out new gamers to switch departed stars. Can they do it once more after the exits of Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike this yr?

Villarreal have twice reached the semifinals, dropping to Arsenal in 2006 and Liverpool in 2022, whereas Athletic Membership went shut in final season’s Europa League earlier than being knocked out by Manchester United. Membership Brugge had been a shock bundle in final season’s competitors, whereas Olympiacos ended Greece’s look ahead to a European trophy by profitable the Convention League in 2024.

If any of the above can attain the ultimate, it will be a significant shock.

Remember the fairytale tales

The Champions League is never concerning the minnows. It’s the competitors that’s dominated by — and received by — the world’s greatest and richest golf equipment. However each season throws up a shock and a crew that has reached the League Stage the laborious means by ploughing by the qualifying rounds.

Moldova’s Sheriff Tiraspol pulled off an enormous shock by beating Actual Madrid 2-1 within the Santiago Bernabeu in Sept 2021, whereas Rubin Kazan (Barcelona 2009), Younger Boys (Man United, 2021) and Maccabi Haifa (Juventus, 2022) have additionally delivered main upsets within the early levels of the Champions League. Pafos FC (Cyprus), Qarabag FK (Azerbaijan), Bodo / Glimt (Norway) and Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan) have all made it to the League Stage and their ambition can be to say not less than one victory regardless of being rank outsiders.

Control Bayern Munich’s journey to Pafos this week and Kairat’s dwelling sport in opposition to Actual Madrid on matchday two as potential upsets.