After one of the most action-packed Champions League’s we have ever seen, the time is once again coming for a new club to raise Europe’s most coveted trophy. After almost getting knocked out of the group stage, Liverpool went on an improbable run to lift the trophy in Madrid this past June. They ran through Europes most elite in Bayern Munich, Porto, Barcelona, and Tottenham in the final. Under the leadership of their charismatic manager, Jurgen Klopp, they showed that they belonged with the big dogs. Even after falling behind 3-0 to Barcelona, they returned to Anfield and won 4-0 to advance to the final. Many of the big name clubs were upset throughout the tournament. PSG, Juventus, Manchester City, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich were all served early exits. So, who’s going to take the crown from Liverpool? How are they going to do it? Lets break it down.
Juventus
First lets talk about the team who has the player with the most Champions League goals of all time (126), has a record-tying five Ballon D’or awards, and five Champions League titles. His name is Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was most definitely an impactful player for the Italian side. His first year in Turin started off slow but seemed to pick up throughout the year. Juve performed well to finish top of a group that had strong teams like Valencia and Manchester United. After Juve found themselves 2-0 down on aggregate against Atlético Madrid, the team returned to Turin needing to score three goals and hold Atlético to none. Cristiano stepped up and put three goals in the back of the net to advance to the quarterfinals. However, this is where the road to the final ended for the Bianconeri. Juventus squared off against a young Ajax team who were fresh off upsetting the defending champions Real Madrid 5-3 in the Round of 16. The first leg in Amsterdam ended in a 1-1 draw, with Cristiano scoring for Juventus and David Neres for Ajax. With this result, Juventus were expected to finish off the tie back in Turin but things did not go their way. It started off well with Cristiano once again scoring in the 28th minute but Donny Van De Beek scored six minutes later, and then 19 year-old captain for Ajax Matthijs De Ligt scored on a header to knock out Juventus in their own stadium.
Prediction: Final Runner-Up
Juventus have already addressed many key points in their team to help their cause for a deep run in the tournament next year. With two free transfers in Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey they add two solid box to box midfielders to keep the rotation moving in the center of the pitch. Their biggest signing however is 19 year-old center back Matthijs De Ligt from Ajax for $88 Million. With De Ligt the Bianconeri bring in a strong and quick young center back to play side by side with captain Giorgio Chiellini in the back four. De Ligt doesn’t have much left to prove since he has already captained Ajax to an Eredivisie (Dutch League) title and to the Champions League semi-finals, in which they beat Juventus on their way there. They also still have young talent such as 19 year-old striker Moise Kean who surprised everyone last year by scoring six goals off the bench. With two old faces also coming back (Gianluigi Buffon and Gonzalo Higuain) and a new Italian manager in Maurizio Sarri, the club is poised to make a big run into the tournament.
Napoli
The Gil Azzuri had a quite disappointing season in the Champions League last year. After only needing a point to advance past the group stage they suffered a 1-0 defeat in Liverpool. They were then demoted to the Europa League where they received an early exit at the hands of Arsenal in the quarter-finals. However, they performed up to their expectations in league play. They managed to finish 2nd behind Juventus by only 11 points. They had three players who scored in double digits last year in Lorenzo Insigne (10), Dries Mertens (16), & Arkadiusz Milik (17). Carlo Ancelotti is also returning as manager and they still have their core pieces to succeed.
Prediction: Group Stage
The Italian side has already started to make some good signings as 28 year-old defender Kostas Manolas has arrived from Roma for $40.6 Million. In return Napoli has sent midfielder Amadou Diawara to Roma as part of the deal. This move forms one of the world’s strongest center back partnerships as Manolas and Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly will be the backbone of the squad. That is if Koulibaly stays, as he is linked to a move to either Manchester United or rival Juventus. Napoli are also heavily pursuing Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez in a loan deal with an option to buy at $47.3 Million. The move is believed to be almost done as the two sides are still trying to agree to terms. With James coming in to reunite with his former manager Ancelotti, and Manolas already knowing how to play in Serie A, the future is looking bright at the San Paolo. I see them challenging Juventus for the Scudetto once again, but I still feel they are not ready for Champions League football.
Bayern Munich
After being nine points behind rivals Borussia Dortmund in January, Bayern Munich clawed their way back and won their seventh Bundesliga title in a row. With star forward Robert Lewandowski leading the league in goals (22), right back Joshua Kimmich second in assists (13), and Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with 11 clean sheets in 26 games, Bayern showed why they are consistently at the top of Germany. Despite winning the Bundesliga and the DFB- Pokal (League Cup), they did not have the same success in the champions league. After finishing first in their group which consisted of Benfica and Ajax, they were embarrassed and outplayed by the eventual champions Liverpool after losing 3-1 at home.
Prediction: Round Of 16
Germany’s best club has a long way to go if they want to get anywhere close to the final in Istanbul. They need to replace some of their aging starters who’s glory days are almost behind them like Thomas Müller, Jerome Boateng, and Robert Lewandowski. They have already brought in two young French defenders in center back Benjamin Pavard (free transfer) from VfB Stuttgart and left back Lucas Hernandez ($90.2 Million) from Atlético Madrid. However, if they want to be considered a serious contender in Champions League they must bring in some new talent to re-energize the club. I say they should bring in Leroy Sané who was fallen out of Pep Guardiola’s favor at Manchester City and Timo Werner from RB Leipzig. Sané would be the perfect replacement for the recently retired Arjen Robben and would complement his fellow Germany teammate Serge Gnabry, who won player of the year at Bayern this past year. Werner would bring a boost of competition with Lewandowski and would provide another goalscoring option for Die Roten. If they do not make either of these moves, I unfortunately don’t see them getting anywhere past the round of 16.
Borussia Dortmund
After hopping into the front seat for the title race, Borussia Dortmund stumbled after the Bundesliga winter break, not keeping the same form that they showed in the first few weeks of the season. Shy of just two points, Marco Reus and company were distraught with the usual finish behind Bayern Munich. Even though the Dortmund faithful were angered with the result, there is still much to look forward to this season. Breakout English sensation Jadon Sancho led the league in assists with 14, Paco Alcácer was second in goals with 18, and Marco Reus added on 17 goals. However, like most of the clubs in this article, they did not perform well in the Champions League. After winning their group which consisted of Atlético Madrid and AS Monaco, Dortmund saw an early exit as eventual runner-ups Tottenham thrashed them 4-0 in the Round of 16. Their run in the tournament was short lived but the young team showed signs of promise.
Prediction: Quarterfinals
With young American star Christian Pulisic moving to Chelsea for $73 Million, Dortmund had some money to spend. They quickly went to work on their teams depth with some quality signings. They signed Julian Brandt from Leverkusen ($28.2 Million), Thorgan Hazard from Borussia Monchengladbach ($28.8 Million), and Nico Schulz from 1899 Hoffenheim ($30.5 Million) all arrive with chances to impact immediately. They also brought back defender Mats Hummels from Bayern for $41.7 Million. Hummels will provide a veteran presence in the dressing room and can serve as a mentor to young defenders like Dan-Axel Zagadou and Abdou Diallo. With a team that is strong and has depth at every position, Die Scharwzgelben are ready to earn some new silverware in Germany. However, I just can’t see any team from Germany getting past the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Paris Saint-Germain
Despite casually strolling through the farmers league that is Ligue 1, PSG struggled once again in the Champions League. After winning their group which consisted of eventual champions Liverpool and Napoli, PSG saw their Champions League run come to an abrupt end in the next round against Manchester United. After winning the first leg 2-0 in Manchester, they went back to Parc des Princes and lost 3-1 and were disqualified on away goals. Kylian Mbappe was a big bright spot for the club as he led the league with 33 goals. PSG scored 105 goals and only allowed 35 during the Ligue 1 season, showing their dominance as they trounced almost everyone. They also did a big portion of that without their star Neymar Jr, as he was out for three months with a foot injury.
Prediction: Quarterfinals
When the exit of midfielder Adrien Rabiot and the inevitable one of Neymar, PSG will be a new look team. With the arrival of Leandro Paredes from Zenit for $53 Million, Pablo Sarabia from Sevilla for $22.4 Million, and Ander Herrera from Manchester United on a free transfer, Les Parisiens bring in three central midfielders to support the attack of Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe. PSG will be without Gianluigi Buffon, as his one year stop in France came to end as he agreed to a one year contract with his former club Juventus. Fellow Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnaruma from AC Milan has been heavily linked to take over as the starting keeper for PSG. And while they try to send Neymar back to Barcelona, Les Rogue et Blue are looking for Coutinho in return plus cash. If they are able to complete both of these moves, I believe that they can make a strong run in the tournament but I see them losing to a bigger club like Barcelona or Juventus in the quarterfinals.
Barcelona
With one of the best players in the world in Lionel Messi, Barcelona are always expected to win every time they touch the pitch. With Messi leading La Liga in goals (36) and assists (13) Barcelona cruised to a first place finish. Although it may have seemed that way, Messi was not alone as his teammate Luis Suarez scored 21 goals and had 6 assists. After winning the league and reaching the final in the Copa De España, they were expected to finally achieve Champions League glory for the first time since the 2015 season. They went on to not lose any group stage games and finish first in a group consisting of Tottenham, inter Milan, and PSV Eindhoven. In the round of 16they thrashed Olympique Lyon 5-1 and embarrassed Manchester United 4-0 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals they were drawn against the previous years runner up in Liverpool. The first leg at the Nou Camp ended in a 3-0 victory and it was looking like Barcelona was one step closer to reaching the goal that was promised by Lionel Messi at the beginning of the year. Then it all went sideways the minute that whistle blew in Liverpool that night. Divock Origi opened the floodgates with his first goal in the seventh minute, followed by Georginio Wijnaldum scoring two goals in two minutes, and Origi scoring once again in the 79th minute to end the Barcelona nightmare. The defense absolutely disappeared and no one showed up to play besides Messi. It was a shameful piece of play and an embarrassment to the club. Even though they failed last year, I still feel that the Champions League trophy will find a new home next year in Catalonia.
Prediction: Champions
After failing on last years promise, Lionel Messi will redeem himself and lift the Champions League trophy in June. Here’s why. Barcelona have brought in a potential club legend in Frenkie De Jong for $84.7 Million from Ajax. De Jong is a world class talent who tore the Champions League up with Ajax towards their improbable run to the semi-finals. His presence in the midfield with Sergio Busquets, Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic, and Arthur will give Barcelona one of the strongest midfields in the world. They are also bringing in Antoine Griezmann from Atlético Madrid for a reported fee of $135.5 Million. Griezmann adds another weapon to an already talent filled attack with Ousmanne Dembélé, Luis Suarez, Malcolm, and of course Lionel Messi. Phillipe Coutinho is also currently in the squad, but Barcelona are trying to execute a swap deal with PSG to bring back Neymar. Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti have also been included in talks for a swap deal but nothing concrete has come about. If Barcelona are able to secure the transfers of Neymar and Antoine Griezmann there is almost a guarantee that the Blaugrana will lift the trophy in Istanbul.
Atlético Madrid
Los Rojiblancos had a very interesting season last year in both La Liga and Champions League. They had some bright spots like their star forward Antoine Griezmann who had 15 goals and 8 assists on the year. Their goalkeeper Jan Oblak had the most clean sheets in the league with 20 and they finished second by only 11 points to Barcelona. They delivered in the league but expectations were not fulfilled in the Champions League. After getting second place in a group consisting of Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco, Los Colchoneros were drawn against Italian powerhouse Juventus. In the first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano, Atlético showed excellent composure and scored twice within five minutes to win 2-0. However, in the second leg they suffered at the hands of Cristiano Ronaldo as he scored a hat trick to end Atlético’s run. Their attack was nowhere to be found and the defense seemed lost trying to keep up with the pace of Juventus. Their star Antonine Griezmann was out of sight as he didn’t score in both legs. Those two games would end up to be Griezmann’s last champions league games for Atlético.
Prediction: Round of 16
Antoine Griezmann filmed a whole Netflix documentary during the summer of 2018 showcasing his football journey throughout his life. The documentary highlighted mostly two things. His World Cup winning experience with France in 2018 and his decision to not leave Atletico Madrid in 2018. The fans were excited to see Griezmann come back and hopefully bring a sense of urgency to a club who hasn’t appeared in a Champions League final in three years. However, they were knocked out once again by a familiar face in Cristiano Ronaldo. This summer Atlético has decided to do a full rebuild on their squad. Key players like Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona, $135.5 Million), Gelson Martins (AS Monaco, Undisclosed), Diego Godin (Inter Milan, free transfer), Rodri (Manchester City, $78.5 Million), & Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich, $90.2 Million) have all left the club. In spite of all that, Atlético have brought in their fair share of players as well. Midfielder Marcos Llorente has arrived from crosstown rival Real Madrid for $44.9 Million, center back Felipe has arrived from Porto for $22.4 Million, and his fellow Porto teammate midfielder Hector Herrera arrived on a free transfer. Atlético also made one of the biggest moves of the summer by bringing in 19 year-old wonder kid João Félix from Benfica for an astronomical fee of $141.4 Million. Head coach Diego Simeone is taking a very big risk with this purchase, but Los Rojiblancos are known for creating incredible strikers. Some of the big name forwards that have came through Atlético in the past are Radamel Falcao, Fernando Torres, and Sergio Aguero. Atlético Madrid is a solid club, and will most likely finish in the top four of La Liga again. However, after losing so many key pieces I don’t see them going anywhere past the Round of 16.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid had one of its most disappointing seasons ever last year. They finished behind both Atlètico and Barcelona in the La Liga table (third place). Los Blancos continuously disappointed their fans by losing 12 league games, which was nine more games than Barcelona lost. After going through two different coaches (Julen Lopetegui & Santiago Solari) to start the season, the club hired former manager and player Zinedine Zidane to finish the season. With team morale already down, Zidane’s return didn’t go as planned, with the team continuing to lose important games. Things went even worse in the Champions League, after topping their group with 12 points, they were drawn against the underdogs Ajax in the Round of 16. After winning 2-1 at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, Los Blancos traveled back to the Bernabéu looking to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. However, they were embarrassed by the determined Ajax players and lost 4-1 in front of their fans. Ajax’s performance was recognized as a pure masterclass as the Madrid club looked absolutely lost on the pitch. To make matters worse, Madrid lost their bright young star Vinícius Jr. to an ankle injury for the rest of the season during the match. This was the tipping point to a forgettable season for the historic club.
Prediction: Semifinals
Madrid went to work on bringing in new talent immediately when the summer transfer window opened. Team president Florentino Perez reportedly gave Zidane $350 Million to spend and it has been put to good use so far. Madrid have already signed five new players and it’s not even August yet. Their biggest addition was Belgian international Eden Hazard, who was bought from Chelsea for $146.5 Million. Hazard scored 16 goals and recorded 15 assists last year in the Premier League. In his last year with the club they won the Europa League, reached the Carabao Cup Final, and finished third in the league table. He is expected to be automatically placed in to the starting lineup. Madrid also added some depth to complete their all around squad. They signed solid players like left-back Ferland Mendy from Olympique Lyon ($59.7 Million), center-back Éder Militão from Porto ($56.3 Million), striker Rodrygo from Santos ($50.7 Million), and striker Luka Jović from Eintracht Frankfurt ($67.6 Million). This gives Los Blancos a serious shot at a deep run in the Champions League, by bringing in new fresh talent to energize and motivate the squad. With Zidane back at the helm for a full year and the new signings coming in, the future is looking promising at the Bernabéu. I see them going all the way to the semifinals, but losing to their former superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus.
Manchester City
After beating out Liverpool for their second consecutive Premier League title by one point, the expectations are once again raised for Manchester City. Legendary manager Pep Guardiola will be looking for his third premier league title in a row, but that’s not the desired trophy in Manchester this year. After winning the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup, and the league title, fans are still longing for Europe’s crown. The Champions League left a sour taste in their mouth after fellow English club Liverpool won the trophy for the first time in 15 years. City succeeded at first by winning their group which consisted of 1899 Hoffenheim, Shaktar Donetsk, and Olympique Lyon. After completely demolishing FC Schalke 04 10-2 over two legs in the Round of 16, City was drawn with fellow English club Tottenham in the quarterfinals. City lost the first leg in London 1-0 from a Son Heung-Ming goal. The next game in Manchester would be one of the most electric games of the whole year. After 21 minutes the score was 3-2 to City after two goals from Raheem Sterling and a goal from Bernardo Silva. Son scored the two goals for Tottenham, but later in the 59th minute Sergio Agüero scored to make it 4-3 on aggregate. Substitute Fernando Llorente scored in the 73rd minute to make it 4-4 on aggregate going in Spurs favor due to away goals. Then one of the most remarkable moments in all of Champions League happened. In the 90th minute Raheem Sterling seemed to have scored a fair goal to advance City into the next round, but VAR (Video Assistant Referee) found that Agüero was offside before passing it to Sterling and the goal was taken back. Spurs ended up on winning based on away goals and City were heartbroken and knocked out of the Champions League.
Prediction: Quarterfinals
After the hard fought defeat last year in the quarterfinals, The Citizens felt like they needed one or two more pieces to complete their squad. City went on to pick up a former player of theirs in Spanish left-back Angeliño from PSV Eindhoven (undisclosed fee). Their big signing was Spanish midfielder Rodri, from Atlético Madrid for $78.5 Million. He will join in to a team deep in the midfield position and will connect with fellow Spaniards David Silva and Angeliño. With their key players returning I see City having similar success in domestic play. However, with all these teams making big monumental moves. I don’t see them going anywhere past where they were last year.
Chelsea
After the up and down season with Italian manager Maurizio Sarri, The Blues will face an uphill battle next year. After finishing third in the Premier League and winning the Europa League you would think that the expectations would be higher, right? Wrong. The London club will be without their star player Eden Hazard, as he has completed a move to his dream club Real Madrid this summer. Chelsea have replaced Sarri with club legend Frank Lampard as manager. Lampard led his championship side Derby County to the Championship Playoff-Final against Aston Villa as they fell one step short of promotion to the Premier League. Lampard brings experience and knowledge of the club to the dressing room. The plan for this developmental year is to connect with the players to build chemistry in the dressing room and finish in a Champions League spot in the table once again.
Prediction: Group Stage
Chelsea will be a completely new-look club going into the 2019/2020 season. With Hazard gone, The Blues looked to replace him with young talent. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, and Rueben Loftus-Cheek are all young English talents that will flourish under Lampard’s veteran guidance. Even new signing Christian Pulisic is receiving praise from Lampard early on, by coming straight to training from his Gold Cup tournament run with the US National Team. Pulisic was brought in for $73 Million from Borussia Dortmund and will be expected to go straight into Lampard’s starting eleven. Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovačić has been signed permanently from Real Madrid after a year on loan and Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi will also return to the club from several loan spells. With Lampard stepping in to help all the young talent, the future is looking bright at the Stamford Bridge. I think Chelsea will succeed in domestic play but will face problems in the Champions League due to inexperience. I think they will finish third in their group and once again be forced to play in Europa League.
Tottenham Hotspurs
What an incredible year for Spurs, as they went on an improbable run to the Champions League Final. Spurs placed second in a group with PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, and Inter Milan. They were drawn against Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16, who they whooped 4-0 on aggregate to advance to the quarterfinals. As I wrote earlier, they went on to have one of the craziest matches ever with Manchester City to advance them into the semifinals. They were drawn against fellow underdog Ajax to see who could advance into the final. They were upset at home 1-0 after a Donny Van de Beek goal gave the Amsterdam club an advantage going in to the second leg. They traveled to Amsterdam without their star striker Harry Kane and had another classic match. With Spurs down 2-0 at the half, it seemed as if it was all she wrote for the London club. But a hero emerged from the ashes, and his name was Lucas Moura. Lucas went on to score a hat-trick with the winning goal in the 95th minute to break the hearts of Ajax supporters. Unfortunately for Spurs, they went on to lose to Liverpool in the final 2-0. Despite losing in the final, the season was looked at as a success by many fans due to the fact that they didn’t bring any new players and still made it to the final.
Prediction: Quarterfinals
To the joy of Spurs fans, the club finally reached into their pockets and spent some money. 22 year-old French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele was brought in from Olympique Lyon for $78.8 Million. Ndombele brings a huge central midfield presence to pair with fellow French international Moussa Sissoko, who impressed with his play last year. With manager Mauricio Pochettino returning having already sustained a relationship with the players, I expect Spurs to finish in the top four in the league once again. However, I see them taking a step down in the Champions League due to the increased competition and quality from bigger clubs.
Liverpool
ONE POINT AWAY. That’s how close Liverpool were to winning their first Premier League title in 30 years. Absolute heartbreak for all Reds supporters everywhere. Little did they know there would still be a championship parade through the streets of Liverpool just weeks later. Liverpool barely escaped their group by beating Serie A side Napoli on the final match day of the group stages. They beat German super-powers Bayern Munich 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. They went on to absolutely demolish FC Porto 6-1 over two legs and them came their biggest challenge yet. After finding themselves 3-0 down to FC Barcelona all hope seemed to be lost for the Reds. Nonetheless, Barcelona was not ready for the magic of Anfield. Club legend Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum would go on to score twice as Liverpool completed one of the most amazing comebacks in all of football history. The Reds went on to defeat Tottenham in the final with goals from Mo Salah and Divock Origi to give them their first European Championship in 14 years.
Prediction: Semifinals
Jürgen Klopp has brought new life to the Merseyside club. After the horrors of Brendan Rogers, Klopp has come in and established Liverpool as an annual contender for the Premier League and a force to be reckoned with in all European competitions. With star players like Virgil Van Dijk, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and Mo Salah all returning, the Reds are poised for another deep run in the Champions League. Even with the immense threat that Liverpool brings to the table in the Champions League, FC Barcelona continues to bring in marquee signings every summer which might result in the Catalonians avenging their previous loss at Anfield. I am confident that Klopp’s 11 will bring the Premier League title back to where it belongs.
