Champions League Ranking: Following the end of the qualifying rounds on Thursday morning, the UCL groups will be selected, and we’ve classified all 32 clubs based on their prospects of winning in June.
Real Madrid won this year’s final, defeating Liverpool in May to become European champions for a record-breaking 14th time.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be hoping to be inside the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in roughly ten months for 2023 final, but he will be hoping to prevent a recurrence of what happened when he took his AC Milan club to Istanbul in 2005.
Champions League Ranking
FUTBALLNEWS believes Los Blancos have as good a chance as anyone to retain their title, rating Real above all other contenders:
Real Madrid
Last season’s champions have to be the favorites, after all, most people wrote them off against PSG, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool on their road to their 14th European title. Casemiro has left, but they have replaced him with Aurelien Touchameni and Antonio Rudiger. Karim Benzema continuing his incredible form from last season could be the key.
Manchester City
Why not now, if one year has to be their year? The fact that they haven’t yet done so keeps them behind Real, but they’ve had close calls in recent years. With Erling Haaland in the mix, this is undoubtedly Pep Guardiola’s best chance to win a European title without Lionel Messi.
Liverpool
Despite a shaky start to the Premier League season, Jurgen Klopp’s runners-up remain one of the greatest in the world. Even if they can’t match City’s constant winning in the league, the Reds are perfectly set up to win any one-off game, and their recent and historic success in the competition always makes them one of the favorites.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG, like City, will undoubtedly escape their Champions League hoodoo at some point. Keeping Kylian Mbappe was critical, and they’ve spent wisely this summer rather than chasing big names. With Mbappe, Neymar, and Messi up front, the greatest challenge may be team chemistry.
Bayern München
Taking Robert Lewandowski out of most clubs would have a significant impact, but signing Sadio Mane is a significant boost to Bayern’s European ambitions. With the arrival of Matthijs de Ligt, they are significantly less likely to be eliminated by surprise, as they were against Villarreal last year.
Chelsea
With no recognized number nine leading the line, Chelsea’s goal problem will persist. However, Thomas Tuchel’s men did it in 2020, and their defense remains a strength, especially now that they have Kalidou Koulibaly.
Barcelona
After an ignominious relegation into the Europa League last season, Lewandowski’s ability to score goals at the highest level means that Barcelona is a force this year. Xavi’s men could pull a force in this year’s UCL.
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone is accustomed to bringing his team late in the competition, and they will be optimistic about their chances once again. Joao Felix’s hat-trick of assists on the first day of La Liga suggests that he is a big talent who is only getting better.
Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte’s record in Europe may not be the finest, but any squad with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min can beat anyone. Ivan Perisic’s addition at the back is a significant help, and Richarlison’s arrival ensures they have greater depth for a long season.
Inter Milan
Stefano Pioli may have gotten Milan to perform better than the sum of their parts. They have one of Europe’s most sought-after attackers in Rafael Leao, but they also have experience up front in Olivier Giroud, Divock Origi, and, once fit, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Juventus
Juve and Max Allegri will be looking to erase their European misery this season after an ugly defeat to Villarreal last season. If they can get Dusan Vlahovic to fire on all cylinders, they could make a run late in the tournament.
Sevilla
Forget how likely they are to win this, Sevilla should try to finish third in their group, drop down to the Europa League, and win that, all so they can repeat the process in a year.
Porto
Even now, none of the teams have a chance to win, but that would have been said about Jose Mourinho’s Porto 18 years ago! Sergio Conceicao’s club is difficult to beat, having knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus two years ago, as well as beating Chelsea and Manchester City.
This are the ranked teams with possibilities of winning the 2022/23 Champions League. However, football is a sport that is completely unpredictable, hence, we can only wait for time to see how things turn out.
