The UEFA Champions League is by far the most important soccer tournament and one of the most important sporting events on the planet. Each year, 32 of the world’s best teams take part in it and the Grand Final is watched by around 2 billion people. The event is covered from all angles by sports betting platforms like Rivalry, and you can follow it on TV a few times per week, at 9 PM CET. The 2021 – 2022 edition is very exciting because of the transfers that occurred before the start of the season. One of the world’s most famous players, Lionel Messi, is now competing for Paris Saint-Germain, and this gives the French club a unique opportunity to win the title for the first time in its history.
Champions League 2021 – 2022 Favorites
The 2021 – 2022 edition of the Champions League features a lot of great names. The most important competitors left in the race are the following:
PSG
PSG is the big favorite this year and probably the fans’ favorite as well. Everyone wants to see if Messi is capable of winning his 5th Champions League title with his new club. His career is almost over and like any top athlete, he would love to finish it on a high note.
PSG started the Playoffs Stage with a home victory against Real Madrid. The score was 1 – 0, thanks to an amazing goal scored by Mbappe in the 94th minute of the match. PSG now needs a draw or even a 1 – 2 defeat against the Spanish team in the second leg of the Round of 16. And they’re more than likely to succeed.
Liverpool
Liverpool looked terrifying during the Group Stage. Klopp’s team won 6 consecutive matches against opponents like AC Milan, FC Porto, and Atletico Madrid. Now, the 2019 CL winner wants more. Last year, its run ended in the Quarter Finals. This year, there’s a high chance that it will reach at least the Semis.
Chelsea
Chelsea is the champion of the 2020 – 2021 edition and its coach is one of the most ambitious managers on the planet. No doubt, he would love to win the title for the second time, just to make a point. However, to do this, his team will need to play better than it did in the Group Stage. Its 4 W – 1 D – 1 L record is unimpressive given the opponents: Zenit, Malmo, and Juventus. And by the way, we’re talking about a Juventus squad that lost Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of last season.
Chelsea’s Round of 16 opponent is one of the underdogs. LOSC Lille has slim chances of beating the English giant, so the real battle for Thomas Tuchel starts in the Quarterfinals.
Manchester City
Manchester City looked a bit weak in the Group Stage. Despite playing the Grand Final in 2021, Pep Guardiola’s team had serious problems in Group A and finished with a record of 4 W – 0 D – 2 L. However, its Round of 16 opponent is one of the weakest teams of the Playoffs: Sporting. The battle for qualification is already over, because in front of its home crowd, the Portuguese team lost with a spectacular score: 0 – 5.
Manchester United
Manchester United is currently 4th in the Premier League and the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo can be felt by everyone. It’s absolutely impressive how much a single player can influence an entire team and at this pace, we shouldn’t be surprised in Manchester United finishes in the top 4 not only in England but in the Champions League too.
Ajax
Ajax had an impressive run in the Group Stage of this edition of the UEFA Champions League, winning 6 consecutive matches. The downside is that its group was rather easy: Sporting, Dortmund, and Besiktas. The runner-up was Sporting and we saw what happened in the match against Manchester City. However, given the excellent stats, you shouldn’t ignore Ajax as a serious candidate for winning the title.
Bayern
And finally, we have Bayern. The German club dismantled all opposition in Group E, finishing with 6 victories and a goal difference of +19. The team scored 22 goals and conceded just 3. Can Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller win another title after their spectacular victory from 2019 – 2020? It remains to be seen.
