Ranking the 7 true contenders for the Champions League crown

After seeing all 32 sides in this season's Champions League hit the pitch, we rank the clubs that are being tipped to capture the prestigious title come June.

1. Barcelona

If there's a better team in Europe than Barcelona, we haven't seen it. Yes, early signs after a busy transfer window still suggest an over-reliance on Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez that could lead to a late-season burnout, but if Luis Enrique manages his squad appropriately, there's no reason the deadly trio shouldn't lead the Blaugrana to glory once again.

Celtic got a nice seat Tuesday to witness the sheer awesomeness of the greatest attacking trio ever seen, as the Catalan side threw down the gauntlet to every other contender with a 7-0 thumping akin more to a training session than a competitive contest.

2. Bayern Munich

In a bid to keep pace with Barcelona, Carlo Ancelotti's side fired out a warning shot of its own on Tuesday, brushing aside unfortunate debutant Rostov with ease en route to a 5-0 triumph.

Ancelotti has earned the somewhat degrading reputation as being just a "tournament manager" throughout his career, but for a Bayern Munich side looking to reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2012-13, that perhaps isn't quite the negative it would seem to be.

3. Real Madrid

The reigning champion took a while to get out of the blocks on Wednesday, falling behind to Sporting Lisbon at the Bernabeu before Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata scored in the waning minutes to overturn the deficit and steal all three points.

Related: 3 takeaways from Wednesday's Champions League action

And that's the frightening thing about Real Madrid. Loaded with an obscene collection of attacking talent - Isco and budding star Marco Asensio couldn't even get into the squad for the match - there's always the chance for an offensive outburst that can undermine all the good work of the opposition.

4. Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has the Citizens purring, and that's bad news for the rest of Europe. Touching Sergio Aguero right now will result in a trip to the hospital with third-degree burns, as the in-form Argentine smashed home a hat-trick in Wednesday's destruction of Borussia Monchengladbach.

Related: 3 reinvigorated City players star in victory over Monchengladbach

Ilkay Gundogan enjoyed a sparkling debut, Raheem Sterling is reinvigorated, and Kevin De Bruyne is blossoming into Europe's elite playmaker. Some concerns over the defence remain, sure - something that has been an issue for Guardiola in the Champions League in recent seasons - but the Spanish tactician has only been on the Etihad touchline for a short time, and his impact has already been enormous.

Things can only get better with time.

5. Atletico Madrid

Still built on the bedrock that is Diego Simeone's brick wall of a backline, Atletico Madrid has, somewhat quietly, compiled a cast of forwards that will be the envy of most managers on the continent.

Antoine Griezmann has plenty of help this time around, as Kevin Gameiro and Nicolas Gaitan arrived this summer, while Yannick Ferreira Carrasco and Saul Niguez continue to develop into bona fide stars.

All this for a team that has come up just short twice in the last three editions of the tournament.

6. Juventus

Don't panic yet, Juventus supporters, but Wednesday's frustrating goalless draw against Sevilla has an unnerving air of familiarity about it. The Bianconeri loaded up this summer, with the primary goal of the lavish expenditure being a deep Champions League run.

Related: Why Juventus fans shouldn't overreact after Sevilla letdown

And yet, the Old Lady's debut fixture saw some old problems emerge once again: nearly impeccable at the back - Sevilla's lone shot on target in the fixture came from roughly 25 yards out - Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala couldn't find the net at the other end.

There were chances - Higuain smacked the crossbar with a ferocious header - and an onslaught of late pressure, but Sevilla held firm. The squad is there for a long tournament run, but Juventus wasted an opportunity to calm its fans' nerves and get off to the ideal start. After finishing second in the group last season and drawing Bayern Munich in the Round of 16, the importance of winning your section is not lost on Massimiliano Allegri.

7. Borussia Dortmund

Thomas Tuchel's young guns are going to be must-see viewing all season if Wednesday's destruction of an admittedly weak Legia Warsaw side was any indication.

Borussia Dortmund, rolling out a starting XI with an average age of 24.25 years, romped to a 6-0 win, the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Raphael Guerreiro, and American teenager Christian Pulisic running riot.

The common (read: tired) trope suggests that experience is an absolute necessity to win big matches and deliver when it counts, but Dortmund's youngsters will pose big problems this season, and they're going to have fun doing it.

Outsider chance

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain

Tuesday's combatants in Group A, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are in something of an unenviable position. Clearly better than most teams in the competition, the sense persists that both are missing something to truly challenge Europe's elite.

Recent seasons have proven that injuries, form, and the all-important draw play a massive role in determining who reaches the latter stages of the competition, and, as such, the two capital-based clubs will undoubtedly harbour hopes of a deep run.

But the fact remains that a clash with any of the seven sides above would see both Arsenal and PSG branded as the underdog, leaving them just outside the realm of the true contenders.