Ranking the 7 clubs capable of dethroning Real Madrid
Can anyone knock Real Madrid from its lofty perch atop European football? The Spanish juggernaut became the first club to capture consecutive Champions League titles with its dismissal of Juventus last season, and heads into the new campaign as the favourite to make history once more and extend its spell of continental dominance. Here, we rank the seven clubs with a realistic chance of dethroning Zinedine Zidane's side this season.
Heavyweight quartet
1. Bayern Munich
The recent floundering performance against Hoffenheim aside, Bayern Munich, much like last season, still looks best equipped to supplant Real Madrid at the top of the European football pyramid. If not for some questionable officiating that skewed white instead of red, the Bavarian side may actually have accomplished that feat in last year's quarter-finals.
Instead of dwelling on that disappointment, though, Bayern fine-tuned its already ludicrous squad this summer, adding impressive pieces that Carlo Ancelotti hopes will be enough to push the club onto six European Cups.
A victory in Kyiv in May would simultaneously give him the crown as the most successful manager in tournament history.
2. Barcelona
With all the shenanigans behind the scenes over the summer - the mixed messages from club brass over apparent contract standoffs with club icons, the fans' desire to see president Josep Maria Bartomeu kicked to the curb, the pettiness over Neymar's departure - it's easy to forget that Barcelona is doing just fine on the pitch, thank you very much.
Lionel Messi is still, well, Lionel Messi. Luis Suarez is going to score a truckload of goals this season. Ousmane Dembele is a damn fine consolation prize after the loss of "he who Catalans everywhere now despise." Nelson Semedo solidifies last year's biggest area of weakness.
Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, and Ivan Rakitic are a year older, and that's cause for concern in a midfield that should've been bolstered during the transfer window, but let's not pretend like this isn't still one of the most frightening sides in Europe.
3. Paris Saint-Germain
The question that everyone at the Parc des Prince is hoping gets answered in the affirmative: does all that money spent to wrestle Neymar from the clutches of Barcelona catapult Paris Saint-Germain to true contender status?
The lithe Brazilian, widely accepted as the next in line behind Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, is finally getting his chance to be the undisputed catalyst of a squad littered with attacking firepower.
If he does indeed get PSG over the hump and to the promised land, €222 million is going to seem like a bargain. And so will the hefty expenditure on teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe, for that matter.
4. Juventus
Twice a Champions League bridesmaid in the last three seasons, it's impossible not to feel like Juventus' greatest chance at continental success went by the wayside with June's second-half capitulation in Cardiff.
Leonardo Bonucci and Dani Alves are gone, and while the club made some exciting additions up front - Douglas Costa and Federico Bernardeschi provide much-needed dynamism on the wings - the (very) early signs suggest Juve's trademark defensive solidity is on the wane.
The team is still one of Europe's elite - consistent years of clever squad building will do that - but a subpar summer window has left many supporters down on the Old Lady's chances of replicating the runs of 2015 and 2017.
It's a shame for Gianluigi Buffon, but it seems like Europe's marquee piece of silverware will forever elude the iconic Italian shot-stopper.
The second tier
5. Atletico Madrid
Every season, Atletico Madrid gets shunted from the top tier when discussing Champions League favourites - which, clearly, we're guilty of right here - and every year the club defies pre-tournament predictions by making a deep run; which, whether it's in the final, semi-final, or quarter-final, is always promptly squashed in some kind of soul crushing fashion by city rival Real.
Maybe it'll be different this time around?
Atleti retained both Antoine Griezmann and Diego Simeone this summer after the former, somewhat surprisingly, opted against making the switch to Manchester United despite plenty of flirtation. Criminally underrated midfielder Koke and rising star Saul Niguez continue to be the bedrock of the side, while Simeone's backline remains one of the most uncompromising units around.
Atleti, a perennially unsexy European giant, will have no problem not being viewed as the tournament front-runner.
6. Manchester City
Pep Guardiola finally got his hands on some capable full-backs, and that figures to transform Manchester City from a side that was loaded up front, but lacked any semblance of balance, to one that boasts the necessary personnel in other key areas to properly execute the Spaniard's desired style of play.
(And just for good measure, he went out and added more attacking flair in the form of Portuguese dribbling sensation Bernardo Silva).
That alone should see City blast through the Premier League, but in Europe, the curious decision not to upgrade in central defence will prove costly. Nicolas Otamendi's wayward tackling, John Stones' haphazard positioning, and Vincent Kompany's defective calves leave the Citizens with a crop of options that will struggle to lock down the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Bayern Munich come the tournament's latter stages.
7. Manchester United
Death and taxes have nothing on Manchester United benefitting from a generous Champions League group stage draw.
The Red Devils' presence on this list comes courtesy of various factors: the European pedigree of bench boss Jose Mourinho, a squad - led by Paul Pogba - that is equal parts explosive and stingy, and, frankly, a cupcake draw that puts the club in an advantageous position.
With respect to FC Basel, Benfica, and CSKA Moscow, United is likely to run away with Group A, which then opens up myriad paths to Kyiv. Get a kind draw for the Round of 16, and all of a sudden you're in the quarter-finals, and need to get hot for just a few weeks in April to reach the final. From there, anything can happen in 90 minutes.
United back on top in Europe? Perhaps it's not as crazy as it sounds.
Outside chance: Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Napoli.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)