Well, the 2026/27 season of Champions League football is underway. At the time of writing, we have had one round of games from the league segment of the competition and there were no major surprise results from those matches in my opinion.
Will PSG be capable of defending their crown? or, will they be toppled from the mountain by one of the many creditable contenders? Let us take a look.
First of all, last season’s runners up Arsenal have strengthened considerably during the summer. Signings such as Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle and Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa certainly makes them stronger and with a fully fit Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz they will definitely be in the running for the title again.
As it stands, the bookmakers’ favourite appears to be Barcelona. They have been bolstered by the acquisition of Anthony Gordon, again from Newcastle along with their marquee signing, current world champion and former Ballon D’or winning Rodri who has joined from Manchester City. They play an exciting brand of football and players such as Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are sure to steal some of the headlines during this campaign.
Multi-time winners Bayern Munich, with players like Harry Kane and Real Madrid with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham are always going to be in the conversation when it comes to Champions League spoils. Likewise, Manchester City cannot be ruled out under new head coach Enzo Maresca. The high-profile signings of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, Enzo Fernandes from Chelsea and Iliman Ndiaye from Everton suggest City will be a force to be reckoned with.
Are there any other likely contenders? Liverpool having signed Bradley Barcola from PSG may be an outside possibility. Man United and Inter Milan get a mention because of their historical performances in the competition but, I don’t see either as potential winners.
As an Aston Villa supporter, I am realistic enough to accept that they are highly unlikely to win the Champions League, especially after the high turnover of players during close season. It would be nice if they could at least reach the last sixteen though.
So, let us now look at the chances of PSG going back-to-back. Barcola, Ramos and Mbaye have departed. Torres, Akliouche and Digne have joined. Does this make them stronger? In my opinion no, it slightly weakens them however, they still have the magician Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele. Any team with those two in it, along with the likes of Hakimi, Doue, Ruiz and Vitinha are always going to be a threat.
All I can say is bring on some top-class entertainment and from an English point of view, let us hope for a winner from the Premier League.
