Champions League battles set to commence

The excitement is in the air as Champions League football is just few days away. The most coveted title in club football is up for grabs and some seven or eight teams are hoping to steal the title from Barcelona. On the other hand, this is the first season when the new qualifying format was introduced and as a result, several teams from minor leagues have been given the chance to test their skills against the best teams in Europe. A great learning experience or something more? We’ll see.

Barcelona are again the favourites for the trophy having additionally reinforced the squad over the summer and what better way to prove they have no intention of giving up the title than beating Inter away in the opening game of the campaign. Jose Mourinho’s Inter have never been stronger and they seem to want the title more than anyone else. Just imagine their psychological advantage if they were to beat Barcelona at the very start of the Catalans’ title defence.

Despite spending piles of cash on new players like Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and Xabi Alonso, nobody takes Real Madrid seriously. Can the players overcome their egos and act like a real team? Time will tell. One way or another, Real will be there or thereabouts come end of the season.

Juventus, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern and Manchester United are all expected to reach the final stages, but we are bound to see some surprises as well. Atletico Madrid, Marseille, Arsenal, and even CSKA Moscow or Wolfsburg have the potential to reach the final stages but we are yet to see how they will cope.

On the other hand, teams like APOEL, Debrecen, FC Zurich, Maccabi Haifa and Unirea Urziceni will see this Champions League campaign as a great learning experience but you can be sure they will put up a real fight in every single game. I was really sorry to see newcomers Rubin Kazan placed in such a difficult group (with Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv and Inter) as they have an excellent team and I have no doubts they will steal some points even from Barca and Inter.

Anyhow, we are in for another season of beautiful football, passion and excitements only Champions League can offer. The fans all around the globe will see some extremely interesting clashes even on the group stage and you can only imagine how exciting the knockout stages will be. We will keep you informed on the most interesting matches and burning issues in the strongest club competition in the world. Thus, stay tuned for the latest developments in Champions League football.

I still think Barcelona is the team to beat this season. What is your opinion? Which team is most likely to lift the Champions League title this term?

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