Who Will Win the 2021/22 Champions League?

Champions League trophy. [Getty]

This year’s Champions League is set to be one of the most keenly-contested for years, with no obvious favourites among an incredibly competitive and highly talented field.

Certainly, some of Europe’s most iconic and successful teams retain a chance of winning the continent’s top prize this season, including several clubs that ply their trade in the Premier League.

But which teams are best-placed to win this year’s Champions League title, and is there one that holds a competitive advantage over their rivals? Let’s get into it!

#1. Manchester City

Currently, defending EPL champions and league leaders Manchester City are the bookies favourites to win this season’s Champions League, with an average price of 11/4.

Pep Guardiola and his Cityzens are one of the favourites to win the Champions League

Certainly, Pep Guardiola’s multi-talented City side is inching closer towards a coveted UCL crown, having finally reached their first final last year only to be beaten narrowly by domestic rivals Chelsea.

Few sides can claim to have a coach as good or tactically aware as Guardiola, either, while the Spaniard also boasts a squad and overarching team structure that would be the envy of most sides even in the Champions League.

The Citizens also have one foot in the quarter finals after vanquishing Sporting Lisbon 5-0 in the away leg of their round-of-16 tie, and while there remains incredible pressure on the team and Guardiola to end their respective ULC hoodoos, the side is definitely well-placed to prevail in 2022.

#2. Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich are second favourites for the EPL, with the German side having swept all before them during the group stages with six consecutive wins and an impressive goal haul of 22.

They also sit eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, winning 19 of their 24 matches to date and scoring 75 goals as they go in pursuit of their 10th consecutive title.

Despite being in ruthless form (and having won the ULC in 2020), there remains a genuine vulnerability to Julian Nagelsmann’s side. For example, the four league defeats experienced by Munich this season include a 4-2 defeat to VfL Bochum, while the side was also thrashed 5-0 by Borussia Mönchengladbach in the second round of the DFB-Pokal.

Munich were also held 1-1 in the away leg of their second-round UCL clash with Red Bull Salzburg, so they have some work to do if they’re to reach the quarter-finals and claim a seventh Champions League crown.

#3. Liverpool

Whisper it quietly, but Jurgen Klopp’s indefatigable Liverpool side is closing in on an unprecedented quadruple this season.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp [BBC Sport]

The team has already won the League Cup this season, for example, while it booked a place in the FA Cup quarters following a recent 2-1 win over Norwich at Anfield. The Reds also sit just six points behind EPL league leaders Manchester City with a game in hand, while they’ve plundered 70 goals in just 26 league encounters this season.

Liverpool have been equally impressive in Europe, achieving a 100% record in a group that included Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and FC Porto. They also scored some 17 goals during this stage of the tournament, while the Reds beat Internazionale 2-0 in the away leg of their round-of-16 match.

What’s more, Liverpool continue to cut a real swagger in Europe, intimidating sides with their high tempo football and often saving their best performances for the continental stage. They also win the UCL back in 2019, after being defeated by Real Madrid in the previous year’s final.

At 7/1, the Reds offer huge value to punters in 2022, and they’ll undoubtedly be tough to beat over the course of any two-legged encounter.

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