The majority of the heavyweights have already successfully navigated the Champions League group stages with one game to spare but who will eventually be crowned European champions next May?
Spanish giants Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia are already thorugh to the knock-out rounds, Italian duo Inter and AC Milan have also progressed, Roma look well placed to go through, while last season’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich will compete in the knock-out stages as well (Barcelona 13/5f to win the Champions League).
The Premier League is also set to be well represented in the last 16, with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea already through, while Arsenal need to beat Partizan Belgrade in their final match to guarantee progress.
So who looks the most likely to take the top title at the end of the campaign? Inter Milan (16/1) won it last time out under the guidance of Jose Mourinho but the self proclaimed ’special one’ has now jumped ship to Real Madrid and the Nerazzurri now have Rafael Benitez at the helm.
Benitez has an impressive pedigree in Europe’s top competition, having won the title with Liverpool in 2005. The Spaniard managed to secure Champions League success with a Liverpool team that included Djimi Traoré in the starting line-up in the final, while Vladimir Smicer and Djibril Cisse made appearances as substitutes – this is certainly no mean feat and the Inter team at his disposal is considerably stronger than the Liverpool team of 2005.
However, back-to-back successes in the competition are rare, the last time a side managed to defend their title was back in 1990 when AC Milan made a successful defence and it may be just too much to ask for Inter to win the competition again.
What about Italy’s other contenders, Roma and AC Milan? Despite Roma’s (40/1) impressive form at this stage of the season, the team have relied on the now-ageing Francesco Totti for too long and, despite the considerable talents they have amongst their ranks, the squad at the Stadio Olimpico seems to lack the quality in depth to secure Champions League glory.
However, AC Milan (20/1) could well be among the contenders to take the top prize. The Rossoneri have a wealth of attacking talent to call upon, including former world player of the year Ronaldinho and Swedish hitman Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Milan are the current league-leaders in Serie A and, after watching bitter rivals Inter pick up an unprecedented treble last season, they will be desperate for success – making them perhaps the most likely of the Italian sides to take the title.
German giants Bayern (18/1) are a strong team in Europe but domestically they have shown indifferent form this season and are currently 14 points adrift of top spot in the Bundesliga table, after just 14 games. Bayern’s troubles have largely come away from the Allianz Arena and for European success it is crucial to pick up results away from home – this is why Bayern could be found wanting in the Champions League this season.
Manchester United (17/2) and Chelsea (9/2) have both struggled for form at times this season and, to add to Chelsea’s problems, they seem to be suffering in terms of injuries. John Terry, Didier Drogba, Alex and Frank Lampard have had prolonged spells out and if Chelsea are to stand any chance of taking the title, they will need their key men fit.
Manchester United, although unbeaten in the Premier League, have been inconsistent over the course of the campaign so far and if they are to get the better of Europe’s other big guns they will need to hit their stride sooner rather than later. Wayne Rooney has now returned from injury and if the England international can find his form then United could be a force to be reckoned with, otherwise Champions League glory could well be out of their reach again.
Tottenham (20/1) have shown real spirit in Europe so far and have already booked their last 16 spot with a game to spare and the north Londoners could be a surprise winner with players such as Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart to call upon but it would take a massive effort and a huge slice of luck for Harry Redknapp’s stars to lift the famous trophy in May.
Arsenal (12/1) are the only English side yet to qualify but they are well placed and should make the last 16. Arsene Wenger’s youngsters have finally started to justify the faith shown in them by the French manager, who has avoided big money transfer targets in recent seasons. But like Chelsea, the Gunners could do with their injured stars returning to the fold. Key defender Thomas Vermaelen is still sidelined, as is captain Cesc Fabregas, and if Wenger is to become the first Arsenal boss to lift the trophy he will need a squad that is as close to full fitness as possible.
Finally, the Spanish sides. Valencia (40/1) lost star men David Villa and David Silva in the summer and will struggle to make an impact in the last 16. Real Madrid (10/3) have begun to show signs of improvement under Mourinho’s guidance but they were humiliated with a 5-0 defeat at Barcelona in the league last time out and that showed the gulf in class between the two sides, especially when the Catalan giants are in top form.
Barcelona won the competition in 2009 and came close again in 2010, reaching the semi-finals before being dumped out following a fantastic tactical display by eventual champions Inter. The Catalan club are the current favourites, and rightly so as judging by the performance of Barca in their demolition of Real last week – Pep Guardiola’s men will take some beating.
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