Sport Nation 2Sergio Aguero, the former Manchester City and Atletico Madrid striker, has revealed his top three picks to win this season’s UEFA Champions League: Manchester City, Barcelona, and Arsenal. The Champions League has taken on a new format this season, with all 36 teams playing three games each, and Aguero believes that this year’s competition will bring plenty of surprises.
English teams are making a strong showing, with Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Manchester City currently occupying the top three spots. Arsenal is close behind in ninth place, level on points with Manchester City, while reigning champions Real Madrid are currently in 12th place. Atletico Madrid, Aguero’s former club, sits much lower, down in 27th.
Under the new structure, the top 12 teams in the group stage will automatically advance to the knockout rounds, while the next 12 will compete in a play-off round for a chance to proceed. The bottom 12 teams, however, will be eliminated from the competition. Aguero, reflecting on this change, shared his thoughts with Stake, emphasizing how the new format could both challenge elite clubs and create opportunities for smaller teams to make it to the next stages.
Aguero, who is still closely connected with Manchester City, shared, “Manchester City has always been my favorite to win the Champions League, followed by Real Madrid. But this year, I also see a very strong Arsenal team. City has had some tough moments in the Premier League this season, but they still have that style of controlling games from start to finish.” Aguero added that he hopes both City and Barcelona will succeed, but he also expects the Champions League final might feature two surprise teams that are not typically considered title contenders.
In addition to the Champions League, the Europa League is also well underway, featuring prominent clubs like Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma, and Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho. Ahead of a recent Europa League clash between Fenerbahce and Manchester United, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Mourinho shared his own predictions, saying he sees Manchester United and Tottenham as the two strongest contenders for the Europa League title.
According to Mourinho, the new Champions League format ultimately benefits top-tier teams, giving them a greater margin of error in the group stages. “A top team can afford to lose three or four of their eight games because they’ll still likely qualify with enough wins to reach 12 points,” he explained. Mourinho also highlighted the intensity and quality that Premier League clubs bring to European competition, which, he believes, gives English teams an edge over their European counterparts.
Looking at the odds for Champions League favorites, Manchester City is currently leading with odds of 3/1, followed closely by Real Madrid at 7/2. Arsenal and Barcelona are also seen as strong contenders, with odds of 13/2 and 8/1, respectively, while Liverpool follows at 9/1. Bayern Munich has odds of 10/1, and Inter Milan is seen as a longshot at 18/1, with Paris Saint-Germain even further back at 25/1.
For Aguero and Mourinho alike, the new Champions League format brings both challenges and excitement to the European football landscape, opening up possibilities for unexpected matchups and giving lesser-known teams a greater opportunity to shine. Aguero’s predictions align with the belief that while traditional powerhouses like Manchester City and Real Madrid remain favorites, the potential for surprise outcomes has never been higher.
With top players and renowned managers now competing in both the Champions League and Europa League, fans are set to witness an exciting and competitive season as Europe’s best teams vie for continental glory.
Sport nation
Amina Umar