IT is fair to say I’ve been in love with the Champions League at various stages down the years with, off the top of my head, 1999 and 2008 perhaps my favourite renewals of the competition.
However, the group stages had become tired in recent seasons, with two many dead-rubbers and one-sided affairs before the same old faces found themselves in the latter stages.
Uefa don’t get much right, and it remains to be seen whether their new-look competition is a success, but there definitely feels like more excitement this season, with debutants aplenty and heavyweight clashes from the off.
The system is far from a straightforward one, but the basics are that 36 teams go into one table, all of them having eight games rather than six in the old groups.
Each club plays two teams from the seeding pots – one to four – and no sides from the same country can face each other.
After four home games and four away for all 36 teams, the top eight in the league table will progress to the last 16, while those placed nine to 24 will face each other over two legs for the remaining eight places.
It is essentially a new competition, but the biggest clubs with the best squads should really benefit given the extra games and the safety net of a play-off round should they not finish the league phase in the top eight.
Manchester City go to past as 11/4 favourites, with holders Real Madrid generally 7/2 ahead of Tuesday night’s opener at home to Stuttgart.
Pep Guardiola prides himself as an innovator and would dearly love to be the first winning manager of the new tournament, while Carlo Ancelotti mastered the old format and it would be a brave man who bets against him doing the same this time.
The addition of Kylian Mbappe to the Real ranks only makes them more formidable, although the combination with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo still needs a fair bit of work.
Ancelotti will get that sorted by the time the big prizes are handed out, but the prices on the front two are just too short given the new system, especially when you think Real were 8/1 before setting out on a familiar course and distance a year ago.
Arsenal are tucked in behind at 17/2 (Betway) but their focus might just be on the Premier League, while Bayern Munich (12/1) have great players but a totally unproven manager in Vincent Kompany.
Liverpool (14/1) are also under a new boss in Arne Slot who has taken over from a legend, although at that price I am tempted.
At this stage, however, it is Barcelona who catch the eye at 12/1 given their flying start to life under Hansi Flick, who won the Champions League with Bayern the last time the format was altered due to Covid in 2020, and has bags of attacking talent to play around with.
Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Dani Olmo (who will be back for the last four league games after hamstring problems) and Raphinha are a frightening prospect at their best, while Flick looks to be getting a tune out of his old Munich mate Robert Lewandowski after a quiet last season by his standards.
The 12s to win the whole thing is attractive enough, and if you’re worried they might come unstuck defensively in the latter rounds, the 11/1 (888sport) about them winning the league phase offers a very strong alternative given they have soft opponents in Red Star, Brest and Young Boys, while their toughest test against Bayern will be at home.
Simeone’s boys can get off to fast start
I’m not sure Atletico Madrid will go all the way at 25/1 given the last eight has been their limit of late, but they look a fine each-way bet at 16/1 in the league phase, and the 7/5 (Paddy Power) about them finishing in the top eight is a standout price.
Diego Simeone has added Euro 2024-winning defender Robin Le Normand, Julian Alvarez – who wins just about everything he plays in – and the hard-working Conor Gallagher to his ranks, and with Rodrigo de Paul and Antoine Griezmann pulling the strings, Atletico will be a match for most.
They’ve also got a very decent set of fixtures, with RB Leipzig and a trip to PSG their main tests, so there’s plenty to be said for taking those prices, while Alvarez could be a dark horse at 40/1 in a top scorer market dominated by Erling Haaland (3/1), Harry Kane and Mbappe (both 6/1).
That trio will all be confident of reaching the latter stages, with Kane and Mbappe sharing top spot last term with eight goals.
I just think there is more value out there with four places on offer, and would add a pair of proven European goal-getters in Mo Salah (12/1) and Lewandowski (16/1) to the list alongside Alvarez.
Salah has looked razor-sharp so far this season and has been placed on each of his last three Champions League campaigns, while he will be on penalties for Liverpool.
Lewandowski, meanwhile, topped the charts with 15 in 2020, and also got 13 in 2021/22. With so many creative players behind him, the chances should come in bucket-loads, and he has four to his name already this season.
It might not hit the heights of 1999 or 2008, but the new-look Champions League should keep us all enthralled all the way to the final in Munich at the end of May.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SELECTIONS
Barcelona, e/w, 12/1 (General); to win league stage, e/w, 11/1 (888sport);
Atletico Madrid to win league stage, 16/1, e/w (General); top eight finish, 7/5 (Paddy Power);
Mo Salah, top goalscorer, e/w, 12/1 (General);
Robert Lewandowski, top goalscorer, e/w, 16/1 (General);
Julian Alvarez, top goalscorer, e/w, 40/1 (William Hill);
Spanish winner, 2/1 (William Hill)
