Early Predictions for Champions League Next Season

1. English Clubs will have a Resurgence
With a very poor showing in this instance in the competition, none of the EPL’s top four made the quarterfinals of the competition. However, with Manchester United coming back, a team that traditionally does well in the competition for England, a (presumably) reinforced Chelsea, and an Arsenal side that should be even more confident considering their end of the season run, the EPL should be looking to do one better than this season. With plenty of money coming in, the top four will be able to acquire those players that can complement the existing squads already. Liverpool will also be absent from this year’s competition, a team that perhaps has the least chance of making the impact in the Champions League considering the inexperience and significant weaknesses throughout the squad. The EPL’s finest will be looking to reclaim their places at the top of the pack where the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich currently reside.

2. Juventus will be next season’s Dortmund
No, Juventus will not be horribly poor in the Serie A like Dortmund had been in the Bundesliga this past season. Juventus will still be a solid team within Europe’s competition. However, considering that only two players in the first XI that played in the final (Alvaro Morata and Paul Pogba), were under the age of 28; it’s very possible that this Juventus squad will be looking to revamp themselves in the summer. With Pirlo moving on and transfer rumors abound considering Pogba’s future, it’ll be very difficult to see the same lineup as the one that was so successful this season. Paulo Dybala and Sami Khedira are good starts for the Italian squad to transition themselves into a new era, however next season will be most likely be all about a respectable finish in the competition rather than playing in the final. With everyone else in Europe looking to improve their squads in well, Juventus will have to wait before they get themselves into a position of winning the trophy again.

3. Barcelona will break the Curse
Barcelona will look to do the impossible and repeat their Champions League success come next season. Even though they will have largely the same squad for most of the season due to the transfer bar, they will still be able to use players following the January transfer window. Bar any ridiculous circumstances, this squad should comfortably succeed in the group stages. The front three of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar will still be by far the most dangerous trio in Europe on talent itself, let alone that they will have yet another year under their belts playing together. Bayern Munich will probably be the biggest threat to that task, provided the Bavarians regroup and have the likes of a fully fit Arjen Robben and David Alaba available if the two clubs tangle in the knockout rounds. Chelsea and Real Madrid are the other two clubs that can likely stage an upset, however Barcelona, as things stand, will be the favorites in either of these matchups. And if Lionel Messi provides the same impact we are used to seeing, the sky is truly the limit for this Catalonian side.

Michael Skok
Football Editor for
Polish-American Portal www.Poland.us
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