UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[JeffBrad12]

Three teams qualified for the UCL through the playoffs: Kairat Almaty, Pafos, and Qarabağ, which are quite unfamiliar to me. But they managed to qualify, so I think they are indeed great. This means that they deserve their place in the UCL. But I hope they don't just become a source of points for the big teams that are regulars in the UCL. Here is a list of the opponents for these three teams.

Kairat Almaty	- Real Madrid      - Inter Milan      - Club Brugge      - Arsenal      - Olympiakos      - Sporting CP      - Pafos      - Copenhagen
Pafos	- Bayern München      - Chelsea      - Villarreal      - Juventus      - Slavia Praha      - Olympiakos      - Monaco      - Kairat Almaty
Qarabağ	- Napoli      - Athletic Club Bilbao      - Chelsea      - Liverpool      - Eintracht Frankfurt      - Benfica      - Ajax      - Copenhagen

What do you think? I think the chances of passing the preliminary round are very slim and seem impossible.

I will never underestimate the teams that came from nowhere. However, i put my prediction for them to get three points from only a half of their total fixtures. It will become the highest points that can be achieved by them.

Kairat still possible to earn full points from Slavia, Olympiakos, Monaco, and Villareal.
Pafos may earn full points from Kairat, Olympiakos, monaco, Slavia.
Qarabag may only earn full points only from Copen and Ajax.

Those teams were having very hard fixtures. However, i admit Copenhagen is the unluckiest team in this round.

[Cryptmuster]

You forgot to mention that when Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid the club was already a ticking time bomb that is ravaged with injuries. The management thought because the team pulled through the previous season that they will do the same again that season, what they failed to understand was that, other teams had reinforced even Barcelona reinforced and we all saw what Barcelona did to Real Madrid last season. I was part of the people who criticised Mbappe saying his not a Real Madrid type of player but it was later that I understood this was beyond just one player. The teams whole backline was gone majorly with injuries. No team can function without any part of the three departments. The forwards did their jobs in most part of the game but the question is, did the back line do their jobs?

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real’s defense that let them down.

[Alpha Marine]

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real’s defense that let them down.

People keep failing to see that the defence was not the only issue, but the midfield was a problem too.  The midfield couldn't keep control of the ball when they won it back. Also, the pressing of the team last season was very poor. They allow the opponents to get so comfortable with the ball. If you play like that, you'll struggle against good teams.
If you watch Madrid this season, they press very well. They don't allow the opponents to get comfortable on the ball, and that is why its difficult for teams to create chances against them. Now Madrid pins the opponent in their own half and presses them in numbers to win back the ball immediately they lose. If they continue and improve on that while being able to keep the ball comfortably, they might have a good season.

[KTChampions]

So after the draw it makes sense to look at what the bookmakers think about the race:

Liverpool FC - 6.75

FC Barcelona - 6.75

Paris Saint-Germain - 7.50

Arsenal FC - 8.00

Real Madrid - 8.50

Manchester City - 9.50

Chelsea FC - 13.00

Bayern Munich - 13.00

Inter Milano - 26.00

Tottenham Hotspur - 26.00

SSC Napoli - 26.00

On paper, everything looks diversified in the best possible way - even the main contenders have chances of no more than 15%.
I'll tell you what triggers me:

Real Madrid underperforms Arsenal - LOL!
Barcelona have the highest odds (on pair with Liverpool) - LOL!
I understand that Inter has become weaker, but they are rated the same as Tottenham (17th place in the Premier League) ahahahaha!
Napoli are very low, this is nonsense, with Conte they always have normal chances and not 1 in 26.
In fact, I think these are preliminary quotes, purely virtual, real ones will start to appear later.

[Bigjoe33]

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real’s defense that let them down.

People keep failing to see that the defence was not the only issue, but the midfield was a problem too.  The midfield couldn't keep control of the ball when they won it back. Also, the pressing of the team last season was very poor. They allow the opponents to get so comfortable with the ball. If you play like that, you'll struggle against good teams.
If you watch Madrid this season, they press very well. They don't allow the opponents to get comfortable on the ball, and that is why its difficult for teams to create chances against them. Now Madrid pins the opponent in their own half and presses them in numbers to win back the ball immediately they lose. If they continue and improve on that while being able to keep the ball comfortably, they might have a good season.

Talking about Madrid's performance last season. For me I think it was just a downtime for them as a team and individual performance. Though some of them were performing, but I see it as it was there bad season. Even in Laliga, Barca was on them the whole season.

Generally, there are times when a team under performs, while sometimes too, a team becomes at its best.  Just like Manchester city in England, they are still struggling even in this new season, two straight loss. So for Madrid, it think it was a bad season for them. Hopefully, they are retracing Thier steps and maybe may get it right and continue strong.

[banana33]

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real?s defense that let them down.

So historically Real Madrid's defense has always been an attack, it has never had an exceptional defense but it has always applied attacking pressure in this way both the defenders and the goalkeeper have never had too much work to do.
The Dribbling has helped a lot in managing the games but lately it seems to have been lost, which is why the defense suffers in my opinion

[Kaliandra]

Three teams qualified for the UCL through the playoffs: Kairat Almaty, Pafos, and Qarabağ, which are quite unfamiliar to me. But they managed to qualify, so I think they are indeed great. This means that they deserve their place in the UCL. But I hope they don't just become a source of points for the big teams that are regulars in the UCL. Here is a list of the opponents for these three teams.

Kairat Almaty	- Real Madrid       - Inter Milan       - Club Brugge       - Arsenal       - Olympiakos       - Sporting CP       - Pafos       - Copenhagen
Pafos	- Bayern München       - Chelsea       - Villarreal       - Juventus       - Slavia Praha       - Olympiakos       - Monaco       - Kairat Almaty
Qarabağ	- Napoli       - Athletic Club Bilbao       - Chelsea       - Liverpool       - Eintracht Frankfurt       - Benfica       - Ajax       - Copenhagen

What do you think? I think the chances of passing the preliminary round are very slim and seem impossible.

Pafos, Kairat, and Qarabag have indeed worked hard to qualify for this round. However, the real challenge lies in the fact that these three teams will be competing against strong teams. All teams will fight hard to win. It won't be easy for Pafos, Qarabag, and Kairat to win against teams that have already qualified for this round. These three teams are indeed strong, and they can certainly beat strong teams, as football is always full of surprises.

Kairat will certainly face Sporting in the Champions League, and I think Kairat will have a tough time winning. I think Benfica will win against Qarabag, and I think Pafos will win against Olympiakos. I see Pafos as having good spirit and attack. Qualifying for this stage will undoubtedly boost their mentality, and Olympiakos will need to be wary. So, in my opinion, Pafos will win in the Pafos vs. Olympiakos match. Now, of course, we'll see whether they can perform better or not.

However, I also seem to share your opinion that it won't be easy for those three teams to advance to the qualifying rounds, but there's certainly potential for them to perform better and surprise us all.

[BitBakerr1]

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real’s defense that let them down.

People keep failing to see that the defence was not the only issue, but the midfield was a problem too.  The midfield couldn't keep control of the ball when they won it back. Also, the pressing of the team last season was very poor. They allow the opponents to get so comfortable with the ball. If you play like that, you'll struggle against good teams.
If you watch Madrid this season, they press very well. They don't allow the opponents to get comfortable on the ball, and that is why its difficult for teams to create chances against them. Now Madrid pins the opponent in their own half and presses them in numbers to win back the ball immediately they lose. If they continue and improve on that while being able to keep the ball comfortably, they might have a good season.

Talking about Madrid's performance last season. For me I think it was just a downtime for them as a team and individual performance. Though some of them were performing, but I see it as it was there bad season. Even in Laliga, Barca was on them the whole season.

Generally, there are times when a team under performs, while sometimes too, a team becomes at its best.  Just like Manchester city in England, they are still struggling even in this new season, two straight loss. So for Madrid, it think it was a bad season for them. Hopefully, they are retracing Thier steps and maybe may get it right and continue strong.

Real Madrid did not perform very well last season but that does not mean that they did not try their best they played very well but was unable to win any trophy even though Barcelona was winning them in every match that they played last season, for me the cause of that was because they did not play in unity and there was a little division in them, and since the former coach already had the knowledge that the management will sack him there was no points doing well anymore, I believe this season will be one of the best season for Real Madrid let them be consistent in winning their matches, they are already topping the la Liga table because of the Lost from Barca in their match, Real Madrid has good players in fact world class players they need to put in their best and make sure that they win the la Liga title this season as for winning the champions League this season I really don't think it's possible.

[Adbitco]

You forgot to mention that when Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid the club was already a ticking time bomb that is ravaged with injuries. The management thought because the team pulled through the previous season that they will do the same again that season, what they failed to understand was that, other teams had reinforced even Barcelona reinforced and we all saw what Barcelona did to Real Madrid last season. I was part of the people who criticised Mbappe saying his not a Real Madrid type of player but it was later that I understood this was beyond just one player. The teams whole backline was gone majorly with injuries. No team can function without any part of the three departments. The forwards did their jobs in most part of the game but the question is, did the back line do their jobs?

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real’s defense that let them down.

Exactly my point, even though during the first few months that Mbappe was wasting chances, there's one thing we needed to understand. A new player in a new team and a new league needs time to adapt and he adapted in his first two to three will is fast though. Initially I faulted Mbappe but after I looked at it again and analysed it myself, I stopped. Real Madrid problems last season was mainly the defensive line, seconded by the middle because the people that were supposed to play certain positions are taken to the fill up the back spaces.

[Inwestour]

I will never underestimate the teams that came from nowhere. However, i put my prediction for them to get three points from only a half of their total fixtures. It will become the highest points that can be achieved by them.

Kairat still possible to earn full points from Slavia, Olympiakos, Monaco, and Villareal.
Pafos may earn full points from Kairat, Olympiakos, monaco, Slavia.
Qarabag may only earn full points only from Copen and Ajax.

Those teams were having very hard fixtures. However, i admit Copenhagen is the unluckiest team in this round.

I think you overestimate the capabilities of Kairat Almaty and Pafos, maybe Pafos played well but I don't believe that they will be able to play in the group stage as well, because the level of opponents there is clearly higher. And Kairat Almaty got to the group stage with a lot of luck, so I think that they will be at the bottom of the tournament table, but getting to the group stage of the Champions League is already a great achievement for them, and they can be proud of it.

[Kaliandra]

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real?s defense that let them down.

Yes, I also remember that Real Madrid's attack was certainly good at that time, but unfortunately, their defense was not very good, which ultimately forced Real Madrid to accept the fact that they only finished in second place. Yes, I also remember that during El Clasico matches, Real Madrid's defense was always easily penetrated by Barcelona, ​​​​and ultimately Barcelona always managed to win El Clasico matches.

But of course, I'm curious about Real Madrid in this season's Champions League because of course Real Madrid wants to be champions, because last season PSG won the trophy. So, this season, Real Madrid should easily advance to the round of 16 because they have a strong squad and Carvajal has also recovered from his injury. Are you also curious about Real Madrid's performance? I remember that last season, Real Madrid struggled to advance to the round of 16, of course, they had to go through the play-offs first. However, I predict that Real Madrid will be able to advance to the round of 16 of the Champions League without advancing to the play-offs first.

[verdinio]

Three teams qualified for the UCL through the playoffs: Kairat Almaty, Pafos, and Qaraba?, which are quite unfamiliar to me. But they managed to qualify, so I think they are indeed great. This means that they deserve their place in the UCL. But I hope they don't just become a source of points for the big teams that are regulars in the UCL. Here is a list of the opponents for these three teams.

Kairat Almaty	- Real Madrid       - Inter Milan       - Club Brugge       - Arsenal       - Olympiakos       - Sporting CP       - Pafos       - Copenhagen
Pafos	- Bayern München       - Chelsea       - Villarreal       - Juventus       - Slavia Praha       - Olympiakos       - Monaco       - Kairat Almaty
Qaraba?	- Napoli       - Athletic Club Bilbao       - Chelsea       - Liverpool       - Eintracht Frankfurt       - Benfica       - Ajax       - Copenhagen

What do you think? I think the chances of passing the preliminary round are very slim and seem impossible.

Pafos, Kairat, and Qarabag have indeed worked hard to qualify for this round. However, the real challenge lies in the fact that these three teams will be competing against strong teams. All teams will fight hard to win. It won't be easy for Pafos, Qarabag, and Kairat to win against teams that have already qualified for this round. These three teams are indeed strong, and they can certainly beat strong teams, as football is always full of surprises.

Kairat will certainly face Sporting in the Champions League, and I think Kairat will have a tough time winning. I think Benfica will win against Qarabag, and I think Pafos will win against Olympiakos. I see Pafos as having good spirit and attack. Qualifying for this stage will undoubtedly boost their mentality, and Olympiakos will need to be wary. So, in my opinion, Pafos will win in the Pafos vs. Olympiakos match. Now, of course, we'll see whether they can perform better or not.

However, I also seem to share your opinion that it won't be easy for those three teams to advance to the qualifying rounds, but there's certainly potential for them to perform better and surprise us all.

These teams really struggled to qualify, so I strongly doubt that they will be able to win against very strong teams, even if sometimes these things happen and they actually manage to beat them, it would be a fairy tale among all the teams that convince me the most is Olympiakos who I think will do better than everyone else.

[cande86]

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real?s defense that let them down.

People keep failing to see that the defence was not the only issue, but the midfield was a problem too.  The midfield couldn't keep control of the ball when they won it back. Also, the pressing of the team last season was very poor. They allow the opponents to get so comfortable with the ball. If you play like that, you'll struggle against good teams.
If you watch Madrid this season, they press very well. They don't allow the opponents to get comfortable on the ball, and that is why its difficult for teams to create chances against them. Now Madrid pins the opponent in their own half and presses them in numbers to win back the ball immediately they lose. If they continue and improve on that while being able to keep the ball comfortably, they might have a good season.

Talking about Madrid's performance last season. For me I think it was just a downtime for them as a team and individual performance. Though some of them were performing, but I see it as it was there bad season. Even in Laliga, Barca was on them the whole season.

Generally, there are times when a team under performs, while sometimes too, a team becomes at its best.  Just like Manchester city in England, they are still struggling even in this new season, two straight loss. So for Madrid, it think it was a bad season for them. Hopefully, they are retracing Thier steps and maybe may get it right and continue strong.

Real Madrid did not perform very well last season but that does not mean that they did not try their best they played very well but was unable to win any trophy even though Barcelona was winning them in every match that they played last season, for me the cause of that was because they did not play in unity and there was a little division in them, and since the former coach already had the knowledge that the management will sack him there was no points doing well anymore, I believe this season will be one of the best season for Real Madrid let them be consistent in winning their matches, they are already topping the la Liga table because of the Lost from Barca in their match, Real Madrid has good players in fact world class players they need to put in their best and make sure that they win the la Liga title this season as for winning the champions League this season I really don't think it's possible.

The Champions League is strange this year. There are so many teams that can do well. One team that I really like is Liverpool. They have made some pretty expensive purchases and can compete in many different leagues while always remaining at the top. I see it being really tough for Real Madrid this year.

[Umulala-alala]

You forgot to mention that when Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid the club was already a ticking time bomb that is ravaged with injuries. The management thought because the team pulled through the previous season that they will do the same again that season, what they failed to understand was that, other teams had reinforced even Barcelona reinforced and we all saw what Barcelona did to Real Madrid last season. I was part of the people who criticised Mbappe saying his not a Real Madrid type of player but it was later that I understood this was beyond just one player. The teams whole backline was gone majorly with injuries. No team can function without any part of the three departments. The forwards did their jobs in most part of the game but the question is, did the back line do their jobs?

I think that the main problem for Real last season was their defense, because their attack played quite well. Even when Mbappé or Vinícius were injured for some time, they replaced each other and the attack performed quite well. Last season there were very big problems because they lost two key defenders, Carvajal and Militao were missing, and they conceded too many goals. If you remember the matches against Barcelona, it was Real’s defense that let them down.

Exactly my point, even though during the first few months that Mbappe was wasting chances, there's one thing we needed to understand. A new player in a new team and a new league needs time to adapt and he adapted in his first two to three will is fast though. Initially I faulted Mbappe but after I looked at it again and analysed it myself, I stopped. Real Madrid problems last season was mainly the defensive line, seconded by the middle because the people that were supposed to play certain positions are taken to the fill up the back spaces.

As a player in a new club it will take you some little time to adopt to the new team play, there are also players that turn to flop after joining a new club but Mbappe situation is different he is not that kind of player that won't perform well after joining a new club and there are also good players at Real madrid this has make him to to adopt very fast, he is a good striker and also a good goal scorer he will either score or assist at first in Real madrid i was thinking he has made a wrong decision by going to Real madrid since Paris Saint Germain won the champions league after he left the club i still have this believe that he will win it with Real madrid some day.

[Abbatty]

So after the draw it makes sense to look at what the bookmakers think about the race:

Liverpool FC - 6.75

FC Barcelona - 6.75

Paris Saint-Germain - 7.50

Arsenal FC - 8.00

Real Madrid - 8.50

Manchester City - 9.50

Chelsea FC - 13.00

Bayern Munich - 13.00

Inter Milano - 26.00

Tottenham Hotspur - 26.00

SSC Napoli - 26.00

On paper, everything looks diversified in the best possible way - even the main contenders have chances of no more than 15%.
I'll tell you what triggers me:

Real Madrid underperforms Arsenal - LOL!
Barcelona have the highest odds (on pair with Liverpool) - LOL!
I understand that Inter has become weaker, but they are rated the same as Tottenham (17th place in the Premier League) ahahahaha!
Napoli are very low, this is nonsense, with Conte they always have normal chances and not 1 in 26.
In fact, I think these are preliminary quotes, purely virtual, real ones will start to appear later.

Well I think the odds matches the current performance of these team, currently in England the top 2 team in term of performance is Liverpool and Arsenal, though chelsea are currently doing well but for the fact that they have not being in the champions league for a long time I think the odd matches with their performance.

Then in Spain we all know since the coming of Hansi flick Barcelona have been the best team, and regarding how arsenal knocked out Real Madrid last season it a good odd for them too and also Real Madrid is having a new coach too.

Then in France PSG are undisputed, they are the current champions league holders so I think they deserve a bit more, but maybe for the fact that they lost woefully against Chelsea in the club World Cup final that why they gave them that odd.

In Germany, I think bayern deserves more, they have added a few quality players to the squad so I think they will perform more than last season.

In Italy too I think Inter Milan deserves more too, this is a team who was in the last season champions league final , so I don’t think they should be on the same odd with Napoli l.

It like you said as the champions league progresses this odd are meant to change.

[Oshio-man]

Deleted 24hr

[bastisisca]

Yes, if we remember that, you're absolutely right. The Champions League title was completely unexpected last season. So, given that, it's possible the same thing will happen this season. Predicting which teams will win the Champions League is quite difficult this season. Although I currently feel Barcelona has great potential to win, my prediction could still be completely wrong. But the point is, there's nothing wrong with having our own predictions, because honestly, that's what makes it even more exciting.
..

Even though my favorite team, let's say my favorite, lost badly in the final, @lillominato89 knows it, i enjoyed last year's Champions League, it was fun and full of twists and turns.
So i would sign up now to have a Champions League of that level again this year

[lizarder]

The Champions League is strange this year. There are so many teams that can do well. One team that I really like is Liverpool. They have made some pretty expensive purchases and can compete in many different leagues while always remaining at the top. I see it being really tough for Real Madrid this year.  

Why does it feel so strange? Isn't that a good sign for a team that has managed to bring in a number of potential players to help them achieve much better results in the Champions League? Liverpool have bought some pretty good players and have also overhauled the team for the better, so there's hope that this season Liverpool can compete for the title with other strong teams.

Liverpool's strength also shows how serious the management is about improving the team and that they are not playing around when it comes to winning the title this season. However, the Champions League is not as easy as it seems, and it will take hard work for Liverpool to reach the final this season.

[hyudien]

The Champions League is strange this year. There are so many teams that can do well. One team that I really like is Liverpool. They have made some pretty expensive purchases and can compete in many different leagues while always remaining at the top.  

Hey man, where's that weird? It would be great if the teams participating in the championship showed their best performance this year, as this would make the competition even more competitive. Liverpool certainly shouldn't be left out of the list of champions, in fact their chances of winning are number one, making them the favorites. Bookmakers know that Liverpool has spent a lot of money in the summer transfer window to strengthen their squad. Isak has officially become their newest player and most expensive purchase. With what they have spent, their target is the UCL trophy.

[m4r1o]

The problem is not just about Kylian Mbappe, but the number of superstars in one club. If I were a football coach, I would limit the number of superstars in the attack. Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and the French striker all have ambitions to win the Ballon d'Or someday and this is making them selfish. Personal ambition could make players selfish.  Mbappe is well known to be self-centered, he wants to always be the most important player on a team. His departure from PSG brought some level of cooperation in the club.

But I don't agree that Real Madrid will not win the Champions League because of Mbappe's character. It is the responsibility of the coach to change the mentality of these selfish players and make them know that they can achieve more collectively. The success of the club will give them more chances of winning personal awards. Carlo Ancelotti was able to achieve it, so Xabi Alonso can also achieve more with these top players.             

I hear many people say that Mbappe has a difficult character, i read it several times.
I don't know if it's smart to keep a player like that, who destroys the team's balance. i didn't expect this from a great player i always thought he was, and i am very disappointed.