5 teams that could dethrone Real Madrid as European champions

#1 Paris Saint-Germain

PSG's fearsome attacking trio

The sheer firepower. The amazing bench strength. The excellent balance all around the pitch. Paris St. Germain has everything European champions need. They are nine points ahead of second-placed Olympique Lyon, in Ligue One, which is not that big a deal.

But you're considered a real contender when you defeat a formidable side like Bayern Munich, in a comprehensive 3-0 victory.

Their attacking trio looks unstoppable. Edinson Cavani has netted 17 goals in the league and 6 in the Champions League. Neymar seems all set to break the Messi-Ronaldo hegemony over the Ballon d'Or with brilliant performances for the Parisians, day in day out.

He has a mind-blowing average rating of 9.04 on WhoScored. It says something about the three-man attack, when Kylian Mbappe, with 8 goals and 7 assists, in both competitions combined, is the weak link.

Adrien Rabiot has been a revelation and his midfield partner Marco Verratti is in his usual stunning form. Thiago Silva and compatriot Marquinhos have been solid at the back, allowing Layvin Kurzawa and Dani Alves to flourish.

Among all these brilliant individuals, Alphonse Areola and Julian Draxler have often been overlooked, despite having been in good form themselves.

On paper, they are the strongest side in Europe. The one big reason they were knocked out in their last campaign, was Neymar. And they have bought him for €222 million.

In him, they have a go-to man who has lifted the trophy before, and has the magic to turn a game on its head. Unai Emery's men look all set to bring the holy grail of European Football to Paris for the first time in history.