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Pundit Ruud Gullit has spoken on his favorites for the UEFA Champions League this season amid changes to the format of the competition. Europe's elite football competition has worn a new look this season, and with this, there have been a number of surprises.
The new Champions League format sees each side play eight games against eight different sides in the league format before proceeding to the knockout rounds. English outfit Aston Villa are surprisingly leading the way after three rounds of games with nine points, while Ligue 1 outfit Brest have picked up seven points and are in fifth.
Many of the competitions's biggest sides find themselves languishing outside of the automatic qualification spots, which are reserved for the top eight teams. Real Madrid and Barcelona have lost one game apiece to be 10th and 12th respectively, while PSG are in 19th place and Bayern Munich are 23rd.
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Ruud Gullit, a winner of the Champions League with AC Milan, spoke with Marca about his favorites for the competition this year. He pointed out that despite his affection for other sides, Spanish giants Real Madrid remain the favorites.
“UCL favorites? It's hard to choose a favorite for the Champions League, I've always liked Bayern, but Real Madrid is always the favorite. Don't forget it!”
Real Madrid opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over a stubborn Stuttgart side before going on to lose 1-0 at Lille. They responded in style by defeating Borussia Dortmund 5-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu last time out, coming back from two goals down to win.
Los Blancos are the kings of the competition, having won it 16 times since its inception. Their title in 2024 was their second in three years and their sixth in the decade starting from 2014.
Real Madrid star set to return in Champions League tie
Real Madrid forward Rodrygo is set to return to action for the European champions in their UEFA Champions League meeting with AC Milan. The Brazil international has been named in the club's squad to face the Serie A outfit in their Matchday Four encounter.
Rodrygo picked up a hamstring injury during his side's 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in their last UCL game, causing him to miss El Clasico last weekend. With the game between Los Blancos and Valencia postponed due to flooding, the forward missed just one game and is set to return to action.
Carlo Ancelotti has named Rodrygo as part of the players to try and defeat his former club at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having suffered an embarrassing 4-0 reverse in their most recent fixture, Los Blancos will be keen to bounce back immediately against the Rossoneri.
