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The UEFA Champions League may have started late this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it hasn't been short of entertainment, thrills and shocks that the competition promises each year.
After Matchday 2 of the 2020-21 Champions League; there have been some results that make this year's competition the most open and unpredictable ones in recent memory.
The only big team that looks in form and ready to boss its opponents is last season's winner Bayern Munich. Traditional Champions League giants such as Juventus, Real Madrid and Inter Milan have all looked fallible. The trio looks to be going through a rebuilding phase but do have plenty of match-winners in their ranks who can take their teams deep into the tournament.
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Manchester United and Barcelona, despite their domestic travails, have fared well in Europe this season. Both teams have a nice blend of youth and experience and seem to have the right men at the helm to take them into the knockout stage of the Champions League and possibly beyond.
After reaching their first-ever Champions League final last season, French giants PSG returned to winning ways at Istanbul Baseksehir after an opening-day home loss to Manchester United. The serial winners will be eager to take the next step and win it this year, with Neymar looking to prove his critics wrong by leading from the front.
On that note, here are the 5 favourites in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.
Five favourites in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League
#5 Barcelona
Barcelona are going through a tough phase right now: their board is in tatters, Ronald Koeman is their third manager in the last 12 months, and their best player Lionel Messi was unsettled and wanted to leave during the summer.
Eventually, the Blaugrana managed to hold onto Lionel Messi for another season. However, other significant issues such as the departure of Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann's best position and finding the best system to suit Messi undermined Barcelona's credentials going into this season's Champions League.
Nevertheless, a 100% start after two matches - the Blaugrana won 2-0 at Juventus - means that Barcelona look rejuvenated and brimming with confidence. Ronald Koeman is inching closer to finding his best Barcelona XI with each passing game, and Lionel Messi looks like a player reborn and on a mission to do away with the ghosts of last season's 2-8 drubbing at the hands of eventual winners Bayern Munich.
The chances of any team should never be underestimated when they have arguably the game's greatest number 10, let alone a club with the history and pedigree that Barcelona have in the Champions League.
Also check out: Complete Champions League Schedule 2020/21
#4) Liverpool
After winning their sixth Champions League title in 2019 and ending their 30-year wait for a domestic title this year, Liverpool started this season as the favourites in both competitions.
Their Premier League title defence got off to a shaky start, though, as they fell to an improbable 1-7 defeat at Aston Villa and were then held to a draw by local rivals Everton. To make matters worse, Liverpool suffered a long-term injury to their talismanic defender Virgil van Dijk during the Merseyside derby.
However, the team will be boosted by the arrival of Champions League winner Thiago Alcantara as well as the addition of a high-quality attacking reinforcement in Diogo Jota.
Liverpool haven't looked at their best yet but have still managed to win both their Champions League games so far; which could be a sign of a champion in the making. Their chances will also be boosted as the knockout stage of the Champions League starts in February next year, by which time Virgil van Dijk could tentatively be available.
Also check out: Complete Champions League Results and live Scores 2020/21
#3 Manchester City
Pep Guardiola is considered to be one of the greatest managers in the game's history and rightly so. With eight league titles in three different countries and two Champions League titles (both with Barcelona); his record speaks for itself.
However, there has been an increasing number of people in recent times who have questioned Guardiola's managerial ability as he continues to struggle in the Champions League.
Guardiola hasn't taken a team to the Champions League final since 2011, when he won the competition for the second time with Barcelona. The Spanish tactician's current club Manchester City also face criticism for their failings in the competition even after making a bevvy of expensive player acquisitions since the club's takeover in 2008.
City are yet to make the Champions League semi-finals as they look to make their mark in Europe's biggest club competition. Both club and manager will be extra motivated to prove their doubters wrong and win the competition this year; they have enough talent and experience in their roster to beat the best in business.
#2) Paris Saint-Germain
Paris St. Germain (PSG) have dominated French football for almost a decade now. They reached their first-ever Champions League final last season.
With Brazilian superstar Neymar and French golden boy Kylian Mbappe in their team, PSG have done everything possible to turn their domestic dominance into European supremacy in the last few years. They have hired some of the best managers in the sport and have recruited world-class talent in every department.
Last year, their efforts almost paid off until they ran into German giants Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
PSG started this season's campaign with a loss to Manchester United but bounced back on Matchday 2 with a comfortable win at Istanbul Baseksehir. Neymar will be itching to lead PSG to European glory this season as he looks to win his first Ballon d'Or and show the world that he left Barcelona for all the right reasons.
#1) Bayern Munich
Defending champions Bayern Munich seem to have started their campaign in the 2020-21 Champions League from where they left off last season.
With two wins in as many matchdays this season, the Bavarian giants have now won a record 13 consecutive games in the competition as they look like the team to beat again.
Hansi Flick has transformed Bayern Munich since taking over in November last year; leading the club to their second continental treble after an indifferent start to the season. He has transformed their playing style into one of high pressing, slick passing and lightning-quick pace that has made them almost unbeatable in any competition.
Flick has also overseen the rejuvenation of veteran player Thomas Muller, who has proved key to Bayern Munich's recent success in the competition. Though the club lost Thiago Alcantara in the summer, they have Joshua Kimmich eager to take over as the midfield maestro.
Bayern Munich strengthened their flanks by adding the talented Leroy Sane while also re-signing former player Douglas Costa from Juventus. Bayern have certainly made all the right moves towards winning their seventh Champions League title. If they do so, that will make them the only team after Real Madrid in the Champions League era to successfully defend their title.
