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Considered the biggest prize in Europe, the UEFA Champions League will be in focus this September as some of the top-flight teams across competitions will be looking to bring their best to the fore.
With the group stage clashes now decided, the football fanatics have already started predicting their favorites to advance ahead and cement their positions in the competitions' elite history.
Since Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool took the competition by storm last season, the Reds will be entering the tournament as the defending champions of Europe and yet, after witnessing thrilling contests last season, many European heavyweights have added some quality depth to bolster their chances in the Champions League.
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Though it is early to predict who will take the silverware, only a select few teams will enter the competition as a legitimate threat in this tournament. With Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, scheduled to host the finals of the Champions League, which are the teams most likely to get there?
Here are the top five teams which could win the Champions League.
#5 Bayern Munich F.C.
Talking about top contenders, Bayern Munich are one of the most dangerous assembled squads in Europe today and deserve to be in a conversation of this magnitude. With fresh arrivals in Phillipe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic, this side looks more hungrier than ever to get their hands on Europe's most coveted prize.
If past experiences are anything to take into account here, then the Bavarians' previous records are enough to tip them as the favorites to land the big one this season.
In Group B, the Champions of Germany are drawn alongside Tottenham, Olympiacos, and Crvena Zvezda, and even though the three sides are dangerous enough to test Bayern's on-field mettle, Niko Kovac's side look proficient enough to find their way to the latter stages of the competition.
The side's absolutely dangerous counter-attacking style of football creatively blended with their experience in the competition could prove decisive in causing problems to the opposition.
#4 Juventus F.C.
Another side vowing to cause havoc in this season's Champions League is Juventus. After being eliminated in the quarterfinals last season against a very promising Ajax side, the Maurizio Sarri-led side have added some top-flight stars to their roster.
Be it Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot, or even the monumental signing of Netherland's Matthijs De Ligt, the Italian Giants are showing some ambition to go all the way and chase glory in the elite stages of the competition.
Furthermore, the side possess an absolutely ruthless finisher in Cristiano Ronaldo, who looks hungrier than ever to knock the other European heavyweights off their perch.
This season will see them share the spotlight in the group stages of the competition with an equally competitive set of teams in Atletico Madrid, Bayern Leverkusen, and Lokomotiv Moskva.
Having a solid defense and an equally promising quality in the middle and the front of the park, Sarri's unfiltered style of football could finally catapult Juventus to the top of European football.
#3 F.C. Barcelona
Despite the horrors this side has witnessed in the last two seasons of the UEFA Champions League, F.C. Barcelona will enter the group stages with an unrelenting drive.
With Lionel Messi leading the pack from the front, solid introductions of Frenkie De Jong and Antoine Griezmann have added even more proficiency to their first team.
Moreover, the constant speculations of Neymar possibly joining the Catalans very soon is just an icing on the cake. Even though the fans have not been impressed with Valverde's style of play, Barcelona will consider themselves serious contenders to win it all this season.
The Spanish side has enough mastery in their squad to cause mayhem from all fronts this season. The La Liga Champions will be slugging it out with the likes of Borrusia Dortmund, Inter Milan, and Slavia Praha in the group stages of the competition.
Although the initial stages of the competition may test Barca's mettle, the side has enough prowess in their arsenal to get over the line and emerge as the Kings of Europe.
#2 Liverpool F.C.
After a long 15 years, Liverpool will finally enter the competition as the defending Champions of Europe. Jurgen Klopp's Gegenpressing has transitioned the side into one of the most dangerous assembled squads on the planet, if not the most dangerous.
The 2019/20 UEFA Super Cup winners have enough drive to go all the way again and add more silverware to their trophy cabinet. In Group E, the Reds will share the stage with an equally fierce Napoli, Red Bull Salzburg, and Genk.
Although Klopp's army will face tough competition from Ancelloti's Napoli, their unrelenting resilience could prove costly to the other heavyweights standing in their way. The side's last season encounter in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League against F.C. Barcelona only proves why they can outshine any team in the world at this stage.
Furthermore, the Reds have never lost a two-legged European Knockout tie under Klopp's experiential supervision, which only bolsters the squad's chances to successfully defend Europe's most coveted prize in Istanbul.
#1 Manchester City F.C.
Even though legions of football fanatics have their concerns with Manchester City, there's no denying that they are the absolute favorites heading into this season's UEFA Champions League.
If their dominance on the domestic soil is anything to take into account, they will be the most endorsed side to grab their hands on the silverware this season.
Furthermore, the return of Kevin De Bruyne to the side would only bolster the side's prowess moving upfront. Widely claimed as the easiest draw for any English team, the Citizens are bound to walk through their opponents in the group stages of the competition.
Since the side possesses such strong characters in the squad, Pep Guardiola's calculative vision could finally propel them to the top of the heap this season.
Significant additions in Rodri and Joao Cancelo are only a testament to City's drive to win the biggest competition in Europe and if there's a momentous time for them to do it, it is now.
