For the first time in history, six clubs from the same
country are competing in the same Champions League season. All six are English.
Five of them went straight through the league phase without breaking a sweat,
and are all at the top of the Champions
League betting as the round of 16 gets underway.
But beyond the bracket and the fixtures, there's a bigger
question worth asking. England has produced Champions League winners in 2019
(Liverpool), 2021 (Chelsea), and 2023 (Manchester City). So which English club
is most likely to bring the trophy back this season, and do any of them
genuinely have what it takes to go all the way to Budapest on 30 May?
Arsenal: the most complete team in Europe right now
Mikel Arteta's side finished the league phase with eight
wins from eight games. No other team managed that. They topped the table, they
kept their best players fit, and they've been given one of the more manageable
routes into the last 16, facing the winner of either Atalanta or Borussia
Dortmund, or Bayer Leverkusen or Olympiacos.
Arsenal have never won the Champions League. They reached
the final in 2006 and lost to Barcelona. But this squad feels different to
anything they've had before. Viktor Gyokeres, signed last summer, gives them a
No.9 who can hurt anyone in Europe.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka control the middle of the pitch
better than most midfield partnerships in the competition. And at the back,
William Saliba and Gabriel are as solid a centre-back pairing as you'll find in
Europe right now.
Arsenal conceded just four goals across the entire league
phase. That kind of defensive structure wins tournaments. Arteta has the
experience of deep European runs now, too, and they go into March as the team
nobody wants to draw.
Liverpool: the know-how is there
Arne Slot's side finished third in the league phase, which
means they'll play the second leg of every knockout tie at Anfield. That
matters enormously. Liverpool know how to win in Europe. They've done it six
times. And while this season hasn't always been smooth domestically, their
European form has been solid throughout.
Their potential last 16 opponents, including Atletico Madrid
and Juventus, are beatable.
Manchester City: the danger of the draw
City scraped into the top eight on the final matchday, which
means they avoided the play-offs but landed in a trickier section of the
bracket. Their potential opponents include Real Madrid, who knocked them out in
the play-offs last season. Erling Haaland is scoring again after a quiet spell,
and Pep Guardiola teams rarely go out meekly. But City feel like a side that
could win this, or go out in the quarters. There's not a lot in between with
them right now.
Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle
Chelsea finished sixth and could face PSG in the last 16, which would be a serious test. Tottenham had a fine league phase, finishing a surprising fourth despite very poor form in the Premier League. Newcastle, having beaten Qarabag 6-1 in the first leg of the play-offs, could qualify for the last 16 for the first time in the club's history if they can keep their lead going into leg two.
The honest answer is that Arsenal look the most likely English winner right now. But Liverpool have done this before when few expected it, and City have a habit of finding form when it matters most.
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