The Champions League is back this week, kicking off its 71st edition – and the second under the expanded 36-team league format. Holders Paris Saint-Germain headline the competition, alongside a record six English clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur. The campaign begins Tuesday and builds to the final at Budapest’s Puskás Arena next May.
BBC Sport polled its top pundits, commentators, and journalists for predictions on who will lift the famous trophy, which English side will go the furthest, and which surprise packages or breakout stars might emerge.
🏆 Expert Picks
- Liverpool: BBC chief writer Phil McNulty, senior correspondent Sami Mokbel, and several others are backing Liverpool, citing a reinforced squad featuring Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Hugo Ekitike. They argue last season’s narrow shootout loss to PSG has left Arne Slot’s team hungry for revenge.
- Paris Saint-Germain: Steph Houghton, Pat Nevin, and Guillem Balague favor PSG to defend their crown, praising their youthful, attacking style and newfound tactical maturity.
- Real Madrid: Steve Wilson, Rory Smith, and Nedum Onuoha say you can never discount the 14-time champions. Xabi Alonso’s leadership and Arda Güler’s growing influence make Los Blancos perennial contenders.
- Barcelona: Analysts Stephen Warnock and Matt Upson think Barça’s young squad – led by rising star Lamine Yamal – could go all the way after learning hard lessons in last year’s semi-final defeat.
- Arsenal: Theo Walcott tips his former club as dark horses, highlighting the addition of Viktor Gyökeres as a potential game-changer up front.
🤖 Data and AI Forecasts
Opta’s Supercomputer, which simulated the season 10,000 times, gives:
- Liverpool – 20.4% chance
- Arsenal – 16%
- PSG – 12.1%
- Manchester City & Barcelona – 8.4% each
Microsoft Copilot’s AI prediction also selected Liverpool.
📺 Coverage
BBC will continue showing Champions League highlights:
- Wednesdays: Match-by-match highlights on BBC iPlayer, website, and app from 22:00 BST.
- Wednesday nights: Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One at 22:40.
- Thursday recap: Highlights show on BBC Two at 23:00.
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