8. Monaco
In the long run, Monaco has all the makings of a Champions League sleeper, even though it was only Red Star Belgrade and they couldn’t even defeat Dinamo Zagreb before that. With PSG, Monaco, and Marseille engaged in a real struggle at the top of the table, Ligue 1 has subtly become much more competitive this season. Monaco appears to be the most complete team in league play, at least. Dedicated football fans will recognise some of the names, such as 2018 World Cup star Aleksandr Golovin, former Chelsea and Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, former Liverpool attacker Takumi Minamino, and former Arsenal American striker Folarin Balogun. The next generation of stars, who haven’t yet achieved widespread fame, are Monaco’s greatest treasures. Wilfried Singo, Maghnes Akliouche, Lamine Camara, and Eliesse Ben Seghir are all 23-year-old stars who have so far excelled in the Champions League. With more experience, Monaco’s young players should become even more dangerous at the Champions League level as the season drags on. They have no weak starters in their starting lineup. They were dangerous enough, after all, to cause Barcelona’s only defeat of the season.
7.Bayer Leverkusen
Following their humiliation by Atalanta in the Europa League Final last year, Bayer Leverkusen has begun to appear somewhat vulnerable and isn’t relying on last-minute miracles like Real Madrid. On the basis of skill alone, Leverkusen is still among the top teams in Europe and should be regarded as a dark horse for the Champions League. In the 2023–24 Bundesliga, which included several excellent teams including semifinalists Bayern Munich, finalists Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and underdogs Stuttgart, they were unbeaten. Despite their inability to defeat Brest by three points, Leverkusen boasts a 4-0 victory over Feyenoord and a strong victory over AC Milan this season. Leverkusen, who are still headed offensively by Florian Wirtz, haven’t dropped a game since their unfortunate 3-2 loss to Leipzig on August 31. They have only lost once this season, and their draw with Brest was only their second match of the 2024–2025 campaign. Leverkusen is definitely on the list of contenders, but they must demonstrate that they are the tournament favourite.
6. Villa Aston
Aston Villa is also ranked higher than Arsenal, which may seem a bit extreme, but I trust Unai Emery more in major tournaments than Mikel Arteta—a claim that would have seemed sacrilegious just a few years ago. When you truly look past the hype, Arteta hasn’t done anything in European football yet, while Emery has won the Europa League several times with both Sevilla and Villarreal.At Sevilla, Emery forged one of the greatest Europa League sides year over year, and at Aston Villa, he is bringing those same principles to what is now a well-drilled and deep side. Emery built one of the best Europa League teams at Sevilla year after year, and he is applying the same ideas to Aston Villa’s now-strong and well-trained squad. With the addition of Amadou Onana and the breakthrough performances of Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, and star striker Jhon Duran, Aston Villa is far more dangerous this season. Matty Cash at right back is the Lions’ only vulnerability, as they are strong at most positions. Onana, Emiliano Martinez, Ollie Watkins, Pau Torres, and Ezri Konsa are among Villa’s other respectable large tournament performers.
All of these players have excelled on the international scene at different times, and following a resounding victory over Bologna, I have no qualms about being a great fan of a team that has routinely finished fourth in the Premier League. Oh, and did I mention that they shut out Bayern Munich with their pitching?
5.Bayern Munich
Munich Bayern is right up there with Real Madrid as one of the most seasoned big-game teams in world football, so even though Aston Villa defeated them head-to-head, I’m still a little hesitant to rank Die Roten behind the Premier League underdogs. This season, Vincent Kompany has improved Bayern Munich’s appearance. Although the former Manchester City defender doesn’t have the same extensive tournament experience as his predecessor Thomas Tuchel, his ambition and passion have suited Bayern’s culture.
With star striker Harry Kane leading the team with eight goals, the team has been much more thrilling to watch in 2024–2025 and is still undefeated in the Bundesliga. However, Bayern also lost 4-1 in the Champions League encounter that was most anticipated on Matchday 3 after being completely outplayed by Barcelona and former manager Hansi Flick. Bayern never appeared to be superior, and they gave Barcelona more goals than they scored. Even though Manuel Neuer has made a name for himself by leading his team to victory in the most important games, he didn’t look like the renowned goalie he is when facing former teammate Robert Lewandowski. On the basis of talent and heritage alone, Bayern is still a contender for the Champions League, but something seems lacking from the current generation of the Bavarian powerhouses, and it may be a lack of overall quality. Bayern’s loss to Barcelona was obviously hampered by Aleksandar Pavlovic’s injury, but a European powerhouse shouldn’t collapse as drastically as it did on Wednesday night at Camp Nou due to the absence of a single young midfield player.
4. Liverpool
After eight matchdays, Liverpool is the rightful Premier League leaders and has been a pleasure to watch. With the exception of a gruelling 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, one of the Premier League’s two top defensive teams, they have won every game this season. Even without star custodian Alisson Becker, they have been equally effective in the Champions League, defeating RB Leipzig on Wednesday night, one of the league’s most dangerous sides. The development of players like Ryan Gravenberch, Luis Diaz, and Curtis Jones is largely responsible for Liverpool’s improvement under Arne Slot.
When Liverpool previously made it to the Champions League Final, Diaz was among the finest players in Europe; Gravenberch has started the 2024–25 season looking like one of the best in his own right; and Jones played a key role in the Reds’ recent league victory over Chelsea. Not many people outside of Anfield recognise that Liverpool is one of the most successful Champions League teams in history. In all honesty, they and Manchester City are tied.
3. Manchester city
However, given their incredible performance in the league over the past three seasons, I do have to give Manchester City the benefit of the doubt over their Premier League rivals, even without Rodri. Only Real Madrid, the actual champions in both instances, managed to defeat Man City in the Champions League knockout stages, and they did so narrowly. The Champions League record holders were humiliated by Manchester City in between those two Real Madrid victories, and on their best day, they can beat any team off the pitch. Despite Kylian Mbappe teams up with Vinicius Junior in Madrid, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne remain the most formidable one-two punch in world football. In their only real Champions League test this season, City drew Inter Milan 0-0 in a rematch of the 2023 Final, which they won. However, based on their performance in this tournament over the previous three seasons, they have also given me no reason to rank them lower than the minimum position of third.
2. Barcelona
Barcelona has seen numerous Champions League setbacks throughout the years, and on Matchday 1, it appeared to be the same old thing again as they failed to defeat Monaco. But as I mentioned above, Monaco is a formidable opponent, so losing to them in the first Champions League game under a new manager is by no means a humiliating outcome; it wouldn’t even place Barca in the top ten in recent years. Under Flick’s leadership, Barcelona is a totally different team, and Raphinha in particular has profited from the German coach. Raphinha scored a hat-trick as the Blaugrana crushed Flick’s previous employers 4-1. Even though it wasn’t exactly 8-2, Barcelona’s captivating performance right before El Clasico established their return to being a formidable force on the biggest stage with the world’s most thrilling attacking football. Before the downturn began in 2019, when Zinedine Zidane returned to rescue Real Madrid from their own banter phase, Barcelona had been establishing that bar for ten years. Barcelona is back on top of La Liga, but this time, unlike in 2022–2023, they aren’t doing it by slogging out 1-0 victories; instead, they are completely humiliating their rivals, even elite teams like Bayern Munich.
1. Real Madrid
Despite signing strikers Kylian Mbappe and Endrick, two of the most sought-after summer moves in football, Real Madrid hasn’t exactly looked their best at any time during the 2024–25 campaign. However, for 45 minutes against Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid seemed like the world’s most dominant club once more. They overcame a 2-0 deficit in the first half by scoring five goals in the second half against the same team they defeated in the Champions League Finals. Although the outcome does little to allay naysayers of Madrid’s very genuine defensive worries, Vinicius Junior led the way with a hat trick to solidify his place as the finest in the world. That second half served as a stark reminder of the club’s unchallenged supremacy. It is widely believed that the Merengues will have their best season ever in 2024–2025 if Mbappe and company really start clicking. The magic at the Bernabeu is still very much alive. Real Madrid has the moxie of a squad that knows they were born to win, regardless of the game situation or the opponent, which is why they are the favourites in Europe’s top football competition until proven differently, as is the case every year when they seem even remotely good.
