Tue Sep 17 14:02:19 UTC 2024: ## Manchester City Favourites to Win Champions League, English Teams Dominate Top 10

**Manchester**, **England** – The Opta predictor has declared Manchester City as the favourites to lift the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League trophy, with a 24.9% chance of winning. The reigning Premier League champions also have a greater than 50% chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Following closely behind are reigning champions Real Madrid, with a 17.8% chance of winning the coveted title.

England leads the pack in terms of representation among the top 10 contenders, with Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool all making the list.

**Matchweek One Preview:**

The first round of the Champions League brings a plethora of exciting matchups:

* **Young Boys vs. Aston Villa:** This marks the first ever meeting between these two clubs. Aston Villa will become the 11th English team to compete in the Champions League, making their return to the competition after a 40-year absence.
* **Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven:** The Old Lady will face a Dutch opponent for the first time since their 2019 quarterfinal defeat to Ajax.
* **Milan vs. Liverpool:** This will be the fifth meeting between these two European giants, with two of their previous clashes being Champions League finals.
* **Bayern Munich vs. Dinamo Zagreb:** The Bavarians will be looking for revenge after a surprising 4-1 loss to Dinamo in a 1963 cup game.
* **Real Madrid vs. Stuttgart:** This will be Real Madrid’s first ever encounter with the German side.
* **Sporting CP vs. Lille:** The Portuguese side will be hoping to break their recent losing streak against French opponents.
* **Sparta Prague vs. RB Salzburg:** This marks the first European Cup/Champions League match between a Czech and Austrian team since 1984.
* **Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk:** This will be Bologna’s first encounter with a Ukrainian opponent in any European competition.
* **Celtic vs. Slovan Bratislava:** The Scottish side will look to continue their dominance over the Slovakian side, having won both meetings in the 1964 Cup Winners’ Cup.
* **Club Brugge vs. Borussia Dortmund:** Borussia Dortmund will aim to maintain their perfect record against Club Brugge, having never conceded a goal in their four previous Champions League meetings.
* **Manchester City vs. Inter Milan:** This rematch of last year’s final is sure to be a nail-biter.
* **PSG vs. Girona:** Girona will be making their debut in the Champions League, and will face a formidable PSG side.
* **Feyenoord vs. Bayer Leverkusen:** The German side will be looking to continue their unbeaten run against Dutch opponents.
* **Crvena Zvezda vs. Benfica:** The Portuguese side will be looking to avenge their 1984 European Cup loss to Crvena Zvezda.
* **Monaco vs. Barcelona:** This will be Barcelona’s 25th Champions League match against a French side.
* **Atalanta vs. Arsenal:** The Gunners will be looking to avoid a repeat of their recent away losses in Italy.
* **Atlético Madrid vs. RB Leipzig:** This will be the first meeting between these two sides since their 2020 quarterfinal clash.
* **Brest vs. Sturm Graz:** Brest will be making their European debut, while Sturm Graz will be looking to improve their disappointing recent record in European competition.

With a star-studded lineup of teams and plenty of compelling storylines, the 2024-25 Champions League promises to be another thrilling season.

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