UEFA Champions League season 2022/2023
Ahead of the start of the 68th season of the strongest football competition or Champions League 31st season, which because of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar will start in the first week of September and first part of the group stage will finish in the first week of November.
The most frequently asked question is: Can anyone stop the domination of Real Madrid? There are many candidates for it, first the English giants Manchester City, last season finalist Liverpool and Chelsea. Manchester City won titles in England, but never raised the “big trophy”. That's why Pep Guardiola's company enters a new adventure with a clear goal - to conquer Europe. "Citizens" estimated that they need new offensive arsenal to fulfill this ambition, and significantly strengthened the offense by bringing Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
Of course, PSG are now more furious and more willing to win this trophy than ever. Paris Saint-Germain is "loaded" with stars, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Messi stand out in the roster and when you can rely on such players, you have to aim for the highest goals. The European crown is a long-term ambition of the Qatari sheikhs who manage the club, but the "saints" never manage to go all the way.
Real Madrid, the most trophy-winning club on the planet, did not bring any major reinforcements this summer yet. But it was similar last season and they weren’t even among the favorites for winning Champions League but at the end they were the one celebrating. It will be interesting to see if this tactic will pay off for Ancelotti’s team who said that his team is now looking stronger than last season.
We can never cross over Bavarians as well as new Barcelona which seems very dangerous under Xavi’s ruling. Barcelona had a turbulent summer, brought in some serious names despite the financial problems and the atmosphere in the club seems great, so we will see how they will perform under pressure in the elite competition.
The circle of serious favorites for the trophy continues with Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Inter.
By default, 32 teams participate in the CL, which will be divided into 8 groups. And like every season, a series of interesting matches and duels awaits us. The group stage will be drawn in Istanbul after the qualifications and play off end on 25 August 2022. There are 6 more spots to be fulfilled through qualifications.
The final will be played on Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 10 June 2023. This stadium should have hosted the 2020 UCL final but because of the pandemic it was rescheduled.
Real Madrid is defending champions from last season when they won 14th Champions League trophy in their history.
The odds at Champions League is located in the menu to the left.