Paris Saint-Germain will begin their Champions League title defence on Tuesday as they target a third consecutive European crown, while five Premier League clubs prepare to challenge for the continent’s biggest prize.
Arsenal, who finished runners-up last season, have been installed as the leading contenders by Opta, with the Gunners given a 20.4% probability of winning the competition.
Bayern Munich, who were eliminated by eventual champions PSG in last season’s semi-final, are close behind with a 20% chance.
Manchester City rank third on Opta’s projections with a 12.7% probability, while PSG sit fourth at 7.3% despite their pursuit of a historic third successive Champions League title.
All five English clubs feature among Opta’s top 10 teams with the highest overall winning probability, and each has been given more than a 50% chance of reaching the knockout stage.
Liverpool have been handed the most favourable draw among the Premier League representatives based on Opta’s power rankings. Stuttgart have the easiest overall schedule, while Inter Milan have the most favourable fixtures among teams drawn from Pot One.
Arsenal also have a relatively manageable route despite being paired with European heavyweights Real Madrid and Bayern Munich from Pot One.
Mikel Arteta’s side, however, also drew Sabah and Slovan Bratislava, the two lowest-ranked teams in the competition, potentially balancing out the difficulty of their tougher fixtures.
Manchester City face the most demanding schedule among the English clubs. Only five teams across the competition have been assessed as having a tougher draw.
City will meet two of Europe’s biggest clubs from Pot One: Barcelona and defending champions PSG while Napoli, ranked 24th, represents another significant challenge from Pot Three.
With the league phase set to begin, Arsenal’s statistical advantage, PSG’s pursuit of an unprecedented third straight title and the presence of five English contenders promise another fiercely contested Champions League campaign.
