Champions League preview! New format, favourites, dark horses & more! | ESPN FC

ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol and Luis Miguel Echegaray join Dalen Cuff on ESPN FC Live to discuss the new Champions League format ahead of the draw for the league phase.
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[@quintongarofalo2566]

1. Real Madrid 2. Man City 3. Bayern 4. PSG 5. Barcelona 6. Dortmund 7. Inter 8. Atlético 9. Arsenal 10. Liverpool

[@Captaint54]

What world are you in where you have teams like Athletico, Inter and Dortmund and PSG. ahead of Arsenal. Arsenal will slaughter Inter in the league play and the only team that maybe can challenge them is PSG in the league play but Arsenal would have to have awful game for that to happen. Arsenal would slaughter Dortmund and Athletico if they played them

[@redbullsalz]

Same old story like each season... City being favorites, Bayern getting disrespected and eventually eliminating English teams, and Real Madrid winning it in the end...

[@kattphatt]

Did you watch the last Bayern vs City tie?

[@altrozzx]

😂

[@philaningcobo7592]

Liverpool and Arsenal favourites over Bayern????? The English bias is crazyyyy!

[@Chip_Fuse]

It's understandable. With someone like Kompany on board, there's little to no confidence, or even interest towards Bayern. Personally, I think they'll go deep, but fall short.

[@philaningcobo7592]

@@Chip_Fuse This is Bayern you talking about mate👀💀, Arsenal and Liverpool should not be above Bayern, this is the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE we talking about!

[@philaningcobo7592]

@@Chip_Fuse Kompany is actually the perfect guy for Bayern, his philosophy aligns perfectly with Bayern, come end of the season you'll see what I am talking about

[@Chip_Fuse]

@@philaningcobo7592 ok

[@James-st9uu]

Espn is American . No need to be racist.

[@PenaldoTheAndorraman]

This should be the real odds of winning the UCL: 1. Real Madrid😢: 29% 2. Cheaterchester money: 18% 3. Bayern Munich: 13% 4. Liverpool FC: 12% 5. WWE Madrid: 10% 6. FC Barcelona: 8% 7. PSGay: 4% 8. Leverkusen: 3% 9. Assenal clown Club: 2% 10. The rest teams in UCL: 1%

[@jeremykoh4115]

How arsenal is considered the third favourites?i still dont understand....ZERO UCL trophy....hahahaha...liverpool has six and bayern also have six but they are placed behind arsenal......

[@P.K...]

Because of the English bookmakers...that's how England has been always favourites on every major tournament but they've never won anything since 1966 😊

[@RohanRodrigues23]

Yea should have had United and Chelsea at 3rd and 4th followed by Liverpool

[@user-vk8zy6re4t]

You clearly dont know what odds are based on.

[@elbarca223]

Arsenal's top priority is PL - Arteta.

[@michealmontgomery5467]

3rd favourites based on form in all leagues

[@khaoyanelson4849]

The champions league should belong to the league champions, defending champions and maybe the club hosting the final.

[@evangelinewangari1124]

Dream ties: City vs B04 leverkusen Arsenal vs real madrid Liverpool vs psg Bayern vs atletico

[@P.K...]

Arsenal third? 😂😂😂 i needed this laugh...yet again Madrid are not favourites but city...every year the same story and madrid gona win it at all

[@AndyKennard4678]

Arsenal 3rd is embarrassing given their absolutely pathetic Euro record. They can't even win a knockout game lol.

[@fatih8053]

Because city are better?

[@Ishankk]

@@fatih8053sure thing bud, keep the underdog gimmick up for Madrid.

[@arcaine101]

@@fatih8053better based on winning the UCL a grand total of 1x? Or better because of the last result which City lost?

[@Captaint54]

Who should be above Arsenal? The only teams maybe better than them is Manchester City and Real Madrid. Could make a case for Bayern and PSG and Barca but think Arsenal is better than them. The rest Arsenal easily better than

[@ulfanfinneriksen4643]

I love that Villa is in it too. Barcelona, Leverkusen, PSG , Juventus are other outsiders. Bayern and Liverpool are among the favorites with Arsenal, City and the Madrid clubs.

[@danielgill2311]

Yeah I just remembered this morning villa finished in the top 4

[@teekaykus9234]

Hahaha Epl fans bias....Arsenal last saw CL 10 years ago before last season all of a sudden favourites ????😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@danielgill2311]

@@teekaykus9234 I am a man city fan we are in it every year

[@RISKE_LIFESTYLE]

It’s not that bad honestly, it’s something new and the best team will win. The talk about “rich get richer” is useless and pointless, you can say that about anything in life. At the end of the day it’s all business and if they don’t want to compete they don’t have to. For a pundit to talk about money is useless, but yet again everyone has a right of opinion.

[@Gos1234567]

the old format was boring af,the top teams basically had a bye into the next round,now they will have to play equal quality teams in the group stage

[@kianparmar9648]

Its nothing but fear of UEFA and FIFA, they got worried by SUper League, thats why they dont want to give teams any week rest, no rest no thought of any participation of another league. I wonder how UEFA specially is handling this situation handsomely, But players are going to suffer the most, I hope there is not much injury ....

[@paulfrancis9129]

Steve Nicol proving how unintelligent he is

[@user-rf7ow8tm8z]

I think FC Barcelona will win Champions League.

[@P.K...]

Only on PlayStation

[@beans-s9m]

Das a big gamble

[@talk844]

Lol

[@haiderz2429]

Yeah right… I’m pretty sure you won’t put money on that though 😂

[@tsheporabekane4172]

😂😂😂😂

[@DeonCluff]

It shows you arsenal are here and are for real goyg

[@EpicGammingCrew]

New ccl format seems a lil janky. I see what it’s trying to do in terms of competition: eliminate the unbalanced groups. But I’m not sure it’s going to be successful or as exciting. I’ll reserve judgement and see how it plays out tho ig

[@MMehdi-he4uo]

New format seems very interesting, they can reduce number of teams in domestic leagues to reduce the number of games for teams and teams can rotate their players too

[@ThatoSelomane]

No one knows who's gonna win the trophy all the teams are strong so any team can win this UCL trophy

[@Topstrika-b4h]

As a city fan how are we be ahead of real Madrid ?, they are the holders i think 2nd is a fair play

[@auhmav04]

chill u aint winning another ucl anytime soon

[@c0f3324]

So what's the new format ? And how many teams ?

[@ulfanfinneriksen4643]

Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester city in the semi finals.

[@Youtubechannel-po8cz]

If not Liverpool, Villa or any of the outsiders.

[@Sams-ch1jg]

Im just so happy to see liverpool in the ucl.

[@Youtubechannel-po8cz]

The last team the competition needs to win is Madrid. For the sake of interest any one but them 🙏

[@nitinpatel1039]

It city vs Madrid all again whoever win between those 2 in their semi final game will win, whole thing

[@DC-zi6se]

1:30 That accent 😂 "Faeces"

[@HumanBeingsRThinkingBeings]

▪︎If PL 115 Charges/Accusations ▪︎Without proof like UEFA Charges ▪︎PL should get away with paying Damages ▪︎PL must be investigated too?🤔

[@Ishankk]

Uefa had proof and proved city was guilty.

[@alexsilk2611]

Imagine your club gets drawn Villa and Bologna for example in pot 4 and the team ahead of you in the table, qualifying automatically, is drawn Sturm Graz and Bratislava. How is that fair?

[@andresgriborio6348]

Same thing happens in group. Is just the fact that every match is going to be relevant some way somehow

[@alexsilk2611]

@@andresgriborio6348 but the difference is that 3 other teams in the group are in the same situation you are. It isn't the case here

[@Eric4075]

As a Manchester United fan I believe our Lil bros will win it.

[@baldwinyeah7042]

People complain about the new format because it provides more opportunity for big clubs to make even more money. Well folks, that's the system we are under: a capitalist one. If you don't like it, change it. In terms of odds, I would put Real Madrid and Manchester City on top, followed by a group that includes Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Liverpool, then Barcelona, PSG, Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid and finally Inter Milan.

[@fishtito19]

madrid,city,inter,liverpool and arsenal

[@Captaint54]

Arsenal behind Inter. Give me a break

[@davegoody9603]

I'm not a city Fan but they should of been in n won the last Final Rather than Madrid...Totally destroyed them in possession n chances but as they say if you dont take them you wont win..

[@bolbiitp7850]

Manchester United should be expected to win the UEFA CL. they’re stacked with players everywhere and are considered to be better than 2002 Brazil and 2010-2012 Spain ETH on the wheel! It’s coming home boys 🏆 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@talk844]

What on earth!!

[@blac-whit]

Leverkusen ain't going far. The got smashed against a decent team like Atalanta

[@felixahiase4234]

Juventus and Liverpool are going to be a bigger problem than people realize this season.

[@notOL01]

@@felixahiase4234 Juve isn't good

[@felixahiase4234]

@@notOL01 We'll come back to this post after the group stages. I can bet you a thousand bucks that they'll go as far as at least the quarterfinals and possibly farther than that.

[@notOL01]

@felixahiase4234 Juve haven't looked good in pre-season and they have a new squad

[@felixahiase4234]

@@notOL01 Preseason isn't competitive games. It's trial and error. If you missed their first 2 league games, maybe you should watch their 3rd league game this weekend. Furthermore, they're adding Nico Gonzalez and Koopminers. It's a very well coached, tactically sound youthful team. Teams won't know how to handle them.

[@imawormbeforeiamman6052]

​@@notOL01Milan were a beast during pre season now they are struggling in the first to games. pre season results don't matter

[@user-dy6ut3tp8r]

Putting Clubs that don't even know how to win their own respective leagues ahead is wild or just pure stupidity

[@elbarca223]

3 PL teams in the top 4. Wow!

[@FICChurch5126]

Talk is cheap, football is unpredictable, any team can loose easily in a knockout stage .. you can never predict in a champions league

[@jim3249]

Arsenal to win it for the 1st time absolutely 💯

[@P.K...]

They will never beat bayern city or Madrid over 2 legs

[@auhmav04]

LOL

[@Deadmansworld14]

​@P.K... they have a 1-0 aggregate on cotton last season amd can beat either madrid or bayern over just 2 games

[@inyaface624]

if it ain't broke, don't fix it!! 😒

[@evangelinewangari1124]

Bayer leverkusen will reach the semis

[@hardydragon3]

I don't see anybody else than Real Madrid

[@ericthekop9624]

LFC 😍

[@AMMS10]

🏆Is the Champions League a parade, or a search for the champion to rule them all? It is unsportsmanlike to lose a team from POT 1 that would be able to dominate the lower team POTS. I understand there will be tighter games. But you lose the best teams to show off teams with less quality. This is an unfair tournament. I ain't even mad, i just have eyes.

[@TMowriyaaBK]

Barcelona

[@notOL01]

We got too many injuries

[@Chip_Fuse]

Pfft

[@blackknight5360]

Flick will get us semi finals

[@TonyJaa-247]

Our players will be back before then

[@gslang3489]

So we get the ESL but UEFA still gets all the money instead of the clubs.

[@arsenalfan4735]

Leverkusen is not bad but trust me if they face Real Madrid at knockout stages they will be out even if they play better because uefa don’t like to lose money like what happened to Leipzig last year.

[@talk844]

Liverpool should be between Inter and Atletico. Atlectico should be above PSG. Leverkusen just behind Barcelona.

[@Captaint54]

Liverpool for me is fourth for me. They are much better than Inter and Athletico. Only Arsenal, Manchester City, and Madrid better than Liverpool for me. Maybe Barca or PSG or Bayern close to Liverpool but no one else

[@talk844]

@@Captaint54 I agree. History-wise as well as seasonal performance Liverpool are better. I just have some respect for inter and athletico because of the talents they have acquired lately.

[@Captaint54]

@@talk844 Inter are one of the most overrated teams in the world. Serie a teams are a joke. Napoli was overrated under Spalleti and Inter now. Drives me a up a wall that teams like Inter and Atletico get in above teams like Spurs or United. Arsenal will make quick work of Inter. Atletico I have slightly more respect for but only slightly

[@talk844]

@@Captaint54 I don't see any serie a team going far in the champions league. Maybe a new team will surprise us this time around and the thought is keeping me excited right now.

[@Captaint54]

@@talk844 agreed. It is a crime that we have to watch five Italian teams in the champions league. Not one of them deserve to be there. I think the champions league needs to reformat so that premier league gets more spots and Portuguese and French and the Italian and the German league lose spots. But inter Milan as one of the favorites and Juventus as an underdog is a complete joke. Neither of them will make the knockouts.

[@mangloreanwithabeard]

16th UCL Loading 🏆🤍👑

[@JJ-zp9vr]

Real baby real ❤❤

[@sivaramlord9151]

It will be Real Madrid or City..kiss my backside when it happens.

[@nygfan007]

The guy pink is just terrible. He cannot keep his trap shut

[@pvgospel7341]

His job is to talk.. I fail to understand your issue here

[@charleshunt5729]

Real Madrid.

[@Seby1x]

Arsenal 😂😂😂😂

[@ChilltopiaMusic]

Liverpool have a way better chance than Arsenal. Arsenal performs very poorly when it comes to European competitions

[@Deadmansworld14]

The same liverpool that got cooked in the europa by atalanta

[@ChilltopiaMusic]

Dawg Arsenal have no room to speak after bottling the title two years in a row. They do good all season then in the last 8 games it’s like they just fall apart. No wonder they have 0 Champions League trophies

[@Deadmansworld14]

@@ChilltopiaMusic arsenal won 16/18 of the last games that don't scream falling apart

[@Captaint54]

Disagree. For me Liverpool are fourth favorites behind Arsenal. I think Arsenal are behind only Man City and Real Madrid. I think there is a case teams like Barcelona, PSG or Bayern close to Liverpool but I put Liverpool ahead of them and obviously they miles ahead of every other team, but for me they are still behind Arsenal

[@sokuralife]

Real Madrid only wins Copa del Ray this season

[@samysam9237]

Yeah like always and i. The end madrid wins champions league laliga and you will cry about refs etc 😂

[@majestyjnr9822]

@@samysam9237glory hunter shuuu

[@vidam9067]

They will pay the referees tho

[@Nathan-zd8ew]

Arsenal 3rd favourites 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. Theyvr not won it once. Tin pot club

[@Haunted7]

Lmao Arsenal