With the Champions League league phase draw now complete, preparations are underway for the expanded 36-team format, which for the first time includes six English sides: Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Newcastle.
The current frontrunners for the trophy include defending champions PSG, Premier League title-holders Liverpool, record winners Real Madrid, and Spanish powerhouse Barcelona.
The opening round of matches is scheduled between September 16 and 18, with the league phase running until January 28.
Knockout play-offs will follow in February, taking place across two weeks, before the round of 16 kicks off on March 10. Quarter-finals begin April 7, and semi-finals are set for April 28. The grand finale will be held in Budapest on May 30.
Naturally, the road to the final is unpredictable — injuries, transfers, and team form will heavily influence the outcome. Chelsea, who return to the Champions League after a two-year absence and a Conference League triumph, are being tipped by Makélélé to make a deep run.
Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible on behalf of Oddspedia, Makélélé — a Champions League winner with Real Madrid in 2002 — expressed confidence in Chelsea’s campaign, but noted that only two teams pose a genuine threat to their ambitions this season.
The former France midfielder said: “For me, of course, I will talk about my teams and where I played. I’m talking about Chelsea, I’m talking about Real Madrid, I’m talking about Paris [Saint-Germain].
“For now, Chelsea can build something in the Champions League, because it has been normal for them. Always.
“We win the Champions League, Club World Cup, finals, as it’s the only club who win all five trophies. Nobody does this. We have stories about all these competitions.
“We have a good group, and I like all the players, and the manager are doing a great job. I repeated that many times last year, as the fans were critical of him at first. We can see them making progress, though, so I hope they make it through to the final.”
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