Following Manchester City’s recent Champions League exit, manager Pep Guardiola has identified four teams he believes are strong contenders for this season’s title: Real Madrid, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Pep Guardiola’s Champions League Favorites: Four Teams to Watch
In a candid post-match interview, Guardiola acknowledged Real Madrid’s dominance, especially after their decisive 3-1 victory over Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu, which secured a 6-3 aggregate win.
Kylian Mbappe’s exceptional hat-trick was pivotal in this outcome. Guardiola remarked, “Of course Madrid are a contender, definitely. Madrid are always favourites for this trophy.”
He also highlighted the impressive performances of Liverpool, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain this season.
“Liverpool are having a really good season up until now, Barcelona are amazing, Paris Saint-Germain, with my friend Luis [Enrique] in charge, are on the march,” Guardiola added.
Reflecting on Manchester City’s performance, Guardiola conceded that his team was outplayed by Real Madrid.
“The best team won. They deserved it. This season we haven’t been so good—I felt that, in the previous seasons, we were better than Madrid, but this time not so,” he admitted.
Despite the setback, Guardiola emphasized the importance of focusing on upcoming domestic competitions.
“We have to try to win the FA Cup, we have to try to finish in the top four in the league, and we have to try to be back again in this competition next season,” he stated.
Real Madrid’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, praised his team’s comprehensive performance against Manchester City, describing it as
“the complete performance—attack, defence, with the ball and without the ball, we showed such high levels of quality.”
As the Champions League progresses, the spotlight will be on these four teams—Real Madrid, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain—to see who will ultimately claim Europe’s most prestigious club trophy.
