The Champions League is back with renewed intrigue and a distinctly English flavour. For the first time in the competition’s history, six Premier League clubs will embark on the long road to Budapest in the second season of UEFA’s revamped format.
Last season's campaign showcased both the promise and frustration that define English involvement in Europe's premier tournament. Arsenal and Aston Villa mounted impressive runs before falling to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain, while the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City perhaps underachieved at the turn of the year.
With Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and reigning English champions Liverpool all competing, this is an unprecedented show of strength — a record number of representatives from a single nation in the Champions League.
As the new format beds in, teams understand what's required, but the unpredictability that makes this tournament so captivating remains unchanged.
Indeed, the sheer number of English teams signals a shift in European football’s power balance. Clubs from the Premier League now enter with genuine expectations, backed by significant investment and growing continental influence. This rise has drawn attention from analysts and the best online betting sites, where English sides are often among the early favourites.
Yet quantity doesn't guarantee quality, and the expanded format demands both squad depth and the ability to beat some of the best teams on the continent.
Here are the clubs most likely to go all the way in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Arsenal
Arsenal enter the campaign carrying the weight of accumulated expectation and the scars of near misses that have summed up their journey with Mikel Arteta.
Each season in Europe has been a step forward, but the steps have been agonisingly incremental. Last year’s semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain was emblematic.
Flashes of maturity and control are undermined by the same emotional intensity that has often made them vulnerable. The Gunners thrive on passion, but at this level, it can cloud their focus.
The core of the squad, however, is entering its prime. Declan Rice anchors a midfield built for high-stakes nights, Bukayo Saka continues to be one of Europe’s most dangerous wide players, and the Emirates has become an intimidating venue on European evenings.
Arteta’s challenge is no longer about building a system. It’s about turning a contender into a champion. At 7/1 odds to lift the title in Hungary next season, now they have to turn dreams into reality.
The Gunners' emotional approach to competition has become both their greatest strength and most glaring weakness. Their social media vignettes capture hearts, their rivalries feel deeply personal, and their football can be breathtaking. Yet this emotional intensity often translates into tension during decisive moments. If they can ditch it and go for the kill, they’ll be contenders.
Liverpool
According to the betting markets, the best chance England has in Europe is for Liverpool, who are 6/1 to go all the way.
Last season was a tough one for Arne Slot in his maiden venture with the Reds. They went unbeaten in the league phase, only to draw eventual winners PSG in the first knockout round, where they were eliminated on penalties.
Despite winning the Premier League three months later, there was that feeling around Anfield that the squad could have achieved more.
Slot inherited a squad in transition and has overseen the most significant summer rebuild in recent memory. FSG's willingness to break the club's transfer record twice—securing Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak—signals genuine ambition for immediate impact. This new-look frontline provides the pace, creativity, and clinical finishing that could bring a record-extending seventh European crown to Merseyside.
Their league-phase fixtures are daunting, featuring Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, and include a tense reunion with Trent Alexander-Arnold following his controversial summer transfer to the Santiago Bernabéu.
Slot’s squad choices have already made headlines, including the omission of Federico Chiesa. Choosing teenager Rio Ngumoah highlights his long-term vision, especially with only 17 non-homegrown spots available. Only time will tell if it pays off.
Manchester City
Manchester City arrive in the Champions League as something of a wildcard entry. This is almost a new side compared with the swashbuckling centurions of Pep Guardiola’s earlier era, or even the treble-winning team that lifted the club’s first European crown in 2023.
Key departures and changes in the coaching staff have left City in a transitional phase, but the ambition remains undimmed. Guardiola aims to evolve the side once again and finally achieve the European consistency that has eluded them, with the team currently 9/1 to lift the trophy next May.
Guardiola continues to adapt. Once defined by suffocating control and possession, he has shifted his approach to suit a new side.
The summer signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma, the reigning European champion, adds a new dimension in goal. While his shot-stopping is world-class, his distribution is not at the level of Ederson, making the move a calculated risk.
Combined with Erling Haaland’s extraordinary goalscoring, City now look more pragmatic, a team built to house the chaos of knockout football while retaining the technical quality that has defined Guardiola’s sides.
Despite a tough domestic start, the Champions League offers City a clean slate. Two losses in their opening three league games have lowered expectations, and the desire to prove doubters wrong could fuel their European performances. Their opening league-phase fixture against Serie A champions Napoli will be an early test of both character and adaptability.
The Champions League's enduring appeal lies in its capacity for surprise, where tactical masterclasses can be undone by moments of individual brilliance or catastrophic error. While Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City represent English football's strongest hopes for continental success, the tournament's history reminds us that favourites don't always prevail.
