Who will win the Champions league?

This year is an exciting year for myself when it comes to champions league football because as an Englishman the chances of winning it seem reasonable, we have all four of our teams in the last 16 and the teams this year should have a high enough standard to compete. The favorites this year have to be between Manchester city and Barcelona based on domestic form but i think this almost goes out the window because knockout competitions are very different and almost every team have world class players in them.

The fact that Real Madrid have won it back to back and are defending champions are not the favorites are quite astonishing to watch their form drop so much domestically is astonishing, but the fact that their squad hasn't changed much means that teams need to still be fearful this is a world class team that has underperformed but now they have lost the La Liga title to Barcelona they will throw everything into winning this. And if they don't win this then it will almost be certainly the end for Zidane .

I will now analyse each team individually. I'm not going to go into teams that have little chance of winning it or pushing past the last 16

Barcelona - This is a team in imperious form in every competition and should go very far. They have Messi and Suarez in form and even without Coutinho (Already played for Liverpool in group stages) they will have enough firing power to beat any team. But one of the more impressive stats is how solid their defence is, with this new manager Valverde barcelona seem more solid and defensively sound then last year. They boast an average of 0.5 goals per game domestically so if they continue their good form i expect them in the final.

Man city - This team is such a good team to watch, they can just cut teams apart, not with strength but a complete dominance of possession, waiting patiently with De Bruyne ready to the assists the likes of Aguero, sterling and basically any city player bar the goalkeeper. The way they retain the ball is almost as impressive as the speed in which they get it back. But this team can be beaten shown by Liverpool. But I doubt teams can match the pressing that liverpool applied that game. Also i do believe world class strikers can exploit their weakness in CB positions. I expect them to get to the final but I wouldn't be too surprised if they fall at the semi's.

Real Madrid - This is a team who could win the title, they have done twice before. Will they? I highly doubt it, they either need to miraculously need to find the same form they had last season or have Ronaldo do some incredible individual performances. They have a tough fixture with PSG in the round of 16 and frankly i don't think they will get through but if they do then teams should be fearful of what confidence that might have been revived.

Juventus - Unfortunately this may be the last season we see Buffon he stated he would retire if they don't win the champions league. The team is an old one especially in defense and I think Higuain is a fantastic striker but he is not world class. You need a world class striker to win these competitions. The 2-2 at home against Tottenham shows how a young team can quickly punish one that sits back after a 2-0 lead. I expect Tottenham to win at home and see Juventus knocked out.

Tottenham - A brilliant result and spirited performance from a team who gifted Juventus a 2-0 lead, hopefully they can play with the same freedom at 0-0 and not give away goals in the future, because other teams will not be so forgiving. I'm really not sure how far they will go, they should beat Juventus at home and i'm expecting at least quarter finals from these and anything more will be very impressive.

Chelsea - Defending premier league champions. These have had a rough season with lots of speculation with what seems a unhappy camp at the moment. They have got punished for not strengthening and it is shown in the league table. What makes a Conte team so great is their defense and how after 1-0 they will make sure the opponent doesn't get even a sniff. But the players that make up the defense have under performed and they look shaky. They face Barcelona in last 16 and I expect them to lose.

Man united - A team that is trailing in the league to the best team we've seen in the premier league. Even though they are second they look like a team out of form compared to Liverpool and Tottenham . They have a very good tactical manager but I don't think this will be enough for them to make much progress in the competition and will face a tough Sevilla team , I think they might edge it through to quarters but no further.

Liverpool - They are arguably one of the best attacking teams in the competition and will cause lots of troubles to teams. I fully expect them to destroy Porto and progress to the quarters but I can't see them getting any further because of purely how weak their defense is even with the addition of Van Dijk. They have two poor keepers who will cost them, it's amazing to why they haven't strengthened. I'm an Ipswich town fan and our keeper would do a far better job then both of them.

Bayern Munich - Another one of the teams that have been comfortable for too long in their domestic league to strengthen what is a fading and aging squad. They certainly have enough Quality to get past Besiktas. But I again expect them to lose when meeting any of the other teams mentioned above.

I will not mention any other team because I do not believe they will get through to the quarters. I have included 9 above because the Juventus and Tottenham can go either way (I believe Tottenham will win).

This are just my expectations, and this is football so anything can happen!

Comment below what you think, your favorite team and any ideas, improvements you'd like me to take on board for the future.