Chelsea FC will be looking to improve on their Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Real Madrid when the season starts again next month.
There is a good feeling at the club after its sale to Todd Boehly, a highly successful American businessman who has a passion for sport.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has been given full support to sign new players to break Liverpool and Manchester City’s hold on the Premier League.
The club is also hoping to reclaim its position at the top of European football, after winning the Champions League in 2021.
But which teams will also be challenging for this honour in the coming Champions League competition?
Real Madrid
Despite being the current holders of the European Cup, the club is not favorite to hold on to the cup.
Although Real had an impressive run to the final, beating Paris St Germain, Manchester City, and knocking out Chelsea in a dramatic quarter-final, their rivals have strengthened their respective squads.
Madrid, however, bolstered by sponsors, including gambling and casino online operators and telecom conglomerates, have made significant strides of their own this summer, with the £72m signing of star midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni and the free signing of Antonio Rudiger, pinched from the Blues.
Nevertheless, if manager Carlos Ancelotti is to retain their crown, he still has a lot of work to do this summer.
Bayern Munich
By Bayern Munich’s standards, last year’s European campaign was very disappointing, as a shock defeat to Spanish side Villarreal in the quarter-finals was a massive blow to the club.
While nobody can argue Bayern is the best team in Germany, winning ten back-to-back Bundesliga titles, the lack of domestic competition could be hampering the team’s chance of competing with other big European clubs.
There are some big issues for manager Julian Nagelsmann to sort this coming season with the departure of their legendary striker, Robert Lewandowski, who has joined Barcelona.
Sadio Mane has signed from Liverpool, but can he score the 40 goals that Lewandowski scored every year?
Paris Saint-Germain
Last season PSG was rightly considered a serious contender for the Champions League.
With the arrival of possibly the best player in the world, Lionel Messi from Barcelona, the French champions finally thought it was the club’s chance to win the one trophy they had been dreaming of for a long time.
However, PSG, even with Messi, could only go so far as the last 16, losing to eventual champions, Real Madrid.
With the recent signing of Kylian Mbappe’s new contract, who turned down the chance to play for Real Madrid, the team is looking more settled.
Could this finally be the year the Paris club is crowned the champions of European football?
Liverpool FC
Liverpool Football Club has a fantastic tally of European titles, including six European Cups.
The 2021-2022 campaign looked very promising for the club, reaching the final and playing better than Real Madrid, but ultimately losing 1-0.
Since the defeat, the club has strengthened the squad by signing Darwin Nunez, the very impressive Uruguayan forward.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is done in the transfer window, but the club is still expected to strongly challenge for the Premier League and Champions League.
Manchester City
If Chelsea and all the other clubs in the 2022-2023 Champions League are to win the competition, they will need to defeat current favorites, Manchester City.
Losing to Real Madrid in the semi-final last time around, the club has embarked on a spending spree to strengthen their already strong squad.
Ering Haaland has already signed from Borussia Dortmund, Kalvin Phillips is bolstering the midfield, and further signings are expected soon.
Man City is still yet to win the Champions League, and it is widely believed that this could be their year – but then that’s been the case for a few years at least.
