2018-10-01T163609Z_2067717213_RC1CE9C31BA0_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-CSK-MAD-PREVIEW
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Leading contenders for the Champions league title following opening fixtures

Europe’s major competition is now in full swing following the opening rounds of fixtures. Surprisingly, 13 time winners Real Madrid are really struggling and at present sit bottom of Group A. This has seen them pick up one point from their opening two fixtures, following a 3-0 away loss at PSG and a 2-2 home draw with Club Brugge. They now have a huge task on their hands if they are to go on and land another title this season, that sees them outside the favourites at present.

 

Manchester City are the strong favourites to land the title this season following their shock defeat in the semi-finals last season. This has seen they prove a popular selection for many punters using offers at bet-california.com, in which they have opened up with two consecutive victories in Group C and have yet to concede a goal. City started with a 3-0 away victory against Shakhtar Donetsk, followed by a 2-0 home win against Dinamo Zagreb. They will be expected to be challenging to the latter stages of the competition again this season with a home tie against Atalanta up next.

The joint second favourites for the title are Barcelona. The Spanish giants looked set to land the competition last season, before that memorable Anfield night. The question is, will they be able to recover from that shock defeat? Barcelona have kick started their bid having picked up four points from a possible six. They started with a 0-0 draw away at Dortmund, followed by the recent 2-1 victory against Inter Milan. This included them coming from behind and they will now hope to push on into the latter stages of the competition.

 

Defending champions Liverpool are also amongst the favourites for the title. Their victory last season was an incredible one and capped off their return to the top. This was also their second final in the competition in succession. However, they have made a stuttering start to Group E, which started with a 2-0 away loss at Napoli. This continued their poor away form in the Champions league. Liverpool then gained an important three points with a 4-3 home victory against Red Bull Salzburg. They had taken a 3-0 lead in the game only for the visitors to draw level as Salah scored the winner at Anfield. The six time winners of the competition will again be expected to challenge into the latter stages.  

Bayern Munich have returned as a major force as they have again brought through a lot of young talent. They are five time winners of the competition, with the last victory coming back in 2013. Could this be the year they now pick up another title? The German champions have started the campaign in flying form, having picked up maximum points from their opening two fixtures. They started with a 3-0 home victory against Crvena Zvezda, before the stunning 7-2 away win against last season’s runners-up Tottenham. This included four goals from former Gunner Serge Gnabry in the second half, so they are another side expected to be a major force this season.

 

The final side worth a mention are French champions PSG. They always start amongst the favourites but have failed to fire in recent years. Could this be the year they can challenge as they go slightly under the radar? PSG have started with two consecutive victories in Group A and have yet to concede a goal. They started with the incredible 3-0 victory at home to Real Madrid, before winning the difficult trip against Galatasaray in Turkey. PSG now must have as strong a chance of any of winning the competition this season.  

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