UEFA Champions League 2017/18 season preview Football
Real Madrid make Champions League history
Real Madrid have made European history after becoming the first team to win back-to-back Champions League titles since the tournament changed to its current format. Zinedine Zidane's side proved too powerful for Juventus last term, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice and Casemiro adding another as they dispatched the Italian champions 4-1 at the National Stadium of Wales. Real Madrid's triumph is even more impressive considering it's also the third time they have lifted the Champions League trophy in just four years. The last time any team won successive European Cups was Arrigo Sacchi's Milan, who won the competition in 1989 and 1990. Juventus made another type of history in losing a fifth consecutive European Cup final and the seventh of the nine in which they've competed.
| semi-finals | |
| Juventus - Monaco | 2:1 (2:0) |
| Atletico M - Real Mad. | 2:1 (0:3) |
| 1/4-finals | |
| Monaco - Dortmund | 3:1 (3:2) |
| Real Mad. - Bayern | 4:2 (2:1) |
| Leicester - Atletico M | 1:1 (0:1) |
| Barcelona - Juventus | 0:0 (0:3) |
| 1/8-finals | |
| Leicester - Sevilla | 2:0 (1:2) |
| Juventus - Porto | 1:0 (2:0) |
| Atletico M - Bayer L. | 0:0 (4:2) |
| Monaco - Man. City | 3:1 (3:5) |
| Napoli - Real Mad. | 1:3 (1:3) |
| Arsenal - Bayern | 1:5 (1:5) |
| Barcelona - PSG | 6:1 (0:4) |
| Dortmund - Benfica | 4:0 (0:1) |
| # | Team | Pts | GD | W-D-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | ||||
| 1 | Arsenal | 14 | 12 | 4-2-0 |
| 2 | PSG | 12 | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 3 | Ludogor. | 3 | -9 | 0-3-3 |
| 4 | Basel | 2 | -9 | 0-2-4 |
| Group B | ||||
| 1 | Napoli | 11 | 3 | 3-2-1 |
| 2 | Benfica | 8 | 0 | 2-2-2 |
| 3 | Besiktas | 7 | -5 | 1-4-1 |
| 4 | Dinamo K. | 5 | 2 | 1-2-3 |
| Group C | ||||
| 1 | Barcelona | 15 | 16 | 5-0-1 |
| 2 | Man. City | 9 | 2 | 2-3-1 |
| 3 | Borussia | 5 | -7 | 1-2-3 |
| 4 | Celtic | 3 | -11 | 0-3-3 |
| Group D | ||||
| 1 | Atletico M | 15 | 5 | 5-0-1 |
| 2 | Bayern | 12 | 8 | 4-0-2 |
| 3 | Rostov | 5 | -6 | 1-2-3 |
| 4 | PSV | 2 | -7 | 0-2-4 |
| Group E | ||||
| 1 | Monaco | 11 | 2 | 3-2-1 |
| 2 | Bayer L. | 10 | 4 | 2-4-0 |
| 3 | Tottenh. | 7 | 0 | 2-1-3 |
| 4 | CSKA | 3 | -6 | 0-3-3 |
| Group F | ||||
| 1 | Dortmund | 14 | 12 | 4-2-0 |
| 2 | Real Mad. | 12 | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 3 | Legia W. | 4 | -15 | 1-1-4 |
| 4 | Sporting | 3 | -3 | 1-0-5 |
| Group G | ||||
| 1 | Leicester | 13 | 1 | 4-1-1 |
| 2 | Porto | 11 | 6 | 3-2-1 |
| 3 | Kobenh. | 9 | 5 | 2-3-1 |
| 4 | Brugge | 0 | -12 | 0-0-6 |
| Group H | ||||
| 1 | Juventus | 14 | 9 | 4-2-0 |
| 2 | Sevilla | 11 | 4 | 3-2-1 |
| 3 | Lyon | 8 | 2 | 2-2-2 |
| 4 | Dinamo | 0 | -15 | 0-0-6 |
UEFA Champions League 2016/17
2017/18 draw
Real Madrid, coming off a second straight Champions League triumph, faces a difficult road from the start, drawing Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham in its group. Dortmund finished top of their group above Madrid last year, but new coach Peter Bosz still said Real were the most difficult challenge his side could have been drawn against in Group H. Barcelona and Juventus will renew acquaintances again in Group D, while Bayern Munich and PSG will go head-to-head in group play as well.
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benfica | Bayern | Chelsea | Juventus |
| Manchester Utd | PSG | Atletico | Barcelona |
| Basel | Anderlecht | Roma | Olympiakos |
| CSKA | Celtic | Qarabag | Sporting |
| E | F | G | H |
| Spartak | Shakhtar | Monaco | Real Madrid |
| Sevilla | Manchester City | Porto | Dortmund |
| Liverpool | Napoli | Besiktas | Tottenham |
| Maribor | Feyenoord | RB Leipzig | APOEL |
The 32 teams have been split into eight groups of four, with the opening stage commencing on September 12 and 13. The winners and runners-up from each group will progress to the first knockout round. In all knock-out rounds until the final, clubs play two games against opponent on a home and away basis. The winners of the two semi-finals play in the final, which will be staged in Ukraine's capital city of Kiev on May 26, 2018. The next table shows the overall number of European titles since 1956 and their success in the last five years:
| Team | Titles | 12/13 | 13/14 | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real M. | 12 | 1/2 | title | 1/2 | title | title |
| Bayern | 5 | title | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/4 |
| Barcelona | 5 | 1/2 | 1/4 | title | 1/4 | 1/4 |
| Liverpool | 5 | - | - | + | - | - |
| Man. Utd | 3 | 1/8 | 1/4 | - | + | - |
| Porto | 2 | 1/8 | + | 1/4 | + | 1/8 |
| Benfica | 2 | + | + | + | 1/4 | 1/8 |
| Juventus | 2 | 1/4 | + | final | 1/8 | final |
| Dortmund | 1 | final | 1/4 | 1/8 | - | 1/4 |
| Chelsea | 1 | + | 1/2 | 1/8 | 1/8 | - |
| Celtic | 1 | 1/8 | + | - | - | + |
| Feyenoord | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Atletico M. | - | - | final | 1/4 | final | 1/2 |
| Man. City | - | + | 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/2 | 1/8 |
| Paris SG | - | 1/4 | 1/4 | 1/4 | 1/4 | 1/8 |
| Basel | - | - | + | 1/8 | - | + |
| Monaco | - | - | - | 1/4 | - | 1/2 |
| CSKA | - | - | + | + | + | + |
| Napoli | - | - | + | - | - | 1/8 |
| Sevilla | - | - | - | - | + | 1/8 |
| Roma | - | - | - | + | 1/8 | - |
| Olympiacos | - | + | 1/8 | + | + | - |
| Spartak | - | + | - | - | - | - |
| Shakhtar | - | 1/8 | + | 1/8 | - | - |
| Sporting | - | - | - | + | - | + |
| Tottenham | - | - | - | - | - | + |
| Besiktas | - | - | - | - | - | + |
| Anderlecht | - | + | + | + | - | - |
| Maribor | - | - | - | + | - | - |
| APOEL | - | - | - | + | - | - |
| RB Leipzig | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Qarabag | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1/2 semi-finalists
1/4 quarter-finalists
1/8 second group stage or first knock-out round
+ group stage
- not qualified
Bookmakers' odds for the 2017/18 winner
Real Madrid will be hoping to win Europe's top club competition for a third straight year, a feat not achieved since Bayern Munich in the 1970s. The dominant force in Europe last season, they have had an excellent transfer window with the signing of young stars Dani Ceballos and Theo Hernandez. Zinedine Zidane's men have proved incredibly consistent over the past few years, while their main rivals are expected to be Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, perhaps the most interesting team this season.
PSG face increased pressure to deliver success in the Champions League following their spending spree over the summer. PSG signed Brazil's Neymar for a world record fee of €222m during the off-season and also recruited Kylian Mbappe on loan from Monaco. Mbappe is expected to make his move permanent in 12 months for a reported €180m. PSG have never won the Champions League title, nor made the semi-finals since 1995, but expectations have risen since they were bought by Qatari Sports Investment in 2011 and won four of their six Ligue 1 titles since then. They have not, however, progressed beyond the quarter-finals in Europe's most prestigious club competition since the acquisition.
| Team | Odds | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 5 | Porto | 81 |
| Paris St Germain | 7 | Roma | 101 |
| Bayern Munich | 7.5 | Benfica | 101 |
| Barcelona | 7.5 | Besiktas | 501 |
| Man City | 12 | Spartak Moscow | 501 |
| Man Utd | 12 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 501 |
| Juventus | 15 | CSKA Moscow | 501 |
| Chelsea | 15 | Anderlecht | 751 |
| Atletico Madrid | 21 | Basel | 751 |
| Liverpool | 23 | Feyenoord | 751 |
| Napoli | 26 | Sporting Lisbon | 751 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 34 | Celtic | 751 |
| Tottenham | 34 | Olympiakos | 1001 |
| Monaco | 41 | APOEL Nicosia | 2001 |
| RB Leipzig | 67 | Qarabag | 2001 |
| Sevilla | 67 | Maribor | 2001 |
Preseason odds for the outright winner of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League.
This is introduction to 2017/2018 UEFA Champions League season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Champions league page.
UEFA Champions league finals in last five years
2017 Real Madrid - Juventus 4:1
2016 Real Madrid - Atletico Madrid 1:1 (5:3 pen.)
2015 Barcelona - Juventus 3:1
2014 Real Madrid - Atletico Madrid 4:1 (aet)
2013 Bayern Munich - Dortmund 2:1
Key players
(transfer market value in m€)
Anderlecht
Goalkeeper Matz Sels (5); Defense: Kara (7), Andy Najar (5), Ivan Obradovic (3); Midfield: Leander Dendoncker (15), Sofiane Hanni (7), Nicolae Stanciu (5.5), Sven Kums (5); Forward: Lukasz Teodorczyk (12.5), Henry Onyekuru (7), Robert Beric (4.5).
APOEL Nicosia
Goalkeeper Raul Gudino (1); Defense: Jesus Rueda (1.3), Roberto Lago (0.7), Zhivko Milanov (0.6); Midfield: Facundo Bertoglio (1.5), Ghayas Zahid (1.1), Roland Sallai (1), Vinicius (0.9), Lorenzo Ebecilio (0.9); Forward: Tommy Oar (1.5), Georgios Efrem (1.5).
Atletico Madrid
Goalkeeper Jan Oblak (40); Defense: Diego Godin (38), Stefan Savic (30), Jose Gimenez (28), Filipe Luis (18); Midfield: Koke (60), Saul Niguez (40), Yannick Carrasco (40); Forward: Antoine Griezmann (80), Kevin Gameiro (24), Nico Gaitan (20).
Barcelona
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen (25); Defense: Gerard Pique (40), Jordi Alba (32), Samuel Umtiti (30); Midfield: Sergio Busquets (60), Ivan Rakitic (45), Sergi Roberto (25), Andre Gomes (25); Forward: Lionel Messi (120), Luis Suarez (90), Ousmane Dembele (33).
Basel
Goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik (4); Defense: Michael Lang (4.5), Marek Suchy (3.8), Eder Balanta (2.3), Manuel Akanji (2.3); Midfield: Mohamed Elyounoussi (4.8), Luca Zuffi (4), Taulant Xhaka (4), Renato Steffen (3.5); Forward: Ricky van Wolfswinkel (3.5), Dimitri Oberlin (2.3).
Bayern Munich
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (40); Defense: Mats Hummels (40), Jerome Boateng (38), David Alaba (38), Javi Martinez (30); Midfield: James Rodriguez (50), Thiago (40), Arturo Vidal (35); Forward: Robert Lewandowski (80), Thomas Muller (50), Kingsley Coman (20).
Benfica
Goalkeeper Bruno Varela (2.5); Defense: Alejandro Grimaldo (9), Lisandro Lopez (5), Andre Almeida (5), Jardel (4); Midfield: Pizzi (20), Ljubomir Fejsa (12), Andreas Samaris (8); Forward: Eduardo Salvio (18), Rafa Silva (15), Gabriel Barbosa (15).
Besiktas
Goalkeeper Fabri (2.8); Defense: Gary Medel (12), Caner Erkin (4.5), Matej Mitrovic (4); Midfield: Talisca (13), Oguzhan Ozyakup (12), Tolgay Arslan (6); Forward: Gokhan Tore (12), Jeremain Lens (11), Cenk Tosun (9), Alvaro Negredo (7.5).
Borussia Dortmund
Goalkeeper Roman Burki (9); Defense: Sokratis (28), Raphael Guerreiro (20), Omer Toprak (16); Midfield: Julian Weigl (25), Mario Gotze (20), Mahmoud Dahoud (15); Forward: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (65), Marco Reus (35), Andre Schurrle (20), Andrey Yarmolenko (18).
Celtic
Goalkeeper Craig Gordon (2.5); Defense: Jozo Simunovic (3.5), Mikael Lustig (3.5), Erik Sviatchenko (2.8); Midfield: Scott Brown (4), Nir Bitton (2.8), Olivier Ntcham (1.8); Forward: Patrick Roberts (7.5), Moussa Dembele (5), Scott Sinclair (4), Leigh Griffiths (2.5).
Chelsea
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (40); Defense: David Luiz (30), Cesar Azpilicueta (30), Antonio Rudiger (25); Midfield: N'Golo Kante (50), Cesc Fabregas (35), Tiemoue Bakayoko (25); Forward: Eden Hazard (75), Alvaro Morata (50), Diego Costa (50), Willian (32).
CSKA Moscow
Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (11); Defense: Mario Fernandes (16), Georgi Schennikov (3), Viktor Vasin (2); Midfield: Alan Dzagoev (13), Pontus Wernbloom (8), Aleksandr Golovin (6), Bibras Natcho (6), Georgi Milanov (3); Forward: Vitinho (5), Fedor Chalov (1.2).
Feyenoord Rotterdam
Goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer (5); Defense: Eric Botteghin (7.5), Jan-Arie van der Heijden (5), Ridgeciano Haps (5), Sven van Beek (4.5); Midfield: Tonny Vilhena (9), Jens Toornstra (7.5), Karim El Ahmadi (4); Forward: Nicolai Jorgensen (13), Sam Larsson (7), Steven Berghuis (5.5).
Juventus
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (2); Defense: Alex Sandro (35), Benedikt Howedes (18), Medhi Benatia (15); Midfield: Paulo Dybala (65), Miralem Pjanic (40), Blaise Matuidi (30), Claudio Marchisio (25); Forward: Gonzalo Higuain (75), Douglas Costa (30), Mario Mandzukic (20).
Liverpool
Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet (12); Defense: Joel Matip (25), Nathaniel Clyne (21), Dejan Lovren (17); Midfield: Philippe Coutinho (45), Georginio Wijnaldum (28), Jordan Henderson (28), Adam Lallana (25); Forward: Sadio Mane (40), Roberto Firmino (38), Mohamed Salah (35).
Manchester City
Goalkeeper Ederson (22); Defense: John Stones (35), Nicolas Otamendi (30), Benjamin Mendy (30), Kyle Walker (30); Midfield: Kevin De Bruyne (65), Ilkay Gundogan (30), David Silva (30); Forward: Sergio Aguero (65), Raheem Sterling (45), Bernardo Silva (40).
Manchester United
Goalkeeper David de Gea (40); Defense: Eric Bailly (30), Victor Lindelof (22), Daley Blind (22); Midfield: Paul Pogba (75), Nemanja Matic (35), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (35), Ander Herrera (30), Juan Mata (30); Forward: Romelu Lukaku (60), Anthony Martial (30).
Maribor
Goalkeeper Matko Obradovic (0.2); Defense: Denis Sme (0.8), Martin Milec (0.7), Matej Palcic (0.6); Midfield: Marwan Kabha (1), Aleks Pihler (0.8), Blaz Vrhovec (0.7); Forward: Luka Zahovic (1.4), Jasmin Mesanovic (1), Lior Inbrum (0.8), Marcos Tavares (0.5).
Monaco
Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic (5); Defense: Kamil Glik (18), Djibril Sidibe (18), Jemerson (14); Midfield: Fabinho (25), Youri Tielemans (22), Joao Moutinho (13); Forward: Keita Balde (25), Thomas Lemar (24), Falcao (15), Stevan Jovetic (10).
Napoli
Goalkeeper Pepe Reina (2); Defense: Kalidou Koulibaly (30), Elseid Hysaj (18), Faouzi Ghoulam (17); Midfield: Marek Hamsik (40), Jorginho (22), Piotr Zielinski (20); Forward: Lorenzo Insigne (35), Dries Mertens (28), Jose Callejon (25), Arkadiusz Milik (19).
Olympiacos
Goalkeeper Stefanos Kapino (3); Defense: Bjorn Engels (8), Omar Elabdellaoui (4.5), Alberto Botia (3), Diogo Figueiras (3); Midfield: Konstantinos Fortounis (9), Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe (5), Andre Martins (2.5); Forward: Felipe Pardo (5), Seba (4.5), Uros Djurdjevic (3.5).
Paris Saint-Germain
Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp (10); Defense: Marquinhos (35), Layvin Kurzawa (22), Thiago Silva (12); Midfield: Marco Verratti (45), Javier Pastore (20), Adrien Rabiot (18); Forward: Neymar (100), Edinson Cavani (45), Angel Di Maria (40), Kylian Mbappe (35).
Porto
Goalkeeper Iker Casillas (2); Defense: Felipe (10), Alex Telles (9), Ricardo Pereira (9), Ivan Marcano (8); Midfield: Danilo Pereira (20), Oliver Torres (14), Hector Herrera (13); Forward: Yacine Brahimi (18), Jesus Corona (12), Vincent Aboubakar (10).
Qarabag
Goalkeeper Anton Kanibolotsky (1); Defense: Jakub Rzezniczak (0.7), Badavi Guseynov (0.7), Maksim Medvedev (0.5); Midfield: Richard (1.5), Dani Quintana (1), Michel (0.9), Wilde-Donald Guerrier (0.8); Forward: Pedro Henrique (3), Tarik Elyounoussi (1.5), Dino Ndlovu (0.7).
RB Leipzig
Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi (3); Defense: Willi Orban (8), Dayot Upamecano (7.5), Marcel Halstenberg (6); Midfield: Naby Keita (27), Emil Forsberg (22), Kevin Kampl (15), Konrad Laimer (8); Forward: Timo Werner (25), Marcel Sabitzer (13), Bruma (11).
Real Madrid
Goalkeeper Keylor Navas (18); Defense: Sergio Ramos (40), Marcelo (38), Raphael Varane (35), Daniel Carvajal (32); Midfield: Toni Kroos (70), Luka Modric (40), Isco (40), Casemiro (30); Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo (100), Gareth Bale (80).
Roma
Goalkeeper Alisson (7); Defense: Konstantinos Manolas (30), Bruno Peres (11), Aleksandar Kolarov (10); Midfield: Radja Nainggolan (40), Kevin Strootman (25), Alessandro Fiorentinai (20), Maxime Gonalons (14); Forward: Edin Dzeko (22), Diego Perotti (17), Stephan El Shaarawy (17).
Sevilla
Goalkeeper Sergio Rico (20); Defense: Simon Kjaer (12.5), Sergio Escudero (7.5), Sebastien Corchia (7.5); Midfield: Steven N'Zonzi (30), Franco Vazquez (18), Johannes Geis (10), Ever Banega (9); Forward: Luis Muriel (20), Pablo Sarabia (15), Wissam Ben Yedder (15).
Shakhtar Donetsk
Goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov (4); Defense: Yaroslav Rakitsky (9), Ismaily (3.5), Ivan Ordets (3); Midfield: Marlos (10), Taras Stepanenko (8.5), Fred (8), Viktor Kovalenko (6); Forward: Bernard (14), Taison (12), Facundo Ferreyra (4).
Spartak Moscow
Goalkeeper Aleksandr Selikhov (3.5); Defense: Giorgi Jikia (3.5), Salvatore Bocchetti (3), Ilya Kutepov (3); Midfield: Fernando (14), Mario Pasalic (8), Denis Glushakov (7), Roman Zobnin (6); Forward: Quincy Promes (20), Ze Luis (5), Luiz Adriano (4.5).
Sporting
Goalkeeper Rui Patricio (16); Defense: Sebastian Coates (7), Fabio Coentrao (5), Jonathan Silva (3.5); Midfield: William Carvalho (25), Bruno Fernandes (7.5), Rodrigo Battaglia (3); Forward: Gelson Martins (20), Bas Dost (16), Marcos Acuna (7), Alan Ruiz (7).
Tottenham Hotspur
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (24); Defense: Toby Alderweireld (35), Jan Vertonghen (28), Danny Rose (28); Midfield: Dele Alli (45), Christian Eriksen (40), Victor Wanyama (25), Eric Dier (25); Forward: Harry Kane (60), Heung-Min Son (30), Erik Lamela (25).