Real Madrid enter this year’s slightly revamped competition as reigning champions having lifted the trophy in June. They beat Borussia Dortmund in the final to secure their 15th trophy in the competition, a record no team comes remotely close to matching.

They’ve added to an already stacked squad by signing Kylian Mbappe and have plenty of depth throughout the side under the familiar tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti, who himself has lifted the Champions League five times.

It’s hard to look past Real Madrid every year for the Champions League, they’re coming off the back of an incredibly successful season where they also lifted the La Liga title, and the majority of that squad has been retained including some incredible young talent that can lead them to European success once again.

Mikel Arteta has been embroiled in a battle for Premier League supremacy against his former boss, Pep Guardiola, for a few seasons now but in attempting to build a side that can challenge the seemingly unstoppable Manchester City train in the league, it’s possible he’s assembled a team that can instead excel in cup competitions.

Few sides could compete with Arsenal’s defensive record across Europe last season, the Gunners only conceded 29 goals in the Premier League and just four in the Champions League last season, they conceded 0 goals at home. Such defensive solidity is extremely beneficial in the knockout rounds of these tournaments and the Emirates should prove a tough task for any visiting European side.

Arsenal should comfortably navigate the league stage with some favourable ties and are a side we should expect to see competing in the latter stages of this competition. Their defensive structure is arguably the best in Europe and they now have some experience heading into this year’s competition, having been knocked out by Bayern Munich in the quarter-final last season. That experience was something that seemed to be lacking in the Arsenal squad last season, and that ultimately showed through in their away ties.

When assessing the outsiders to win this year’s Champions League, Inter Milan stand out as a side that could peak at the right time. The Nerazzurri dominated Serie A last season finishing on 94 points, 19 points clear of rivals AC Milan in second place. Their Champions League campaign was cut short on penalties against Atletico Madrid last season in a tie that could have gone either way.

Their 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the 2023 final is still fresh in the memory for the majority of this side and coach Simeone Inzaghi, whose project at Inter Milan is quite underrated, having won two Coppa Italias as well as last year’s league title.

Inter Milan’s squad is balanced and has an experience which is rare looking at the strategy of other top sides across Europe, their transfer business wasn’t anything standout but it has improved the depth of their squad with players like Mehdi Taremi and Piotr Zielinski providing good rotation options. More options should benefit them in the slightly longer format this year. Only a European trophy is missing from Inzaghi’s successful spell at Inter Milan and this could be the squad to help him achieve it.