Champions League: Who will wrestle the crown off Manchester City?

Champions League returns with Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Newcastle; Manchester City and Manchester United face tough tests.

The UEFA Champions League is back with teams fighting to wrestle the crown off Manchester City, who will be the king of this season? (Photo credit: UEFA)

The UEFA Champions League is back! Four premier league clubs would take their trade to the continental championship with the hope of following in the footsteps of reigning champion Manchester City.

Arsenal makes a return on Wednesday after seven seasons and will be home to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday. The Gunners have a big squad that should be able to navigate the Champions League despite their long hiatus from the tournament.

Newcastle United have a rustier feel compared to Arsenal. The Geordies have been away for twenty seasons, and they must feel odd when they hear the anthem away at AC Milan on Tuesday. Stranger things have happened, remember?

AC Milan is in a bad place. The Italian giants were pummelling by their neighbours over the weekend, and you wonder how they will respond against Eddie Howe’s side. The Geordies laboured to a 1-0 win over Brentford; will that propel Newcastle to greatness on their return to the elite championship?

Manchester City remains the team to beat; they lost Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan, Aymeric Laporte, and Cole Palmer, and they replaced them effectively with Jeremie Doku, Josko Gvardiol, and Matteo Kovacic. Is there anyone stopping City this season?

Red Star Belgrade is the first team to attempt to wrestle the crown off the Cityzens, and you wonder if they would find joy. Early expectations were that the champions would dispatch the Serbian side with ease, but football can happen.

Manchester United is at home to Bayern Munich, and you really can’t tell the version of the Old Trafford side that would turn up. United have already lost three times in five games; what form would they take into the Champions League?

The home loss to Brighton on Saturday set doubts in the minds of fans, and hosting a fierce team like Bayern doesn’t help. The Bavarians are struggling too; they settled for a 2-2 draw against Bayern Leverkusen, and they have a point to prove at Old Trafford.

The fixture to keep an eye on on Tuesday would be the visit of Borussia Dortmund to PSG. Both clubs are underperforming at the moment, and the Champions League doesn’t forgive. PSG lost at home to OGC Nice, and the black and yellow side continues to play catch-up in the Bundesliga.