Half way through the group stage, who is showing signs of a Champions League winning team

Three games have been played across Europe’s most prestigious club competition and there are three more to go until the start of the knockout stages. Debates are beginning to heat up about who has a squad capable of competing for the ultimate club crown.


Last year’s champions Inter Milan will be looking to make it back to back titles despite a slip up on the opening match day, only managing a draw against Dutch side FC Twente. However, two wins on the trot since then including a tense finish in their 4-3 win over Tottenham puts them on top of their group and laying solid ground work for progressing to the next round.

Barcelona, who won the title in both 2006 and 2009 have been overwhelming favourites for a number of years and have made a similar start to the champions by drawing their opening match and showing some strong performances in the next two and look to be getting into their rhythm. They also top their group with seven points and look to progress comfortably.

Teams that have won all three of their group matches so far are Real Madrid, Lyon, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Arsenal. Of these teams there looks to be some potential winners.
Real Madrid are looking the strongest as they are yet to concede a goal and are looking clinical in their attack, they are bolstered by their new coach and multiple Champions League winner Jose Mourinho, who has made the backline a solid unit and has seemingly fixed the problems Madrid have had for a number of years. After being knocked out in the first knockout phase in the last five seasons of the competition they will be looking to make all the money they have spent seem worth it.

Chelsea and Bayern Munich are the champions of their domestic leagues and while Bayern are the current runners up, they are making a strong showing in the group stages so far, despite poor league form. It is highly unlikely they will progress as far as they did last season but anything is possible.
Chelsea, on the other hand, has made an impressive start to their domestic campaign scoring 23 goals in their opening eight games. They have replicated this form in the Champions League and have been known as somewhat of a powerhouse in the competition in recent times but have lacked that final push to win the trophy and have fallen agonisingly short on a number of occasions, most notably the penalty shoot out loss to rivals Manchester United in the 2008 final.

My prediction would have to be Real Madrid, they seem to have found the right formula for success and if they can’t get it right this year with everything going for them then I don’t think they will ever win it.