By Rune Gjerulff@runegjerulff

Matthäus names Bayern among five Champions League favourites alongside Arsenal, Barcelona and others

Lothar Matthäus has named his five Champions League favourites, with Bayern Munich among them.
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Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images

With the 2026/27 Champions League set to get underway on Tuesday, Germany legend Lothar Matthäus has revealed his five favourites to win the tournament.

“For me, there are five favourites for the title this year: Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich,” Matthäus wrote in a column for Sky Germany.

He did, however, express some reservations about Real Madrid following their underwhelming 1-0 defeat to Real Betis.

“Real Madrid still need to grow together as a team, as we saw against Betis at the weekend, so I have some question marks over them. Mourinho still has to turn the squad into a cohesive unit, and if there are more problems with Mbappé or Vinicius, perhaps he will have to leave one of them out.”

The former Bayern Munich player also highlighted Manchester City, Liverpool and Atlético Madrid as teams capable of challenging for the title.

“For me, the other four clubs are clear title contenders, although teams such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Atlético Madrid, who would have home advantage in the Champions League final, could also go all the way. Dortmund recently passed a test of character against Hoffenheim and should progress further in the Champions League than they did last year, although that will, of course, also depend on the draw,” he wrote.

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