Champions League returns - who are favourites and players to watch?

What the report says

The BBC Sport Football preview says the Champions League has returned, with the league phase beginning on Tuesday and the final scheduled for Madrid next June. The piece focuses on the leading contenders, expert forecasts and a few players to follow as Europe’s top club competition resumes. Paris St-Germain are aiming for a third straight title, while Arsenal are highlighted as the main challenger after last season’s runners-up finish. Other English clubs are also in the mix, with five Premier League sides taking part.

BBC’s analysts Julien Laurens and Guillem Balague both see PSG as strong contenders but differ slightly on the eventual outcome. Laurens tips Arsenal to go all the way, while Balague points to PSG, Barcelona, Arsenal and Bayern Munich as sides likely to reach the later rounds if the draw breaks their way. The article also notes that Opta’s numbers rate Arsenal as the overall favourites, just ahead of Bayern, with Manchester City third and PSG fourth.

Among the players singled out are Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of PSG, Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and teenage Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal. The preview also mentions several emerging names and debutant clubs, including Como, Lens and Shakhtar, and says BBC will again provide Champions League highlights across its TV, app and website coverage. The broader context is that the tournament’s revamped format and demanding schedule may produce unusual results before the knockout stages begin.