Opinion: Predicting Trophy Winners for 2025 — UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League
By: Anthony Tazbaz
Image Credit: Vienna Reyes
With the 2024-25 league stages of the UEFA Champions League (UCL), UEFA Europa League (UEL) and UEFA Conference League (UECL) behind us, we shift our focus to these competitions’ knockout stages, where the real fun begins.
Our 2025 predictions consist of a two-part series. The first part includes predictions of Europe’s top five leagues, and cup and super cup competitions in countries that host Europe’s top five leagues, respectively; England’s Football Association (FA) Community Shield and Germany’s DfL-Supercup will not be included in this series due to participating clubs only being determined at the end of the 2024-25 season. We will add our predictions for potential winners of the 2025 FA Community Shield and DfL-Supercup in due time.
The second part (this article) includes predictions for the 2024-25 editions of the UCL, UEL and UECL.
*Clubs indicated in bold are our predicted winners, whereas those underlined are our dark horses that may surprise the world of football with a relatively unexpected title. It is worth noting that we created our predictions before the round of 16 draws for each competition. See the knockout stage brackets — including the round of 16 matchups — for all three competitions: UCL, UEL and UECL.
UEFA Champions League
Background
Throughout the UCL’s inaugural league stage under this new format (see our article for more information about the new/current format of all UEFA competitions), we witnessed many impressive performances, as well as a handful of surprises. For example, Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, an outfit that many predicted would qualify for the UCL knockout stage playoffs, were one of 12 clubs — out of 36 participating clubs — that suffered elimination from the competition at the end of the league stage.
As well, such clubs as Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City waited until the final matchday to qualify for the playoffs, while defending UCL winners Real Madrid earned their qualification after the penultimate matchday.
Another series of surprises occurred in the upper echelon of the UCL 2024-25 league stage table. At the end of the eight-match campaign, the upper-eight rankings included two clubs — Ligue 1 club LOSC Lille and Premier League (EPL) club Aston Villa — which many wrote off as merely playoff contenders or potential victims of premature elimination. Instead, both clubs, which finished in eighth- and ninth-place respectively, earned a bypass to the competition’s round of 16, which will include the top-eight clubs from the league stage and the eight winners emerging from the playoff round.
It is also worth noting that Ligue 1 club and UCL debutants Stade Brestois had a strong campaign, finishing in 18th place and qualifying for the playoffs. Moreover, Scottish Premiership club Celtic FC are worthy of earning praise for their qualification to the playoffs as the 21st-ranked club. This is an incredibly laudable performance once one realizes that this club would generally finish at the bottom of a four-club group in the UCL’s old format, which would not even be worthy enough of a relegation to the UEL (that element of the competition is scrapped under this new format).
Contending Clubs
Ahead of the knockout stages this week, there are 24 remaining UCL clubs, with the following eight clubs qualified for the round of 16, in order of their league stage ranking:
Liverpool FC (21 points);
FC Barcelona (19 points);
Arsenal FC (19 points);
Inter Milan (19 points);
Atlético Madrid (18 points);
Bayer Leverkusen (16 points);
LOSC Lille (16 points); and
Aston Villa (16 points).
The upcoming matchups among the clubs ranked from ninth to 24th place are the following:
Atalanta BC (9th) vs Club Brugge (24th);
Borussia Dortmund (10th) vs Sporting CP (23rd);
Real Madrid (11th) vs Manchester City (22nd);
Bayern Munich (12th) vs Celtic FC (21st);
AC Milan (13th) vs Feyenoord (20th);
PSV Eindhoven (14th) vs Juventus FC (19th);
Paris Saint-Germain (15th) vs Stade Brestois (18th); and
SL Benfica (16th) vs AS Monaco (17th).
Predictions
Based on the league stage performances, we predict that Liverpool will win the 2024-25 UCL. Since the start of the season, the club looks seemingly unstoppable — finishing in first place of the UCL league stage with 21 out of a possible 24 points, leading the EPL table by six points after 24 matches and having qualified for the EFL Cup final after a 4-0 blowout victory against league rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool first-term manager Arne Slot has produced magic with his tactics, with the club exhibiting seamless performances every week. Their squad, which boasts equally efficient attack and defence, are ultimately primed for both domestic and continental success. Moreover, several players — including the likes of goalkeeper Allison Becker, defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk, as well as star forward and 2024-25 Ballon d’Or-hopeful Mohammed Salah possess UCL championship experience and understand the stakes of winning the world’s most prestigious club competition.
Regarding potential dark horses, two clubs that come to mind are Serie A and LaLiga clubs Inter Milan and Real Madrid. While one could — and likely would — include LaLiga or EPL clubs FC Barcelona Arsenal, their inconsistency in their respective leagues is a potential indicator that these current Barcelona and Arsenal squads — especially with the season-ending injury of Arsenal forward Kai Havertz — are not entirely up for the challenge in UCL. Regarding Arsenal in particular, successive eliminations against bigger-name clubs in the FA and EFL cup competitions also signal that this club may struggle in the latter rounds of the UCL knockout stage.
Instead, Inter — which finished with the same number of points with Barcelona and Arsenal — may resemble a more worthy candidate to win the UCL. For instance, their impeccable defensive style of play and stellar goalkeeping by former Swiss international Yann Sommer resulted in the I Nerazzuri conceding only one goal throughout their eight league stage matches. In addition to their defence, Inter Milan boast impressive offence capabilities, with Lautaro Martínez having a hard time refraining himself from scoring goals.
With impressive performances in both domestic competitions — Serie A and Coppa Italia — Inter’s defence and opportunistic, yet talented, attack combine for a squad well-built to win the UCL. After all, defence wins championships and the defending Serie A winners also reached the UCL final only two years ago. Who said they cannot do it again?
In addition to Inter Milan’s title aspirations, despite a late qualification for the playoff round, Real Madrid also have the talent and the experience to win the entire competition for a second consecutive season. The defending winners boast some of the world’s brightest talents with the winningest UCL coach in Carlo Ancelotti. With French international and forward Kylian Mbappé also finding his groove in the Spanish capital, it will prove incredibly difficult for clubs’ backlines to stop or even slow down an attacking trio of Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo, which serves as a frontline to an equally talented midfield of Jude Bellingham, Luka Modrić and Federico Valverde.
Should they pass their first crucial test of the knockout stage — a duel with EPL, yet recently struggling, giants Manchester City — Madrid may find themselves once again on autopilot to the final, provided they remain healthy. After all, Madrid always find a way to win this competition, having done so a staggering 15 times!
UEFA Europa League
Background
Unlike the UCL’s league stage, the UEL’s 2024-25 league stage campaign did not yield any significant upsets. The top-eight ranked clubs — which also earned automatic qualification to the round of 16 — all expected to finish among at least the top 10 clubs.
That said, somewhat surprising finishes were those of Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) and Greek Super League and 2023-24 UECL winners Olympiacos, which finished in seventh and eighth place, respectively. Instead, one may have envisioned a pairing of clubs between the likes of AFC Ajax (Eredivisie), Real Sociedad (LaLiga), Galatasaray (Turkish Süper Lig), AS Roma (Serie A) and FC Porto (Primeira Liga) to finish in those two positions. Alternatively, these four clubs are competing in the playoff round that precedes the round of 16.
It is worth highlighting, however, that the UEL league stage concluded with only a four-point difference between eighth-place Olympiacos (14 points) and 24th-, 25th- and 26th-place Fenerbahce (Süper Lig), SC Braga (Primeira Liga) and IF Elfsborg (Swedish Allsvenskhan), all of which accumulated 10 points respectively. Within the top-eight rankings, that difference totalled five points, with first-place SS Lazio earning nineteen points from their eight matches (six wins, one loss and one draw). These narrow gaps perfectly illustrate the high-level competitiveness within Europe’s second-most prestigious club competition.
Contending Clubs
Similar to the UCL, there are 24 remaining UEL clubs, with the following eight clubs qualified for the round of 16, in order of their league stage ranking:
SS Lazio (19 points);
Athletic Club (19 points);
Manchester United (18 points);
Tottenham Hotspur (17 points);
Eintracht Frankfurt (16 points);
Olympique Lyonnais (15 points);
Olympiacos (15 points); and
Rangers FC (14 points).
The upcoming matchups among the clubs ranked from ninth to 24th place are the following:
Bodø/Glimt (9th) vs FC Twente (24th);
RSC Anderlecht (10th) vs Fenerbahce (23rd);
FC Steaua București (11th) vs PAOK (22nd);
AFC Ajax (12th) vs Union Saint-Gilloise (21st);
Real Sociedad (13th) vs FC Midtjylland (20th);
Galatasaray (14th) vs AZ Alkmaar (19th);
AS Roma (15th) vs FC Porto (18th); and
Viktoria Plzeň (16th) vs Ferencváros (17th).
Predictions
Although Opta notes that Lazio are the favourites to win the 2024-25 UEL — with a 20.0% chance of winning — we predict a more bold outcome. Despite two ‘big-six’, albeit struggling, EPL clubs — Manchester United and Tottenham — finishing within the UEL league stage’s top-eight rankings, we predict that Eintracht Frankfurt will surprise many supporters and pundits, and win the 2024-25 UEL title. Finishing in fifth place, and only three points behind first place, Frankfurt’s performances across all competitions — Bundesliga, DfB Pokal and UEL — throughout 2024-25 indicate that they boast sufficient talent and depth to compete against the likes of United, Tottenham, Athletic Bilbao and Lazio, and win the UEL for a second time in four seasons. Having won the title at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Frankfurt’s current squad includes four players — goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, defenders Timothy Chandler and Tuta, and forward Ansgar Knauff — who were part of that season’s squad, and played a major role in their title run.
Other players on their current squad, and who play significant roles this season, include defenders Rasmus Christensen and Robin Koch, midfielders Mahmoud Dahoud, Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe, 2014 FIFA World Cup final scorer Mario Götze and Can Uzun, and surging forward Hugo Ekitike. Although each of these players are excelling in their respective positions and roles, they also provided many of the goalscoring opportunities for Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, who left Frankfurt for Manchester City for €80 million during the 2025 January transfer window.
Despite Marmoush’s departure, during that window, Frankfurt signed a litany of players across various positions, from defender and Belgian international Arthur Theate from Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais, as well as Belgian and French forwards Michy Batshuayi and Elye Wahi from Galatasaray and Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille, respectively. With an arguably improved squad across all positions, Frankfurt — which also sit in third place in the 2024-25 Bundesliga table — will likely extend their strong form and inspiring style of play for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Therefore, we envision Frankfurt reaping the rewards of impeccable work ethic and sound management in the shape of a UEL trophy and a consequent qualification for the 2025-26 UCL.
While we believe that Frankfurt may win the UEL, one may also be surprised that our selected dark horses to win the UEL are Lazio and Ajax, and not either United, Tottenham or second-place Athletic Club. Lazio, which finished in first place, is rightly included among the top three potential winners because a club that finishes as the best-performing club in Europe’s second-greatest competition becomes an automatic contender for the title; only a dreadful January transfer window with a club losing several of their best players without any significant replacements would prove otherwise. In domestic competitions, Lazio have maintained their place among Italy’s best performers this season, sitting in fourth place in the 2024-25 Serie A table and anticipating an emphatic duel against Inter Milan in this year’s Coppa Italia quarterfinals.
Regarding Ajax, they boast a compelling case to conjure a deep run in the knockout stages and ultimately capture the 2024-25 UEL. We argue this because, throughout the season, Ajax exhibited outstanding performances in domestic competitions. Despite losing 2-0 against fellow UEL participants Alkmaar in the KNVB Cup round of 16, Ajax rank in first place in the 2024-25 Eredivisie league table, holding a two-point lead ahead of UCL participants PSV Eindhoven. Ajax also contain a talented and versatile squad that ranges from young emerging players in their early to mid-20s to veteran star players that include the likes of midfielders Jordan Henderson and Davy Klaasen, and forward Wout Weghorst. Ultimately, if one were to pick a club currently competing in the UEL’s playoff round to go all the way and win the revered competition, we confidently posit our wager on the iconic Amsterdam-based club.
UEFA Conference League
Background
While clubs that participated in the 2024-25 UECL league stage played only six matches, the performances of EPL club Chelsea FC stood out among all 36 participants. The London-based club won all six of their matches, scoring a competition high of 26 goals and conceding only five goals. With first-place Chelsea accumulating all possible 18 points, Primeira Liga club Vitória SC finished in second place with 14 points; Serie A club ACF Fiorentina, Austrian Bundesliga club Rapid Wien, Allsvenskan club Djurgårdens IF and Swiss Super League club FC Lugano all ranked behind Chelsea and Vitória, raking in 13 points. Rounding out the top eight clubs that automatically qualified for the UECL round of 16, Ekstraklasa (Polish first division) club Legia Warszawa and Belgian Pro League club Cercle Brugge both earned 12 and 11 points, finishing in seventh and eighth place, respectively.
Among the clubs ranked from 9th to 24th, only four points separate ninth-place Jagiellonia Białystok, a Polish first-division club, and 24th-place FK Bačka Topola, another first-division club based in Serbia. Among Europe’s top five leagues — EPL, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A and LaLiga — Bundesliga club FC Heidenheim and LaLiga club Real Betis, which finished in 15th and 16th place, respectively, are among the 16 clubs competing in the inaugural UECL playoff round. Considering both clubs’ respective pedigrees, seeing them compete in a "second-chance" style playoff round for a position among the UECL's final 16 clubs constitutes somewhat of a surprise.
Contending Clubs
The following are the eight clubs that qualified for the round of 16, in order of their league stage ranking:
Chelsea FC (18 points);
Vitória SC (14 points);
ACF Fiorentina (13 points);
Rapid Wien (13 points);
Djurgårdens IF (13 points);
FC Lugano (13 points);
Legia Warszawa (12 points); and
Cercle Brugge (11 points).
The upcoming matchups among the clubs (and country of origin) ranked from ninth to 24th place are the following:
Jajiellonia Białystok (9th, Poland) vs FK Bačka Topola (24th, Serbia);
Shamrock Rovers (10th, Ireland) vs FK Molde (23rd, Norway);
APOEL Nicosia (11th, Cyprus) vs NK Celje (22nd, Slovenia);
Pafos FC (12th, Cyprus) vs Omonoia FC (21st, Cyprus)
Panathinaikos FC (13th, Greece) vs Víkingur Reykjavík (20th, Iceland);
NK Olimpija (14th, Slovenia) vs FK Borac (19th, Bosnia & Herzegovina);
Real Betis (15th, Spain) vs KAA Gent (18th, Belgium); and
FC Heidenheim (16th, Germany) vs FC Copenhagen (17th, Denmark).
Predictions
Unsurprisingly to perhaps a number of you, our favourites to win the 2024-25 UECL are Chelsea FC. Finishing as the UECL league stage’s best performers — by far — the EPL club’s players registered in their UECL squad list, which excludes star midfielder Cole Palmer, have asserted themselves as a dominant force in the competition. Should they have displayed an overall collective performance last season that equals to theirs of this year, Chelsea would be likely competing in this season’s UCL, rather than the UECL or UEL.
The Blues also boast a squad value of €937.5 million. That value amounts to more than €685.0 million above Fiorentina’s squad value of €280.8 million, which is the second-highest valued squad in this season’s UECL. In addition to Chelsea and Fiorentina, only Betis and Greek Super League club Panathinaikos FC contain a squad value of over €100.0 million, valued at €184.9 and €102.0 million, respectively. However, as previous editions of UEFA continental club competitions have demonstrated to viewers, never underestimate your opponent's value!
That said, our dark horses for this season’s UECL, which may be capable in defeating Chelsea in a two-legged series before the final or in the single-match final, are ACF Fiorentina and Real Betis. Being two-time consecutive UECL finalists — having lost against West Ham United and Olympiacos FC in 2023 and 2024, respectively — Fiorentina garnered experience in this competition, which will likely prove to be an important quality for the squad. Led by Italian forward Moïse Kean, Fiorentina have a high-calibre support cast that includes the likes of midfielders Yacine Adli and Jonathan Ikone, defenders Robin Gosens and Dodô, and goalkeeper David de Gea.
The club also enhanced their talented starting lineup and their depth by acquiring Italian midfielders Nicolò Fagioli and Cher Ndour from Juventus and PSG, as well as defender Nocolò Zaniolo from Galatasaray. Ultimately, the Florence-based club boast a squad built to win the UECL; it is simply unfortunate that a major club like Chelsea, with large transfer and wage budgets, underperformed last season to contend in this season's edition of the UECL.
Real Betis, another top-five league club, also possess a squad built to compete — and potentially win — the UECL. Despite a series of underwhelming performances throughout the league stage, Betis have a robust squad led by the likes of forward Cédric Bakambu, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, defenders Marc Bartra, Hector Bellerín, Diego Llorente and Ricardo Rodriguez, and goalkeeper Rui Silva.
Moreover, Betis completed two major signings during the 2025 January transfer window, acquiring forward Antony on loan from EPL club Manchester United and Cucho Hernández from Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew for a package fee worth approximately €16 million. With a lineup that includes veteran players with UCL and UEL experience and who understand what it takes to win domestic league and cup competitions — look no further than Bartra and Bellerín’s respective tenures with FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC — Betis could kickstart a compelling quest towards the final, beginning with a strong performance in the playoff round against their Belgian opponents Gent.
While Chelsea are the overwhelming favourites to win this competition, many supporters — especially those of Arsenal and Tottenham — would undoubtedly rejoice in the event of a major upset in this competition. Although Fiorentina and Betis are arguably the most capable candidates to derail and eliminate Chelsea, one cannot discount any sort of upset from any other club among the 16 remaining UECL participants. That, without a doubt, would be an iconic moment for the history books!
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