Real Madrid are the reigning champions but after defeat to Lille it’s been far from plain sailing in the early weeks of this Champions League. After two rounds of games, two German clubs are now projected to gain the most points in the league phase. But who else appears to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of this 36-team beast of a competition, either directly or via the playoff round? Throughout the season, we will publish projections — powered by Opta data — to show how teams are expected to perform. These will update after each gameweek. When the league stage is over, there will be probabilities for reaching the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The competition’s expanded format might take a little time to get used to, but these projections can show you how it might all unfold.
(Photo: Getty Images/Design: Eamonn Dalton)
