by Young Se Choi ‘18, Sports Editor

There’s only one club soccer tournament that can bring roaring fans to their feet, erupt stadiums with banners and flags everywhere, and bring in the best of the best world class soccer players: the UEFA Champions League, an annual continental club soccer tournament for Europe’s most prestigious clubs. With the world’s biggest club soccer tournament up and running again, soccer fans around the globe are buzzing with excitement. And this year, the biggest teams from across Europe display no shortage of talent for the world to enjoy.

As always, clubs from Spain, France, Italy, and Germany are favorites to come out with strong performances. How can anyone bet against giants such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and Bayern Munich? But the only clubs who have performed below expectations within the past decade are those from England. In the past, English clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool thrived in the Champions League and were hailed as among the best in world soccer. However, the latest track records show that clubs from England have not found much success in the Champions League given that only two of these clubs have won in the past decade. In fact, many fans and pundits count English teams out during the Champions League, assuming their inability to perform on the world’s biggest stage.

But this year, things have changed. Every club from England has advanced from the group stages and has a great chance to advance to the quarter finals. Liverpool pulled off an impressive 5-0 victory against Portuguese club Porto. Manchester City claimed an emphatic 4-0 win against Swiss club Basel. Tottenham and Chelsea were able to secure a convincing draw against club giants Juventus and Barcelona respectively. And Manchester United is in prime position to defeat Spanish club Sevilla at home after toughing out a scrappy draw in Spain. For years, English clubs have been criticized for being behind other top European clubs. But with a flurry of compelling performances, English clubs are set to prove doubters wrong and tell a different story. With English clubs on the rise, fans will enjoy what is likely to be one of the most competitive Champions League tournaments in history.

That being said, Spanish club Barcelona is still a strong favorite to win the Champions League. Not only are they in the midst of a 32 game winning streak in La Liga, but the addition of Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho has bolstered their offensive line that flaunts the likes of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, and Ousmane Dembele.

But a dark-horse winner for the Champions League is Manchester United. From top to bottom, United’s roster stands rock solid. Not only do they have the best goalkeeper in the world, David De Gea, but they also have an offense consisting of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial, and Paul Pogba who are likely to bring fear within opposing defenders. Couple that with the fact that Manchester United has an experienced manager in Jose Mourinho, who has won the Champions League before, they will look to surprise the soccer world.

With the round of 16 underway, we will see whether these predictions hold true.