There is a certain other club that thinks that the Champions League is its personal property. But there are no guarantees in football, and it is Barcelona that is looking the best team in Spain at the current time. Whether that domestic domination can be translated into continental success is another question, however.
Coming into the final league phase match days at the beginning of this year, Barca finds itself in the middle of a scrum of teams trying to take enough points from the remaining games to avoid the need for an extra playoff and qualify automatically for the knockout rounds. For that reason, if you are looking for where to bet on soccer tournaments, you may not find Hansi Flick’s team the favorite to land the Champions League.
There is still a long way to go in the competition, of course. Barcelona already has almost as many points as needed to qualify for a playoff place last season, with a good chance of picking up enough points to push the club into the top eight. As a pot one team, the fans would have hoped that it would not have been this close at this stage. But can Barcelona really claim to be a real contender for this year’s Champions League?
The Season So Far
You can’t fail to be impressed by Barcelona this season. As Real Madrid has faltered, getting rid of Xabi Alonso recently, and looking like a group of individuals rather than a team, the Blaugrana have rocketed to the top of La Liga, beaten their bitter rivals in Saudi Arabia to claim the Supercopa de España, and progressed in the Copa del Rey.
The attacking play of Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Raphinha is helping the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, and on-loan Marcus Rashford score the goals that have seen off the majority of opponents so far. There has been a problem at the other end, however. Barca has conceded more goals than any other team at the top of La Liga, as well as the majority of top sides in the Champions League. That issue will need to be addressed if there is to be success this year.
History Means Nothing
Paris Saint-Germain finally winning the Champions League last season shows us that there is no divine right for any team to claim the famous trophy. The wealthy owners of the French club have invested heavily in the aim to win this competition above all others, widening the range of clubs able to become European champions.
Barcelona has already won this competition on five occasions, but has not been able to add to that tally for over 10 years now. English clubs have become more of a threat since then, alongside the usual array of elite European clubs. Barcelona will always be proud of its history in the Champions League, but it ultimately counts for nothing when it comes to winning it again.
Replicate League Form
If history means nothing in the Champions League, then statistics can also be debated. But it is a fact that Barcelona has recorded its second-highest win streak once again this season.
Winning 11 games in a row is quite an achievement, and the form shown in La Liga needs to be replicated in all other competitions.
The same ability to win has not been shown in the Champions League so far, with just three of the first six league phase games going the way of the Blaugrana. A winning mentality across the board is needed, and the players might take something from the fact that in the three previous seasons the team won 11 in a row, it then went on to win the Champions League as well.
Lottery of Knockout Rounds
The change in format of the Champions League, bringing in an extended league phase, was criticized by many as being too much in favor of the big clubs. It seemed to be designed so that the top tier couldn’t fail to qualify. But, we saw last season that surprises and shocks can still happen, with Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and eventual winners PSG all needing the playoffs to progress.
With so many of the previously favored teams taking up the lower seeds in the knockout rounds, there is nothing like a guarantee of advancing even if a team has a good league phase. There has been a slight tweak this year, in that finishing in the top four is rewarded with home advantage in the second leg, but the short history of the new format has proved that there is no easy route to the final.
Main Contenders
Even with the lottery of the knockout rounds and the potential for any team to progress, there are some very familiar names when it comes to identifying the main challengers to Barcelona’s route to a sixth Champions League title. The league phase has been a little more predictable this year, with a number of pre-tournament favorites impressing.
Arsenal has finally come through as a real contender, domestically and in the Champions League, with Mikel Arteta’s tactics providing the EPL club with a real chance of claiming a first-ever title. Bayern, PSG, and Manchester City have all made easy work of the first phase, with the likes of Inter and Real Madrid also hoping for a top-eight finish.
A Sixth Title
With so many of the top teams performing in the Champions League this season, it is imperative that Barcelona manages to claim enough points to finish in the top eight. There doesn’t look like there will be the same kind of “easy” tie that some clubs were able to deal with last year.
Barcelona has already shown in the first half of the 2025-26 season that it has the talent to forge ahead. There have been triumphs in the cup competitions, and the La Liga title looks like it might well be retained. A concerted effort by everyone at the club – and especially an improvement defensively – could mean that the biggest prize of them all might be won by Barcelona as well.