Real Madrid: 3 Biggest Challenges in winning Champions League 2022/23

2. High Level of Competition:

Last season’s road to the final was by far the most difficult run in the history of the UEFA Champions League, and the way Real Madrid pull it off was something to stand and applaud for. It was unbelievable what the Spanish giants did.

Imagine beating a team with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Junior and Lionel Messi as the front three attackers and with Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos and Kimpembe as the back four. Paris Saint-Germain was a lethal team, and no one expected Real Madrid to score three goals in the second half of the second leg of the round of 16 to record one of the best comebacks in the history of the competition.

Then beating the defending champions- Chelsea? Not to forget that outside the boot assist from Luka Modric to Rodrygo Goes, oh that beauty!

And getting Manchester City in the semi-finals? Well, the adventure shall not stop. Two goals in two minutes of the second leg to level up the score and score the winning in extra time? That does sound like Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid.

Going against all odds to win the UEFA Champions League trophy is something Real Madrid specializes in. No wonder Los Blancos is the best club in the world and the most successful one in the competition with 14 titles in its name.

But this year won’t be easy. I mean, just look at how strong the squads are.

The three favourites other than Real Madrid to win the UEFA Champions League are Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern Munich lost Robert Lewandowski and Niklas Sule, but they have strengthened their squad in a much better way. They signed Sadio Mane from Liverpool, Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, and Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui from Ajax. It will take a while for Julian Nagelsmann to move things around, but he will figure it out soon enough to bring back a lethal Bayern Munich.

Manchester City played the last season without a natural striker that could convince Pep Guardiola to stay, but despite playing Bernardo Silva in that position, the blues did a great job. The team was very fluid and it was Real Madrid’s greatness that was able to stop them from winning the UEFA Champions League. But with the signing of Erling Braut Haaland, it is not a surprise that Manchester City will be clear favourites to win its first UEFA Champions League trophy.

Paris Saint-Germain is also one of the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League. Not that the French club has made some big-name signings, but it has strengthened the most important part of their team- the midfield. Fabian Ruiz from Napoli, Carlos Soler from Valencia and Renato Sanches from Lille are some of the much-heard names. Nordi Mukiele and Pablo Sarabia are also signed to provide depth to the squad. The team led by Christophe Galtier is in splendid form and with big-name players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Junior, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos etc. it will be interesting to see how their campaign will move forward.

It will be a competitive edition of the UEFA Champions League and I don’t think it will be easy for Real Madrid to win the title this season.