Barcelona, the reigning european champions, are expected to make a good in this year’s edition of UEFA Champions League. But, are they the best team in the europe at the moment? I highly doubt so. While Barcelona have kept their superstars and have added Zambrotta and Thuram to their ranks, they are far from invincible, and Seville showed that by beating them in the European SuperCup. I highly believe that Barca’s success cycle is once again over. Let’s not forget that in the past decade or so, Barca has not won the La Liga more than 2 successive terms. In other words, if the past is for anything, Barca should not win the La Liga this year. In addition, last year Barca had a very shaky campaign in Europe. While they were undefeated in Europe, they could have easily lost it to Benfica, AC Milan, or Arsenal. AC Milan can argue that they scored at the Nou Camp, and the referee made a huge mistake to disallow it, and they would be justified. Nevertheless, I don’t see twice lucky for Barca. The favorite to win this year’s champions league is without a doubt Chelsea with Inter Milan and Real Madrid running behind them. Barca is also in the mix, but they can’t expect to beat Chelsea this time like they did last year. Here is my ranking for this year’s UCL:

1. Chelsea 2. Inter Milan 3. Barcelona 4. Real Madrid 5. AC Milan 6. Lyon 7. Manchester United 8. Liverpool 9. Arsenal 10. Valencia