With the new Champions League campaign underway, attention is turning to which sides can dethrone Paris St-Germain, who are chasing an unprecedented third consecutive European title. According to pundits and statistical models alike, that feat may prove beyond even Luis Enrique's side this time around.
Football analyst Julien Laurens believes PSG will remain competitive but ultimately fall short of history. "I don't think they will do it. I think two in a row is already special - three in a row is impossible unless you've got Cristiano Ronaldo in your team, which they don't," Laurens said, predicting PSG will reach at least the semi-finals.
Laurens expressed doubts over Real Madrid's project under Jose Mourinho, instead tipping Bayern Munich and Arsenal as the sides most deserving of reaching the final based on their performances over the past two seasons. "I would go for PSG to reach the last four, Bayern close runners-up and Arsenal to win it," he said, citing Arsenal's defensive record as the decisive factor.
Fellow analyst Guillem Balague pointed to Barcelona's current form as another factor to watch, alongside Arsenal's growing consistency. "Barcelona are flying... Arsenal have found a way to win regularly, and with that off their shoulders, players feel a release that will make them play better," Balague said, adding that Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Manchester City could round out his predicted semi-finalists.
Data from Opta backs up the sense that this year's competition is unusually open at the top. Arsenal are rated the overall favourites to lift the trophy at 20.4%, narrowly ahead of Bayern Munich at 20%. PSG sit fourth in the rankings with a 7.3% chance of retaining their crown, behind Manchester City, who have been given a 12.7% chance of winning a second title in three years.
Notably, all five Premier League representatives rank inside the top ten for title probability, and each has been given better than a 50% chance of advancing past the last-16 stage. Arsenal, despite being drawn against continental heavyweights Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the league phase, have benefited from facing the two lowest-ranked teams in the draw, Sabah and Slovan Bratislava - continuing a trend from last season when they topped the league phase with one of the more favourable schedules.
Manchester City, by contrast, face a tougher road, drawn against both Barcelona and PSG from the top seeding pot, as well as a difficult test against Napoli.
Beyond team form, several individual talents have been highlighted as ones to watch this season. Jude Bellingham is expected to thrive in a more advanced role for Real Madrid under Mourinho, while Como's teenage playmaker Nico Paz - operating under manager Cesc Fabregas - has been tipped for stardom in his side's first-ever Champions League campaign.
PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia continues to draw praise as one of the tournament's most dynamic performers, with suggestions he could be a genuine Ballon d'Or contender. Bayern's Harry Kane and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal were also mentioned as players capable of shaping their teams' campaigns, alongside Roma's in-form striker Donyell Malen and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who has returned to top form after an injury-hit previous season.
With the league phase often used by top sides to experiment before the knockout rounds intensify from January onward, this season's Champions League looks set to be shaped as much by tactical evolution as by star power - with Arsenal and Bayern Munich currently positioned as the teams to beat.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.