Champions League 2018-19: Favourites, outsiders, underdogs, qualified teams & fixtures

The new season of the European competition will return to gear soon with Real Madrid hoping to win their fourth successive title

Champions League group stage football isn't far off now as Real Madrid look to clinch a sensational fourth title in a row – though will need to ready for life without star striker Cristiano Ronaldo.

They remain one of the favourites to lift the trophy once again alongside the big-name likes of Manchester City, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but last year's runners-up Liverpool and semi-finalists Roma showed that unfancied sides can go far in the tournament still too.

Goal brings you all the details of the favourites, underdogs and outsiders ahead of the upcoming Champions League season, as well as all the teams who have already qualified and when fixtures will be played.

Favourites to win the 2018-19 Champions League

Manchester City have emerged as strong favourites to win the first Champions League this season after falling gloriously short of the trophy in previous years. They have odds of 11/2 to lift the trophy according to bet365 , and finished as quarter-finalists in the competition last season after being eliminated by eventual runners-up Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola has experience winning the trophy with Barcelona and will be eager to repeat the success with Man City. He will also be looking to push on from the success of winning the Premier League in his second season in charge.

Barcelona are 5/1 favourites to win the Champions League this season, last winning the tournament in 2015 after beating Juventus 3-1 in the final. This season will be the first in which star striker Lionel Messi takes on the captain's armband, inheriting the honour from Andres Iniesta who left the club to join Japanese side Vissel Kobe.

The event of Portuguese megastar Cristiano Ronaldo joining Juventus this summer in a sensational €100m has put the Italian side as 7/1 favourites to win the Champions League. Ronaldo joins the Serie A team off the backs of three consecutive European Cup wins and five in total and will no doubt provide to be instrumental in their run-up to European glory.

Defending champions Real Madrid are priced at 13/2 to repeat their success this season, having won the competition for the last three years running – and would put them on course to win a fourth European title in a row, which has never before been done. Madrid, however, are currently a side in transition having recently replaced manager Zinedine Zidane with Julen Lopetegui and still aiming to fill the striker void that Ronaldo left behind.

Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain have odds of 7/1 to win the Champions League after exiting the competition at the hands of eventual winners Real Madrid in the last 16 stage, ruing the loss of star forward Neymar. The French side will doubtless be buoyed by the strengths of Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani leading the line, helmed by new manager Thomas Tuchel.

2018-19 Champions League underdogs

Though Liverpool finished runners-up in the competition last year and made huge strides to get to the final, overcoming the likes of Manchester City and Roma, they are priced at 14/1 to win the competition outright this season.

They could very well emerge as underdogs once again this year after their second-placed finish, however, what with manager Jurgen Klopp making enormous waves in the transfer window this summer to bolster almost every aspect of their attack, signalling their intent. Having just signed the likes of midfielder duo Fabinho and Naby Keita for £90 million, Klopp also added Xherdan Shaqiri for £13m and broke their record transfer fee for Brazilian shot-stopper Alisson for £66m.

Bayern Munich are priced at 8/1 to win the Champions League after being eliminated by Real Madrid at the semi-final stage in last season's competition. Niko Kovac takes the reins of the Bundesliga giants who will be looking to lift their first European Cup since 2013, when they won against German rivals Borussia Dortmund in the final.

Atletico Madrid are another underdog in Europe, priced at 14/1 to win the competition. The La Liga side won the Europa League last season and will be looking to push on for Champions League success – having finished as runners-up in the competition to none other than local rivals Real Madrid on two occasions, in 2014 and 2016. They will be bolstered by star Antoine Griezmann committing his future with the club amid talks of a move to Barcelona, and have added depth in Thomas Lemar.

Manchester United are tipped at 14/1 to lift the trophy as the Red Devils approach Jose Mourinho's infamous 'third season' with the side. They crashed out disappointingly to Sevilla in the last 16 stage and will be eager to win the competition for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge of the club.

2018-19 Champions League outsiders

Tottenham are outside favourites to win the Champions League, priced at 25/1 to win the competition. Mauricio Pochettino's side did well in the group stage, placing first ahead of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, but failed to see out Juventus on home turf in the knockout phase.

Odds of Napoli winning the European competition are at 40/1, and will be rocked by the departure of coach Maurizio Sarri who guided them to a second-place finish in Serie A.

Roma are also priced at 40/1 to be crowned European champions and will also be dealt with a blow following the major loss of goalkeeper Alisson to Liverpool, who kept them in the tie when they played out a narrow 4-3 semi-final tie on aggregate. They shocked the world last season when they eliminated Barcelona in the quarter-final stage after losing 4-1 in the first leg, progressing to the last four based on away goals.

2018-19 Champions League qualified teams

The final play-off round will be contested starting the week of August 21-22, with the group stage set to commence on 18 September.

The draw for the group stage will take place on August 30.

Champions League 2018-19 fixtures

The preliminary round kicked off on June 12 with the lowest-ranked sides to have qualified for the continental club competition, which was followed by a first qualifying round in the first half of July.

The second qualifying round for the Champions League group stage - which will be followed by a third round and a play-off round.

Red Bull Salzburg, AEK Athens, Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahce, Spartak Moscow, Standard Liege and Slavia Prague will enter the competition in the third qualifying round.

PSV and Young Boys are the only entrants to the Champions League in the final knockout phase, the play-off round, before the group stage. Unlike previous season, teams from major European leagues don't have to compete for a spot in the groups as they've been given automatic qualification by UEFA.

Champions League 2018-19 - Route to Final

The final of next season's Champions League will be played at the home of Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano, on June 1.