2023-24 Champions League campaign promises to heighten Premier League-La Liga debate

With the 2023-24 Champions League knockout stages getting underway on Tuesday, with Real Madrid among those in action, there is sure to be a big focus on European football’s premier competition.

The Premier League is represented by Manchester City and Arsenal, with the former – who you can see in action later this month if you purchase Man City v Chelsea Tickets – expected to be in the running. On the other hand, La Liga – often the league most compared with the English top flight – have four representatives: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad.

With this in mind, Spain does have a better chance of winning the competition – doubly, to be exact. However, it’s expected that Man City and Real Madrid will go far, as they are two of the favourites to win the tournament. They may even end up facing each other, something they have done in the semi-final stage of the previous two editions.

While these two have big chances to win their second and 15th titles respectively, the other teams aforementioned should not be counted out. For Arsenal, they have started 2024 in fine style, and will pose a threat to many of the teams still in the competition. Mikel Arteta’s side are young and hungry, and they should be underestimated despite their lack of European experience in recent years.

La Liga has three other teams that could go far too. Barcelona’s only realistic chance of winning a trophy is in the Champions League, given that they lost in the Spanish Super Cup, are out of the Copa del Rey, and are 10 points adrift of Real Madrid in the La Liga title race. Xavi Hernandez would dearly love to end his time in charge with the most coveted prize in European football, although his side need to fix their problems before