Champions League storylines: Will Arsenal win it all, PSG repeat, Barca rebound?

The Champions League returns this week and immoderate of the world's biggest clubs are attempting to dethrone reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain by lifting the European Cup successful Budapest, Hungary, adjacent May. Six Premier League teams, Spain's heavyweights of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich volition each backmost themselves to topple PSG, portion Italian champions Napoli could beryllium a unsafe outsider.

Matchday 1 -- dispersed implicit 3 days -- has thrown up immoderate container bureau clashes including Bayern Munich against Chelsea, Newcastle astatine location to Barcelona and City against Napoli. So arsenic nine football's astir glamorous and prestigious contention resumes (sorry, FIFA Club World Cup fans), who are the players and clubs to ticker retired for, and wherever are the champion storylines?

Can PSG spell back-to-back and triumph it again?

The French giants won their first-ever Champions League past play successful style, with Luis Enrique's squad signaling a grounds 5-0 triumph successful the last against Inter Milan successful Munich.

The Ligue 1 champions overcame 4 Premier League teams -- Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal -- connected their mode to the final, and their tally to glory saw Ousmane Dembélé enactment himself successful rod presumption to triumph the Ballon d'Or, with the victor acceptable to beryllium announced successful Paris connected Sept. 22. Désiré Doué, Vitinha, João Neves, Khvicha Kvaratskelia, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi besides had outstanding seasons for Enrique's squad and their Champions League occurrence sparked a statement astir whether they could present person a play of dominance akin to those of Real Madrid and Barcelona successful caller years.

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So, could they bash it? PSG are mostly unchanged from past season, though

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