Lucas Schmidt: Atletico Madrid doesn't play the most beautiful football, but they know how to beat strong teams. Simeone has absolutely no problem sitting back and allowing the opposition possession and then beating them on the break, because that's exactly how they beat Bayern 1-0 (who have been fantastic in the Bundesliga under Ancelotti). And not conceding a goal to Bayern is no fluke - they've allowed 4 goals in 18 matches in the Champions League at home under Simeone, and just 2 goals so far this season (in 6 games), one of which was to Barcelona. In the 2015/16 La Liga season, Atleti conceded 2 goals on only 4 occasions out of 38 matches (never allowing 3+). They made it to the final last year and two years before that, so I'm confident they can do it again, but this time maybe win it (unless it's against Real Madrid).
Jon Lewis: The problem with Arsenal, aside from the fact that they always try to walk it in to the net, is that they always find a way to dramatically implode sometime in the winter. But hear me out: what if they didn't? What if they kept playing with the kind of confidence they showed this past weekend, and with the flair and purpose Wenger's side has shown itself capable of over the past couple seasons. From a purely talent standpoint, Arsenal's starting 11 can compete with the best of Europe, and as long as Mesut Özil is on the pitch they will create chances at an elite rate. If they can convert at a better percentage than they did last season (which they are doing so far) and they don't have the patented Arsenal Midwinter Meltdown, they'll be in with more than a shout. You read it here first: Arsenal are your 2016-17 Champions League winners.
P.S. Feel free to bring this back up when they lose to Barca in the round of 16
Jacob Scheinman: This pick probably won't win any points for originality, but Barcelona have looked dominant so far this season, especially in the UEFA Champions League, where they have won their first two games by a combined 9-1. While Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach certainly can't be considered top-notch opponents for Barcelona, the fact that they were able to score an astonishing seven goals in a game bodes well for the team going forward. When their top line of Messi, Neymar and Suarez are all 100% healthy, teams will have to focus immense amounts of energy trying to defend, and will have few opportunities to commit anyone to an attack, making Barcelona a very difficult side to break down.
Will Nickerson: Bayern Munich have looked fantastic in the Bundesliga so far this season only conceding one goal and scoring 15. While this has been against weaker opposition than who they've faced in the Champions League, I believe their squad depth is a huge strength especially after signing Mats Hummels to shore up their defense. They have a great mix of experienced players who were on the Champions League winning squad in 2013, as well some younger creative players that have really propelled the team forward. While they lost in the semifinals to Barcelona in 2014 and to Athletico Madrid on goal differential last year, I think this year they have the right pieces to win it all.
Jon Lewis: The problem with Arsenal, aside from the fact that they always try to walk it in to the net, is that they always find a way to dramatically implode sometime in the winter. But hear me out: what if they didn't? What if they kept playing with the kind of confidence they showed this past weekend, and with the flair and purpose Wenger's side has shown itself capable of over the past couple seasons. From a purely talent standpoint, Arsenal's starting 11 can compete with the best of Europe, and as long as Mesut Özil is on the pitch they will create chances at an elite rate. If they can convert at a better percentage than they did last season (which they are doing so far) and they don't have the patented Arsenal Midwinter Meltdown, they'll be in with more than a shout. You read it here first: Arsenal are your 2016-17 Champions League winners.
P.S. Feel free to bring this back up when they lose to Barca in the round of 16
Jacob Scheinman: This pick probably won't win any points for originality, but Barcelona have looked dominant so far this season, especially in the UEFA Champions League, where they have won their first two games by a combined 9-1. While Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach certainly can't be considered top-notch opponents for Barcelona, the fact that they were able to score an astonishing seven goals in a game bodes well for the team going forward. When their top line of Messi, Neymar and Suarez are all 100% healthy, teams will have to focus immense amounts of energy trying to defend, and will have few opportunities to commit anyone to an attack, making Barcelona a very difficult side to break down.
Will Nickerson: Bayern Munich have looked fantastic in the Bundesliga so far this season only conceding one goal and scoring 15. While this has been against weaker opposition than who they've faced in the Champions League, I believe their squad depth is a huge strength especially after signing Mats Hummels to shore up their defense. They have a great mix of experienced players who were on the Champions League winning squad in 2013, as well some younger creative players that have really propelled the team forward. While they lost in the semifinals to Barcelona in 2014 and to Athletico Madrid on goal differential last year, I think this year they have the right pieces to win it all.