Alan Shearer names one ‘dark horse’ that could stop Real Madrid winning the Champions League this season

In spite of the fact that Alan Shearer believes Real Madrid are the overwhelming favourites to win the Champions League this year, he has identified a “dark horse” that has the potential to defeat them and take home the trophy.

With an emphatic two-leg Champions League victory over Manchester City, Madrid established themselves as the smart bet to extend their record-breaking success at the pinnacle of club football. This victory sent a message to the rest of Europe, establishing Madrid as the team to beat.

As the reigning champions Madrid is the most accomplished team in the Champions League, and they are aiming to win a record-breaking sixteenth championship throughout this season.

Following Madrid’s knock-out stage play-offs victory over Man City by a score of 6-3 on aggregate, Shearer, a former captain of England and the all-time leading scorer in Premier League history, declared Madrid to be the undisputed favourites to win yet another European championship.

Shearer is of the opinion that their firepower, which is led by athletes such as Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Kylian Mbappe, will be difficult to stop. However, it is not impossible.

“Yeah, I would put them favourites,” Shearer said in an interview with Gary Lineker for the podcast The Rest Is Football.

Because they are aware that it is their competition, they are aware of how well they perform, and they excel in it; therefore, they are required to win.

“With the number of opportunities that they generate and the amount of talent that they possess, it must be a dream come true for those guys. It must be a pleasant surprise. Therefore, Real Madrid is quite formidable, and they are, without a shadow of a doubt, my personal favourites to triumph.

Despite the fact that Shearer was impressed by Mbappe and Madrid’s resounding victory over City, he concurred with Lineker that there is one “dark horse” that has the potential to challenge the holders of the title.

Both Shearer and Lineker were impressed by Paris Saint-Germain’s performance in their play-off match against Brest, which they won 10-0 over the course of two legs. This victory propelled Paris Saint-Germain as far as the round of sixteen.

“Over two legs I think they will give anyone a good game,” Shearer concluded by saying.

“As of right now, they are more of a team than they have ever been. Whether or not they are good enough to go and win it this season is something I do not know, but they will be a real test for anyone who is still in the competition.

The hierarchy of Paris Saint-Germain has had a long-standing desire to compete in the Champions League, and Shearer believes that they are in a better position than ever before to fulfil that desire.

However, in order to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League, the French giants will need to defeat Liverpool, who currently holds the top spot in the Premier League. A spot in the quarterfinals is up for grabs for Real Madrid, which will face off against Atletico Madrid, a rival club from the same region, in a match that will be played over two legs.