Milan legend Marcel Desailly feels Bayern Munich will win the Champions League this season and believes Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will be dark horses at the World Cup in the summer.
With the upcoming final stages of the UEFA Champions League and exciting run-ins for the domestic leagues across Europe, the football season has entered its most thrilling phase. Predicting which teams will come out on top is a challenge for fans as well as expert former players, like Marcel Desailly. The current odds present a number of intriguing opportunities, but exploring all the relevant betting bonus options on sites like NJ sportsbook promos before cementing those predictions with the bookies is always a sensible move for smart fans.
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Inter reached the Champions League Final in 2023 and 2025, but unfortunately, this season, Serie A has no representative in the semi-finals of the three European club competitions: the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.
The crisis in Italy’s top flight mirrors the issues facing the Italian national team, which has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time.
Milan and France legend Desailly lifted the Champions League twice as a footballer, first at Marseille and then with the Rossoneri and has now predicted this season’s winner in Europe’s elite competition.
“I don’t know who will win, but I wish it were a different team, and I believe when I look at all the squads, it should be Bayern,” he told The Italian Football Podcast.
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“Because of the consistency they’ve shown in the Bundesliga for the last two seasons, they have suffered but readjusted their philosophy to adapt to the talented squad they have.
“The consistency they have shown this season shows that to win the Champions League, you need these types of winners.
BERLIN – JULY 9: General view of the World Cup trophy prior to the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Final match between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium on July 9, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
“PSG have been on and off throughout with injuries as well. Real Madrid has been a disaster in La Liga. Luckily, Barcelona made some mistakes, so they couldn’t open a 15-point lead. Barcelona’s defence is weak.”
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Barcelona and Real Madrid were knocked out in the quarter-finals, losing to Atletico Madrid and Bayern, respectively.
“So today I will tell you that definitely the next winner of the Champions League will make me happy if it is Bayern Munich,” confirmed Desailly.
The former defender also won the World Cup with France in 1998, crowning an impressive playing career that included six years at Chelsea.
MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 22: Laureus World Academy Member Marcel Desailly during the EURO 2024 Press Conference prior to the Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid 2024 at the Palacio de Cibeles on April 22, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images for Laureus)
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France won the World Cup in 2018 and reached the Final four years later, and Desailly feels they are still the team to beat, although there could be a surprise.
“I have to say France will win it, otherwise Deschamps will kill me [laughs]. Didier has been able to start two different teams. The potential of France is huge; the same can be said of Spain,” he said.
“But the surprise could come from Portugal. They have talented players. I would like Cristiano to get a reward like Messi got his reward. Let Cristiano get his reward.
“If France cannot make it, I will say that the surprise could come from Portugal.”
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