With the premier European football clubs ready to do battle again, fans who watch live online streaming UEFA Champions League football matches will be eager to find out who has the best chance of winning the trophy. The usual suspects are all there again. Manchester United, who won last season’s title, will be among the favorites again. Chelsea, last season’s finalist with the Manchurians, will also figure prominently. With their pedigree in the competition, Liverpool will also be many fans’ sentimental favorite. But perhaps the fiercest challengers to the English trio of clubs will come from their traditional rivals in Spain.

There are three Spanish La Liga teams that will be there when the dust settles. They include Real Madrid, Barcelona and dark horses Villareal. The disappointment was obvious in Spanish football last season, as none of the teams made it very far in the Champions League. Real Madrid were dumped out in the first knockout stages by their Italian rivals AS Roma, while Barcelona left with their tails between their legs, whimpering all the way to their Catalan home. While Spain’s national team won the European Championships in July, their football clubs were floundering in European club football. The summer that followed was one of restructuring and consolidation, with a strong emphasis on teamwork by coaches at all three clubs.

The result has been strong early season form by the three leading clubs in the Spanish La Liga. Real Madrid in their live streaming Spanish La Liga football matches, have successfully melded style with substance, as they climb the league table and close in on the current leaders Valencia. Barcelona have gotten over a jittery early start, and manager Pep Guardiola’s tactics are starting to bear fruit. The defence is now more resolute, while midfield star Lionel Messi continues to wreck havoc on all opponents. With the most underrated team of the three, Villareal have continued where they left off last season, rising to the top of the league, level on points with Valencia.

With such imperious form shown by all three clubs, there is strong optimism from the country that they will fly the flag of Spanish football high. Judging from the makeup of each team, the strongest contender to Manchester United’s crown would be Real Madrid and Villareal. Barcelona might suffer from the lack of managerial experience that is evident on Guardiola’s resume, and their style continues to take precedence over solidity at times.

Real Madrid has a coach of German descent and tactical nous at the helm. Bernd Schuster has created a team in his own image, and as they mature, Real Madrid could regain their place in Europe’s elite. Villareal does not buy into the concept of the individual star, and are based more on a complete team ethic. They have already managed to hold Manchester United to a draw at Old Trafford during their meeting in the group stage. The result was achieved without having to sit back and defend, which is the strategy that lesser teams would adopt when playing the current European club football champions.

While most football fans will expect English teams to be present in the final stages, their Spanish counterparts will also weigh in heavily on the destiny of the trophy. With such a diverse mix of different soccer styles, expect even more twists and turns as the competition unfolds this season with more live Manchester United Champions League football matches.