Predicting the 2014-15 Champions League Top Scorers
With the much-anticipated group stage of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League set to finally return to our TV screens on Tuesday night, we predict the identity of this season’s top scorers across the continent.
Come the climax to Europe’s premier club competition in Berlin’s Olympiastadion next June, these 10 players will have found the back of the net most often…
*All stats are taken from www.transfermarkt.co.uk
10. Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)
1 of 10
Liverpool will certainly miss injured striker Daniel Sturridge when they make their long-awaited Champions League return on Tuesday night, with the 25-year-old having netted 37 times in total in just 52 matches since joining the Reds from Chelsea in January 2013.
However, with the likes of little-known Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad and Basel waiting to face last season’s Premier League runners-up, expect the Englishman to more than make up for that setback by scoring the goals to see his side into the knockout phase.
9. Jackson Martinez (Porto)
2 of 10
Red-hot Porto frontman Jackson Martinez has already netted once to help his side through to the group stage, where the 27-year-old now has every chance of continuing with that form in front of goal against the likes of Athletic Bilbao, BATE Borisov and Shakhtar Donetsk.
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain)
3 of 10
Paris Saint-Germain skipper Zlatan Ibrahimovic may struggle to match the 10 goals that he scored in last season’s competition—second only to Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo—but two group games against APOEL should still be enough to see the forward make the top 10.
7. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
4 of 10
Alexis Sanchez has already started to repay the £35 million that Arsenal splashed out to sign the Chilean from Barcelona earlier this summer by scoring the goal that saw the club through to the group phase of the Champions League at the expense of Besiktas last month.
And don’t be surprised were the winger, who managed to hit the target on 21 occasions in 54 appearances for the Catalan giants last season, to now be pushed further forward by boss Arsene Wenger in the injury-enforced absence of first-choice striker Olivier Giroud.
6. Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
5 of 10
Barcelona’s new record signing Luis Suarez may currently be suspended from all football for the Catalans after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
However, when the 27-year-old Uruguay international does finally return to action next month, the frustrated attacker will surely be looking to make up for lost time against Group F opponents such as Ajax and APOEL.
5. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
6 of 10
Prolific Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero scored six goals in only 429 minutes of action in the competition last season, so with an injury-free campaign ahead this time around, expect an even higher return, especially if the Premier League champions also go further.
4. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
7 of 10
Robert Lewandowski netted 17 times in just 28 Champions League appearances prior to his free-transfer switch to Bayern Munich this season, and it would be something of a major surprise were the Poland frontman to not now continue with that same goalscoring ratio.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
8 of 10
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a record 17 goals as Real Madrid won La Decima in May, taking the forward’s overall total in the competition to an eye-catching 67 strikes in only 103 games, but nagging injuries may just hamper his hopes of repeating those feats this campaign.
2. Diego Costa (Chelsea)
9 of 10
As long as injuries do not once again disrupt the in-form Spain international’s season, then Chelsea’s new striker has every chance in this campaign of matching—or even bettering—the impressive haul of eight goals that he managed with Atletico Madrid last time out.
1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
10 of 10
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi endured by his own relatively high standards a disappointing campaign in front of goal in Europe last season, scoring just eight times, but the playmaker is still joint-second in the competition’s all-time scoring list with 67 goals in just 86 contests.
And with the Argentina international having begun the new season in fine form by netting twice already in Barca’s opening two league outings under new head coach Luis Enrique, expect both the player and the Catalans to once again be kings of Europe in Berlin next June.
