The CHAMPIONS League kicked off last night and it's great to see it back, especially with the news that there's split kick-off times for some of the games so you get to watch more.

Now that Real Madrid no longer have Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, I think there's going to be a different name on the trophy this season.

Ronaldo gave them 30 per cent extra and I think it's fair to say that there will be a different winner come May.

My tip for winning it this season is Manchester City, simply because Pep Guardiola really wants to win it. He's won the league now but he's in his third season and is under pressure to win it.

He has a world-class squad with some great players, so that's why they're my tip to win it.

There's something special about watching the first few rounds of the Champions League group stages; whether it's the fact the nights are drawing in or all that football, I don't know.

It gives you a chance to plan your week when you know there's games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and obviously it's impressive to watch and was a big pull for Sky Sports when they had it and now it creates loads of viewers for BT Sport who have it this year, so I'm looking forward to it.

This could be a year where the big clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, or even Paris St Germain – who are yet-to-win it – all dominate the last four but you expect them to be around the last eight anyway.

But you might see a situation like we've had in the World Cup in the summer where big teams went out early.

However, nine times out of 10, the big teams are the ones who are going to be going through to the knockout stages because while you can have a dodgy away game, you can always rescue it with the home game.

If it was a one-off situation where a team can lose by the odd goal or have a complete day off from the office, then yes I think some of the big teams do face the possibility of going out but in a two-legged, or home and away group stage situation, then it's unlikely they will go out of the Champions League.

I can't wait.