Predicting league winners, tournament champions, and more for 2021

theScore’s footy staff is breaking out the crystal balls. Below, we predict winners for all the major competitions and awards for 2021 and answer a few key questions. Get in on the action by leaving your predictions in the comments!

Premier League

Gordon Brunt: Liverpool. Key players returning from injury should help get the Reds back on track and win the title before things start to spiral out of control.

Anthony Lopopolo: Tottenham Hotspur. Jose Mourinho has instilled a winning mentality at the club. Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, and Tanguy Ndombele will be decisive.

Gianluca Nesci: Manchester City. Pep Guardiola has figured things out after some early-season weirdness and still has the most talented unit in England.

Daniel Rouse: Liverpool. The defense is still performing decently despite its torrid run of injuries, and it’s only a matter of time before an attack this good rediscovers its spark.

La Liga

Brunt: Real Madrid. After a rough start, Real Madrid have been piling up the points and could sneak up to snatch the league away from Atletico.

Lopopolo: Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone has enough firepower to get the goals he needs, and Barcelona and Real Madrid are too inconsistent to keep up.

Nesci: Atletico Madrid. With Luis Suarez delivering the goals, Atleti are in pole position to take advantage of Barcelona’s and Real Madrid’s struggles.

Rouse: Atletico Madrid. They sometimes look very average, but their competition this season is pretty weak.

Serie A

Brunt: Juventus. It feels almost inevitable that Juventus will spoil the fun and overtake a Milan side that many hoped would end the Bianconeri’s monopoly.

Lopopolo: Inter Milan. As cliche as it sounds, experience counts, and Antonio Conte’s side has it in spades. His system may not be pretty, but it is effective.

Nesci: Inter Milan. With no European commitments to worry about, Conte can focus exclusively on guiding his team to domestic success.

Rouse: Juventus. AC Milan’s resurgence is fun and Inter are picking up results, but Juve are the favorites – even with a rookie in charge.

Bundesliga

Brunt: Bayern Munich. Better luck next year, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.

Lopopolo: RB Leipzig. Is the Bundesliga a write-off? Leipzig have lost just once in the league this season, and their defense is by far the best in Germany. Watch out for Dani Olmo.

Nesci: Bayern Munich. Enough said.

Rouse: Bayern Munich. Again, no explanation needed.

Ligue 1

Brunt: Paris Saint-Germain. Les Parisiens shouldn’t have any trouble defending the title if – and it’s a big if – Neymar and Kylian Mbappe stay healthy.

Lopopolo: Lyon. The Ligue 1 title race is genuinely exciting and should come down to the final day. Count on Memphis Depay, Lucas Paqueta, and Karl Toko Ekambi to lead Lyon to glory.

Nesci: Lyon. Les Gones have been flying after a wobbly start and have the benefit of putting all their eggs in the domestic basket in 2021.

Rouse: Paris Saint-Germain. It’s cute that other clubs think they can compete for the title, but Mauricio Pochettino will get the job done.

Champions League

Brunt: Bayern Munich. On the heels of last year’s record-breaking run – and a dominant showing in the group stage – Bayern look poised to win it all again.

Lopopolo: Manchester City. Pep Guardiola is turning City into a more efficient team: less pressing, more defending. They’ll be fresher by the end of the season.

Nesci: PSG. Let’s face it: The club didn’t bring in Mauricio Pochettino to win Ligue 1. After coming so close last season, the French giants go one better in 2021.

Rouse: Bayern Munich. Hansi Flick’s squad will need refreshing when David Alaba and Jerome Boateng depart, but it’s the strongest outfit for now.

Women’s Champions League

Brunt: Lyon. In what’s shaping up to be a year of repeat champions, Lyon’s sixth straight continental win might be the most impressive victory of the bunch.

Lopopolo: Lyon. They own this tournament.

Nesci: Chelsea. Lyon’s run has to end at some point. With Pernille Harder and Sam Kerr headlining a loaded attack, Chelsea can make it happen.

Rouse: Wolfsburg. The German side worried Lyon in last year’s final, and Lena Oberdorf is ready the reach new heights on the continental stage.

Europa League

Brunt: Bayer Leverkusen. They might fall short in the Bundesliga, but Leverkusen will make up for their domestic failure with a European title.

Lopopolo: Lille. This team has the right blend of youth and experience to go all the way. Despite a change in ownership, Lille should be able to keep the group together.

Nesci: AC Milan. With January reinforcements, this vastly improved team will keep surging in 2021. (Not being able to pick Sevilla here feels wrong.)

Rouse: Tottenham. Jose Mourinho’s side has the parts to go all the way if it isn’t too distracted by other trophy pursuits.

Euro 2020

Brunt: Italy. The misery of missing out on the 2018 World Cup will be forgotten after Italy ends a strong Euro 2020 campaign with another major trophy.

Lopopolo: Netherlands. If Memphis Depay stays healthy and PSV hotshot Donyell Malen continues to develop, watch out. The Dutch haven’t been this good in years.

Nesci: Belgium. Romelu Lukaku has become virtually unstoppable since joining Inter, and now he gets service from Kevin De Bruyne. Scary.

Rouse: France. There will be players who miss out on the 23-man squad who could walk into rivals’ starting XIs. Les Bleus’ depth is insane.

Copa America

Brunt: Brazil. Barring any major injuries, Brazil will repeat and celebrate its 10th South American title by beating Argentina in the final.

Lopopolo: Brazil. Tite has the Selecao purring. With five wins in a row, Brazil has reasserted itself in South American football. Neymar, Lucas Paqueta, and Gabriel Jesus will dominate the tournament.

Nesci: Brazil. With the other perennial CONMEBOL contenders all in various stages of transition, the Neymar-led Selecao are positioned to prosper.

Rouse: Argentina. It would be fitting for Lionel Messi to win his first Copa on home soil with emotions still high after the death of Diego Maradona.

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Brunt: Mexico. With the U.S. at the tail end of a transitional period, Mexico will again upset its bitter rival in the final to win back-to-back Gold Cups.

Lopopolo: United States. Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams – the list goes on. The U.S. men’s national team is heading into a vibrant new era.

Nesci: United States. A win at this summer’s tournament will serve as the first signature achievement for an exciting generation of American talent.

Rouse: United States. Gregg Berhalter handled young talent well with the Columbus Crew and is the right man to oversee this gifted group.

Men’s Olympic tournament

Brunt: France. Like the senior side, the junior squad is bursting with the kind of talent that can win another major trophy for France.

Lopopolo: France. Kylian Mbappe is eligible to play at the Summer Games in Tokyo. That’s about all you have to know.

Nesci: Spain. The competition at the Under-23 level is fierce, but this Spanish squad is loaded with young stars already playing for top clubs.

Rouse: Germany. Despite the senior side’s current failings under Joachim Low, Germany remains one of the game’s greatest producers of young talent.

Women’s Olympic tournament

Brunt: United States. The field is vastly improved, but no nation is capable of assembling a team that can stop this supremely talented U.S. outfit.

Lopopolo: United States. The U.S. women’s national team is still the best women’s squad on the planet. It’s about more than just Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan; Mallory Pugh and Rose Lavelle are the future.

Nesci: Canada. Picking with the heart over the head, perhaps, but who doesn’t want to see iconic captain Christine Sinclair win Olympic gold?

Rouse: United States. The improvement from other nations in the women’s game is encouraging, but they are still far beneath the Americans’ level.

Nations League finals

Brunt: France. Didier Deschamps’ men won’t end 2021 empty-handed, as France will respond to its European setback with a Nations League triumph.

Lopopolo: Italy. The Azzurri are unbeaten in 22 matches and scoring in bunches. This isn’t your grandfather’s Italy.

Nesci: France. It won’t come anywhere close to making up for their near-miss at the Euros just months prior, but Les Bleus will take home some silverware in 2021.

Rouse: Italy. Playing on home soil is a huge advantage. Hopefully, the team will be able to celebrate with fans after the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic.

Other key questions for 2021

Will Messi leave Barcelona?

Brunt: Yes. Lionel Messi and Barcelona will finally go their separate ways in the summer, with the Argentine spurning City’s advances for a move to PSG.

Lopopolo: No. Joan Laporta, who appointed Pep Guardiola as manager in 2008, will win Barcelona’s presidential election and change the trajectory of the club.

Nesci: Yes. Where he ultimately ends up remains a mystery, but one thing is abundantly clear: Messi doesn’t want to play for Barcelona anymore.

Rouse: Yes. It will take more than a new president to steer Barcelona toward glory anytime soon, so Messi will go elsewhere for his swansong.

Who will win the Ballon d’Or?

Brunt: Kylian Mbappe. The PSG star will add another major award to his collection when he claims the first Ballon d’Or of his glittering career.

Lopopolo: Robert Lewandowski. This is the closest anyone has ever come to the scoring brilliance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Lewandowski is likely to post consecutive 50-goal seasons.

Nesci: Kevin De Bruyne. After picking Manchester City to win the Premier League and Belgium to conquer Europe, this is the only logical conclusion.

Rouse: Robert Lewandowski. He fronts Europe’s best team and should get some extra sympathy after missing out when the 2020 award was scrapped.

Who will be the most expensive signing?

Brunt: Kylian Mbappe. Real Madrid will back the Brinks truck up to the Parc des Princes and sign the 22-year-old to a record-breaking deal.

Lopopolo: Jadon Sancho. Count on Manchester United paying close to €100 million for Sancho.

Nesci: Erling Haaland. Real Madrid need a long-term answer up front; Karim Benzema can’t carry them forever, and Haaland is the perfect No. 9.

Rouse: Jadon Sancho. The pandemic-induced financial crisis means fewer big deals, but there have been hints that Sancho believes he’s outgrown Borussia Dortmund.