THERE is no doubt the Champions League, which gets under way next week, is a compelling tournament.

The football is of a very high standard and the latter stages are always captivating.

But there is no getting away from the fact it is a competition for the rich.

It is a rarity for any club to break the stranglehold Europe's biggest clubs have on the Champions League.

Atletico Madrid, of course, almost did it last season. The La Liga winners pushed their city rivals Real all the way in the final before losing in extra-time.

But that was unusual. Some smaller clubs do enjoy good runs and I am sure one or two will come to the fore before next May.

But it really is a tournament for firmly established and wealthy clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Real Madrid and a handful of others.

Michel Platini, the Uefa president, is trying to change the situation. But it is a delicate balancing act for him.

There is always a threat the bigger clubs will break away and do their own thing if they are unhappy with any restrictions placed upon them.

The Champions League is heavily weighted in favour of richer clubs. It makes them stronger and weakens their rivals.

Of course, that is true, to a lesser extent, in other leagues around Europe.

Certain clubs keep winning and they keep being rewarded financially for that. It is an issue that football authorities everywhere will have to address.

Something has to be done to assist the middle-ranking countries, who are disadvantaged to a huge extent.

Getting to the knock-out stages, as Celtic did two seasons ago, is a major accomplishment for clubs from lesser football nations.

This season I expect to see Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea challenging strongly.

Manchester City may well make a breakthrough on the continent. It is a big season for the English champions.

Juventus are also decent. And Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco are strong too. I expect to see them in the quarter-finals.

Can they progress beyond that? I am not sure either are ready.

I think that, at this stage, the last eight is their level.

I think the fact that it is so difficult for ambitious clubs in Europe to challenge for the Champions League is something that Uefa officials must continue to work on.

They face a real danger of it going stale in the future if the usual suspects continue to dominate.

New blood has to come through in order for it to flourish.

Clubs like Ajax and Benfica have admirable youth structures and develop good players.

Celtic, too, have a exemplary business model here.

But just about every season the Champions League is decided by the wealthiest of the wealthy.