The Champions League gets underway soon, with Europe’s elite set for another season of intense competition. No side has ever retained the Champions League, but holders Real Madrid will be looking to break that particular duck. Let’s have a look at what the group draw has thrown up for us.
Group A
Teams
Arsenal, Paris St. Germain, FC Basel, Ludogorets
There are worse draws that Arsenal could have had, but let’s not forget that they’ve had good draws in the past and still struggled through them. PSG are now one of Europe’s major forces, but they look to be a different beast without Ibrahimovic. Basel have a 100% record in the Swiss league this season, in addition to having a good track record against English clubs. Arsenal’s meetings with the Swiss side will likely decide the second placed team in this group, with PSG likely to be group winners. Ludogorets are clear underdogs, but they didn’t roll over when they played Liverpool two years ago at the same stage of the competition.
Key Games
PSG vs. Arsenal (13th September)
Arsenal vs. Basel (28th September)
Arsenal vs Ludogorets (19th October)
Ludogorets vs. Arsenal (1st November)
Arsenal vs. PSG (23rd November)
Basel vs. Arsenal (6th December)
Final Group Standings Prediction
PSG, Arsenal, Basel, Ludogorets
Group B
Teams
Benfica, Napoli, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas
Top seeds Benfica played a 4-4-2 system last year on their way to the Portuguese title, but this could be undone when they play Napoli. Maurizio Sarri has built a strong and energetic team in Naples and can rely on strong support at the San Paolo. Gonzalo Higuain will be a miss, but Arkadiusz Milik impressed in the Euros. Besiktas have qualified for the group stage for the first time in seven years and have an impressive home record, whilst Dynamo Kiev reached the last 16 stage last season, before being beaten by Manchester City.
Key Games
Napoli vs. Benfica (28th September)
Benfica vs. Napoli (6th December)
Final Group Standings Prediction
Napoli, Benfica, Besiktas, Dynamo Kiev
Group C
Teams
Barcelona, Manchester City, Borussia Monchengladbach, Celtic
Manchester City reached the semi-final stage last year and with Pep Guardiola at the helm, they’ll be feared even more. All eyes will be on their matches with Barcelona however and the two clubs are more than familiar with each other, having met four times in the last three seasons. City have lost on every occasion. City can’t afford to focus solely on Barcelona, as Borussia Monchengladbach are renowned for their ability to change their tactics to adapt to the opposition. Celtic are the weakest side in this group, but sides with nothing to lose can afford to throw everything at it. They’ve historically upped their game against English sides.
Key Games
Barcelona vs. Celtic (13th September)
Manchester City vs. B. Monchengladbach(13th September)
Celtic vs. Manchester City (28th September)
Barcelona vs. Manchester City (19th October)
Celtic vs. B. Monchengladbach (19th October)
B. Monchengladbach vs. Celtic (1st November)
Manchester City vs. Barcelona (1st November)
B. Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City (23rd November)
Celtic vs. Barcelona (23rd November)
Manchester City vs. Celtic (6th December)
Final Group Standings Prediction
Barcelona, Manchester City, B Monchengladbach, Celtic
Group D
Teams
Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Rostov
This group looks to be a straight shootout between Atletico and Bayern for the top spot. The two sides met at the semi-final stage last season, with Simeone’s Atletico side coming out on top at that stage. Carlo Ancelotti is aiming to win the Champions League with his third different club and his side won’t be as open defensively as Guardiola’s was last season. PSV play exciting football, but that might not be enough for them to triumph against the top sides in this group. Rostov have already changed their manager once this season and they might struggle to make an impact in Group D.
Key Games
Atletico Madrid vs. Bayern Munich (28th September)
Bayern Munich vs. Atletico Madrid (6th December)
Final Group Standings Prediction
Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven, Rostov
Group E
Teams
CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Monaco
Spurs have been handed a fairly nice group as well, barring an away trip to Russia. They’ll be playing their home games at Wembley and will fancy their chances of topping this group. They’ll come up against Bayer Leverkusen who play in an almost identical fashion, whilst 6ft 8in Lacina Traore will be spearheading CSKA’s Champions League ambitions. Monaco are the final side in this group, who eliminated Arsenal two years ago and they cannot be underestimated with Joao Moutinho and Falcao in their ranks.
Key Games
Tottenham vs. Monaco (14th September)
CSKA vs. Tottenham (27th September)
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Tottenham (18th October)
Tottenham vs. Bayer Leverkusen (2nd November)
Monaco vs. Tottenham (22nd November)
Tottenham vs. CSKA (7th December)
Final Group Standings Prediction
Tottenham, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, CSKA Moscow
Group F
Teams
Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, Legia Warsaw
Real Madrid are relatively unchanged from the side that won last year’s Champions League, but they still look unbalanced, with no real depth in the defensive positions. Dortmund are the second best team in this group, and if they progress, they could go far in the tournament due to their tactical adaptability. Sporting will field a trio of Portugal’s Euro 2016 winning midfield, whilst they’ll also look forward to welcoming former player Cristiano Ronaldo back to Portugal. Legia Warsaw are strong defensively, but they won’t overly concern the two big teams in this group.
Key Games
Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid (27th September)
Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund (7th December)
Final Group Standings Prediction
Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, Legia Warsaw
Group G
Teams
Leicester, Porto, Club Brugge, Copenhagen
Leicester will be very optimistic about their chances of progression from Group G, with Porto being their toughest opponents. They should be capable of winning their home games, but they’ll need to pick up points on their travels. Porto highlighted their quality by defeating Roma in the play-off stage of the competition, whilst Brugge look to be a Belgian equivalent of Leicester, relying on a counter-attacking style. Copenhagen look to be the weakest of the sides in this group, but Manchester United found travelling to Denmark difficult last season.
Key Games
Brugge vs. Leicester (14th September)
Leicester vs. Porto (27th September)
Leicester vs. Copenhagen (18th October)
Copenhagen vs. Leicester (2nd November)
Leicester vs. Brugge (22nd November)
Porto vs. Leicester (7th December)
Final Group Standings Prediction
Porto, Leicester, Brugge, Copenhagen
Group H
Teams
Juventus, Sevilla, Lyon, Dinamo Zagreb
Juventus will be hoping to make a big impression again on this tournament and the acquisition of Gonzalo Higuain shows that they mean business. Miralem Pjanic has also arrived to replace Paul Pogba and they’re the strongest team in this group. Alexandre Lacazette will be hoping to show Arsenal what they’ve missed out on by not signing him, but Lyon will be competing with the Europa League holders Sevilla for the runners-up spot in this group. Dinamo Zagreb face an uphill task, but they did defeat Arsenal at this stage last season.
Key Games
Lyon vs. Juventus (18th October)
Juventus vs. Lyon (2nd November)
Final Group Standings Prediction
Juventus, Lyon, Sevilla, Dinamo Zagreb
Words by @DominicTrant
