Nearly two weeks ago, this year’s UEFA Champions League groups have been drawn. After a surprising and very intense final between FC Bayern München and FC Chelsea, us football fans eagerly anticipate the return of Europe’s elite football tournament.
There are quite a few interesting groups again this season, most outstanding however is by far group D. D as in death you might even say, four national champions will fight for a spot to the next round in that group. Nevertheless, a few rather unknown teams have yet again made it to the group stage, including: BATE Baryssau, CRF Cluj, FC Nordsjaelland and the surprise champions of Ligue 1 – Montpellier HSC just to name a few…
Of course, chances are that one of Europe’s big names will win this year’s trophy. The last underdog to win the cup was José Mourinho with FC Porto back in the 2003/2004 season. But let’s take a closer look at the eight groups:
Group A:
FC Porto
Dynamo Kiev
Paris Saint-Germain
Dinamo Zagreb
-> Group A will be interesting, since PSG are considered one of the favorite new teams to climb the ladder of success in Europe, even though that is due to very large sums of transfer capital. FC Porto are also always a contender and favorite to reach the next round, therefore my guess is that these two clubs will progress to the round of sixteen.
Group B:
FC Arsenal
FC Schalke 04
Olympiacos Piraeus
Montpellier HSC
-> While group B definitely looks decided already, if it comes down to club names and reputation, we should not count French champions Montpellier HSC out just yet. It will be tough however for such an inexperienced team to contend with Europe’s top notch clubs…
My tip: FC Arsenal and FC Schalke 04 should make it to the round of 16.
Group C:
AC Milan
Zenit St. Petersburg
RSC Anderlecht
FC Málaga
-> First time group stage contenders FC Málaga are in a tough group with legendary AC Milan. It will be interesting to see how these “inferior” Spanish clubs will perform, in comparison to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. We should also have a lookout for Zenit St. Petersburg, as Russian clubs have always proven rather difficult to play against, especially within the borders of Earth’s largest country.
Still, I see Zenit and AC Milan progressing, with FC Málaga in a good situation to reach the UEFA Europa League.
Group D:
Real Madrid CF
Manchester City
Ajax Amsterdam
Borussia Dortmund
-> THIS is the toughest group this season. With four national champions in one tiny pond, this year’s Champions League football should prove to be a real feast. It is very difficult to guess the outcome here, but since I am a Madridista, I tend to think Real Madrid and most probably Manchester City will progress to the next round, with German champions Dortmund reaching the UEFA Europa League…
Group E:
FC Chelsea
Shakhtar Donetsk
Juventus Turin
FC Nordsjaelland
-> This group only has one outcome in my eyes: FC Chelsea and Juventus Turin reaching the next round, I do not expect any surprises here. However, we will have to see how debut group stage contenders FC Nordsjaelland will perform.
Group F:
FC Bayern München
OSC Lille
FC Valencia
BATE Borisov
-> Group F also contains some very interestig names, including last season’s runners up Bayern, who are in as favorites in this group. But not to forget, FC Valencia used to be a tough contender in this competition and could prove to return to their former reputation, as I expect these two to make it to the next round.
Group G:
FC Barcelona
Benfica Lisbon
Spartak Moscow
Celtic Glasgow
-> While Celtic Glasgow will most probably dominate the Scottish Premier League more than usual with Rangers being relegated due to financial problems, it might not be as easy in this competition. As FC Barcelona is expected to win this group, Benfica and Spartak Moscow are two very tough nuts to crack…
Group H:
Manchester United
FC Braga
CFR Cluj
Galatasaray Istanbul
-> And last but not least, group H should see Manchester United win this group with ease. Galatasaray is back in business and will most probably join ManU in the last sixteen. Let’s wait and see if Braga und Cluj are in for a surprise this season.
While I could be very wrong on some of the outcomes, one thing se for sure: this season will not disappoint and football fans around the world will get to enjoy more of Europe’s elite football competition. Group stages start on September 18th.
The Germafrican 