It’s finally back, folks. The UEFA Champions League group stage is upon us once more and this year looks set to provide us with another epic six-game group stage contest, serving us with the best teams from all around Europe, including English record breakers Manchester City, the German machine Bayern Munich, and of course the three-time defending Champions League Champions Real Madrid.
Besides these teams, other well-known clubs that made the Champions League group stage this year include Manchester United, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham, Paris St. Germain, Juventus, Monaco, Napoli, Inter Milan, and Roma.
However, while these bigger clubs are of course the main attraction, they are not the only big fishes in this pond. Clubs like Valencia, Hoffenheim, Lyon, Schalke, Porto, Club Brugge, Benfica, and Galatasaray will also appear in this draw as they each look to upset the establishment and leave their own marks on European football.
Also appearing in the draw this year are Russian sides Lokomotiv Moskva and CSKA Moscow, Ukrainian Champions Shakhtar Donetsk, Viktoria Plzeň from the Czech Republic, Greece’s AEK Athens, and Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade. Of note this year is the arrival of two Dutch-based clubs to the group stage as both Ajax and PSV look to return themselves to the top step of European football.
The final team we will briefly speak about before we take a look at the official draw is Swiss side Young Boys, the only club this year making their inaugural trip to the Champions League group stage.
Champions League Group Stage Draw
Group A
- Atletico Madrid
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Monaco
4. Club Brugge
Arguably the most equal group in terms of talent amongst the teams, we find Atletico, Dortmund, Monaco and Club Brugge. While many will expect the three known clubs in this group to take the top three spots, Club Brugge are not to be underestimated and could cause quite a shock.
Group B
- Barcelona
2. Tottenham
3. PSV
4. Inter Milan
Featuring some monumental battles in this group, common sense says that Barcelona and Tottenham should coast into the Champions League knockout rounds. However, don’t put anything past both PSV and Inter Milan, two teams hungry to progress in their returns to the Champions League group stage.
Group C
- Paris Saint-Germain
2. Napoli
3. Liverpool
4. Red Star Belgrade
The Group of Death, in Group C we find PSG, Napoli and Liverpool. With only two sides going through to the Champions League knockout stages, one of these grand giants will be forced to miss out and likely make an appearance in this season’s Europa League. Also joining these three sides are Serbian Champions Red Star Belgrade, who will definitely be looking to upset the establishment and not finish bottom of this group.
Group D
- Lokomotiv Moscow
2. Porto
3. Schalke
4. Galatasaray
Arguably the weakest group in terms of overall skill, this group could end up being a mixed bag. Russian champions Lokomotiv Moscow will look to assert themselves as the top seed, but they will face a tough travel schedule as they must head to Turkey, Germany and Portugal. A possible dark horse to top this group will be German side Schalke, who could fancy themselves as the strongest team in Group D.
Group E
- Bayern Munich
2. Benfica
3. Ajax
4. AEK Athens
Group E sports 11 Champions League titles between the clubs with Bayern Munich, Benfica and Ajax each having taken the top step on the podium over the years. While Bayern should top the group, Benfica may have a battle for second place on their hands with Ajax and Greek champions AEK Athens, providing the Portuguese side with good competition.
Group F
- Manchester City
2. Shakhtar Donetsk
3. Olympique Lyon
4. Hoffenheim
Earning one of the more favorable possible draws, this is Manchester City’s group to lose. However, the big question from this group will be who manages to bag second place and who advances into the Europa League. With Hoffenheim, Lyon and Shakhtar Donetsk all very equal in terms of talent, this should be an interesting group to watch.
Group G
- Real Madrid
2. Roma
3. CSKA Moscow
4. Viktoria Plzeň
Dominating the headlines from this group will of course be the three-time defending UEFA Champions League Champions Real Madrid, who should top the group while Roma also look set to progress through into the knockout rounds. The battle for the third spot should also be straight forward as CSKA Moscow should top Czech side Viktoria Plzeň.
Group H
- Juventus
2. Manchester United
3. Valencia
4. Young Boys
Providing one of the more exciting matchups of the Champions League Group Stage, Group H will see Italian giants Juventus face off against Manchester United, a pairing that sets up two unmissable games in both Turin and Manchester. Also joining the group is two-time Champions League finalist Valencia and Swiss side Young Boys, who are making their first appearance in the Champions League Group Stage.
Main Photo
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