If you need a refresher on how the Champions League works, you can click here. The full group breakdown, with a few quick predictions, is after the jump.
Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa
At first glance, Bayern and Juventus are the two obvious candidates to advance to the Round of 16, but Bordeaux and Maccabi could bring some surprises. Bordeaux, though still a young team, could be capable of taking points off the big two and who knows what will happen when these sides travel to Haifa in Israel? Those long Champions League trips in the middle of the week can be extremely taxing and have been responsible for more than one upset in the past. Still though, my verdict is that we’ll see Bayern and Juve in the next round.
Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg
Despite trips to Moscow (where they play on artificial turf) and Istanbul, there is no reason Manchester United should not cruise through this group. Only Wolfsburg, who surprisingly finished top of the Bundesliga last season, could cause them any real problems. Expect those two to go through.
Group C: A.C. Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, Zurich
Now this is an intriguing group, indeed. Zurich will be the group’s whipping boys, but Marseille could create a little havoc. Real Madrid, with their new crop of Galacticos, will certainly be entertaining to watch, but who knows whether or not they can really defend yet? A.C. Milan, meanwhile could be vulnerable, especially after their 4-0 hiding against crosstown rivals Inter last weekend. Marseille, meanwhile, could be the surprise of the group after breaking Lyon’s stranglehold on French soccer by winning the Ligue 1 title. I think Real Madrid and Marseille could be the two out of this group.
Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL Nicosia
Chelsea’s draw was not the friendliest with three challenging away ties. Porto and Atletico could both be difficult on the road, while APOEL requires a trip to Cyprus. Still, it should not be enough to prevent them from topping the group and probably qualifying with Atletico.
Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debreceni
It won’t be easy for Liverpool either. Lyon has been a distinct threat in Europe over the past few seasons while Fiorentina is on the upswing. Liverpool, meanwhile, have looked less than themselves in the opening few games of their Premier League campaign. And no will be excited about a midweek trip to Hungary to face Debreceni. Look for Lyon to top the group with Liverpool and Fiorentina slugging out behind them.
Group F: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dynamo Kyiv, Rubin Kazan
This is what the Champions League is all about. Barcelona and Inter should provide two classic matches at the Nou Camp and the San Siro. And, even with trips to Kiev and wherever Rubin Kazan is (Kazan, Russia, apparently), those two should really qualify.
Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, Stuttgart, Urziceni
This group is wide open and could give Rangers its first shot at qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Champions League in a very long time. Sevilla is probably the cream of this group, but Rangers and Stuttgart will certainly be close behind in a bid for second place.
Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiacos, Standard Liege
Among all the teams who fancy themselves potential winners of this competition, none can be more satisfied with its lot than Arsenal. The competition is as weak as it will get in the Champions League and the road games are close. Though AZ Alkmaar and Standard Liege are the defending champions of Holland and Belgium, respectively, they shouldn’t present too much of a test. And the long trip to Greece, which has tripped up Arsenal in the past, is the last game of the group stage. Arsenal should already be through by then, possibly with Olympiacos following them into the last 16.
Comments
Joshu Robinson blog, very informative, I love football,and finally I understand how every thing works.
Welldone.