Group E
CSKA Moscow, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco
Potentially one of the most open groups of all, this could well have quite a few scares and surprises in store for us all.
There’s no question that Spurs fans will be licking their lips at the prospect of taking on all three of their opponents but their success will depend on whether or not they turn up as the team who challenged for the 2015/16 PL title or the one who imploded when the going got tough.
The Lilywhites have a terrific squad who should be good enough to push deep into the latter stages, especially with their creativity from midfield of Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen, combined with the offensive clinical nature of Harry Kane and Vincent Janssen.
AS Monaco were well off the pace of eventual Ligue 1 winners last season, finishing 12 points behind PSG it’s clear they are not going to go on and win the entire contest and it’s expected that they will square off in a three-way battle with Bayer Leverkusen and reigning Russian Premier League champions Moscow. Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt described the draw as “a very balanced group” adding that their goal is to reach the last 16, but the competitive nature means that it’s not going to be an easy task.
Prediction: Spurs and Moscow to qualify.
Group F
Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP, Legia Warsaw
Undoubtedly, this is going to be a straight-shooter between Madrid and Dortmund for top spot.
In truth, it’s difficult to look past Los Merengues as the eventual group winners, not least because they will be more fired-up than ever and have Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks. Whether they will be good enough to cope with the pressure of attempting to become the first team to ever retain the UCL title remains to be seen but their travails in the short-term should see them safely through to the las 16.
Dortmund have already spent over 100 million on eight new players so it’s clear that Die Schwarzgelben are looking to beef up their squad to battle on a number of fronts, although it’s still unclear whether they have done enough to replace the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Henrik Mkhitaryan. Obviously, the league title will be uppermost in their thoughts but this draw means they should look to push into the next round at the very least and see how things pan out after that.
Legia Warsaw had to battle hard to find a way past League of Ireland outfit Dundalk but eventually managed to snag a 3-1 aggregate win so they will probably find the going tough despite possessing some exciting talents such as wingman Steeven Langil who is one to watch. As for Sporting, they certainly have what it takes to capture third spot in Group F and it will be their head-to-heads with Warsaw that they will likely plan and prepare most cautiously for.
Prediction: Madrid and Dortmund to qualify.
