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Scottish former football player Billy McNeill arrives with the Champions League trophy during the UEFA 2013/2014 Champions League group stage draw on August 29, 2013 in Monaco. (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
The UEFA Champions League is here, and we start all the mid-week madness with the Group Stage draw for 32 of the best teams across Europe. The event took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, with the dignitaries of the proceedings being Billy McNeill and Luis Figo. The Portuguese legend is the ambassador for this years Champions League, with the final being held at the Estadio Da Luz in Portugal on 24th May 2014.
Firstly we take a look at the 4 pots into which the teams were placed based on their UEFA Coefficient, and then we look into each group and assess the possible winners and runners-up, briefly.
The four Pots into which the teams were divided based on their seedings
32 teams were drawn into 8 groups of 4 each starting from pot 1 and continuing through pots 2, 3 and 4. The only rule applicable while the draw took place was that no two teams from the same nation can be drawn into a single group.The final outcome after the likes of Johan Cryuff, Michael Owen, Billy McNeill and Paulo Sousa picked the UEFA balls from the pots was like this.
The final grouping for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League 2013-14
Initial impressions of the draw were that Chelsea were given the easiest of the groups and there was some competitive grouping for teams like Manchester United and Real Madrid. Group F can be considered the ‘Group of Death’ for this edition of the Champions League, with Arsenal getting some stern opposition in Borussia Dortmund and Napoli. There was more ‘deja vu’ for Arsenal and Barcelona as they were given groups similar to the ones over the last two seasons. Now, a brief assessment of the teams that stand a chance to reach the round of 16.
Group A
United are favourites, but could be in for a tricky time (Getty Images)
Although at first look, the group appears to be a bit on the moderate side in terms of difficulty, Manchester United have some very good opponents in Shakhtar Donetsk, Real Sociedad and Bayer Leverkusen. Almost all teams in this group are pretty tough to beat at home. Shakhtar have shown some failings on their away trips while Leverkusen don’t have enough experience to come up top in away matches. This all points to Manchester United having a bit of an easy ride compared to others, but they have to earn their spot in the last 16. Amongst the other three, Shakhtar and Leverkusen will come very close and the Ukranian outfit might edge out Sami Hyypia’s Bayer Leverkusen.
Prediction for the Round of 16: Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk
Group B
Real Madrid have Juventus in their group, but will still be favourites to come out on top (Getty Images)
With Real Madrid, Juventus, Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen, it is straightforward to pick the Italian and Spanish teams as the top two. But, Galatasaray are a bogey team. Playing in Turkey in the home of clubs like Galatasaray is probably one of the biggest challenges of Champions League football, thanks to the extraordinary receptions that lie in store from the Gala fans. While Real might feel a bit comfortable tackling the Turkish outfit, Juveutus will be skeptical of Didier Drogba and co. The sacrificial goat here is undoubtedly FC Copenhagen. A goal fest for the other teams means the table may end up with the Danish team at the bottom, with a huge negative goal difference.
Prediction for the Round of 16: Real Madrid, Juventus
Group C
French champions PSG have got an easy draw (Getty Images)
Another no brainer. Benfica and PSG are clearly superior to Olympiacos and Anderlecht. PSG will have even bigger ambitions this term and without doubt, they will be aiming for the top spot in the group. Benfica were the Europa League finalists last term which had the other two teams involved at some stage. While the away trips to Greece and Belgium might be tricky for PSG and Benfica, they are expected to come out with a positive result with the quality they possess.
Prediction for the Round of 16: PSG, Benfica
Group D
It will be keen to see Bayern under new manager Pep Guardiola as they prepare to defend their title (Getty Images)
Manchester City were finally given a moderate group after two years of ‘group of death’ battles. Champions Bayern Munich have only gotten better post their success at Wembley in May, and beating them would be a monumental task. Man City will have a good taste of the latter stages of the competition thanks to the matches they will play against Bayern. The only problem non-Russian teams might face is to travel and play in the freezing cold of Russia on synthetic pitches. Other than that, one cannot see any obstacle for either Bayern or Man City that would prevent them from making it to the next stage.
Prediction for the Round of 16: Bayern Munich, Manchester City
Group E
Europa League champions Chelsea have the easiest of the draws among the top seeds (Getty Images)
Last season, Chelsea became the first team in history to get knocked out in the group stages after winning the trophy the previous season. This time around, they have been handed the easiest group among all the pot 1 teams. Schalke, Steaua Bucharest and FC Basel will be easy to negotiate for Jose Mourinho and co., although one feels Schalke could pose some problems. With the likes of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Julian Draxler, Schalke will be a moderate team, but nothing close to the quality of Chelsea. The young guns of Schalke will make sure their team progresses to the latter stages.
Prediction for the Round of 16: Chelsea, Schalke
Group F
Arsenal will meet last year’s runner-up Borussia Dortmund in a repeat from two seasons ago when both clubs were in the same group (Getty Images)
Group of Death!! Its ironic how Dortmund always find themselves in tough groups. The trio of Arsenal, Marseille and Dortmund were in the same group two seasons back, and its the same combo all over again. Only now, they have Rafa Benitez’s Napoli too in the mix. Arsenal tend to play to their strengths in Europe and much will depend on whether Arsene Wenger decides to spend in the four days that remain of the summer transfer window. Every team in this group has a chance of qualifying to the round of 16, but Napoli and Marseille might have slightly weaker teams compared to Arsenal and Dortmund. There will reunions galore as these teams meet, and one cannot write off Rafa Benitez when it comes to Europe.
Prediction for the Round of 16: Dortmund, Arsenal
Group G
Atletico Madrid make a long overdue return to the Champions League (Getty Images)
The most dullest group of all. With literally no interest from the majority of the football fan base, this group will suffer from the lack of viewership, even if it is televised. The long trip to Russia could be a table turning factor, and Zenit St. Petersburg have always been a bogey team. Porto and Atletico Madrid seem to have decent squads and stand a chance of finishing on top in the group.
Prediction for the Round of 16: Athletico Madrid, Porto
Group H
With a new coach and new superstar, Barcelona will again run into AC Milan, who they beat in last year’s quarter-finals (Getty Images)
UCL Reunion v 2.0!! Milan have been drawn in the same group as Barcelona for the second time in the last three seasons, and they were drawn in the quarters in one of those years. Also, Celtic were in the same group as Barcelona last term and now they have a reunion in the very next season. Ajax on the other hand has always been a hard working team, and they have a good chance of knocking Milan out in the group stage. Celtic though, will have to suffer the wrath of their much superior counterparts. But, the heroics of players like James Forrest might suggest that we think otherwise.
Prediction for the Round of 16: Barcelona, AC Milan
UEFA Player of the Year Award
Bayern Munich’s French midfielder Franck Ribery took home the UEFA European Player of the Year award (Getty Images)
After the group stage draw, the ceremony for the UEFA Player of the Year took place. The three finalists were Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich.
Franck Ribery won the UEFA Player of the Year award for his electric performances right through the tournament last season and a successful domestic campaign in Germany.
