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Group B is one of the two groups which is referred to as the 'Group of death'. La Liga champions, Barcelona, Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspurs, Italian giant, Inter Milan and Eredivisie champions PSV Eidenhoven. While Barcelona are a seasoned campaigner and is a 5-time Champions League winner, Tottenham and PSV have never won the Champions League. Inter Milan, on the other hand, have won the Champions League three times.
Also read- UEFA Champions League 2018/19: Analysing Group A
The dynamic, young and gold-hungry teams of all four clubs will surely tempt fans around the world for some mouth-watering clashes. Along with four tactically astute managers, 44 world-class players will take centre stage on the pitch. Group B might prove to be the most entertaining group of all 8 groups.
#1 Barcelona FC
Position in Domestic League previous season: 1st in La Liga
Key Player:- Lionel Messi
Barcelona has lost club legend, Andres Iniesta as well as Brazilian sensation, Neymar over the past two years. While Neymar made a big money move to PSG for €222million, Iniesta refused to play in Europe as he would have to play against the club where he spent 17 years. Iniesta subsequently joined Vissel Kobe in Japan. Barcelona was quick to replace him with Arthur Melo and Arturo Vidal, while Coutinho was bought well in advance as a replacement for Iniesta. They also bought Malcolm from Bordeaux for €42 million and centre-back, Clément Lenglet.
Ernesto Valverde might have won the La Liga in his first year, but the true icing on the cake in his managerial career will be winning the UEFA Champions League. After AS Roma staged a comeback against the Catalan club, Barcelona exited the tournament in the quarter-finals itself. Messi wasn't even nominated for the 2018 'UEFA player of the year award'. However, Barcelona and captain, Lionel Messi hope to change their European fortunes this year and go further in the competition
Barcelona has a quality side and a magician in the form of Lionel Messi. With a serial goalscorer in Luis Suarez and some Brazilian samba from Coutinho, Barcelona might not even drop a single point from the group! Eitherways, Barcelona should comfortably end as group toppers
Prediction: 1st
#2 Inter Milan
Position in Domestic League previous season: 4th in Serie A
Key Player: Ivan Perišić
Inter Milan have achieved the most prestigious feat in all of club football - the treble. In 2009-10, under Jose Mourinho, La Beneamata won the Champions league as well as Serie A and the Copa Italia. However, Inter Milan have failed to achieve success similar to or anywhere close to that season. Some would claim they have been in decline since the takeover of Indonesian consortium, International Sports Capital HK Ltd. The takeover also benefitted Inter Milan as they were able to spend the big bucks in the transfer market which is evident in this summer transfer window.
The most prominent signing is inarguably Radja Nainggolan. After being left out of the Belgium national team travelling to Russia, the 30-year-old decided to switch clubs. Inter Milan sealed a 35 million move for the midfielder who is already playing a huge role in controlling the team from the centre of the pitch. The signing of Lautaro Martinez from Racing Club and Sime Vrsaljko from Atletico Madrid(on loan) gives the team more squad depth and allows rotation. Clever free transfers such as Asamoah and Stefan De Vrij from Juventus and Lazio respectively also boosts the squad at no cost.
Inter Milan clearly intend on returning to the top of Italy and Europe. However, they are still miles away from the team they had 8 years ago. Getting past the group stage will be tough for them. However, they should make it to Europa league where they will be joined by local rivals, AC Milan.
Prediction: 3rd
PSV Eidenhoven
Position in Domestic League previous season: 1st in Eredivisie
Key Player: Hirving Lozano
Champions of the first division of Netherlands, PSV Eidenhoven qualified through the playoffs. They were one of eight teams that were in the 'champions path' to qualify for the competition. They beat BATE Borisov 6-2 on aggregate to be one of the four teams to qualify out of the champions path.
Although PSV has had a quiet transfer window, they could still consider it as a successful transfer window as they hung on to Mexican forward Hirving Lozano. His performance in the World Cup earned him many plaudits. The 23-year-old scored a critical goal against defending champions, Germany and looked dangerous in the final third in all the four matches he played. Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid were also very interested in the PSV star. Various clubs from the Premier League such as Everton, Manchester City and Arsenal were also interested in him. However, none of the clubs was able to meet the £42 million price-tag and PSV managed to hold on to one of the hottest prospects in football.
PSV Eidenhoven is a squad filled with youth and pace. Experienced striker, Luuk de Jong leads the line for the Holland team and could prove to be the difference in many matches. However, getting any points out of the four fixtures is highly unlikely for the club.
Prediction: 4th
#4 Tottenham Hotspurs
Position in Domestic League previous season: 3rd in the Premier League
Key Player: Harry Kane
Tottenham Hotspurs are often considered to be in the shadow of their North London rivals, Arsenal. However, over the past few years, Tottenham have slowly built a talented team with the help of manager Mauricio Pochettino and Director of Football Operations Rebecca Caplehorn. Although Tottenham are nowhere close to Arsenal in terms of trophies and club heritage, The Lilywhites have surely presented evidence to back the so-called 'Power Shift' in North London
Tottenham had a very quiet transfer window making no buys in the summer. They have become the first Premier League club to go an entire summer without signing a single player since the transfer window was created in 2003. This is mainly due to the high spendings in building their new stadium. However, the lack of activity in the transfer window seems to have worked in their favour as veteran members of the club have shined through the season. A 3-0 victory at The Old Trafford last weekend showed football fans across the world that football is more than a game of money.
Tottenham have previously gotten huge victories against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the competition. With the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane already firing for Tottenham, it will be no surprise if Spurs are able to go through to the next round of the competition
Prediction: 2nd
