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The much awaited Champions League group-stage draw was finally out on Thursday. As always, it threw up a plethora of interesting match-ups within the groups itself.
While most of the top teams would generally like to avoid tougher clashes in this phase, the rise of new footballing powers led to difficult groups.
Also Read: Twitter reacts to a blockbuster UEFA Champions League 2017/18 draw
The usual suspects are all in the 2017/18 Champions League, while a few new teams are making their first ever appearance. Without further ado, let's take a look at the different groups, the interesting match-ups and their chances of making it out of the group-stage.
Group A - Red is the most important colour
Benfica qualified as domestic champions of Portugal for the group stage. Rui Vitoria's side reached the round of 16 last year and will be looking to make it to the next round this year. The Portuguese side have won 4 league titles on the trot and look good despite losing Ederson and Victor Lindelof to Manchester while Nelson Semedo joined Barcelona.
Manchester United are clear favourites in this group. The Europa League winners are a well-balanced side and look set to compete for the Premier League crown as well under experienced gaffer Jose Mourinho. However, a point to note is that the Red Devils finished third in 2011/12 in a similar group consisting of Benfica and Basel after reaching the UCL final in 2011.
Basel come into this year's tournament winning seven league titles in a row. While their domestic superiority is undisputed, they have a tough ask to get out of the group stage. However, they will be nailed on to finish third and make it to the Europa League knockouts.
CSKA Moscow came through the qualifying route but have struggled to get out of the group stages in the past 5 seasons. The Russian side will be hoping to upset the apple cart and sneak into the Europa League at the very least.
Prediction
- Manchester United
- Benfica
- Basel
- CSKA Moscow
Group B: The Neymar show?
Bayern Munich are one of the two favourites to qualify out of their group. The German side are not in their best element with an okay pre-season. Carlo Ancelotti has a huge task on his hands to convert the domestic supremacy into continental success. This season will see how far the team goes and whether they can finish as group winners.
Paris Saint-Germain joining Group B makes it an exciting matchup with Bayern. The French side have grabbed everyone's attention by signing Neymar for a whopping £198 million from Barcelona. All eyes will be on Neymar and his new club and whether they can tag along with the big boys this season and can cross the quarters finally after 22 years remains to be seen.
Anderlecht are the Belgian champions and did well in last year's Europa League. However, they have lost their star player Youri Tielemans to AS Monaco. The real expectation from the Belgian side would be to try and finish third.
Celtic can consider themselves unlucky once again as they are up against the top clubs in Europe. Brendan Rodgers has built a well-oiled, tough to beat side but they cannot be expected to size up to the favourites in the group. Nevertheless, the Scottish champions are difficult to beat at home and will be hoping to upstage Anderlecht to secure Europa entry.
Prediction
- Bayern Munich
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Celtic
- Anderlecht
Group C: A Group of Death contender
Chelsea are in one of the toughest groups of the draw. The London side do not have the strongest of squads at the moment but their first team is as good as any. Antonio Conte is a master of the league format but not so much in knockout tournaments. This will be an interesting test for Chelsea as they balance between domestic and European commitments.
Atletico Madrid have the advantage of continuity going into this season's Champions League. Diego Simeone's side are one of the most consistent teams in the tournament, having reached the finals in 2014 and 2016. Atletico have managed to retain Antoine Griezmann and barring their adjustment period to their new stadium -- Wanda Metropolitano -- they are the actual favourites in this group. An interesting Diego Costa reunion could also be on the cards.
Roma have lost an absolute legend in Francesco Totti and are seeing increased domestic competition this season. However, former Sevilla sporting director Monchi has taken over and the Italian side boast of a good team. They will remain the prime challengers for Atletico Madrid and Chelsea's qualification hopes.
Qarabag are the completely unknown entity in this group. They are the first team from Azerbaijan to qualify for the UCL group stages. The trips to the capitals of England, Spain and Italy will be welcomed by Gurban Gurbanov's men. No one expects anything from the new entrants and that could help Qarabag pull off an upset or two, especially at home.
Prediction
- Atletico Madrid
- Chelsea
- Roma
- Qarabag
Group D: Changing of guard?
Juventus will be looking to cross the final hurdle in the 2017/18 Champions League season, having losing the finals in 2015 and 2017. Gianluigi Buffon is most likely playing in his last season and the Old Lady have lost a key player in Leonardo Bonucci. However, they have gone for more attacking signings this summer and it remains to be seen how far they go this season.
Barcelona are at their lowest ebb in a decade heading into this season. Their arch-rivals Real Madrid are in top form while the Catalan squad looks old and lacks sufficient quality. The loss of Neymar is a severe blow and there is no apparent trust on the board around the club. Thus, Lionel Messi has a huge task on his shoulders as the Spanish side tries to find its way. Further, Barcelona have a chance to avenge their defeat to Juventus from last season's competition in the group.
Olympiakos made it to the knockout stage in the 2013/14 season and have a tough ask to do it in this group. The Greek side have been regulars in the group stage, barring last season. However, they will find it difficult to usurp Juventus or Barcelona for a top-two finish. In fact, they have a tough competition for the Europa League spot as well.
Sporting Lisbon would have preferred to be in a few of the other groups where their chances are higher to qualify. Jorge Jesus' side had a forgettable 2016/17 campaign in the UCL group stages as they lost 5 out of 6 games. The team is good enough to clinch the Europa League spot and maybe pull off an upset win over the favourites. However, the question is will they?
Prediction
- Juventus
- Barcelona
- Olympiakos
- Sporting Lisbon
Group E: The Awakening?
Spartak Moscow qualified as Russian champions after winning the league for the first time in 16 years. Although they are one of the less-fancied sides from Pot 1, Spartak are a tough opposition, especially at home, where the cold conditions generally do not suit travelling teams. Further, the Russian side are led by Massimo Carrera, former assistant to Antonio Conte at Juventus. Thus, they will be an unpredictable entity in the group stage.
Sevilla have lost manager Jorge Sampaoli to Argentina and more importantly, sporting director Monchi to Roma. The latter was key to the Andalusian's success in the Europa League, which they won thrice in a row between 2014 and 2016. It remains to be seen how they fare this term, especially after competing for the La Liga for long periods last season. Nevertheless, they are too good and experienced to not make it out of the group.
Liverpool were the team Sevilla beat in the 2016 Europa League final. The five-time winners are back in the tournament for the first time in three years. The English side will be happy with the draw and can be considered as joint-favourites with Sevilla in this group. The Reds boast of one of the best attacks in Europe and their firepower should be sufficient to see them through.
Maribor are in the group stages for the third time ever and have a tough task ahead of them. However, they have a trusted manager in Darko Milanic and the Slovenian champions will look forward to at least one big scalp from the group stage. They will definitely be targeting the Europa League spot as a minimum.
Prediction
- Liverpool
- Sevilla
- Spartak Moscow
- Maribor
Group F: Tactical case-studies
Shakhtar Donetsk are another less-fancied team to qualify as league champions. The Ukraine side definitely have the incentive of a final at Kiev but the odds are against them to progress from the group stage. Internal tensions in Ukraine implies Shakhtar have to play away from their home stadium. This is a letdown, nevertheless the squad is settled one, led by the apparently ageless Darijo Srna.
Manchester City can be considered as clear favourites in the group with the number of world-class players in their ranks and a successful manager in Pep Guardiola to lead them. The Citizens were eliminated by high-flying AS Monaco in the knockouts of 2016/17 tournament and have definitely become stronger ever since. Guardiola will be expected to easily navigate through the group stage where tougher battles await his team.
Napoli are the next choice to get out of the group stage. The Naples outfit are a settled side with the attack of Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon one of the best in Europe. Further, their manager Maurizio Sarri is known to be a tactical mastermind and their clash with City offers to be a footballing case-study. The Italian side disposed French team OGC Nice relatively well and will be looking to better their quarterfinal loss to Real Madrid from last term.
Feyenoord won the Dutch league last season and make the group a tricky one. Former Barcelona player Giovanni van Bronckhorst is managing the Eredivisie champions well but the group stage promises to be a tough test for his side. A Europa League knockout spot by finishing third would be a more realistic aim.
Prediction
- Manchester City
- Napoli
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Feyenoord
Group G: The group of the young
AS Monaco would have been favourites in this group considering last season's dream run into the semifinals. However, that mesmerising season which saw the Ligue 1 side win the league as well, led to loss of key players Benjamin Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Bernardo Silva so far. 18-year old Kylian Mbappe is likely to leave as well and this strips the side of most of the top performers from last season. Thus, only time will tell how Leonardo Jardim's side fare this year.
FC Porto are somewhat of a constant fixture in the Champions League. The Portuguese side continue to act as a launch pad for relatively unknown players before making a huge profit out of their transfers.This year promises to be no different and Porto also have the small issue of failing to upstage Benfica domestically for a while now. Thus, it remains to be seen how they will perform in the group stages.
Besiktas have assembled a list of players with Champions League experience in Pepe, Ryan Babel, Gary Medel, Ricardo Quaresma and Alvaro Negredo. The Turkish side will be hoping to cross the group stage for the first time in their history and their recruitment suggests the focus will be Europe. If not, they will be aiming the Europa League round of 32 berth as a minimum.
RB Leipzig play in their first ever European campaign this season and their entry complicates matters in the group. The German side finished second to Bayern Munich in the league and will be a tough proposition for every team in the group. In fact, Leipzig can be considered as one of the favourites to qualify from the group.
Prediction
- AS Monaco
- RB Leipzig
- FC Porto
- Besiktas
Group H: Group of Death and Goals
Real Madrid became the first team to defend their Champions League crown last season and look to be not done yet. The Zinedine Zidane-led team are currently the best side in Europe in terms of quality, depth and success. Despite being in a tough group, Cristiano Ronaldo and co. are still favourites not only to win the group but also to win another Champions League.
Borussia Dortmund are no longer the force they were a few years back yet their matches are always exciting to watch for the neutrals. The German side had some great encounters with Madrid in the group stages over the past few years but it remains to be seen whether Peter Bosz can transfer his brilliant season with Ajax to Dortmund. Either way, they are home to some of the best talent in Europe and still remain good to get through the group stages.
Tottenham can consider themselves unlucky for landing in a group with Dortmund and Madrid in it. Lack of new signings, absence of Dele Alli for the first 3 games, their wretched record at Wembley and a poor showing in last season's tournament paint a poor picture for the English club. Mauricio Pochettino has a real job on his hands to take his side into the knockout stages. The Gareth Bale reunion is much-anticipated while the Londoners will try their best to upstage Dortmund.
APOEL are back into the group stages after four years and are the champions of Cypriot. They will consider themselves lucky if they can get a few results in a very attacking group. APOEL were not impressive in qualifying and will congratulate themselves if they can finish third, which looks unlikely.
Prediction
- Real Madrid
- Borussia Dortmund
- Tottenham
- APOEL
