The Champions League group stages were announced last Thursday. Let's get right into who I think will get out of their groups and advance to the next stage of the most important domestic tournament in the world.
Group A: PSG, Real Madrid, Malmo FF, FC Shankhtar Donetsk
In Group A, we have a case of the Haves and the Have Nots. 2 of the 4 teams in this group have a realistic chance to win Europe's biggest prize, while the other 2 have 0 chance of getting to the Round of 16. Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the Quarterfinals last season and became a better club over the summer when they signed Angel Di Maria from Manchester United. Having established themselves as a fixture in Europe, PSG hopes that this will be the season that they finally break through and win their first ever Champions League. Spanish giants Real Madrid are always a fixture in Europe, and they again have a strong squad that could get even stronger if they are able to sign goalkeeper David De Gea away from Manchester United. New manager Rafa Benetiz has a lot of talent on his club, and he will be hoping to give Real it's 11th champions league title. The Swedish club Malmo went through to the group stage after beating Celtic, 4-3, on aggregate in the playoff round, but I do not see them finishing in the top 2 of this group. Shankhtar Donetsk, from the Ukraine, fall into the same boat as Malmo. So the 2 teams to advance to the knockout stages will almost certainly be PSG and Real Madrid, with Real topping the group due to their unreal level of talent.
Group B: PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Wolfsburg, CSKA Moscow
This is a very balanced group as all 4 teams have the potential to cause trouble for their group counterparts. PSV Eindhoven was the best team in the respectable Eredivisie, the top domestic league in Holland, and they remain capable despite losing their best player, Memphis Depay, to Man United over the summer. Manchester United is always a tough out, and in spite of their unimpressive start to the English Premier League campaign, Old Trafford is still a venue that can cause trouble for any opponent. Wolfsburg finished 2nd to Bayren Munich in the always competitive Bundesliga last season, and despite recently losing star midfielder Kevin De Bryune to Manchester City, the club still has plenty of talent and recently bolstered their back line by singing Dante from Bayern Munich. CSKA Moscow is the least known club in this group, but they are a potential sleeper and will provide a tough road trip for any team that they play. I predict that United will top this group, with Wolfsburg beating out PSV for 2nd. CSKA will finish bottom of the group, while Wolfsburg and United will both progress to the knockout stages
Group C: Benefica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana
Atletico Madrid are the favorites in Group C. The 2014 champions of La Liga came within minutes of hoisting the European Cup that same year, and have received a boost up front by singing star Striker Jackson Martinez away from FC Porto. The 2nd team in this group to advance to the knockout stages will be a battle between the Portuguese champions Benefica and the Turkish champions Glatasaray. Benefica beat out Porto to win the 2015 Primeira Liga, while Galatasaray has been a force in Europe in the past, making a Quarterfinal appearance in 2015. It will be a battle, but I think that Benefica will join Atletico in the Round of 16. Astana made history by becoming the first club from Kazakhstan to ever earn a spot in the group stage, and they will almost certainly finish bottom of Group C.
Group D: Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach
4 of the most historic leagues in Europe are represented here in Group D. Jeuventus were again the kings of Italy last season, winning Serie A for the 4th year in a row, and were runner-ups to Barcelona in the Champions League. Manchester City has been impressive in the young English Premier League season, winning their first 4 games while not yet conceding a goal, and recently became even stronger with the addition of Kevin De Bryune from Wolfsburg. These 2 clubs are heavy favorites to advance to the knockout stages. The other 2 clubs, Sevilla and Monchengladbach, are both quality teams in La Liga and Bundesliga, respectively. However, I do not see either of these 2 teams overtaking Jeuventus or Manchester City. I expect Manchester City to slightly beat out Jeuventus for the top spot in Group D, as caption Vincent Kompany looks like a man possessed to lead his team to new heights.
Group E: Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, Bate Borisov
Barcelona is clearly the favorites to top this group. The defending European Champions have not lost a step since defeating Jeuventus in Berlin for the title on June 6th, and they seem to have a fairly easy group that should not give them too many problems. The biggest question in this group is who will join Barca in progressing to the Round of 16. It will be a battle between Leverkusen and Roma, and I believe that Leverkusen will be the ones who move on, while Roma will earn a place in the Europa League. Leverkusen almost upset Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 last season, and they recently received what could be a huge boost when they acquired Striker Javier Hernandz from Manchester United. Bate Borisov, the best team in Belarus, will finish bottom.
Group F: Arsenal, Bayren Munich, Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb
This is, in my opinion, the strongest group of all. Arsenal has been picked by some to win the English Premier League, and they just may have the talent to do so. Bayren Munich most recently won the Champions League in 2013, and reached the semi finals of the competition last year as the German Champions. I believe that Bayren will top this group, with Arsenal finishing 2nd. The Greek club Olympiacos have been a tough out on the European scene, but I think that they will finish 3rd in the group and end up in the Europa League. Dinamo Zagreb, the champions of Croatia, will finish 4th in the group.
Group G: Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi
Chelsea is the clear favorite to top this group, while Porto is expected to finish 2nd. Although the defending English champions have gotten off to a slow start in the Premier League campaign, Jose Mourinho is the best manager in the world, and Chelsea is still a force in Europe. Porto advanced to the Quarterfinals last season, and they will almost surely finish 2nd, as Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi will not provide very stiff competition.
Group H: Zenit St. Petersburg, Lyon, Valencia, Gent
This is probably the most uninteresting group of all. It will be a battle, as Lyon, Valencia and Zenit are all capable, in my opinion, of finishing in the top half of this group. If I had to bet, I'd say that Lyon, on the back of star Striker Alexander Lacazette, would finish at the top of this group, with Zenit, who I think could be a sleeper in Europe as a very solid team, finishing in 2nd and progressing to the knockout stage. Valencia will miss out and move on to Europa, while the Belgian champions Gent will finish bottom.
So, as of right now, I see the round of 16 looking like this:
Real Madrid, PSG, Man United, Wolfsburg, Atletico Madrid, Benefica, Jeuventas, Manchester City, Barcalona, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal, Bayren Munich, Chelsea, Porto, Zenit and Lyon. I hope you enjoyed my predictions and thank you for the read!
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